Next to my keyboard there is a pallid, almost dead cucumber seedling that I am trying to nurse back to health with a daily dose of comfrey tea and a bubble wrap jacket round his pot for warmth. I figure that every gardener has her casualties but I find mine very difficult to accept.
So I am hoping to revive this unhappy looking specimen although I know that if I do manage, this plant will always be weaker and more susceptible to disease and pests than it’s contemporaries. I have to at least try though! After years of loosely following a planting by the moon schedule I am wholeheartedly gardening according to the lunar phases this year and the results have been quite brilliant. My seedlings are all really strong and healthy (apart from aforementioned cuc) and some of the germination times have been almost record-breaking (well, almost!). I planted lettuce in April on a day when the moon was in Cancer – particularly good for sowing and harvesting leaf vegetables. Within 4 days the tray was full of green shoots and now that tray is almost ready to be planted out.
Today, with the moon in Libra, it’s time to plant flower seeds. I haven’t had a chance to sow any today but the moon doesn’t move into Scorpio until Friday so I have a little extra time to plant the borage, calendula, nasturtium, sunflowers and echinacea that I want to get started. Will keep you updated on this sorry cucumber and how my trials with lunar gardening are going.
And, do let me know what you are up to in your garden.
The Full Moon falls on the 9th of February – the Sun in Aquarius and the Moon in Leo. Astrologically, this is a Fire Moon as it falls in the fiery house of Leo, creating a powerful, if volatile energy. Conversely in folklore it is known as the Snow Moon. Read on to find out what energies to focus on at this time.
This full moon is named the snow moon because there is snow upon the ground or it is at its most deepest at this time of the year. Other names include Moon of the Seer, Storm or Quickening Moon. It marks a time when the night of the year is drawing to a close and we are entering the half of the year with greater hours of daylight and warmth. However, just as a storm can flare up just before it ends so too can winter be most fierce just before Spring. We may feel drawn to continue our inner work – working with and uncovering our personal truth. It is said that this full moon brings light to illuminate our own darkness.
I like that analogy although I understand that that means some challenges in acknowledging and accepting the darkness within. I am going to use divination to help illuminate those parts which I might not otherwise be prepared to look at. And to find out which areas I need to focus upon in the coming month. At the moment I am using Wisdom of Avalon cards, which are beautiful and work on many levels, the Druid Plant Oracle, which I love because I feel drawn to plants and for a fluffier and empowering reading, the Goddess Guidance cards. I thought it would be a good time to create my own divination tools so am going to make myself a deck of tree cards over the next month.
I am also going to deepen my practice of really observing the messages that nature offers us. Last week, when driving back from a workshop with a carful of friends we came across an amazing, majestic stag, standing motionless by the side of the road. We stopped the car and everyone became completely silent just watching this beautiful beast. He continued standing there, staring back at us. In Wiccan belief the stag represents grace, gentleness and swiftness. I will never forget the image of him, white against the dark forest behind. And a day or so later when late and rushing to pick up my children from a party, feeling anxious, a white dove flew past and settled on a rooftop nearby, bringing calm and a sense of perspective to the situation. So now I am trying to be alert to further symbolism from the natural world.
This beautiful painting has been created by Carol – here’s her myspace page.
Tell us about what this full moon holds for you. I’d love to hear from you.
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