Greetings friends and welcome.
Welcome to this seasonal journey with the kitchen witch and her garden.
This series,
Similar to my New Moon series,
Is an invitation perhaps to pause in the year to notice the natural world around you and take a short and sweet journey somewhere in between meditation and story and reflection.
These little in-between places are where we may find a little magic perhaps.
So as always,
Take your time.
We're going to take just 10 minutes out of our day and I'll guide you through a few ideas,
Images,
Reflections on perhaps how the kitchen witch's garden may appear to us in this season.
Close your eyes and rest dear one,
For you have travelled far through the seasons and through the year.
We arrive at the fire festival of Beltane as we reach May and May Day celebrations.
As May turns to June and summer arrives,
Gooseberries ripen,
Sprays of creamy white elder flowers bloom and sorrel begins to appear.
This herbaceous plant with a citrusy flavour,
A favourite of forages.
Sweet woodruff is a wild plant native to much of Europe and emerging in early spring,
Its leaves are arranged as star shapes followed by tiny white flowers in May.
Sweet woodruff has long been connected to witches,
Firstly because it blooms in May and in Germany particularly,
May is the time for celebrations of witches known as Walpurgisnacht or Hexenat,
The witch's night where they dance away the winter and celebrate the coming spring.
Sweet woodruff is also used for medicinal purposes,
The herbal cure for pain or inflammation.
Sweet woodruff is said to soothe weary feet and joints in travellers,
Which is entirely appropriate to this celebration as witches were thought to travel far and wide for their mountain-top revelries to gather just before midnight at crossroads,
Mountain tops and in forests.
Beltane is a time of growth,
Of movement and blooming,
A time perhaps to connect to our primal spirit and move,
Dance and play in nature.
Listen deeply to rhythms and inspirations that may arise.
Well past the equinox now,
We are closer to mid-summer than winter.
The light of spring and summer dances in,
Allow yourself to unfurl like a flower bud.
This is a time for growth and fertility in all things in your life,
From creating new relationships and ideas to new projects and adventures.
Perhaps we may reflect upon not only the blossoms and fall of the winter,
But also the season,
But look forward to the fruits that they may become.
Thank you.
And as we take our time to return to the day,
To maybe stretch and move a few deep breaths,
May the good fires of Beltane bring you warmth,
Inspiration and perhaps a little inner fire and courage to make this season beautiful,
Fruitful and joyous.
So as always thank you for joining me.
I look forward to seeing you again soon.
Thank you and namaste.
Thank you.
