Mar 22, 2012

March Madness Giveaway

March has come in like a lion this year.  And seems to be going out that way too.  I've woken up to snow more times than I can count this week.  On the bright side, it seems to melt by mid-day and the sun is warm enough to head outside and pick around the yard for dandelions and other treasures.

I've left some treats in the faery garden too and I notice that the flowers and herbs in that garden have come back vigorously and earlier than the rest of the yard, even though that garden is mostly shaded.  This is the wonder of the faery garden.  An almost totally shaded space, prone to wetness, and I can plant anything in there and it will grow beautifully.  Madness.  Well....faeries, actually.

And so, as a nod to my garden friends, I'm giving away the Faeries' Oracle card and book set.  I've given this set away before, as well as the follow up set by the Frouds, The Heart of Faery Oracle, but it's such a great deck that I know another dear reader will be very happy with it. 

As always, all you have to do is be a friend of the blog in some way.  Be a follower, subscribe to the RSS feed or by email, follow me on Twitter or track me down at Facebook or now on Pinterest.  Leave a comment and be sure I have a way to contact you if you win.  That's it Dearies!

I will draw the winner's name on March 31st!  Best of luck!


Mar 20, 2012

Vernal Equinox


Just popping in to wish you a happy Equinox and a blessed Ostara!  Here's a bit of fun and lore for you:

Equinox

The equinox (meaning, “equal night”) is a point in time that occurs in the spring and fall in which the center of the Sun is in the same plane as the Earth's equator. This balanced time of the year gives us a day with equal hours of sunlight and darkness. Equinoxes are often referred to by their Latin names, vernal, meaning Spring (around March 21st) and autumnal, meaning Fall (around September 21st.)

Spring Equinox superstitions:

It is said that during the equinox you can balance a raw egg on its end, or a balance a broom to stand up on its own. (Although this has been proven to work any time of the year - it’s a fun exercise to do on the Equinox.)

A wish made upon seeing the first robin of the Spring will come true as long as you finish making your wish before the robin flies away.

Spring planting:

“Go plant the bean when the moon is light,
and you will find that this is right.
Plant the potatoes when the moon is dark,
and to this you always hark.
But if you vary from this rule,
You will find that you're the fool.
If you always follow this rule to the end,
You will always have money to spend.”

(Plant above-ground bearing crops during a waxing moon & below ground crops during a waning moon.)


"March bustles in on windy feet
And sweeps my doorstep and my street.
She washes and cleans with pounding rains,
Scrubbing the earth of winter stains.
She shakes the grime from carpet green
Till naught but fresh new blades are seen.
Then, house in order, all neat as a pin,
She ushers gentle springtime in."

- Susan Reiner, Spring Cleaning



Images found here.

Mar 19, 2012

Balance

Photo from stock.xchng.


Before getting to the topic of this post, I just wanted to thank you all for your kind thoughts regarding my loss.  Your sweet words have been a balm to my sadness.  So many thanks to you.


The last time I met with my women's group, we discussed the upcoming equinox and our thoughts on "balance."  Being that I'm trying to find my own again, I though I would post these ideas to help assist in finding and maintaining balance:

~ Observe the in-between times of dawn and dusk. Note that balance is not necessary exactly ‘equal’ but a fluid fluctuation between one thing and another. Nature is never perfectly equal.

~ Start a meditation practice.  At the very least, spend 5 minutes a day in silence - doing nothing.  Merely sit and breathe.  Focus on your breath.

~ Spring cleaning - a clean, uncluttered environment leaves room for energy to flow. There is a saying “you can’t land a plane on a full runaway.” Remove unwanted or unused items and make room for prosperity to enter.

~ Besides physical cleaning, energetic cleaning can leave a space more balanced and open to beneficial energy. Smudging your home with sage, sprinkling salt water in the corners of each room of your home or walking the perimeter of your home with a bell, singing bowl or rattle are all great ways to cleanse unwanted energies from your home.

~ Having a gratitude practice is a way of acknowledging that which we have and while holding the space of gratitude, attracting that which we desire.

~ Practice “Tadasana” the basic standing pose in yoga. Feel how your body shifts muscles to keep you standing straight. Feel where you are holding in/holding back in your body and release those areas.

~ Do one thing at a time.  Be present.  Zen proverb: "When walking, walk. When eating, eat."

~ Spend time in nature.  Connecting to the flow of the earth, sky and water can do wonders for your spirit.

I hope you all enjoy this time of balance as we enter the Equinox today and tomorrow!




Mar 15, 2012

March Mourning

Please forgive my absence, dear friends.  My sick kitty has made her way to the other side to run through fields and play with all your dear departed feline friends.

The House of Rue is mourning.

I'll be back shortly with some more thoughts on Spring gardening, a March giveaway and miscellaneous magical mutterings.

Kiss all your kitties for me.



Beau   2009-2012



Mar 4, 2012

This Week In The Garden

"This Week In The Garden" is a post you'll see often as the gardening season progresses.  This time of year, there isn't much to report, but I'm very happy to say that I was able to get out digging in the earth today!

This week, warmer temperatures and a bit of sunshine woke my chives:


And also woke someone else...


I put Mr. Worm back to bed and added some lettuce seeds with a few encouraging words in the hopes that they will be happy in the newly thawed earth.  Lettuces and many other leafy greens, radishes & peas seem to do really well for me when planted in early Spring.  I garden in raised beds because they warm earlier and I'm always so eager to plant anything at all by this time of year.  The cold weather crops are a Winter-weary girl's best friend!

Lunch today, was courtesy of those early Spring greens, Chive and Chickweed and also courtesy of my friend's chickens who provided eggs - fresh potato salad.  The only downside is that there were no more potatoes from last year's crop, so store-bought potatoes were begrudgingly used.  It tasted like Spring and Summer - green and fresh. 

I hope that Winter is loosening its hold on you and that you find a bit of Spring, wherever you are.

Mar 3, 2012

Pagan Living Magazine

Tenae from the Witch of Howling Creek has re-started a beautiful online magazine called "Pagan Living."


The magazine offers lovely ideas for sabbats, recipes, and columns about a variety of topics.  You may even recognize some of the columnists:

Magaly from Pagan Culture
Dana from On the Broomstick
Andrea from Charcoal and Crayons
Chris from Nourish - Mind, Body, Soul

And...some girl named Jen...

You can have this beautiful magazine delivered quarterly, right to your email - free of charge.  Simply click the link & subscribe!

Happy Spring!