Celebrating the Beauty & Magic of Nature
According to earth-based traditions, the upcoming Autumn Equinox marks the transition from an outward focus of growth and energy to an inward one. But what does this actually mean?
If we look to nature at this time, we will notice that the active growth of Spring and Summer is beginning to wane. The energetic greens, are transitioning to the oranges, browns and reds of Autumn as the hours of daylight continue to recede.
Today – the 22nd August, the Sun transitions into the sixth sign of the zodiac; Virgo. Virgo season runs up until September 23rd, before the sun moves into the sign of Libra, at the Autumn Equinox.
Virgo season spans the height of the harvest when times are busy gathering, processing and storing produce for the months ahead. This practical earth sign is associated with qualities of strength, hardwork, organisation, practicality and determination with high standards for themselves and others.
Virgo season can be a good time to really connect with the earth, grounding ourselves in this abundant season. We may experience more focus for any projects we may have over the month ahead and it can be a good time to assess where we may be overly harsh on ourselves and others.
We have decided to rename our handcrafted herb bundles that we have so far been referring to as ‘smudge sticks’.
We have spent a lot of time thinking about this and wanted to give some background as to why we have come to this decision.
Continue reading “Introducing Smoulder Sticks”
On these damp and cloudy days, I feel Autumn’s presence strongly. These days feel just right for concocting healing oxymels for the winter months ahead.
The name oxymel comes from the Greek word ‘oxymeli’ meaning acid and honey. It is a traditional herbal extraction, using a vinegar and honey to extract and preserve the potent goodness from an array of plants, that can then be taken as a medicine. I prefer making oxymels over more sugar heavy syrups.
We are currently in the process of converting a van into our very own travelling home. We are around half way through our build now with our kitchen in place and took our very first trip in it a few weeks ago.
Our first stop was a visit to family down on the south coast for a lovely few days together. We then headed out west, further along the Jurassic coast to explore.
The area is steeped in myth and legend and it wasn’t long before I lost myself with so many beautiful wildflowers along the way.
Continue reading “Spirit of the South Smudge Sticks”
We hope that you have been able to find some time and space to connect with the new season of Lammas – also thought of as high Summer or the birth of Autumn.
One of the ways I like to connect to a new season is by creating a tea blend that seems to hold the energy of the season in the plants that I blend.
Continue reading “Lammas Tea Blend”
We were gifted some lovely Nasturtium plants early in the season which we planted up in our herb garden. We are now greeted each morning with a wealth of the most vibrant orange flowers. Nasturtiums have been so easy to grow, requiring very little care. They are an excellent companion plant drawing aphids away from other more delicate plants.
Continue reading “Nutritious Nasturtiums”
Lammas (also known as Lughnassadh) falls on 1st August and is the midpoint between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox in the northern Hemisphere. By Lammas we are into the second half of the year and may refer to this time as ‘high summer.’ The days are still long and the sun’s energy is strong yet active growth is waning. The earth is abundant and many of our grain crops have ripened and await their gathering, full and golden.
Continue reading “Lammas”
The wheel of the year is an ancient way of marking the changing energy of the Earth throughout the yearly cycle. The wheel consists of 8 seasonal celebrations or marker points, that fall every 6 – 8 weeks.
These can be further divided into 4 solar festivals that follow the Sun’s rise and fall throughout the year. With daylight reaching its height at the Summer Solstice (Litha), its lowest at the Winter Solstice (Yule) and reaching an equal balance with night length at the Spring Equinox (Ostara) and Autumn Equinox (Mabon).
In-between each solar festival is a seasonal festival (or cross quarter point) connected with seasonal and agricultural changes. Imbolc marks the height of Winter where the first signs of Spring begin to appear, Beltane the height of Spring and birth of Summer, Lammas the height of Summer and birth of Autumn and Samhain the height of Autumn and birth of Winter.
The celebrations can be thought of as natural points throughout the year where we can stop and observe what is going on in the outer world as well as our inner worlds. A moment to reflect on how things currently are, how they have been over the last season and how we would like to move ahead into the new one.
My most precious insight from observing the wheel of the year is the element of change within it. Light and dark, growth and decay, beginnings and endings. In the modern world we are often expected to be as productive and efficient no matter the season. A striving towards a fixed state of happiness, vibrancy and certainty that isn’t present in the natural world, certainly not all year round.
Connecting with the energy and changes in the natural world, can help us to reflect on our own energy throughout the seasons which may naturally rise and fall. It can help us appreciate the change and flow of nature and learn to welcome and embrace these qualities in our own lives.
We have created 2 prints to celebrate the Wheel of the Year and a Seasonal Reflection card set aimed to support you in connecting with the energy of each festival, available now in our Etsy store.
Find our Wheel of the Year guides here:
We are lucky to have a huge supply of Bay in the garden thanks to a rather old and beloved Bay tree. I love adding the leaves to our herb bundles for burning.
Did you know that Bay leaves contain Linalool a compound known for its calming properties, also present in plants such as Lavender. Studies have shown that Linalool reduces elevated stress levels to almost normal conditions.
These lovely leaves also contain Eugenol which is known for its antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and pain relieving qualities. As mentioned in our previous post, burning is an effective way to release the therapeutic benefits of a plant into your environment.
You can find Bay in our best selling herbal garden smoulder sticks.
