The Untended Garden
“Blue Flower Moon” is a beautiful description for the full moon of May and the wondrous blossoms that this month brings forth.
The moon is usually referred to as being “blue” when it’s the second full moon to occur in a calendar month, but this particular full moon on 18 May is blue, due to it being the third full Moon of four that will happen during this spring season, so a “once in a blue moon” event!
(If you would like to know more, the Old Farmer’s Almanac (www.almanac.com) has a fascinating article on blue moons)
Returning to the May blossom and the lush greenery of this particular month, for most gardeners it is usually one that is full-on with keeping on top of the abundant weeds and once the threat of frost is over, transplanting fresh new plants from the greenhouse into the garden, (once they’ve acclimatised to the change in temperature) and then spending the rest of the season busily watering, tending, pruning and everything else that embraces a “tidy” garden.
Being an avid gardener myself, it has been very frustrating that, due to various injuries resulting from dashing around and not being “in the moment”, I haven’t been able to work in the garden for a number of months and have had to give it all up to Mother Nature. I feel moved to add a smiley face here, as I’m sure a number of you know what’s coming next and are both inwardly and outwardly smiling as yes, she is doing a much better job than I ever have!
“A weed is just a flower in the wrong place” is a famous quote that I have come to realise is so very true and down the side of my house, growing amongst what was once pristine shingle, are beautiful pink flowered creeping plants that before now would have gone straight into the compost heap. It has been particularly fascinating to observe the plants that have grown beneath the bird’s feeding station and it’s a picture of this that I have used to introduce the blog, rather than the calm, tranquil photos of previous months...
Magickal moments have also returned to the garden with the subsequent increase in wild-life – watching a blackbird safely bathing amongst the dense pondweed is a positive delight and the hedgehog that I’ve been very fortunate to have visit my garden in previous years is going to have a field day foraging amongst the dense undergrowth.
In our day to day lives, it's worth taking time out to evaluate whether busily dashing around ensuring everything is in its place and micro-managing the output is truly the answer. Are we encouraging our creativity and inspiration to flourish and grow or are we throwing ideas and opportunities onto the compost heap as weeds, as they don't fit into our expectations? When introducing change, are we allowing ourselves time to acclimatise to the change in temperature, or do we push on regardless, then find ourselves feeling anxious and almost frozen in time, whilst we try to adjust?
Introducing Magick into our daily lives can be as simple as smiling and saying “Hello”, no matter the bad start we’ve had to our day with trying to get the kids to school! It's connecting with Mother Nature and taking pleasure in the simple things of life, such as a blackbird taking a bath. When you consciously turn a negative situation around into a positive, and see weeds just as flowers in the wrong place, the results can be truly Magickal. Add a touch of creativity, intuition and inspiration into the pot and the world can literally be your oyster!