To Walk a Pagan Path: Practical Spirituality for Every Day (18 page)

course it can be much smaller if you prefer. What matters is

that it not be too large. Your garden should continue to be a

source of pride and pleasure throughout the growing season,

and this will not happen if it is too large to easily maintain.

Go to the eastern edge of the garden. Use your spade or

shovel to dig a small hole. It need not be more than a few

inches deep. Facing the east, sprinkle a handful of meal into

this hole as you say:

Eastward I stand,

For favors I pray.

I ask the spirits who dance in this place,

I ask the ancestors who watch over this place,

I ask of Mother Earth and Father Sky,

Accept now this offering of grain,

And ever there be peace between us.

Fill in the hole with soil as you express a final affirmation,

just as you did in the Charming the Plow rite.

Now go to the southern edge of the garden and dig a

second hole there. Facing south, sprinkle a handful of meal

into the hole and say the same pray, substituting “Southward

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stand I” for “Eastward stand I”. Fill this hole in with soil,

speaking your affirmation, as you did with the eastern hole.

Repeat this again at the western edge of the garden, and

then again at the northern edge. If your garden has an irreg-

ular shape these four holes may not be equidistant from each

other, but that does not matter.

Go to the very center of the garden—or to what seems

most like the center if your garden has an irregular shape,

and dig a fifth hole. Sprinkle one last handful of meal into

this hole as you say:

Holy Mother Earth,

May the you and the spirits herein l

et this land grow and thrive,

Increase and strengthen,

With tall stems and fine crops.

May this sacred land be protected from harm,

and warded against all ills.

Fill in this last hole as you speak your words of affirma-

tion. Having given your offerings of meal, the rite is now

complete.

The wording and procedure of this rite are only sug-

gestions. If your spirituality demands a different approach

to bidding the land, by all means be true to your gods and

your chosen path! I confess that the rite I have given has an

Anglo-Saxon bias. The wording of the prayers is borrowed

and modified from the 11th century Æcerbot, or “land cer-

emonies charm” (Griffiths, pp. 173–175). These prayers had

been heavily Christianized by the time the charm was writ-

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ten down—with numerous references to saints, the Lord’s

Prayer, crucifixes and so on—but the Earth Mother was still

addressed as a living, sentient entity.

Since your garden is intended to strengthen your con-

nection with the earth and attune you to nature’s cycles,

plan your gardening activities “by the moon”. This involves

two different factors. The first (and in my opinion the most

important) of these is the moon’s phase; whether the moon

is growing larger or smaller, and which phase of this cycle

it is in. Everyone who gardens by the moon plans his or her

activities according the moon’s phase. The second factor is

which sign of the zodiac the moon is in on any given day.

Like the sun and the planets, the moon travels through all

twelve signs of the zodiac, twelve equal divisions of the sky named after constellations of the Classical world. But while

it takes the sun about a month to move through a sign of the

zodiac, the moon moves from one sign to the next every two

or three days.

Determining the moon’s phase is very easy; just look up

in the sky at night! If you have not been paying attention

previous to this, it may take two or three months to be sure

exactly where the moon is in its cycle. The general rules for

planting by the moon’s phase are equally easy:

• When the moon is
waxing
(growing larger, from new to full) plant vegetables and fruits that bear above ground.

This includes most of what you will probably be grow-

ing.

• When the moon is
waning
(growing smaller, from full to new) plant vegetables that bear below ground: potatoes, carrots, radishes and so on. Ideally these should be

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planted while the moon is still in its
third quarter
(growing smaller, but still half full or larger).

• When the moon is in its fourth quarter (growing small-

er, and less than half full) weed the garden and destroy

pests.

If you want to include the moon’s zodiac sign in your

garden planning you will need a current almanac.
The Old

Farmer’s Almanac
is sold in bookstores, drugstores and supermarkets across the United States. This annual publication

always includes of the moon’s astrological position through-

out the year, as well as a page or more of advice about plant-

ing and doing other activities by the moon. Although not as

widely available, an even better resource is
Llewellyn’s Moon
Sign Book
. I prefer this publication because it gives the time of day that the moon changes from one sign to the next,

which the former publication lacks. Llewellyn’s guide is filled with interesting information about the moon and astrological influences.

The general rules for planting by the moon’s signs are:

• Plant seeds or transplant young plants when the moon

is in either a water sign (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) or an

earth sign (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn).

• Weed and control pests when the moon is in either a

fire sign (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) or an air sign other

than Libra (Gemini, Aquarius).

• Plant flowers when the moon is in Libra.

As you can see, an ideal time to plant most vegetable

seeds would be when the moon is waxing and in the sign of

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either Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces. In the real world, for peo-

ple who hold regular jobs and juggle their free time between

family, housecleaning and other obligations, the “ideal time”

may not come at a reasonable time. When this happens, find

the best compromise available. When circumstances prevent

you from planting while the moon is in an earth or water

sign, just be sure to do it while the moon is waxing (or in

its third quarter if you are planting potatoes or carrots). If instead you cannot plant during the best phase of the moon,

plant when the moon is in the right zodiac sign.

*

You may decide that you would like to grow herbs instead of

vegetables. This may be especially appealing if you have lim-

ited space for your garden. Although a small plot can yield a

substantial quantity of vegetables, it will not produce more

than a miniscule portion of the food you and your family will

consume. However that same small plot, with careful plan-

ning, could easily supply you with several varieties of culi-

nary herbs, and that may be more satisfying for you.

Of course herbs have many uses, and there is no reason

why you could not plant a garden of remedial (medicinal)

herbs or cosmetic herbs. You could even plant aromatic herbs

for making your own incense and potpourri, which we will

discuss in a later chapter. The reason I emphasize culinary

herbs here is because of that adage, “You are what you eat.”

By planting herbs, vegetables or fruits that you will later eat, you will participate more completely in that eternal cycle of

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taking and giving back to the earth; the cycle which gave rise

to humankind’s earliest and most persistent Pagan rites.

There are no defining boundaries between remedial, culi-

nary or cosmetic herbs other than the uses we put them to.

Some of your culinary herbs will have remedial uses, some

will have cosmetic or aromatic uses, but some may have no

purpose other than to taste good when added to recipes. If

you have the space and inclination there is no reason why

you cannot grow both vegetables and herbs in your garden.

FRIGE’S GARDEN

In the 5th century, in Europe, Mary was proclaimed to be the

Mother of God, and in the years that followed “Mary’s gar-

dens” became popular features both in monasteries and on

private estates. These gardens were planted with flowers and

herbs. They provided a private place for prayer and contem-

plation. The Mary’s garden was usually a very small garden,

especially in overcrowded medieval towns and cities. Most

featured a small statue of the Virgin Mary as a focal point of

the garden.

The Mary’s garden is a Christian tradition, but you can

create a similar garden dedicated to a goddess from your pan-

theon as an expression of your own Pagan spirituality. This

works especially well if you would rather grow herbs rath-

er than vegetables. Since a garden of this kind is intended for contemplation and prayer, a variety of attractive and aromatic herbs will create the appropriate ambience.

For a Saxon Pagan, this would most likely be a Frige’s

garden, dedicated to Woden’s consort. Frige gave her name

to the six day of the week, Friday (Frigesdæg). She is sover-

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eign over marriages, families and household arts. In a mod-

ern context Frige is also sovereign over business enterprises,

because “household arts”, for the Anglo-Saxons, included

cloth making, soap making, dyeing, medicine, weaving and

pretty much any occupation other than hunting, fishing and

warfare.

A Frige’s garden can be planted with rosemary, sage,

chamomile, fennel, alecost and feverfew. All of these herbs

were known to the Anglo-Saxons, either because they are

indigenous to England or because they were brought there

by the Romans. Adding a few marigolds to the garden will

add decorative color, and will discourage rabbits that might

otherwise be tempted to munch on your herbs. Outdoor

statues of Frige are not readily available, but there are other ways to represent the goddess. Some people believe the

goose is sacred to Frige. I know of no historical mention of

this, but the goose is a monogamous bird, which is appro-

priate for any animal that would be sacred to a goddess of

marriage. If you cannot find or do not care for a statue of a goose, find a large stone and engrave or paint Frige’s name

on it using Anglo-Saxon runes:

frige

A seat or small bench will provide a restful place to enjoy

the garden and commune with Frige.

If you follow a different spiritual path, you will of course

want to dedicate your garden to another goddess. Every

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Pagan pantheon has at least a couple of goddesses who could

be honored in a garden such as this.

The Roman Pagan can create a Juno’s garden using

Roman herbs such as basil, catnip, dill, oregano, rue and

wormwood. The Juno’s garden might include a small bay

laurel tree, which in cooler climates would need to come

inside in the autumn. Terra cotta pots can be used to create a

Mediterranean atmosphere.

Hellenic Pagans can dedicate Hera’s gardens or Aphro-

dite’s gardens and plant them with wild celery, borage, ele-

campane, thyme, calendula and horehound. Statues of Greek

or Roman goddesses can sometimes be found in garden

shops. A basic Doric column is another statuary design that

would enhance a garden dedicated to any Greek goddess.

A Brigid’s garden would be appropriate for an Irish

Pagan. This garden could be planted with yarrow, vervain,

self-heal and comfrey. Include either some white or red clo-

ver, both considered shamrocks by the Irish. Avoid the large

leafed “lucky shamrocks” sold around St. Patrick’s Day.

Despite their visual appeal, these are actually tropical plants native to South America.

Whichever goddess you honor in your garden, be sure to

also plant a selection of culinary herbs—herbs that you will

later consume—to ensure that you share in the cycle of tak-

ing and giving back.

BALCONY GARDENS

But what if you have no land at all? How can the apartment

dweller connect with the food cycle?

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Connecting with the earth is obviously going to be more

challenging under these circumstances, but the problem is

not insurmountable. An apartment balcony can be trans-

formed into a small garden for either herbs or vegetables.

Plants like comfrey or potatoes that have a deep or extensive

root system do not work well in balcony gardens, but many

herbs and vegetables can thrive just outside your third story

apartment.

Lettuce and radishes both grow easily in just a few inch-

es of soil. A five gallon pickle barrel, with drainage holes

drilled or punched in the bottom, can support a cherry toma-

to plant. You can even purchase large pots designed specif-

ically for growing strawberries! Most culinary herbs can be