WyseWitchUK

Lavender is much beloved by insects, humans and faeries. In high summer lavender bushes are literally humming and thrumming with honeybees, bumblebees and butterflies. Yet it is despised by mosquitoes meaning that its oil and dried bunches of it can be used as a handy mosquito repellent! Its name is said to either come from the French Lavandre which in turn comes from the Latin Lavare meaning 'to wash' or from the Latin Livere meaning 'Blueish'. Lavender is one of the mint family. Lavender comes in a variety of colours; its purples range from silvery blues to royal purple, but it also comes in pinks and even white. Traditionally lavender is considered the Queen of Herbs and is so loved by faeries and elves that one of its old folk names is 'Elf Leaf'. Wherever lavender grows, there you will find faeries so if you are looking to work with faeries, do plant some lavender in your garden/window box. Even the scent of lavender in the form of dried flowers...

The Summer Solstice is a time of great power for this is when the days are at their longest and the Summer Sun is at its strongest. This is the sacred time of the great Sun Deities of the Northern Hemisphere such as the Celtic Lugh/Llew, the Irish Àine, the Saami Beiwe, the Norse Baldr and Sol, the Baltic Saulė, the Romano-British Sulis, the Chinese Xihe, the Japanese Amaterasu and many more... In modern Paganism this is also the time of the Green Man or Jack in the Green who looks out at us still from churches and woodlands with his foliate face showing his connection to the fertility of nature at this time. These are the final glory days of the great Oak King who rules over the light half of the year, before the Holly King gains in power and takes over as the light wanes again. The Goddess moves from her maiden phase into her mother phase as she now carries the God's child to be born again in Winter. The Summer Solstice is also a very important day in the Faerie Cal...

This week is Green Week, an ancient Slavic Fertility Festival, also known as Rusalka Week ( русальная неделя) in Russian because during this week the Russian Water Nymphs, the Rusalki, are said to be at their most dangerous and powerful. These days Green Week runs from midnight Pentecost Sunday to the midnight that heralds Trinity Sunday, so its dates move each year. Originally the Rusalki (singular Rusalka) were Fertility Faeries, Nymphs or Spirits who rose out from the lakes, rivers and streams in which they lived during Springtime to water and bless the land with fertility. As they walked on land for this one week of the year, especially through the growing rye or hemp fields, they watered it, for as they passed for their hair and clothes dripped with the water from their home body of water. They were one with Nature, working with the phases of the Moon, and able to control the weather. They were said to be in charge of the spring rains that watered the crops, and t...

  Beltane is a time of fertility, fire, fairies and folklore. It is the start of Summer. At this time of year the power of the sun and the fertility abundant in nature is on the rise. Everything is growing, the temperature is becoming warmer and life feels good. Fairies are especially active at Beltane as their favourite flower - the blossom of the hawthorn tree - is in bloom and in Celtic Myth Beltane was an important Spirit Night and a counterbalance to Samhain at the opposite end of the Wheel of the Year. At Beltane bonfires are traditionally lit on hills for cleansing, protection and as a great excuse for a party, May Poles are erected and danced around, Holy Wells are also visited and dressed with the flowers currently in bloom, May Kings and Queens - the personification of the Summer and the Festival - are crowned. It is a busy time of vibrant energies for all creatures and all of nature.   1. Aragonite   Blessed Bee Necklace (with Yellow Aragoni...

In Spring garden centres and supermarkets fill with an array of beautiful plants to tempt and inspire us. One of the most brightly coloured and prolifically flowered of these plants is usually generically labelled as Campanula, which actually refers to a family of flowers. Its Latin name derives from the bell shape of its flowers for   campanula means 'little bell' and in times past these plants were also known as Fairy Bellflowers or Fairy Bells. Another name for Campanulas is Fairy Caps for some Faeries are said to wear the flowers like hats.   The bell shaped flowers open to a five pointed star which means that these purple flowers are linked with the symbolism of that most Witchy of symbols, the Pentagram. Just as the Pentagram is a symbol of magic, protection, the five elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water & Spirit), our five senses and the Goddess so too are Bellflowers. The Purple/Blue hue of many Campanulas is associated with Spirituality, the Faerie Path, th...

“Men fishing in the sea caught in their nets a wild man.” Ralph of Coggeshall The beautiful Suffolk seaside town of Orford boasts the stunning sands of the Ness, a fine Mediaeval castle and the ancient tale of a Wild Man or Merman.   Tales of Wild Men exist the world over, from the Himalayas are the tales of the Yeti, in Arctic Scandinavia is the Snömannen and in Scotland there are tales of the Fear Liath. Such Wild Men are usually associated with remote, mountainous areas where many mythical creatures, both big and small are still said to live.    Others are thought to be apparitions of the Wild Men of the Woods, akin to the ancient archetypes of the Green Man, the Lord of the Wildwood, Robin Goodfellow or Robin of the Green.   What makes the Orford Wild Man different is that he came out of the sea.   The coastal areas of East Anglia are rich in myth and folk magic.   Over the years many villages have been lost to the sea and many of their churc...

Like its lighter and beloved sister, the Hawthorn, who is said to rule over the light half of the year, Blackthorn has long been associated with Faeries, Witches and Magic. Blackthorn is often considered a darker, more sinister tree than its sister and it rules over the darker winter months for this is when it is in its element. At the start of winter the Blackthorn produces its wonderful deep blue/purple/black sloes and as winter ends the trees explode in ghostly white blossom. With its rich nectar and pollen, it is a lifesaver for many foraging insects, like bees, for whom there is little else at that time of year. With its shrubby and dense nature, along with the H awthorn, Blackthorn is a vital component of hedgerows which provide refuge and food for many birds, insects and small animals as well as the Fae. The contrast between the dark thorny stems and the beautiful white flowers is stark, rather like the contrast between the light of the moon and stars and the darkness...

The Spring Equinox is a time of balance and enlightenment, literally and figuratively. The dark nights have been receding and the light days have been growing in length which has led in turn to the growth and greening of the plants and trees. Many crystals and stones, like the plants around us, thrive on the increased light and fertile energies that surround us in Spring. 1. Citrine   With its golden yellow hue Citrine epitomises the warm glow of the ever increasing Spring sunshine to which the plants and flowers lovingly respond. Citrine has the optimistic energy of Spring and all the potential it promises. It has the bright energy of golden daffodils which cannot fail to cheer us up even when the Spring showers are pouring down. If you are looking to bring light, brightness and joy into your life Citrine is a charming choice that will inspire and illuminate.   Just as nature bursts forth so dynamically at this time of year, Citrine can really help us get back...