WyseWitchUK

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...

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...