Hop, skip and a jump with the Ostara Hares

Today is Ostara, the Spring Equinox and a perfect time to get the balance right in everything you are doing.

Ostara is an ancient pagan celebration of welcoming new life, the start of Spring and shaking off the long hard months of winter. Today is a  time when everything is in balance, the day is just as long as the night but from now on we will have longer days as the sun grows and warms the earth and the days of light become longer.  Although it may not seem like it at the moment when we are still having snow in some areas, it will change.

I spent a magical morning making salt dough ornaments to celebrate this turn of the wheel which has strong connections with the hare, spring flowers and the egg to symbolise new life.

I wanted my Ostara decorations to actualy be a part of nature so I collected some water from the spring that constantly flows  in our village.  It doesn't matter how severe the weather is, that spring continues to flow.

I used two cups of  plain flour, one cup of salt and one cup of water.  Mixed together, rolled out and cut my shapes.  After baking them in an oven for 45 minutes, I had two magical hares, ready for painting and once that was done they were ready to hop, skip and jump into Spring and banish winter for another year.

The besom has a home

We have been working on my 'Den' today.  Although snow covered the ground this morning, after a few hours it had melted so we made a lot of progress.

I love this area.  For so long it has been neglected and used as a dumping ground for things we wanted to burn, hide or take to the tip, which now I feel was very wrong as it's such a beautiful place. 

The besom has brought much laughter and many jokes from my friends and family but this broomstick is there for a practical use, not to fly about the garden on.  Much as I would love to do that, I use it to sweep the area clean. I didn't want to use my hard yard broom in this area. It's big and has a very hard brush, it simply wasn't practical. It didn't feel right so that is why I got a traditional Besom instead. 

Saying that, my beautiful natural besom can also be used in a ritual to sweep away negativity and cleanse an area from bad feeling. Luckily I have not had to use it for that purpose yet.

I feel so close to nature when I am in this space. Birds nest above and I can see all kinds of life around me. I still can't believe at times that this is not actually a tree but just ivy growing from something man made. Another reminder of how we all seem to be connected, we are meant to be here together with our animals and plants and beautiful landscapes, it's just working out how best to get along and so all of us can thrive.

This is from the other side. We are trying to clear a path so that it will be possible to walk all the way around it.  We have a raised area here which is from years of piling more and more soil and making a compost area. I want to turn it into a miniture hill where we can sit and gaze down on the firepit below.

The 'Den' may take months to create but even now it has become a magical area where I can meditate. I love to just sit or stand here. It's amazing how much you see anywhere if you just stop what you are doing, stand still and observe nature

I have a few guests that seem to like my den. A male pheasant has taken a shine to being in this place.  On several occasions I have surprised him when entering only to have him squalking at me and flying off in a huff as though he objects to me being there!

So, the work continues, I wonder who will visit next?

 

 

A Clootie Tree in the back garden

We spent some time clearing the garden this weekend and focussed on the areas that we have neglected for years.  Some things that are right under your nose go un-noticed but then today this magcial site became open to me again.  After years of storing rubbish and things I wanted to burn, I had forgotten how magical this part of my garden is. 

I think it looks like an ancient tree with all  those clinging roots but in fact it is just a covering of ivy over an old structure that I have in my garden.

This was an old stone crusher from the times of mining around the Clee hills.  My garden is part of the old railway that went up to the Titterstone Clee. The stones were brought back down here for crushing. It must have been a hive of industry in those times with constant activity from the mining but now I find it so magical that after more than a 100 years, nature has claimed it back. 

Many birds enjoy the cover and countless creatures of all kinds love to dwell here.  This is why I have adopted it as my own 'Clootie Tree'. Although most Clootie trees are ancient and grow by the holy wells, this will serve me just as well.  I feel it is still a special place, it has history, it has nature and now it has me to look after it and enjoy all the magic that grows with it.

I will certainlly follow the tradtion of some of the Celtic ways of using a Clootie Tree.
The tradition is that you dip a ribbon or piece of cloth from a person that may need help or healing into a spring or well.  You then hang the ribbon onto the tree and when the ribbon finally rots away, the individual will recover.

Apart from that I feel that it is a lovely place to sit and meditate about my own life and feelings. After hearing the news of a family bereavement the other day, I felt comfort by placing something there.  I knew it would not bring him back but it felt good to think about him and acknowledge a life that had been and gone.

There are many ancient Clootie trees and wells all over the country and they are well worth a visit but at the moment I feel lucky that I do not have to go  any further than my own garden to feel the same emotions and appreciate what is out there.