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“You seem very close to the earth, how does one come to that place?”

“You seem very close to the earth, how does one come to that place?”

By megan spencer February 13, 2021 February 13, 2021

The Shadow of Silviculture, part 2
An Intimate relationship with Earth
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sacredgardener

Seeding earth wisdom since 1989.
Home of The Sacred Gardener School.
Wildculturing ~ Co-create ~ Wildcrafting
We're on Patreon!

The Sacred Gardener
Happy Summer Solstice! 'Tis the time of year St. J Happy Summer Solstice! 'Tis the time of year St. John's Wort starts coming into flower. There are many types of St. John’s Wort, both North American and European, and though they can be used interchangeably, it is the European variety that is commonly used. In Europe, St. John’s Wort (Wort-an object that embodies spirit) comes into flower and is harvested at the summer solstice, (in the Christian mythology six months before the birth of Christ). Here in Central Ontario, St. John’s comes into flower a week or so later. St. John’s has a very short harvest window and this was understood well in the middle ages. So much so, that they had a St. John’s day when this specific herb was harvested by everyone, to be dried and stored for the year’s use. Summer solstice has also long been a day for great celebration and healing. Before the Christian era, St. John’s or “Wound Wort” was associated with The Summer King, the Green Man, a God of fecundity born in the heart of the summer. Visits from Gods or Goddesses tend to be brief and potent. So, if you want to have the healing power of the Gods, you must move at the right time to receive St. John’s during the last week of June. The ancient Greeks, aptly named this plant Hypericum, after Hypernicus, the father of western medicine and the first “doctor”. This was because, for herbalists, then as is now, St. John’s is the first healer to call on, for many ailments. Like the sun, He heals flesh and nerves, and purifies decay within the body. This plant was so valued as a wound healer, that battles were fought at a time and in relation to the location of flowering Hypericum. The power to dictate when and where battles would take place might seem far-fetched, but at that time it might be the difference between losing half the men in the village versus only losing a few. Death from war was not as glorious as its Hollywood portrayal or as we might imagine; being cut down in an open field and dying quickly. Most people died long after the battle, suffering in pain from infection and septic. For those people, St. John’s was undeniably a miraculous blessing and cure. #herbalmedicine #herbalmedicinemaking #saintjohnswort #herbs
Yesterday’s rainy day task was hulling beans and Yesterday’s rainy day task was hulling beans and tapping out poppy seeds from their pods. Often we do these things in the winter, but sometimes when there is an abundance, things get left for another time. A great and satisfying task for the kids to do. Poppy seeds are so tiny; head of a pin sized. We filled a litre jar. Every year the poppies are left to do their thing, coming up where they may, wandering through the garden. We get to bathe in their beauty, the bees get food, we made medicine from them, and eat their seeds. This is wildculturing. #wildculture #gardening #poppy #harvest #growyourown #raisingearthlovers
Rain’s coming, rumbling thunder. #spring #almos Rain’s coming, rumbling thunder. #spring #almostsummersolstice #clouds #ottawavalley #morning #rain #thunderstorm
Grateful for well worn footpaths, on the way to te Grateful for well worn footpaths, on the way to tend the good earth. #gardening #barefeet #earthing #connect #wildculture
Today’s the day the tropical plants get to go ou Today’s the day the tropical plants get to go outside! Our rebuilt greenhouse attached to our house got the improvement of a sliding door so we don’t have to carry them through the house anymore. They can go directly out and under the apple tree to hang outside for the season, until early fall. They’re happy and it helps keep bug troubles in the greenhouse down. #tropical #greenhouse #ottawavalley #greenhousegardening #tropicalplants #tropicalgreenhouse
You would think after growing corn for 30 years I You would think after growing corn for 30 years I would just expect it to come up. But I don’t. Somehow, it is still a deep mysterious ritual that I perform every year and am granted the presence of these lovely ones at the outcome. Some years when it rains there is waiting and worrying that any birth is due. This year it was the driest year in three decades I’ve been gardening, so when I was planting, I went deep; 4 inches down until I could feel moisture. I planted my four types of corn out four days in a row as the moon waxed full. If it is not clear to me when to plant from the moon, the swallowtail butterflies always arrive the day I should be planting. I also had a dream that four stalks of corn were growing in the basement which was their way of telling me they were ready once again to die and be reborn. Everyday for almost two weeks, I watered and prayed for these beauties to come alive. And everyday the soil would completely dry out with the scorching sun. During this time, profound reverence and faith of ritual understanding is needed. During this time, it is clear culture grew from agriculture and agriculture grew from ritual. Then, finally the first spear-like shoots began to break through the soil surface. They waited for a cloudy day to emerge from the underworld as though they knew the unseasonably harsh sun would be too much for them. When I see the face of these young ones, I am so filled with joy I could be looking at my own children. Follow along more closely on our Patreon page, link in bio. #corn #gardening #wildculture #cocreate #gardeningasritual #planting #plantingseason
Our dear friend, Weaver of wonder, Abrah Arenson h Our dear friend, Weaver of wonder, Abrah Arenson has written a beautiful book, "The Weaving: Plants, Planets and People". Steven was greatly honoured to have been invited to write the introduction, some of which is below. But first, a bit about the book: The Weaving will deepen your understanding of: -The journey of the Great Round, the life, death, rebirth cycles of life as experienced by the pagan traditions of Europe A non-traditional history of herbal medicine from the perspective of “The People’s Medicine” Astrology as a language used to describe not only a plant’s medicine but significant cultural events that have informed herbal medicine today. What it means to decolonize your mind. The medicine found in stories once told to weave one into the great web of life. “Come all now and gather in, to make a circle with one another or within. A corral to hold this old soul's wild whispers. A nest of listening to catch her awakening spells, that come to crack you open and break from your shell. Her incantations contained within are not some reenactment of a make-believe pagan. These tellings are real drops of wisdom spilling from Cerridwen's caldron, as Abrah vigorous stirs. If you lick up this concoction your journey will begin. For me as a herbalist, Abrah’s weavings of history and myth, astrology and medical herbalism give me both the expansiveness of ‘story’ and the grounded specificity of application. Her understanding of both the spirit and the physiology of herbs is a rare thing these days. More often the spirit of the plants have been thrown away, dismissed as wives tales and superstition. But this spirit, and not the biochemical knowledge, is what connects us through the plants to the earth and heavens. These pages embody a sacred marriage, in a land of the separated. In this book lives a bridge to the wisdom of the past, that also honours the scientific knowledge of our time. As it was long ago, a sacred marriage brings out everyone. Even those energies or parts of ourself thought long gone. They all come for the blessing, and to be make whole again.” To buy Abrah's book, please visit here: https://www.abraherbs.com/books/
Violet love ❤️. You can feel it from this one. Violet love ❤️. You can feel it from this one. Nourishing, gentle, compassionate. Good medicine for these times. #violet #herbs #plantmedicine #compassion

sacredgardener

Seeding earth wisdom since 1989.
Home of The Sacred Gardener School.
Wildculturing ~ Co-create ~ Wildcrafting
We're on Patreon!

The Sacred Gardener
Happy Summer Solstice! 'Tis the time of year St. J Happy Summer Solstice! 'Tis the time of year St. John's Wort starts coming into flower. There are many types of St. John’s Wort, both North American and European, and though they can be used interchangeably, it is the European variety that is commonly used. In Europe, St. John’s Wort (Wort-an object that embodies spirit) comes into flower and is harvested at the summer solstice, (in the Christian mythology six months before the birth of Christ). Here in Central Ontario, St. John’s comes into flower a week or so later. St. John’s has a very short harvest window and this was understood well in the middle ages. So much so, that they had a St. John’s day when this specific herb was harvested by everyone, to be dried and stored for the year’s use. Summer solstice has also long been a day for great celebration and healing. Before the Christian era, St. John’s or “Wound Wort” was associated with The Summer King, the Green Man, a God of fecundity born in the heart of the summer. Visits from Gods or Goddesses tend to be brief and potent. So, if you want to have the healing power of the Gods, you must move at the right time to receive St. John’s during the last week of June. The ancient Greeks, aptly named this plant Hypericum, after Hypernicus, the father of western medicine and the first “doctor”. This was because, for herbalists, then as is now, St. John’s is the first healer to call on, for many ailments. Like the sun, He heals flesh and nerves, and purifies decay within the body. This plant was so valued as a wound healer, that battles were fought at a time and in relation to the location of flowering Hypericum. The power to dictate when and where battles would take place might seem far-fetched, but at that time it might be the difference between losing half the men in the village versus only losing a few. Death from war was not as glorious as its Hollywood portrayal or as we might imagine; being cut down in an open field and dying quickly. Most people died long after the battle, suffering in pain from infection and septic. For those people, St. John’s was undeniably a miraculous blessing and cure. #herbalmedicine #herbalmedicinemaking #saintjohnswort #herbs
Yesterday’s rainy day task was hulling beans and Yesterday’s rainy day task was hulling beans and tapping out poppy seeds from their pods. Often we do these things in the winter, but sometimes when there is an abundance, things get left for another time. A great and satisfying task for the kids to do. Poppy seeds are so tiny; head of a pin sized. We filled a litre jar. Every year the poppies are left to do their thing, coming up where they may, wandering through the garden. We get to bathe in their beauty, the bees get food, we made medicine from them, and eat their seeds. This is wildculturing. #wildculture #gardening #poppy #harvest #growyourown #raisingearthlovers
Rain’s coming, rumbling thunder. #spring #almos Rain’s coming, rumbling thunder. #spring #almostsummersolstice #clouds #ottawavalley #morning #rain #thunderstorm
Grateful for well worn footpaths, on the way to te Grateful for well worn footpaths, on the way to tend the good earth. #gardening #barefeet #earthing #connect #wildculture
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