Samhain 1st November- 19th December
 
 'These early November hours that crimson the creeper's leaf across.
Like a splash of blood, intense, abrupt, o'er a shield; else gold from rim to boss
And lay it for show on the fairy-cupped elf-needled mat of moss.'  

Robert Browning ( 1812-1889)
 
The time of Samhain is when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest. A time for deep meditation and thought. The harvest of this time is of the inner worlds, the stage of old age where we touch the depths of true knowledge and have the opportunity to embody the soul.
 
Once at this time, the winter stores were topped up and the cattle slaughtered for winter food. Great fires for the burning of the livestock’s bones were made called Bonfires (Bone-fires) which may be the origin of Bonfire night. This was known as the Festival of Tongues where all could speak freely.
 
Samhain simply means end of summer and is a time for inner reflection and the remembrance of our ancestors.
 
The guardian of Samhain is the Apple tree whose fruit can transport us to the Bright Realms.
 
Light a candle and immerse yourself in deep meditation:
 
Deep meditation
 
True meditation is a deep connection to the soul, the eternal self. Relief of stress, clarity of vision and mind and improved focus are but symptoms of meditation rather than its essence. Its essence is beyond the mind, body and material world, a state untouched by the fore-mentioned symptoms. Through spiritual practice and soul nourishment it can be made into  a permanent state of being.
 
When a seeker starts to meditate energy is awakened in the base of the spine or a fire in the belly which flows upwards releasing sublime nectar, an exquisite feeling of joy and love for all life. It is like the joy of love-making for the first time and a feeling of being complete, sated.
 
This state can be experienced when the body is in a focused flow such as when you skydive, abseil, rock climb or drive at top speeds. In meditation this feeling is prolonged and if you learn to sustain it, it will rise up within you awakening the inner senses, literally enabling you to experience the most divine touch, sound, taste and sight, saving you from the need to search for them in the external world. Imagine the time, money and resources this could save us!
 
The next awakening is in the heart, though this process need not be linear as each centre can awaken at different times. 
The secret of unlocking the mysteries of the heart may be implemented in the very human act of heartache, and if one can fully experience a broken heart this centre is pierced. 
 
 A divine love beyond human suffering may only be possible through the feeling of this intense pain. Entering this heart ache can erupt into an intense joy, a painful yet blissful longing to be complete. 
 I believe that your partner, if you can love them with a pure heart, can take you to this state as a teacher, master or Guru traditionally would have.
 
Through spiritual practice or mastering of an art form such as poetry, this exquisite pain can reach up to the next energy centre between the eyes. 
 
The sensation felt in this centre can also be very intense as it opens, piercing the brow and allowing bliss to enter the head, lifting the spirits and awakening a sensuous flow throughout the entire body. This moving energy is what the poets call inspiration, the fire in the head.
 
In Gaelic, inspiration is called 'Imbas' and it’s source flows from the sacred water ways, the river Boyne (which could be likened to the river Ganges in India). The seeker becomes the salmon flowing against the current of ordinary life to the source of the Boyne, the Well of Segais where they obtain knowledge by the eating of hazelnuts, and are reborn in the well of inspiration.
 
The understanding and assimilation of pain brings great knowledge and/or mastery of the arts.

It is this time of Samhain that takes us deep within.

If you would like to learn more about the traditions of the land you may wish to enrol on our Woodland Bard Course.

Folk names:  Hook- heal,   Sickly-wort,  Carpenter’s herb.

Self heal survives well in grasslands, waste spaces and more open woodlands. A close cut lawn in summer can look beautiful with the purple flowers of self heal to enliven the otherwise monocultural sward. There is a rarer species known as the cut-leaved self heal ( Prunella laciniata) which has cut leaves and white flowers.
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Both the Latin and common name of this plant point to its continued use as a herb. Prunella or Brunella is the German name for a sore throat. Dioscorides knew of the plant’s use for sore throats and treated inflammations of the throat and tonsils with this plant.

Its common name self heal implies an obvious connotation to medicinal usage. In the doctrines of signatures( the concept that every plant has a signature that implies its use), the flower of this plant is said to resemble a hook and as in the past the most common wounds were from billhooks and sickles this implied its use to stanch bleeding.
Self heal does staunch bleeding effectively and is also used for internal bleeding as a syrup or as a tea.
It is also used for respiratory complaints, piles and in Ireland to treat heart trouble. It is less known as a cure for colds.

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Autumn Equinox 20th September- 31st October
 
Autumn is a time of ripening and the beginning of maturity as we enter into an older phase of the life cycle. We gather the harvest of the year and reflect on the season behind us as we step into our strength, wiser and more confident of our abilities.
 
This time of high tides and abundant fruit reflects the life-giving properties of the experienced mature mother as she radiates vitality before retreating into her depths at Samhain. The male energy is also at his peak, mature, giving, and nurturing. He has nothing to prove for he also radiates an inner strength as the fruition of his life unfolds.
 
The guardian of this time is the fruiting Elder that can cure ailments and guide you at this time. She is the protector of the land, the animals and the mind. A powerful symbol of strength and wisdom.
 Use this time to truly acknowledge all you have achieved this year and in your life.
​Be at ease, confident in your abilities and allowing them to nurture and aid a new generation.

This is a good time in the words of Sir Walter Scott ( 1759-1796) -
 
​“To see the heath-flower withered on the hill,
To listen to the woods' expiring lay,
To note the red leaf shivering on the spray,
To mark the last bright tints the mountain stain,
On the waste fields to trace the gleaner's way ,
And moralise on mortal joy and pain.”

If you would like to learn more about the traditions of the land you may wish to enrol on our Woodland Bard Course.

The honeysuckle's name invokes the beauty of a scented plant enticing pollinators to its embrace and the gift of nectar. It speaks in lore of affection as it binds itself to a tree and reaches to the sun and faithfulness to enrich the shaded woodland by its climbing efforts.​

Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine...
Shakespeare
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However it is also known as woodbine as it clambers up the trees, twisting in such a way it carves itself into the wood for eternity giving rise to 'dragon wands' which symbolise the rising of the earth energy upon the branch of the tree.

It was Shakespeare who also spoke of this twisting and although referred to gently he did not deny its strength. and its relationship with the life-giving sun, which does not penetrate the depths of the earth where it grows.

'So doth the woodbine the sweet honeysuckle
Gently entwist...'

'steal into the pleached bower, where honeysuckles ripen'd by the sun,
forbid the sun to enter...'


In Celtic lore the honeysuckle is exalted as the 'King of the Trees' by Iubdhan, the king of the leprechauns.

'Monarch of Inis Fail's Forests woodbine is, whom none may hold captive; no feeble sovereign's effort is it to hug all tough trees in his embrace...'

A climber that is very much celebrated with its nectar rich trumpet-like flowers which exude a scent on summer evenings. Its leaves are amongst the first to appear in the woodland scene sometimes as early as December. If honeysuckle is brought into the house it is said a wedding will follow and placed in a girl’s bedroom will bring dreams of love.

Samuel Pepys, a 17th Century diarist called honeysuckle the trumpet flower whose bugles blow scent instead of sound. 
Honeysuckle flowers can be used to help headaches, lung diseases and asthma.
Its bark can make cordage and it is said it was used as rope to move the great stones of stonehenge!

It seems this climber has been respected throughout history as a king and a lover, a woodland delight to be respected and honoured. 

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                 Ancient Sweet Chestnut Tree                                                    Ancient Lime Tree

I travel along the Wessex ridgeway like a highway man flanked by a shrubbery of grey and pussy willow intermingled with old hazel coppice. The ash trees stretch up high above the shrubbery and in the fields ancient oak and  lime have an indomitable presence.

A single shrunken, withered chestnut tree, a relic of noble splendour is hollowed out as a stately home to wildlife reminding me of the poem The Hollow Tree by John Claire:

How oft a summer shower hath started me 
To seek for shelter in an hollow tree:
Old huge ash-dotterel wasted to a shell,
Whose vigorous head still grew and flourished well..

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                              Wild angelica                                                               Sun spurge

I then enter the watery realms guarded by water pepper and angelica creates a canopy of its own.

In desolate places, where dark moisture breeds
The pipy hemlock to strange overgrowth
John Keats

Then as I emerge from the mysteries only dark and moist places tell, I witness chenopodiums (goosefoots) and cardamines ( bittercresses) scattered in the fields whilst a lone sun spurge decorates the grass amongst white archangel.

                Rosebay willowherb                                                                 Shepherds purse

A purple haze of rosebay willowherb with shepherds purse educates the wanderer of past land management.
Fallen relics of brick arches, woodland tracks leading to pastures edged with melilot, redshank, mayweed and fumitory.
Spongy wet paths support brooklime and drier paths breed flowering chickweed, plantain and wild pansy.
I could be a marauding Viking or a settled Saxon as the timeless Wessex landscape unfolds before me.

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As with any herb that incudes ‘officinalis’ in its botanical name it has a long history of use, this coupled with the fact its generic name ‘Verbena’ is a Roman term for alter plants used for sacrifices points to a very interesting plant.

However it is pre-Roman that its connections with healing and spirituality begin. Vervain is thought to have been used similarly to Sage in the Native American traditions, purifying and cleansing ceremonial and living spaces.

Individuals have also used the plant for their own protection against infection and calamity. Worn as a talisman around one's neck it is said to help with headaches and poisonous bites. It is thought that it can used for both creating spells and as a antidote for spells. In short this plant has played a key role in Shamanic practices in the British Isles. Due to the fact it is not a true native of Ireland there is little evidence of its herbal use in this Country.

As with many plants with a key role in folk traditions, science also points to why this plant has been used extensively. The plant contains ‘verbenaline’ which is a chemical renowned for its ability to reduce fevers and pain.  An infusion of this plant can induce sweating and used with yarrow is an effective herb for coughs and colds. More often than not the plant has been used as an external application for inflammations and sores. Internally it also can be taken as a strengthening tonic.

After a motor accident I used the mixture of vervain and yarrow to ease pain and strengthen my recovery.

​If you wish to learn more please subscribe to our monthly newsletter or join us on a course where we can soak up the beauty and learn a deeper appreciation.