Читать книгу The Real Witches’ Garden: Spells, Herbs, Plants and Magical Spaces Outdoors - Kate West - Страница 9

As I have often said, Witches do not have special buildings or even rooms set aside as places of Ritual and Magic. We create our Sacred Space wherever and whenever we need it. To do this we need a clear area, large enough for the number of people who are to take part. We then invoke the elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth and invite the Goddess and the God. When working magic, rather than simply celebrating the festivals, we also cast a Circle, which contains the energies raised until it is time to release them. At the end of our working, we then remove the Circle, banish the elements and thank the Goddess and God. It is also usual to have some kind of Altar within the Circle, onto which we place representations of the elements, the Goddess and the God, and any working tools and equipment we may need during our working. This is also cleared away at the end. However, as the Craft is a nature-based belief system, it is always nice to be able to practise at least some of it, weather permitting, outside alongside nature and the elements.

Practising the Craft outside has certain differences; obviously you do not need to take representations of the elements outside, they are there in the air, sun- and moonlight, rain and soil. The Goddess and the God are also present as they are the life force which causes everything to grow, and are seen in the cycles of life, death and rebirth which are all around. If you intend to use your garden, or a part of it, as a Sacred Space, you can therefore install and care for its components as a part of your usual gardening life. There are many levels of doing this from a complete garden makeover to the more practical placement of one or two plants and objects which are less obtrusive. Here I shall look at a few ideas for a complete makeover, but will focus more on the simpler approach.