Читать книгу The Real Witches’ Garden: Spells, Herbs, Plants and Magical Spaces Outdoors - Kate West - Страница 18

In my garden I have plans to introduce a spiral walkway of flat stones into one of the beds. The spiral is an ancient symbol of the Goddess, and can be found carved into many monoliths, cave walls and even pieces of jewellery. It is felt that the spiral represents the path both inwards and outwards to enlightenment and truth. Today, you will often find spiral paths created at Pagan and Wiccan events so that we too can follow this ancient tradition. My garden walkway will serve the dual purpose of giving me easier access to the plants in this space as well as providing a contemplative walk. Designing and crafting a spiral on the ground is not easy, but perhaps the best method is to map it out on squared paper and then to place a grid (use string tied to sticks placed in the ground) over the area you intend to use, so that you can repeat your design. It is common to find at the centre of the spiral a destination, perhaps a fountain, a sundial or a flat rock for sitting on. Alternatively, you can place your most meaningful, or loved, plant at this point. Of course it is not necessary to have a spiral large enough to walk on, you could just as easily use pebbles in a small container which you can trace with your finger or eye. Around this you might like to plant one of the smaller scented herbs such as a miniature thyme or even some alpines. It is worth mentioning that, contrary to the beliefs of some, the spiral is not just a symbol of the Goddess as Crone, although that is sometimes its primary attribution. It also symbolizes the Triple Goddess and some aspects of the God in terms of the cycles of life, death and rebirth.

I also know of someone who hopes to convert their whole lawn into a triple moon, but it is not necessary for this shape to take over your whole garden. The can be incorporated into flower beds, or with a little ingenuity you could divide it into its three sections and, by placing one in each of three pots, have a triple moon which can be lined up. When it comes to defining shapes in the ground you can use stones or pebbles, wood shavings (although do make sure they come from a good source) or even other plants to define the edges. If you are using plants to create shapes try to select ones which do not grow rampantly; mint, for example, can take over a whole garden if left to its own devices! A better choice would be some of the low level annuals and/or bedding plants; lobelia is one which I find relatively easy to train and control.

These days it is relatively easy to introduce animal shapes into the garden as many garden centres sell pre-formed woven wicker shapes which are intended for use in training climbing plants such as ivy, jasmine, honeysuckle, clematis and so on. These come in a variety of sizes, from those intended to support shrubs and bushes to ones small enough to be placed in a pot with the plant of your choice. Alternatively, if you are artistic, you can draw these shapes in the ground and then ‘colour in’ with the plants of your choice.

Some Witches prefer the idea of creating a number of small ‘shrines’ to different Goddesses and Gods. These can be fairly elaborate with statues and areas to place candles and offerings, or they can be simpler. One idea is to select a plant specific to each Goddess or God you wish to honour in this way, and to place before each of these plants a fairly small marker stone, which can be used to place a nightlight on at the times when you wish to interact with or commune with that deity.

An alternative idea is to simply create a quiet corner, where it is possible to sit in peace and to meditate. If you can, try to place this in such a way that the intended view is of plants and trees, rather than the house or road, which can easily distract your thoughts. You may find that you have to plant something in your direct line of sight to achieve this. Near to where I live there is a wild flower and wildlife centre which has a chamomile seat which would be ideal for this purpose. They have created a raised ‘box’ from logs and placed willow ‘arms’ and a ‘back’ to form a chair. The seat is sown with chamomile and the willow has been allowed to root into the ground. The willow is kept regularly trimmed and woven back into shape, so that the seat can actually be sat upon. I feel, however, that this is probably an idea for the gardener who has plenty of time to devote to tending just one part of the garden. Having said that, there is no reason why you should not create an archway around an existing piece of furniture, or around a space where you can place your chair, or cushion. Pre-formed bamboo arches are ideal for this purpose, and can be used to support climbing plants. You can even do this indoors, linking two pots with the arch and training the plants to meet in the middle, so long as you are sure that you will be able to leave the plants in position.

It is worth mentioning here that, when dealing with climbers, you do need to be patient. It is tempting to encourage them upwards as fast as you can, but you will get a better effect by training them backwards and forwards in horizontal zig-zags, so that the foliage is fairly dense all the way up. Otherwise you can end up surrounded by the stems, with the leaves and flowers all being over your head!

Of course, a quiet corner does not have to take the form of a seat or bower. Another of my projects is to create a crescent-moon-shaped bed, raised perhaps 6 to 9 inches (15 to 25 cm) above the surrounding soil, so that I can create an area of tranquillity within it. I plan to plant the upper surface of the bed with some of the taller, traditional ‘cottage garden’ plants such as hollyhock, delphiniums, foxgloves, etc. This will not entirely preclude the surrounding sights and sounds but will mean that when seated on the ground, I am in the midst of the plants. As I also hope to attract butterflies, bees and other wildlife I shall also include plants such as buddleia and, against the nearby fence, wisteria. To enhance the relaxation element of the area, and because it is significant to my region, I shall include lavender. As this is to be an area with little ‘traffic’ I intend to plant a thyme or chamomile ‘lawn’ in the centre of the crescent. In the past, when my space has been limited, I have kept some plants in pots which can be arranged around me when I need a place of quiet, and again you can utilize this idea within the home.

Obviously, when choosing the site of your quiet area, you will need to take into account the layout of your garden, and the place most likely to be relatively quiet, but it is always useful to seek the guidance and blessing of the Gods.