Comments on: Musings About Life and the Land http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/01/musings-about-life-and-the-land/ of a Canadian Hedgewitch Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:52:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Jen http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/01/musings-about-life-and-the-land/comment-page-1/#comment-28341 Jen Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:07:13 +0000 http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/?p=1388#comment-28341 Thank you for sharing this look into your personal practice and experiences. I found this post very vivid visually and authentic. Have a happy Imbolc! Thank you for sharing this look into your personal practice and experiences. I found this post very vivid visually and authentic.

Have a happy Imbolc!

]]> By: Charlene http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/01/musings-about-life-and-the-land/comment-page-1/#comment-28334 Charlene Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:46:15 +0000 http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/?p=1388#comment-28334 oh, I miss it too sometimes. What I like about here is that I am in town, but I do the same things you mention. Look to how nature around you in the city lives. Birds are adaptable, so are the trees, and nature still pushes through the concrete. The odd park here and there is where other animals can be found, though small. Enjoy, and thanks for this one. oh, I miss it too sometimes. What I like about here is that I am in town, but I do the same things you mention. Look to how nature around you in the city lives. Birds are adaptable, so are the trees, and nature still pushes through the concrete. The odd park here and there is where other animals can be found, though small.

Enjoy, and thanks for this one.

]]> By: Samantha http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/01/musings-about-life-and-the-land/comment-page-1/#comment-28333 Samantha Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:46:59 +0000 http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/?p=1388#comment-28333 I love that you are so immersed in the land. I see so many guides "for dummies" coming in to the book store about how to do this that and the other thing but people remain a "dummies" until they get their hands dirty and experience the earth and the land and the life therein the way that you have. I hope you have a sense of how blessed you are to have this innate connection to the natural world and I'm so pleased that you've chosen to share your experience in a public way so that people who would dabble and think they have expertise can truly see what it is to be knowledgeable about these things. Thank you for sharing! I love that you are so immersed in the land. I see so many guides “for dummies” coming in to the book store about how to do this that and the other thing but people remain a “dummies” until they get their hands dirty and experience the earth and the land and the life therein the way that you have. I hope you have a sense of how blessed you are to have this innate connection to the natural world and I’m so pleased that you’ve chosen to share your experience in a public way so that people who would dabble and think they have expertise can truly see what it is to be knowledgeable about these things. Thank you for sharing!

]]> By: Juniper http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/01/musings-about-life-and-the-land/comment-page-1/#comment-28300 Juniper Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:08:48 +0000 http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/?p=1388#comment-28300 The Grandparent generation were “real” farmers and ranchers, mostly cattle. Most of the folks in my parents generation who farmed were hobby farmer and/or subsistence farmers, as well as working in rescue and in the doggy world. So I have hand a hand at raising, training, rehabilitating and caring for everything from horses, to cows, sheep, goats, cats, pigs, rabbits, chickens and dogs. Especially dogs. I have even cared for a few wild creatures such as magpies and a lynx (we have a friend of the family who does wild life rescue). And I haven’t even mentioned when I lived with an entomologist! I’ve had black windows, all manner of scorpions and tarantulas, Madagascar hissing cockroaches, Peruvian centipedes, African millipedes … even the odd frog, turtle tank and boa constrictor. Wow when I add it all up, it’s quite a list! Of course, sheep aren’t the only animals that birth during the “lambing season” around Imbolg and Ostara! I love my shrines, altars and spirit houses. The newest addition is a miniature suit of armour by the front door. I put a fake necklace of flowers (like in Hawaii) around its neck the other day, as a joke, and it likes it so much I dare not remove it! hehehehe I love living in (as Bren puts it) an Enchanted World. Just this evening we were sitting in the living room discussing philosophical subjects such as what is sacred and what is worship, and what can save us from this modern society that fails us all so badly? When the door to the sunroom (kept firmly closed at all time because it’s not heated and the draft comes in) opens up. Without missing a beat we both turn to face the door and I say “Hullo there, you are welcome to enter so long as you are friendly.” And Bren (who has more background with the First Nations welcomes the Grandfather and asks if he has anything to add to the conversation! It’s a good, strange, and sometimes hard life ... but a good one. The Grandparent generation were “real” farmers and ranchers, mostly cattle. Most of the folks in my parents generation who farmed were hobby farmer and/or subsistence farmers, as well as working in rescue and in the doggy world.
So I have hand a hand at raising, training, rehabilitating and caring for everything from horses, to cows, sheep, goats, cats, pigs, rabbits, chickens and dogs. Especially dogs. I have even cared for a few wild creatures such as magpies and a lynx (we have a friend of the family who does wild life rescue). And I haven’t even mentioned when I lived with an entomologist! I’ve had black windows, all manner of scorpions and tarantulas, Madagascar hissing cockroaches, Peruvian centipedes, African millipedes … even the odd frog, turtle tank and boa constrictor.
Wow when I add it all up, it’s quite a list!

Of course, sheep aren’t the only animals that birth during the “lambing season” around Imbolg and Ostara!

I love my shrines, altars and spirit houses. The newest addition is a miniature suit of armour by the front door. I put a fake necklace of flowers (like in Hawaii) around its neck the other day, as a joke, and it likes it so much I dare not remove it! hehehehe

I love living in (as Bren puts it) an Enchanted World. Just this evening we were sitting in the living room discussing philosophical subjects such as what is sacred and what is worship, and what can save us from this modern society that fails us all so badly? When the door to the sunroom (kept firmly closed at all time because it’s not heated and the draft comes in) opens up. Without missing a beat we both turn to face the door and I say “Hullo there, you are welcome to enter so long as you are friendly.” And Bren (who has more background with the First Nations welcomes the Grandfather and asks if he has anything to add to the conversation!

It’s a good, strange, and sometimes hard life … but a good one.

]]> By: Cory http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/01/musings-about-life-and-the-land/comment-page-1/#comment-28295 Cory Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:36:10 +0000 http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/?p=1388#comment-28295 Lovely post! And you raised SHEEP?!!? That's fantastic! I grew up on a farm as well, and we raised a small herd of cattle, some chickens & goats, and sheep--my favorite livestock animal. We also tried our hand at pigs one year, but I try to block out that memory *shudder*. I also have my ancestral altar up at all times (though only do a devotional to them once a week instead of daily), and a couple of spirit houses in my kitchen (one is a Hob and the other, funnily enough, is a saint--St. Paschal). The city is also an adjustment for me. To be fair I live in a suburb with a lot of forest land around it, so I can get away pretty easily, but the point you make about streetlight instead of moonlight hits home. I still remember walking into the back yard of my farm and looking up to see the finest details of the Milky Way spilled across the sky, and more stars than I can even imagine now all around me. I miss it, too. I find it so interesting that many of us witchy folk feel called to do such similar things (like the altars and kitchen spirits). I know we've probably all read similar books and maybe our ideas are all traceable to a few tomes common to our collective bookshelves, but I somehow think there's something more to it. Maybe we're just all picking up what other witches in ages past have put down? At any rate, I love the blog! I look forward to your next one! Be well, Cory of New World Witchery Lovely post! And you raised SHEEP?!!? That’s fantastic! I grew up on a farm as well, and we raised a small herd of cattle, some chickens & goats, and sheep–my favorite livestock animal. We also tried our hand at pigs one year, but I try to block out that memory *shudder*.

I also have my ancestral altar up at all times (though only do a devotional to them once a week instead of daily), and a couple of spirit houses in my kitchen (one is a Hob and the other, funnily enough, is a saint–St. Paschal).

The city is also an adjustment for me. To be fair I live in a suburb with a lot of forest land around it, so I can get away pretty easily, but the point you make about streetlight instead of moonlight hits home. I still remember walking into the back yard of my farm and looking up to see the finest details of the Milky Way spilled across the sky, and more stars than I can even imagine now all around me. I miss it, too.

I find it so interesting that many of us witchy folk feel called to do such similar things (like the altars and kitchen spirits). I know we’ve probably all read similar books and maybe our ideas are all traceable to a few tomes common to our collective bookshelves, but I somehow think there’s something more to it. Maybe we’re just all picking up what other witches in ages past have put down?

At any rate, I love the blog! I look forward to your next one!

Be well,

Cory of New World Witchery

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