Out of my Gourd at the Farmer's Market

Miniature Ornamental Gourds

Shopping for freshly picked produce from our local farms is not only fun, rewarding, healthy and cheaper than the grocery stores..it is also a help to our local economy, an act of love towards our families by providing delicious homegrown fare and a support of Mother Earth and her natural gifts to us.

Look at this Butternut Squash--7 pounds!

I had a delightful conversation with the older couple who grew this squash. They have a small farm and sell their produce all summer at farmer's markets around the area. I asked how they grew this huge squash, and the fellow said, "I don't know, it just kept growing." Possibly he did not want to reveal his gardening secrets.

acorn, butter cup, butternut, cabbage, and an unidentified smooth-skinned squash

Yes, we are going to be eating a lot of squash! Actually I am going to cook and freeze most of this. A treat for the winter months. Which are fast approaching...October begins tomorrow!

Bittersweet October.  The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter.  ~Carol Bishop Hipps

Wordless Wednesday

Faerie Cam I

Faerie Cam II

So here's the thing---"Witchcraft" is not a bad word

Recently I had a conversation with someone who was not familiar with "Wicca". So I was explaining that Wicca is one of the nature-based pagan religions, that we believe all living things, both animate and inanimate are sacred/filled with deity. That Wiccans practice magick (I always spell it with a "k")...magick being the act of directing natural energies to achieve positive change. Thus, one that practices magick is called a witch. At that point she asked with a little trepidation, and a barely imperceptible look of wariness on her face, "But you don't practice witchcraft, do you?"

Unfortunately, witchcraft and paganism conjure up (excuse the phrasing!) visions of devil worship, ugly wart-faced women, eyes of newts, dead things, slimy, evil horrid things...very negative images. These concepts stretch back through time and generations, and are almost as prevalent today as back in the old "Burning Times", except it is definitely against the law to burn witches today...right?

Everyone loves a good horror flick, a scary novel, ghost stories around the campfire..and some people accept these images as being real. Refer back to the "Blair Witch" movie...people thought that it was a documentary of real events. I do not like to speak negatively of other religions, but the fact is there are conservative religious groups that are appallingly uninformed about witchcraft and paganism, and speak out loudly and often against them.

As a Wiccan, I do not believe in Satan, or hell. My religion is based on beliefs that pre-date Christianity. Wicca is a gentle earth-loving path. The most important belief of Wicca is the law to "Harm None". I live my chosen path everyday by doing what I can to love the earth and all upon it. I am happy and fulfilled and love being Wiccan every second of every day. I do not think there will be a change in the general thinking against those who practice pagan religions any time soon. Witchcraft is a beautiful and meaningful art. As in every religion or walk of life, there are those who give witches and witchcraft and paganism a bad name by their immoral or questionable practices. But the majority of us witches...we practice witchcraft for the good of all, with harm to none.

Seasonal thoughts

Hardy Hibiscus...fading away

Molting American Goldfinch, containers of bedraggled and leggy annuals, and perennials that were the glory of summer are now sad and done.  That is how the seasons go, and the visible signs of the lessening light and cooling temperatures let us know preparations should begin for the coming season. The turning of the Wheel of the Year is almost complete. But first we shall enjoy the brilliance of trees in their fancy dress, crisp autumn nights, the new smell of wood smoke in the air, pumpkins and winter squashes, and the first crocks of hot stews and homemade soups; perhaps also some apple cakes and pumpkin bread, too.

Raise your hands if Autumn is your favorite season!

A little Autumn Shopping

Saturday, early Autumn. What to do? Shopping with a friend, that's what.

Like bees to honey!

 

 

What a charming shop! Look at those painted pumpkins.

Talented owner creates great displays. One of everything, please.

Autumn lends itself to inspired decorating.

Two of my purchases

A closer look at this great witchy pin

Tiny pumpkins and cinnamon scented little tapers purchased at another shop

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.  ~Albert Camus

Autumn on the Front Porch

Welcome!

Chrysanthemums

And more mums

Please come in and sit a spell

A full moon task

A full moon is a glorious sight to a Wiccan. It is also sacred, and there are many beautiful ways to honor the Goddess during full moon rituals. The moon is a symbol of the Goddess. Phases of the moon represent aspects of the Goddess: Maiden, the new moon, Mother, the full moon and Crone, the waning moon. In ritual Wiccans can appeal to these various aspects of the Goddess for assistance with various needs, problems, celebrations, meditations....whatever workings are at hand during whatever phase of the Moon.

Last night was a perfect time for me to take advantage of the clear sky and beautiful full moon shining down on my garden. Water, one of the Four Elements (earth, air and fire, the other 3) is crucial for purifications spells, protection spells, and other tasks. The energy and power from a Full Moon is just what I wanted to "charge" a pitcher full of water for use in ritual and spells. I simply set it out on a table on my deck, said a few words to the Goddess, and left the pitcher there all night. This morning I have a pitcher of water that I will use for cleansing and consecrating some tools I have recently acquired, as well as renewing protection spells around the house and garden.