Gardening Magick,and spell

A garden is a holy place. From the concept of the Garden of Eden as humanity's mystic point of origin to the idea of paradise as a garden which represents the realm of final homecoming to which we strive and aspire, gardens seem to be enshrined in our consciousness as the alpha and omega of spiritual experience.

It was in a garden that Christ underwent his sleepless night of agony before his sacrifice the following day, and in a garden too that Mary Magdalene met the arisen Christ, mistaking him at first for the gardener. In many religions, the idea of the garden is celebrated with reverence; and in the folklore of ancient Britain, magical associations are given to every tree, herb, bush and flower of the wayside and the garden. In its wider sense the garden embraces the countryside and according to the wisdom of the philosophers, alchemists, hermits and wise women of the past-the entire earth.

From such a macrocosm, we come to the microcosmic gardens of our own making, a custom that began with the dawn of our civilization when "gardens of Adonis" were set out in containers on rooftops in ancient Greece and bloomed in profusions of roses. Even then, gardens were regarded as a sanctuary, some peaceful, sweet-flowering green arbour where people could retire to think and to give ear to the wisdom and inspiration inherent in nature. The Greek philosopher Epicurus taught his pupils in a garden, and poets, painters and musicians throughout the ages have found their muses therein.

In ages past, intellectual accomplishments and the opportunity for self-expression through the arts were largely denied to women. The craft of garden making, however, was not. The garden was often their special domain and became the embodiment of their inspiration-both practical and poetic. In addition to the "silver bells, cockle shells, and pretty maids all in a row" or the flower garden, there was nourishment from the kitchen garden, and healing and restorative plants grown in the medicinal garden.

The ideas of magic and enchantment, of the effect of the moon and stars on the tides of growth and decline in nature, and of fairies, elves and gnomes who were mysteriously associated with the subtle creative forces of the earth, were never far removed from the domestic garden where all this mystery could be seen taking place.

Strange magical beings were encountered: tiny flower fairies, little old men and women who seemed to have the garden under their care, tall and beautiful elf men and women who lived in trees and who could created music as fairy pipers-angelic spirits of the garden who seemed to endow the air with grace and beauty and colour-and fabulous beasts which might appear within its precincts to warn, protect or bring a supernatural message. All have been reported as living constituents of the folklore of the garden, encountered by simple country people not given to flights of the imagination.
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Witches Garden Spell

Place a small cauldron or goblet down on the center of the altar. Fill it with water and place 1 green candle tothe left of the water and 1 to the right. Light the left candle first then use its flame to light the 1 on the right.Pick up your athame, holding it with the blade down dipping
the blade in the water. Visualize the water being magickally charged with Goddess energy as white light emenating from the tip of the athame's blade. As you do this, repeat the following.
God and Goddess, hear my verse,
Let this water be free of curse.
Bless it with the love of Thine
O Ancient Pagan Ones divine
Return the athame to the altar and extinguish the candles. Pour the magickally charged water from the cauldron or goblet into a watering can and water yourgarden while saying:
With black Mother Earth
With golden fire Sun
With life-giving water
This spell's begun
Wiccan garden, root and flower,
I charge thee now with magick power.
Seeds sown by these hands of mine
Grow into herbs to heal and divine.
Elemental spirits hearken:
I ask thee now protect this garden.
Keep it safed from storm and foe
So witches' herbs can sprout and grow.
Garden spell work for me.
This is my will. So mote it be!

Blessings
aka The Good Witch
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