The Ramblings and Wanderings

Archive for the ‘Musings About the Land’ Category

I took the day off, loaded up my bike and headed out into the backcountry yesterday.

I had a wonderful day at Wells Gray Park, it is one of the largest provincial parks in BC and it’s so beautiful. It has many waterfalls of all shapes and sizes; I only saw a couple of them.

First I just drove through the park along the main road all the way to the very end, as far as you can drive a car into. Which stops along Clearwater Lake, it really has clear water! It also falls into a stunning waterfall and is like a mini Niagara Falls; especially the view from the top, the lake just suddenly DROPS, falls and then becomes a river, its awesome.

Then I headed back about half way through the park to a trail that had stood out to me while looking at the map. It is a loop trail that runs through what used to be an old settlers farm back in the day but was donated to the park ages ago.
You can go past the old barn and farm house that have been left to go back to the land, and see where what used to be acres of cow pasture is now being reclaimed by the forest.

Along the way I passed a few other hikers on the trail, it was funny that you could tell the folks “not from around here” as they didn’t know what to do about a bike on the trails. Hehehe welcome to British Columbia, heart and capitol of mountain biking in the world.
I have a little bell on my compass that I ring and I always walk the bike past small children or strollers. Normally I won’t go on trails used by families but since I am new to the area, and since I liked the look of the trail I took it.

Then you pass a small off shoot trail that leads to the gravesite of Mr. And Mrs. Ray, the old couple who used to own the farm. I had brought along a bottle of whiskey for such things, so I toasted the two of them, and the pioneer spirit and poured a wee dram on the gravestone. I’m sure Mr. Ray would approve, though maybe not Mrs. Ray hehehe

As I was moving along, I looked up to admire some very nice cedar trees. And slammed on the brakes so hard I almost fell off my bike. MISTLETOE! Clinging to the limbs of almost every cedar, spruce and fir in that section of the forest was real bona fide mistletoe.
It was everywhere! It litters the trail, going old and mouldy, it hangs like sleeves on the trees! I was thrilled, ecstatic, I danced right there on the trail and sang the forests praises; a good place to pour more good Canadian Whiskey.

There is also a small mineral water spring on the trail, which bubbles up out of a mound of hardened orange mineral. Right now the name of it escapes me. It looks like some cute orange miniature volcano bubbling water. The water then runs off in to the land and eventually meets some very pretty streams. It only rises about knee high, and the hole the water bubbles out from is just large enough for a water bottle.
I gave some more offerings, not just whiskey but blood to many misquotes lol. And then politely asked if I may touch the mound, then I gently explored it with real wonder and amazement, telling the earth how beautiful and wonderful She is. I think She like to hear “WOW! You are so cool!” now and then. Then I politely ran a few fingers along the inside of the hole and touched the water to various points on my body.
I filled my water bottle halfway and had a small mouthful (the signs said it was okay to have a taste) man was it … mineral-y, very fizzy and hard water.

I did get a few pics with my phone, having forgotten the camera. Sorry they are not of very good quality.

Water, water, not everywhere
How many cups of tea do you drink in a day?
How many times do you wash your hands?
How much is every drop worth to you
When you have to carry it on your back?

I have no running water in my home
I lug it up a mountainside
A ¾ km walk
Most of it up hill, of course

Water, water in my sled
Dragging through blinding snow
How much do you weigh, oh jug?
How much mass is this?
Yes, oh yes you can melt snow
For the toilet and the dogs
But thanks to all our pollution
I would rather haul the water for drinking

Wrapped in many layers
Some I crocheted myself
Wool and cotton wrappings
And leather boots in the freezing
Dragging food and water up the mountain

And then we come to Summer’s heat
When water is much more needed
Once I crest the steepest part of my journey
I come to the long flat spot
Open, with no trees
Open to the Wind
Exposed to the Summer Sun
Beating upon the mountain

I feel the thirst in mouth and throat
I stop for just a moment
I pause and I listen
To that tiny voice within

I slip out of my Earthshoes and leave them in the dirt
I place the jug high upon my head
Steady now, balance it … Ready … go
Walk upon a stony dirt road at Summer’s peak
Balance oh so carefully your precious drink
Ah, yes this why they carry it this way
My arms tired and sore
A-resting now are they
Though I must say
This is much harder on my back and neck

I walk along as stones dig in
And a jug of water upon my head
Gently sways and slightly sloshes
I think of my sisters in other parts of the world
Carrying their own burdens
How many woman today, and yesterday and last millennium
Carried water from their well, or whatever
And with sheer grit and determination
Did they each day make the trek,
For themselves and their loved ones?

Water, water, not everywhere
How many cups of tea do you drink in a day?
How many times do you wash your hands?
How much is every drop worth to you
When you have to carry it on your back?

Juniper,  Summer 2009

Musings About the Land: Forests

I love the forests here; in the part of the world I make my home, I love British Columbia’s forests. Let me tell you about four of them.

North
I call upon the Monashee Mountains
Strength of stone and earth and rock
I call upon the wild woods
Home of trees and lakes and wild things
Hail Peaceful Mountains! (“Monashee means “peaceful”)

Pond (roughly north-north-east)
I call upon the spirit of the sacred pond
Spirit of water and door to the Underworld
I celebrate before your waters this rite
Hail Sacred Pond!

East
I call upon the Eastern Winds
Eastern sky, where the sun does rise
Each dawn a promise of rebirth
I face the way to ancestral lands
Hail Eastern Winds!

South
I call upon the Southern Skies
Where the Sun makes its daily journey
I call upon the Kettle River Valley
Sunlit valley, river, pasture, garden
Hail to sunshine in the valley!

West
I call upon the Western Winds
That blows this way from distant sea
Each sunset brings the hallowed night
And Spring rains and Summer breeze
Hail Western Winds!

Center
I call upon the spirit of the land
The sacred soul of this very place
Spirits and faeries do not fear tonight
I welcome you to this sacred space this rite
Hail Misty Acres!

… Now go write your own!

(Love, Juni)

The Turning of Spring to Summer

The most amazing thing, for me at least, about coming home is returning to the rhythms of the place where I first began to study Paganism, and thus the Wheel of the Year. As a smart-a**ed teenager, I didn’t pay much attention as I followed along behind my garden obsessed Mother. In fact, it took living out in the country, on a small acreage in Alberta, to make me pay proper attention to the turning of the seasons. At first, this was little more than annoyance at the drifts of half-melted snow stubbornly clinging to the shady bottoms of the trees at Beltaine. When I look back, I shake my head at the fact it required snowstorms for Ostara to make me really and truly pay attention to the cycle of the Seasons.

Returning to the Okanagan, a large lake valley in British Columbia, Canada, after nearly 7 years, I was looking forward to learning the rhythms of a much warmer climate. I came back not long before Litha, and with Beltaine almost here; I have now spent nearly a full Turn of the Wheel here. And I have discovered I did not need to learn the rhythms and cycle of the land here. I already had learned years ago, even if I failed to realise it for what it was. For honoring the changing seasons is more than noticing when the first robin appears, or tying pink ribbons on tree limbs. It goes much deeper than lighting a fire at sunrise, or even weaving grain into a dolly. The seasons are a part of us. Childhood memories are full of walking in the Autumn fog, jumping into leaf piles, playing in the warm Spring rain, waiting for the first big snow storm, and sunburns in Summer. The rhythms of life dance in harmony with the seasons, even if we do not recognize it as such.

Spring has arrived when the family cats stop spending most of their time indoors. Summer is on its way when they take up spending their afternoons sleeping in the lavender patch, even before it has bloomed. There is a bald spot in the big patch of English lavender from years of my mother’s, now elderly cat sunning himself in the same spot, year after year. How glorious a place to catnap!

I know that summer is fully upon us when, during the heat of the day, the cats move from the lavender to the sheltering shade of the maple-wall. Roughly 6 feet high, 8 feet long and 5 feet thick, a gang of young Maple trees have been shaped into a wall-shape by my tenacious Mother. Just before bud-burst, we trim them back, never allowing them to become more than shrubbery. Providing shade and a dividing line between two areas of the yard.

We live in a dry region, and with many old Western Red Cedars towering abouve the property; other plant-life must be carefully managed. Cedars are thirsty trees; they are often the first to die when there is drought. We lost 2 large Cedar trees and a few smaller cedar shrubs last year, when construction on the hills abouve changed the course of underground streams. If we allowed the Maples to grow overmuch, they might kill off the Cedars. Natural selection, perhaps, but still costly to have 20 foot dead trees removed, and dangerous to leave a large dead tree to fall on its own.

If the Cedars died, much shade would be lost, causing catastrophe for Mom’s garden, and many plants that grow under their sheltering limbs. The greenery they give to us in winter would be gone, the shelter from wind and rain lost. I have a special fondness for the Cedars in Mom’s yard. Especially the one growing closets to the maple-wall. This Cedar has kindly provided materials for smudge sticks, and one besom handle, over the years, only ever asking in return that it get enough water to thrive.

Between the maple-wall and my favorite Cedar is a lovely patch of grass, clover, and Canadian thistle. A few times over the decade-plus my mother has lived here, a fairy ring of mushrooms has grown up (always seemingly overnight) in this patch. Mom now makes a point of leaving birdseed in this area, along with hanging birdfeeders nearer to the house. Clippings from grooming the dogs are left here in the Spring and again before Winter, providing insulating material for bird nests. This is where I left my very first Offering when I was just 15, this is where I leave them now. The thistle and clover are greening but not flowering yet. When they do, you can see why the Old Ones favour this spot.

At the edge of this special spot, a great old patch of yarrow trails over the retaining wall. Here is one of the first herbs I ever planted, still growing strong. In fact, it has now become cause of much frustration for my Mother, as the hardy yarrow tries to take over much of the garden and the lawn. There are areas of the one acre yard where yarrow, mint and scotch moss vie for dominance of the formerly-all-grass-lawn. Ah well, I would rather walk on fragrant mint and flowering yarrow, with soft moss underneath my feet than grass.

There are half a dozen types of mustard growing wild and unchecked in the corners of the yard. Right now they bloom in yellow, white and purple. I keep threatening to make a salad of them, along with other gleanings from the garden. Pansies perhaps? The nasturtiums have not bloomed yet; will not for a little while.

Mom was quite annoyed when I identified a much-hated weed as wild ginger. Native Americans used the root to flavour foods much as real ginger is used (This plant is not related to the ginger you can find at the local grocery store). In addition it was thought to protect those who ate spoiled meat or food that might be poisoned. It was used for many medical purposes including the treatment of digestive disorders, especially gas, and in a poultice on sores. The dried powered leaves were used to promote sneezing. Often it was used to promote sweating, reduce fever and for coughs and sore throats. In other words, I have chosen a patch of it Mom cannot kill off until I have made good use of it, and ensured at least one patch will come back next year.

My favorite tree in the yard stands guardian by the front door. Planted when the house was first built over 50 years ago, she stands wide and taller than the house she shelters. A beautiful Western Yew, who would have been comfortable in any ancient Druid grove or old-time churchyard. This special lady provided me with my first wand, before I knew how some Pagans are uncomfortable with the Yew in Circle, due to its associations with Death and the Underworld. When I first began to study Shamanism, I would visualize her as my connection to the World Tree, making it one of my entrances into the Otherworlds. When a strong wind or storm blows a limb from her body, I reverently gather it up. Her lost limbs have become wands, her leaves collected and use in “flying” incense. Whatever remains is lovingly placed in the balefire. Even when I lived far away, if I came to visit, I often brought pieces of her (rescued from the compost pile) back to Alberta with me. This fine lady Yew shelters many birds year round in her arms. The robins are especially fond of her. The birds eat her red berries, immune to its poison, as I try to keep my curious dog form doing the same. When I first started my path, this lady was my secret Yule tree. Knowing that we will be moving, and leaving her behind this Summer, I have endeavoured to pot some of her young daughters, in hopes of taking some of her essence with me. I know Spring is here when I see robins building nests in her arms, and jays squawk bossily from the very crown of her.

Summer comes with the blooming of the lavender patch, when the last of the Canadian violet has lost its flower. Summer comes when the last lilac bush drops is fragrant purple blossoms and the wild roses are in full bloom. Summer has come when the Cedars thirstily drink every drop of water we give them. When the Tamarisks are fully green and they prepare to bloom in a delicate light pink. Summer has come when the heat drives us to stand in the slow and low flowing stream, under the shelter of the shrubby Birches who grow on its banks.

I shall miss this Land more than I can say, when we leave next month, headed for a new valley. I look forward to learning the cycles of a new place, but I know that the rhythms of this place will forever stay in my blood and bone. The Yew is a part of my Soul, as are the Cedars, the yarrow and the cooling stream.

O, glorious Spring, Oh magnificent Summer.

Gazing at the beauty that is the home of my teen years, I look up upon the sheltering mountains so close to my Mother’s home. There the mountainside is scarred from a forest fire years ago, caused by a combination of poor forest management and lightning. I strain to hear a stream that once ran through the property all Spring, but now often runs dry due to construction changing the waterways. I walk along the edge of the property, picking up trash commuters have tossed from their car windows. I gaze sadly at a neighbour wasting litres of water on his great grass lawn. I fight with my Mom to save the trees and plant life endangered by changing water tables, pollution, and climate change.

I wonder what the cycle of the Seasons will be like here in another ten years. And I worry.

~ Juniper

The First Thing You Need

Basics of Identifying and Researching Plants

STOP! Before you do anything, before we go any further, before I wax poetic about the worship of Nature and reverence for the Earth, before we discuss meditations on plants, before we talk correspondences or magickal properties. Before any of that, there is one thing you need, and some skills you must learn. This is for your own and Nature’s safety. The thing you need is a field guide, and one of the skills is how to use a field guide. A field guide is often times the best first step towards the other skills you must learn; identifying and researching plants.

Sounds terribly boring, doesn’t it? It’s natural to want to jump right in, making incense, collecting plant totems, hugging trees, walking through the forest barefoot. But what if it turns out the incense irritates your lungs? What if the plant you cut to make your totem was not the plant you thought it was? What if the tree you hugged produces oil that irritates your skin? What if, while walking barefoot through the woods, you step on some poison ivy?

Before we talk the spirituality of a Nature Path, before we talk about Nature magick, let us talk practicality. You need to know how to identify plants and how to research them so that you do not end up accidentally poisoning yourself, or making everyone in a ritual circle cough up a lung.

Many plants look very alike, and it is common for a harmless plant to look much like a dangerous one. Most plants have some sort of defensive mechanism, usually in the form of thorns, oils, poison and such. So before you touch a plant, you better make sure you know all about that plant!

I couldn’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve come across someone who brought home a bunch of plant matter they bought or picked, brewed a tea and drank it… and wound up very ill. Plus, if you are planning on using plants for ritual and magickal purposes, you need to know the plants species and genus and such. There are plenty of plants that resemble one species but actually belong to another. I had a friend who made a wand out of what she thought was Alder; only for it to turn out it was made of Poplar. Oops!

The best tools and skills any Nature loving witch could have is a field guide of plants, a working understanding of how to use one, and knowing how to identify and research a plant.

Now, some of you may not know what a field guide is, so here is a definition courtesy of Wikipedia:

Field Guide: A field guide is a book designed to help the reader identify wildlife (plants or animals) or other objects of natural occurrence (e.g. minerals). It is generally designed to be brought into the ‘field’ or local area where such objects exist to help distinguish between similar objects.

It will typically include a description of the objects covered, together with paintings or photographs and an index. More serious and scientific field identification books will probably include identification keys to assist with identification, but the publicly-accessible field guide is more often a browsable picture guide organized by family, color, shape, location or other descriptors.

For an online field guide, follow this link:

http://www.enature.com/home/

A field guide is a great way to know what grows where, what it looks like, when it blooms, how to tell it apart from other plants and many other useful tips. Field guides have photographs, drawn pictures, diagrams, maps, detailed descriptions and more to help you figure out what plants grow where, and makes it easy to identify each plant. Some field guides will even have practical and medicinal uses listed in them as well. If you always wondered if verbena or sage brush or any plant grows near where you live, this is the best way to find out.

You can find a field guide at your local book store, usually for about 20 dollars or less. The MOST important thing about your field guide is that you have one that is appropriate for the region in which you live and can gather plants. The SECOND most important thing is that it is easy for you to use.

Any book store in your area will have field guides for your area. Today there are field guides for all of North America; for just the eastern or western half; for specific states or provinces, and even for smaller geographic areas, such as counties, hiking trails, and specific refuges, parks, or preserves. For your first guide, I recommend getting one for as small an area as possible that is still where you live or where you can get to some nature. This will help you to avoid flipping through many pages of plants that grow more than a couple of hours drive from your home.

If you live in the city, do not despair! Flipping through a field guide, you will see that many of the plants listed grow in the urban areas; such as in vacant lots, ditches, and “disturbed areas” – construction sites.

Do not pick up a field guide more than 5 years old. With the genetic and advanced scientific testing available today, the older field guides have too many inaccuracies. The best field guides are put out by Peterson Field Guides and by The National Audubon Society, but there are many great field guides to be had. The ideal field guide is easy to use, portable, and accurate.

When looking to buy a field guide, look for a book that feels easy to use. Flip through, if you can, and look at some of the identification keys (usually found in the front), the photographs, maps and descriptions of plants. Does it feel confusing or does it feel like you could figure out what kind of pine that tree in your back yard really is? Are the pictures, drawings and photographs clear and give you a good look at bark, flower, leaves and such? Is it written in a style that will be readable by you, or is a tad too scientific, or not scientific enough?

Make sure the book you buy is also going to be easy to carry around. A big text book sized one will get heavy in your bag or pack after a while.

For the purposes of a Nature witch, you will want a book that also has some practical and medicinal uses listed for each, or most, of the plants as well. Check to see if the book lists whether or not plants are edible or poisonous, you’ll want to know that.

If you are having a hard time finding the herbs in any book, understand that most herbs, like mint for example, are classified as wildflowers.

Get a book that is a “field guide for plants” if you can, as it will have trees, shrubs, herbs, wildflowers, mosses etc. If you cannot find one for all plants, then decide what kind of plant interests you the most. Do trees and shrubs call to you, or mosses and lichens? Are you more interested in herbs and wildflowers than ferns or fungi? How about cacti and succulents?

There are many online field guides as well, use you search engine to find one for your area, or use the one above. Online field guides are great when you just do not have the money to buy a book. However you cannot take your computer into the field. It is a lot easier to put a book into your backpack.

Once you have purchased your first field guide, it is time to try it out.

Exercises:

After purchasing your book, take the time to read through the introduction and sections at the front about your region and what kind of plant life can be found there. Spend some time looking at the maps. Now open up your journal or note book (or what works best for you. I recommend something that will go easily into your back pack along with the field guide. Something you do not mind getting a little muddy) and write in it what kind of plant life, climate and geography is prevalent in your area. Do you live in or near Alpine forest, plains and grasses, arid desert etc? What sort of plants live there? If you are in a plains area, you will be finding lots of grasses. If you live in an arid area, you will be finding plenty of cacti and succulents, and so on.

One of the most important things about using your field guide is being familiar with its content and layout. When you have some spare time, flip through the guide and get to know where the mosses are, where the mint family is, where the roses are – so you can find them quickly when you need to look up a plant. If you already have certain favourite plants, now it the time to write down their page numbers, earmark their pages, or bookmark those pages in some fashion.

Now go identify some plants! Start with some easy ones, like the tree in your back yard, the dandelions in the front yard, the cedar hedge that lines the parking lot at work, how about that weed with the funny shaped leaves that grows in the cracks of the sidewalk in front of your apartment building.

DO NOT CUT OR PICK THE PLANT!!!! That is for another lesson.

If you have a camera, you might want to take a picture of your newly identified plant. If you have any artistic abilities, you could sketch it. Using the Herbal Info Outline, start to write down the info you have gleaned on each plant from the field guide and from finding and studying it. Do not worry if you do not have much to write right away, and that some parts of the Outline will be left empty. Just leave yourself enough space to add more info later.

If you wish to go a little further in depth, you can now research the plant online; try typing both common and scientific names into your search engine of choice. Watch for discrepancies between sites! Double check the info you find online with the info in the field guide. Use your brains and common sense when researching, especially online. If you really want to get good practise and good info on your identified plants, you can head over to the library and look them up in books from the botany and horticulture sections. Remember, the older a book on plant life is, the less accurate the info will be. Keep adding to your notes on the plant.

Once you have a feel for your field guide and for identifying and finding info on plants, you can move on to actually gathering and using them.

Juniper 2007

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