A Pillow of Leaves

Chasing leaves, like thoughts, I feel 
Autumn closing in on me. 
As I lie beneath the chestnut tree 
Blue skies appear between the leaves. 
As leaves drop, larger skies appear 
Like a huge blue duvet over me. 
The leaves become my comfy bed, 
A crumply pillow for my head. 
A place to keep my hopeful thoughts 
A place to sleep, my wishes caught. 
Caught amongst the rustle, rustle, 
A time to rest away from bustle. 
A place to think, a time to learn and 
A chance to wait for new life to return... 

I am a conker, rich and brown 
Fat and shiny, I snuggle down. 

The end of the summer.

"August, the traditional holiday month for most people, is a busy time for the farmer as he works long hours to bring in his harvest.  You can hear the muffled roar of combines in the cornfields and the incessant thump of balers on the farm.  The burning of straw in the stubble fields leaves them charred and blackened and if this is done without proper care, it can seriously scorch and damage the surrounding hedges.

Dog-days, the first two weeks in August, often bring sultry, hot weather.  They are named after the bright Dog-star Sirius, which during this time rises and sets with the sun.  Settled weather on St. Bartholomew Day, the twenty-fourth, promises a fine autumn: there is a country saying that:

If St. Bartholomew Day be bright and clear

Then a prosperous autumn comes that year."

from "Discovering Hedgerows' by David Streeter and Rosamond Richardson

So here we are at the very end of August 2011.  The summer has gone by very quickly for me and already there are many signs of Autumn. Our weather here in England has been very disappointing with little sunshine this month and lots of cloud, but it could have been much, much worse. Last night we saw a bat flitting past the window of the house and I was aware that the nights are really drawing in.

Midsummer's Day

High Summer always mean 'red' to me and the flower that epitomizes red is definitely the poppy. My picture today is of one of my 'Guardsman' poppies in full colour. They don't flower for long and fade to a wishy-washy pink so whilst they are flowering, I need to make the most of them.  Just like summer really, over too soon!

Next week on 21st June we will enjoy the longest day of the year in this area. There will be celebrations at Stonehenge.  I wrote about that here.

'The period - early June to early July - is ruled by the Oak Moon and the certainty of a good crop comes under the aegis of this moon.  The earth is pregnant, but the safe delivery of a healthy and bountiful harvest has to be worked on.'
From: 'Enchanted' - Titania's Book of White Magic


Certainly, this year we have had troubles with drought in the east of England.  Virtually no rain fell during the months of April and May and so now, despite irrigation, the farmers are expecting the crops to be less than they hoped for. However, we have had a bumper crop of delicious strawberries and raspberries. No doubt we will catch up with the rain at some time this year.  We always have before and nobody has mentioned a hose-pipe ban in my area YET! but a few wishes won't go amiss.

I hope your Midsummer's Eve is all you wish it to be.

Blessings, Star

Elder flowers

The elder flowers are beautiful just now.

'Both the berries and flowers make excellent wines, jams and jellies and can be added to the cooking of meat, vegetable and sweet dishes.  In addition, elderflower water makes an excellent facial rinse, which cleanses and brightens and if cotton pads soaked in it are placed over the eyes, they will feel brighter and refreshed.

Elderflower tea can be taken as a painkiller and is useful in the treatment of colds.  Elderflower tea cleanses the blood and is slightly diuretic so it can also speed recovery the morning after the night before!  

Elder leaves can be made into an infusion and rubbed onto the skin to deter flies and other insects.  Elder leaves boiled until soft are useful for dressing bruises, strains etc.  However, I would not recommend using them on an open wound as, under some circumstances, they can be toxic.'

From:  'The Real Witches' Garden' by Kate West

The Spring Solstice

'The Spring solstice falls on 21st March.  At this moment, the equinox, the earth is in perfect balance and day and night are of equal length.  This was a powerful festival in times gone by.

The sun - which was considered male - was in perfect harmony with the moon - which was female; the solstice is a divine symbol for the female receptivity of the earth preparing to take the (male) seed and blossom forth.  The first signs of spring flowers bursting with life are evidence that all is right in the divine world and that the earth is blessed.'
From: Titania's Book of White Magic' - Enchantment


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"It is common for many of us to become caught up in emotional reactions to the circumstances of our lives.  Even if we do not outwardly express our emotional reactions to things, we still feel them.  Many of us live without awareness of how our reactions stir us into un-empowered action.  An imbalance in emotions causes us to act out, to speak in harmful ways and it causes us to dip right back into the thinking mode.  Reliance on thinking and emotional reactions go hand in hand.  If you've noticed an imbalance in one of these areas, it is best to explore possible imbalances in the other.  When we emote and react to each circumstance, we start an internal monologue of complaints.  "I don't like the way she makes me feel."  'He's stingy.'  'Why does she always criticize me?'  Meanwhile, we miss out on what is actually happening.  We miss the sound of the wind, the sensations of our bodies, the taste of our food, the things we see and feel.  We miss out on the world, which is the realm of Deity or power.

The opposite energy of emoting is blocking emotions.  Most of us have experienced painful situations as a simple matter of living life.  As a result, some of us choose a strategy to block out the pain of our circumstances.  We make ourselves tough; we ignore our hurts.  We work at developing our insensitivity, hoping that this is the answer to a life where pain is a natural part of the process.  But this doesn't work.  It only results in numbing ourselves from the whole of life, so we miss out on both the pleasure and the pain.

In reviewing your emotions, do you find that you are out of balance?

In which direction do you tip the scales?  In over-emotionality or in emotional blocking?"

Taken from 'Wicca - a year and a day' by Timothy Roderick"