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Subscribe to this list via RSS Blog posts tagged in Nature Magic
Nature as Classroom for Healers: Herbal Cures

Centuries ago, healers were the wise women of the village, the healers and midwives who could halt a fever with a poultice or hasten the setting of bones by concocting medicinal tea. The lore of growing and gathering healing herbs has been passed down for hundreds of years. A learned healer knows which phases of the moon are best for planting seeds, how to plan your garden by the stars, and how to create spells for health and harmony. In the grand tradition, I learned at the knee of my aunt Edith, a very wise woman who would take me for walks through the woods and show me the uses and meanings of every flower, weed, and tree. From her, I learned that lovely Queen Anne’s lace is, in fact, wild carrot; that pokeberries make the finest blood-red inks; and which meadow greens and shade-loving mushrooms are safe for a noonday salad. I was in awe during our tromps through the woods, walking mule upon mile to map every acre and spy every specimen.

 Nature was our cathedral, our classroom, and our calendar. Every spring, we could mark April I by the blossoming of a solitary clump of delicate Dutchman’s breeches amid a raft of rarest wildflowers. I thought Aunt Edith was teaching me about plants and trees, only to discover years later that she had shown me the sanctity of life and passed on a legacy I now treasure and pass on to you.

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Last modified on

Posted by on in Studies Blogs
Weather Ward

This post was inspired by a blog post by Heron Michelle, “Hurricane Magick Index: Protection, Opportunity, Action

This is a weather ward that is to be used once a storm is very close.  It does not attempt to steer the storm away, rather it works to create a calmer microclimate around your home or business. I am a great believer in keeping weather workings as local as possible in most cases.

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Posted by on in SageWoman Blogs

When my heart is sore, I go to the river. When I want to forget my human separateness and remember how I am merged with nature, I go to the river. When I wish I had a sister to talk to, or a lover to hold me, I go to the river. The river is always there.

Sometimes it is in a fierce mood, with a strong current and leaves and debris sweeping down. Often it is gentle, the water soft as it washes around me and the view above – a ribbon of sky, with clouds, birds, framed by tall trees on either side – holds me serenely, telling me of the changing constancy of this place. Today there’s a bird, tomorrow clouds, the next day I watch leaves falling down the height of the tallest tree towards me, swimming underneath. Sometimes the mood is sleepy, the water not moving if it hasn’t rained for a while, leaves gathering undisturbed on the surface and the temperature layered down, mild on the surface but cool, colder, cold as it chills down through the water’s depths.

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Recent comment in this post - Show all comments
  • Jamie
    Jamie says #
    Ms. Meredith, Thanks for sharing that! I also honor the local river gods, but the water is too polluted to swim in. Textile mills

Posted by on in Paths Blogs
Nature based divination ideas

We are probably all familiar with divination methods such as reading the tarot but what about looking to nature to give us a hint on what is to come?  Here are some ideas to get you started:

Aeromancy

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Last modified on

Posted by on in Paths Blogs
Magic At 10,000 Feet

Breath. The first thing I noticed at 10,000 feet was breath. Actually, it was the lack of breath that really struck me. I became aware of the incredible effort it took to breathe deeply and slowly, enough to fill my lungs.

Altitude sickness is a thing. It's not a condition to be taken lightly. First there's that inescapable feeling of not being able to quite ever catch one's breath. Then there's the nausea. Next it's dizziness. Left unchecked, the shakes begin, you know the ones, like when you have the flu and no matter how many blankets you pile up around yourself, you shake and shiver and it feels like your teeth are going to shatter in your mouth. If the shakes set in it's time to get down the mountain immediately.

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Recent Comments - Show all comments
  • Lizann Bassham
    Lizann Bassham says #
    Beautiful! Blessings on your deep breaths!
  • Gwion Raven
    Gwion Raven says #
    Thank you Lizann

Posted by on in Paths Blogs
Offerings

Offerings

When I collect anything from the wild I do like to leave an offering of some sort.  If I am in the woods or fields I don’t often have anything to hand so I give the plant or tree a blessing and a thank you. 

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Last modified on

Posted by on in Paths Blogs
To Keep Silent - Listening and Remembering

It's mid-day. The air is crisp and cool. The fog is clinging to the tops of the redwood trees, wetting the forest floor with something not quite rain yet more than mist. Sunlight makes it's way, through leaves and branches to the duff below and highlights patches on the ground. I can see spectacular rays of sunlight, filtered and spreading out like fingers, illuminating stumps and bright green lawns of moss.

I'm standing still. The air and I are both still. There's no birdsong, just now, not even the distant croaks of the sentinel ravens, roosting high above me. It's as quiet as a forest can be. Practically silent, in fact. I take in one long breath and let it out with an even longer "ahh!". It is the only sound I'll utter for the next few hours as I wander about this oh so familiar spot in the woods.

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