The Magickal Cottage

Most of us dread that ever unpopular period that pops up a few times a year known as Mercury retrograde. You know. You’re not supposed to start anything new, buy anything major, have repairs done, cast spells, make important decisions…and the list goes on and on. Not only are you not supposed to do or buy anything fun, but everything you already have will break and your emails, cards and letters will all get lost or delivered late. Pretty depressing, huh? Well, this time around I am discovering something pretty nice about ole’ Mercury and its back paddling through the heavens.

Mercury retrograde is a great time to finish projects you have already started. It’s also a good time to review and revise things. It’s a wonderful time for turning inward and just, well….meditating. Usually, even though I know the importance of meditating, I am prone to think of all of this reviewing and revising and finishing things as being pretty boring. It’s like when you were in school and the teacher would hand you back your poem or short story with all kinds of red marks where corrections were needed, and told you to copy it over NEATLY! In black ink….and skip lines between sentences. I suppose nowadays kids use word processors and spell check…..but you get the idea.

This Mercury retrograde has been a gift to me of sorts. I preordered a book back in January which just arrived and I am very inspired by it. The Book is “Holistic Energy Magic” by Tess Whitehurst.

Even though most of what Tess writes about in her work is familiar to me, I feel like this book is inspiring me to go back and review all the principles and practices about magic and energy work that I have learned in the past. Sounds like a great thing to do during a retrograde, don’t you think? I am especially inspired to reconnect with the four elements and Spirit right now. One of the activities for balancing the elements in yourself really gave me a lift today and I was forced to admit that I had let things slip by not taking the time to “connect” as I should. Visually burying myself in dark moist earth, feeling water well up around me and over my head, having the wind blow all around me in a spiraling fashion and basking in the warmth of a glowing fire was refreshing. And then connecting with Spirit as I gazed up towards  the infinite sky I thought, “Where have I been all these months?”  Let’s just say I have not been as “connected” as I should be. I am thankful to be reminded about this and many other practices about energy work by this lovely book. I am also grateful to Planet Mercury for slowing things down and making me stop to ponder. 

I highly recommend Holistic Energy Magic, and no one is paying me to say that! They can if they want to, but they aren’t. If you find yourself twiddling your thumbs during this retrograde period, or if you want to learn some great magical techniques at any time in the near future, I suggest you pick up a copy. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I.

Brightest of Blessings,

Sarina

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While working amongst the herbs today in my magickal  garden, I suddenly remembered the song, “Are You Going to Scarborough Fair?” and wondered about the meaning of the verse “parsley, sage rosemary and thyme.” I knew those four herbs probably had some magickal significance that would relate them to the song. Sure enough they do!

I feel the correspondences of these herbs are qualities  that are needed in a positive, loving relationship between two people. Parsley is said to take away the bitterness, and so I feel that in a relationship it symbolizes the ability to add comfort and sweetness during times of trouble. Sage is for strength and I would also like to throw in wisdom. Relationships require a lot of strength to make it through the years. And the wisdom part, of course, means knowing when to offer advice and went to keep quiet. Rosemary is for faithfulness. It goes without saying that faithfulness is important in so many ways in our relationships. Thyme is for courage. Forming relationships takes a lot of courage! Some people never decide to form meaningful relationships and to travel through life without a significant other.    There is a risk in offering your heart to another ! 

The song is speaking about love relationships between a man and a woman, but in many ways these four qualities are needed in all types of relationships. Parents and sons and daughters; friends and even coworkers need these qualities to make their relationships succeed. 

The song, ” Scarborough Fair”, deals with a man asking his former lover to perform some impossible tasks if she wants him to take her back. He asks her to sew him a seamless shirt that she must wash in a dry well. In some versions of the song the woman responds with some equally impossible requirements that he must first perform. We might laugh at the behavior of these two people and think their actions are ridiculous, but how often do we ask the impossible or nearly impossible of the people around us, wanting them to be perfect?  We gripe at others and yet we don’t hold the same high standards for our own behavior. 

What a wise and meaningful message this old folksong  communicates! This granny witch who has been married for over 40 years can testify to the fact that these four qualities represented by these four herbs are so very necessary in a lasting relationship . We feel we have come so far in modern times and yet we could learn a lot from the wisdom of the past. Anyone wanting to draw love into their lives and manifest a loving relationship would do well to use parsley, sage rosemary and thyme to bring positive energy to their work. Write your own blessing or spell and incorporate the herbs into sachets, dried incenses and to anoint your candles. Focus your intention to draw someone to you with these qualities as well as to draw these qualities to your own personality.

May all your relationships be sweet, with strength, faithfulness and courage to see them over the long haul!

Blessings, 

Sarina 

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