Autumn Equinox doings

March 24
well the day of the equinox came and went. Without much ado. It was raining and quite heavily, which put a stop to gathering bits from my garden and hedgerow.
Today the sun is shining, bees are out gathering pollen to feed themselves through winter and the birds are shaking off their wet plumage and singing and chirping with joy.
I worked in the garden for a short while and decided to begin gathering bits for my equinox charm. One of Balance and harmony. It was surprising what I actually found as I walked around my garden. Gathering bits of bay, wormwood, branches of apple, a leaf of comfrey and a sprig of santolina. A spent hydrangea flower and a branch of a wild plum that has self seeded under the protection of grandmother cypress. From the hedgerow I picked some dock and lavender.

Weaving these altogether with words and string and tying them up with a piece of silk.
Once that was all done I sat with the charm for a short time near my altar candle “giving thanks to the powers that grew them”

This is now hanging in the little portico at our back door. Welcoming balance and harmony into Afallon through the long winter months. Reminding me to give thanks for all that I have.
Come next spring, once the plants in the garden begin to burst into bloom, this charm will be returned back to the earth, to compost down and feed the soil once more.

There is no special magic reason that I do these things as I journey around the wheel of the year, It is just something that my soul needs to do, for a spiritual reason. I try to find and follow that which my ancestors did. It changes each year. And each year, as I weave these little charms, wreaths and poppets, the magic grows. It is the intention in the doing of it that works. even just a candle, lit with intent, can bring magic into your life. magic in the way of love, peace, contentment and harmony.

March 25

Today was a perfect autumn day. Windy, sunny and a slight nip to the air. The wind whipped up at times, blowing the autumn leaves from their branches. Letting go. ahhh such a true autumn equinox thing. to let go of things that no longer serve our highest good. trusting in the process of life.

I got up early and made date and banana muffins to take to a friends home for afternoon tea. They turned out rather yum. Our new kitchen goes in this week and once that is done, I plan on baking each Friday (as I did in Woodford), so that Joe and I have home made treats over the weekend. Healthy & wholesome.

We decided to plant the apples today. They were supposed to go in at Equinox but it was raining.

We started to dig where we had planned an apple orchard but about 12 inches down we hit rock. And this wasn’t just a floater but a sandstone shelf. So we had to go to plan b which we didn’t have. But first to fill the holes in! After we had filled them in, we had two squares of bare earth and I began to wonder what we could do. Currants! It will be time to buy currant shrubs soon and I can plant a black and a red one. So that problem solved, now to the finding of plan B for the apples.

In the back yard, I had planned a potato and pumpkin patch in front of the shed and it is a perfect place to plant the apples, nice and sunny and I can plant potatoes and pumpkin under them when the time comes. although I will have to check on how they go as companions.

the garden here at Afallon, has a real magic to it. It is nothing grand and doesn't have designer specimen trees or shrubs, but it has soul. Dragonflies have started to visit, often. Bees too. little skinks have made homes in all the nooks and crannies in the brick walls of the garden.  And my chooks cluck happily. I have a cypress in my front yard that is a protector, a guardian. All very simple and humble. and that is the way I like it.

as I sit here, creating my blog, the wind and rain beat against those aforementioned aluminium windows. but no leaks. soup is simmering on the hob and I am warm, safe and snug. and that is just how it is supposed to be.