Tag: Seasonal living

Trees, Updates

Marvelling at May Magic

Wild Fen

Hello Wild Soul,

As we move through May, I can’t help but marvel at how fast the wild world seems to expand and change on an almost daily basis.

The Hawthorn blossoms that just a few days ago felt in their prime, are now shedding their petals all over the track below. Meanwhile the Elderflowers are opening daily providing pollinators with a new flavour to enjoy.

Frothy Hawthorns
Magical Elder

I love the fullness at this time of the year. It feels like an invitation that asks me to pause regularly and notice the land around me. Medicine, at what can so often feel like a busy time of the year for us too.

The longer days, provide more opportunities to get out. Early morning walks, or evening visits to favourite spots to enjoy this abundant time of the year.

An evening walk to the Birches

Noticing Nature

A tree that always grabs my attention at this time of the year is the Horse Chestnut. Covered in tall, upright clusters of flowers known as ‘candles’ they can be spotted at great distances.

This expansive tree has developed a fascinating way of communicating with insects. Each individual flower starts off with a yellow patch on them that turns red once the flower has been pollinated, letting pollinators know, which flowers are worth visiting.

Fascinating Horse Chestnut flowers communicating with insects

A tree that is often overlooked at this time of the year is the Holly tree which is often associated with Winter. Its glossy green leaves and bright red berries bring colour and life at a time of the year when most of the colour has retreated. And yet, if you happen to see them in the Spring time, their delicate, 4 petalled flowers are a joy to see.

Typically a Holly tree will produce either male or female flowers. The male flowers have 4 long stamens that are coated with yellow pollen. The female flowers have a raised green centre, which is actually the ovary, and if pollinated grows into the red berries we shall be celebrating later on in the year.

Female flowers of the Holly tree

And as the bluebells have now faded in the woodland here, other woodland plants like Bugle and Yellow Archangel are providing new colours to enjoy.

Upcoming Events

This Saturday we return to Newark for Ye Olde Wytches Market, a magical event that includes talks, workshops and artisan craft stalls too.

We will be returning to the Witch & Fairy festival over the late May bank holiday. This magical event held in Northamptonshire has discounted tickets currently available too.

At the end of the month, we will be attending the Midlands Festival of Nature on Saturday 30th May.

Wishing you all some gentle pauses this week to absorb a little May magic,

Nic x

Wheel of the Year

Ostara, Air and Smoke Cleansing

Wild Fen

Ostara, the celebration of the Spring Equinox falls between 20-23rd of March each year in the Northern Hemisphere. Day and night length return to an equal balance once again. This can be a good time to reflect on the areas in our own lives where we would like to cultivate more balance. In today’s post I will share some simple Ostara practices and introduce you to one of the elements associated with this season; Air.

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Wheel of the Year

Litha

Wild Fen

Litha, the festival celebrated at the Summer Solstice marks the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere. Light reaches its peak. The days stretch long and this can feel both productive and/or overwhelming depending on how nourished we are feeling at this time.

The Summer Solstice falls on 21st June and can be a good time to create some rituals to connect with your self and the earth and fill up your well, if only for a short but mindful time.

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Foraging, Wellbeing

A Wild Brew

Wild Fen

A practice I find incredibly grounding at this time of year is to get outdoors and gently gather some beautiful fresh Spring plants for a brew.

There are so many medicinal plants growing in abundance at this time of year that are perfectly aligned to help nourish and cleanse the body after Winter. Many even make their way into our gardens if we let them!

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Wellbeing, Wheel of the Year

Mindful Spring Practices

Wild Fen

I don’t know about you, but I can find myself feeling pretty restless at this time of year. The transition away from Winter can be a long one. The promise of Spring feels so sweet when it arrives. Those first warm rays on the skin and the sound of bird song lift my heart so much. And just as I am about to lean right in to the new season, Winter announces she isn’t quite done as she delivers one last blast…

I have noticed over the past few years that my mind can become restless at this time of year. My mood and energy feel as mixed as the weather. One foot planted amongst the hopeful wildflowers of Spring, the other hanging back in the heavy malaise of Winter’s end.

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Wheel of the Year

The energy of Samhain

Wild Fen

Samhain (pronounced sow-in) is one of the eight seasonal festivals that make up the wheel of the year, an ancient way of observing the yearly cycle, and the transition of the sun and the seasons. Samhain is celebrated at the end of October/beginning of November (the origins of modern day Halloween) and marks the final harvest period of the year and the birth of the Winter. At this time of year we can observe the natural world preparing for the Winter months that stretch ahead. Trees lose their leaves, plants die back, and animals stock up and may begin to migrate or hibernate.

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Wellbeing

Lessons from a Primrose

Wild Fen

After a shaky few days, taking my morning cup of tea out in the garden this morning felt like an act of restoration. Walking barefoot across the lawn, moving from the shade into the sun I came to sit down in front of a small patch of Primroses. I noticed that the petals of most of the flowers were wilting now, nibbled (not by me) and turning brown in patches as they were reaching the end of their blooming period here in the UK.

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Wheel of the Year

Beltane

Wild Fen

The next festival in our Wheel of the Year journey is Beltane, celebrated around the beginning of May in the Northern hemisphere. Beltane is the mid point between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. It marks Spring’s peak and the birth of Summer and is a celebration of the Earth’s fertile energy and life force at this time.

This is a time of abundance, union and life force. Flowers are blooming, new life is being born and the Sun’s strength is increasing. This is a fertile time in the natural world, and can help us to ignite projects, cultivate new actions and reflect on what we need in order to bloom. This increase in active energy, can leave us feeling a little worn out at times, so it is good time to ensure rest, self care and nourishment is established to balance this busy time.

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Wheel of the Year

A Guide to Ostara – the Spring Equinox

Wild Fen

In astronomical terms, the Spring Equinox (also known as Ostara) marks the beginning of the Spring season in the Northern hemisphere and falls between the 20th – 23rd March each year.

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 reach a point of balance. The light has slowly but surely been increasing from it’s lowest point at the Winter Solstice (Yule) in December. It will now continue to expand, overtaking the hours of darkness, until it reaches its peak on our longest day at the Summer Solstice (Litha) in June.

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Foraging

Spring Greens!

Wild Fen

Eating seasonally is one of my favourite ways of feeling more aligned with earth’s cycles and come Spring I really start craving fresher, zingier and lighter meals with lots and lots of greens. And just as if Nature intended, our gardens and woodlands are bursting full of Spring greens, that nourish and cleanse our bodies after a heavy winter.

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