In May I planted a garden. Herbs and vegetables, flowers too. With patience and diligence, I have been watering, weeding and waiting. And most of all - I have been checking. Checking the growth and looking for fruit. The fruits of my labor.
As August approaches, my patience is beginning to pay off. There are dozens of tomatoes and peppers beginning to grow and ripen on the vine. The cucumbers are big as store bought. As I was picking the first fruits and thanking the plant for sacrificing itself for me, I realized that magic is much like planting a garden. Our words and prayers coupled with materials of candles and herbs are planted. Then we wait for the spell to take root and grow into our desired intention.
Not all of my plants are producing as expected. I learn and adjust my efforts from year to year. Last year I planted tomatillos from seed and they did not have enough time to produce harvestable fruit. This year I was lucky enough to find hearty plants and am trying again to harvest tomatillos for my Salsa Verde. Last year, I had more peppers than I could use. This year I planted the peppers in a different location, and they are slow to start, many have yet to bear fruit, and the plants themselves are small. Of course, we must consider climate as a factor. Spring had a late (and several false) starts this year for us in Michigan.
Recently, I had a customer come in to the Candle Wick Shop and tell me she that she had attempted some specific spell work that did not manifest the way she had hoped. She was therefore looking for an additional candle to aid her. I suggested that perhaps it was something she was not permitted to have at this time. Perhaps the climate was not ripe for her intention at this time. Perhaps there was tilling of soil required before her desire could take root. Often, there is work to be done in between times, and before spell casting.
A gardener does not simply throw a bunch of seeds around and expect to have a fabulous garden. It may seem as though some people have 10 green thumbs and it works that way, but it isn’t so.
Prior to planting, I began with watching the temperature. All threat of frost must pass before delicate new plants can survive in the soil. This can be likened to being in tune with the moon cycles and waiting for the appropriate time to set a spell in motion.
The next step is to turn the soil to break it up; to soften it from the long hard winter; to prepare it to receive the plants I planned to offer it. Some years this was done by the shovelful, luckily this year with a gas operated tiller. Similarly, we must remain soft, pliable, teachable and ready to receive our life lessons.
The nutrients need to be replenished in the soil each planting season. To enrich the garden bed, I added compost available from the city and bought bags of organic soil to build up the plot. This is an important foundation for the garden, just as staying on a spiritual path when things are on an even keel. This signifies the importance of staying grounded.
A very exciting step is being ready to go to the nursery to select the plants I want to grow. I selected tomatoes, peppers, celery, beans, basil, oregano, tomatillos, onion and lettuce. From seed I planted peas, sunflower, cilantro, catnip, sage and moonflower. This is the stage likened to collecting the appropriate candles, herbs, oils, and incense for the task.
Thankfully, I have a garage full of yard tools at my disposal. The tools I utilize in planting my garden include a rake, shovel, hose, gloves, tomato cages and support sticks. A spell worker may incorporate magical tools such as candle holders, matches, athame, cauldron, tarot cards, salt, an alter and images or items for representation.
Now the soil is ready. I put it all together in the prepared soil; the magical spell I was casting called germination. Using the tools at my disposal and the hybrid plants I had purchased, I began to weave a spell ordained from the beginning of time; that fruit has within it its own seed and from that seed will grow more fruit. If I labor and nurture that seed, it will nourish me and sustain me. Likewise, the incantation of my spell casting will resonate into the ether of the universe and also bear fruit.
As I grow on my spiritual path, just like I am doing to become a successful gardener – I make minor changes in response to previous outcomes. I make adjustments based on my mental, spiritual and social climate. I keep a mental checklist of which methods were more productive and can be repeated and enhanced in the future. In this manner, my growth and experience is allowed to grow exponentially. Even the solitary witch values the experience of other practitioners through books and blogs alike.
Back in my garden, I find each summer that some plants are duds. They are small, slow; the ground is hard, not enough water, not the right sun exposure. Some are hard to grow in certain climates. Some plants like one person more than another. My friend a few miles away cannot grow lavender, yet I have many large hearty plants. My mum has plants that are many times the size of mine. However, there is no absolute formula for these successes. Some are able to plant and walk away, others toil for countless hours. We may also find that magic comes easier to others than to ourselves at times.
Each spring I pot a variety of flowers around my house. I planted Petunias and Salvias and Marigolds, just like I did last year. I noticed that identical arrangements faired quite differently in the front yard than they did in the back yard, where the sun exposure is filtered by a glorious old maple. I missed a day of watering and several flowers died. This reminded me that although plants are created to grow, they are attuned to a particular amount of sun and water, and therefore action from me, the planter. Some spells can be performed and walked away from and forgotten. They move through the universe and fulfill their destination. Others require ACTION. Water, sunlight, love, touch, weeding and fertilizing. Some issues that lead us to magic are harder than others. They may require us to repeat a ritual for a time. Perhaps we have to act in the physical realm to bring about the spiritual.
Magic can be just like the garden. Just as some have an affinity for certain plants, you and I may find positive results with other specimens. Magic and spell work incorporate many methods with similar results, and likewise similar methods with differing outcomes. Coventry Creations has taken the guess work out of spell work for us. With years of experience and “testing of soil”, Coventry candles are like hybrid plants for the garden. They are designed to bring about specific results based on just about any need a practitioner could have. From money to love, hex breaking and clearing, drawing or banishing, Coventry has thought of everything. Light a candle. Burn some incense. Anoint with oil. Say a little prayer. The universe is at your fingertips.
by Dawn Massie 2010