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Trees, Wild Jewellery

The Magick of Blackthorn

Wild Fen

The frosted inky sloe berries decorating the hedgerows just now are the fruits of the Blackthorn. A small deciduous tree that is most at home forming dense, impenetrable hedges. Blackthorns are part of the Rose family that alongside roses also include Hawthorns, Rowans, Crab Apple and Wild Cherry trees. This family holds deep magick for this time of year, their branches hang abundant with rich fruits, a nourishing glut that supports life moving into the Winter months.

As we move towards Samhain, we felt pulled to work with this beautiful, protective wood in celebration of the energy of the season. We shall be releasing a small collection of Wild Jewellery that will be in store on Friday 28th October at 7pm. Scroll down for a sneak peak of some of the pieces and to read more about the energetic qualities of Blackthorn…

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Wheel of the Year

Samhain is coming

Wild Fen

Samhain can be thought of as the birth of Winter. Falling at the end of October/beginning of November in the Northern Hemisphere it marks the final harvest period and is the origin of the modern day festival of Halloween. If you are new to the Wheel of the Year (an ancient way of marking the passing seasons) you can read more about it here.

At this time of year the natural world prepares for a period of deep rest. Like a big exhale, tree sap descends back down the tree trunks to rest in the roots. The seeds of Summer blooms now lay dormant deep within the earth and animals prepare for their hibernation.

This time of year can bring with it a whole host of feelings for us too. For some it may feel like a cosy and nourishing time, an invitation to slow down and turn inwards. For others it may kindle feelings of sadness, grief, low energy or a mixture of both….

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Botanicals, Trees

A note about resin

Wild Fen

Resin is an amazing substance produced by certain trees in response to damage. The sticky substance has antibacterial properties, acting as a healing plaster for the tree that seals the wound and prevents the tree from further damage or infection.

Alongside its wealth of medicinal properties, resins often have beautiful aromas and have been gathered for use in incense and medicine for thousands of years. Well known and loved examples of tree resins include Frankincense, Copal and Myrrh. Frankincense in particular is one of the oldest traded commodities in the world spanning at least 5,000 years and anyone lucky enough to have smelt this resin burning will understand why it is so revered…

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Botanicals

Introducing Wild Fen Incense Burners

Wild Fen

If you follow us on social media, you may well have seen a sneak preview of something very special that we have been working on this year. Since we first began blending our own loose incense a few years ago, we have been on the look out for the ideal way to burn them. This led to us dreaming of creating our very own burner when we struggled to source one locally…

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Foraging

Hedgerow Oxymel

Wild Fen

One of my favourite ways to enjoy the healing magick of the Autumn hedgerows is to make an oxymel with foraged berries. The name oxymel comes from the Greek word ‘oxymeli’ meaning acid and honey. Oxymels are simple herbal preparations that use a mixture of raw apple cider vinegar and raw honey to extract and preserve the potent goodness from an array of berries, herbs and spices…

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Trees

If you go down to the woods today…

Wild Fen

…you may be in for a big surprise, (but more on that later!) This is one of my favourite times of year to spend in the woods. The hedgerows are bursting with colourful berries and ripening acorns adorn the Oaks. It is an in between time where the green leaves feel as though they are making the most of the last days before they fall and I am so grateful to still be enjoying them for a little longer…

In the spirit of balance (so apt for this time of year) we spent much of yesterday’s Autumn Equinox crafting Jewellery, packing up orders and filling in our tax return so today we headed out early to visit our new local woodland. It was a glorious, blue skied Autumn day, we filled our mouths with blackberries and our pockets with rosehips and hawthorn berries. I shall be drying them out over the next week to make an oxymel with them.

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Wheel of the Year, Wild Jewellery

Mabon, Balance & Sun and Moon pendants

Wild Fen

As we move towards Mabon, the festival marking the Autumn equinox in the Northern hemisphere, we leave behind the long days of Summer as day length slowly dwindles.

The word ‘equinox’ comes from the Latin word meaning ‘equal night’ and twice a year, on both the Spring and Autumn equinoxes, night and day length become equal. This can be a good time to pause and reflect on the balance in our own lives…

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Life

Land Update – Circular Herb Garden

Wild Fen

As we enter our third week here on our land, we have been busy working on what will be our main herb beds. We wanted the beds themselves to be beautiful spaces for us to spend time within and had felt drawn to circular designs from early on. Circles are rich with symbolism, a shape with no beginning or end, they are often linked with infinity, interconnection, protection, the feminine, flow and of course the Wheel of the Year.

Circular gardens and spaces have been created throughout history, from stone circles, to medicine wheel gardens and sacred spaces for ceremony, meetings and healing…

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Life

Land Update – A Space to Grow

Wild Fen

If you follow us on social media, you may well have seen that after 2 years of living and working from our van home on the road, we have found a space to grow!

At the start of this year, we set an intention to find some land to be able to grow more of our beloved herbs and plants. For most of the year it felt like a pretty distant dream. However, we were met with a wonderful opportunity last month to rent some land. Set within a farm in the Northamptonshire countryside, it is just half an hour away from where we both grew up.

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