Druid in the Garden - Samhain 2009
by Aauriane Veleda
Greetings and the Blessings of the New Year be upon each of you!
My how time flies! I know it is amazing how fast it has come yet again to this time of year. Seems just yesterday i was writing
the Lughnasadh and even last years Samhain journaling.
SO lets see - what is or has happened here? Well it is still hot as heck - but finally cooling a wee bit - only lower 90’s
now but the nights are nearing 74 and 73 degrees - so we are headed for fall! When we start hitting 60’s I will be
opening windows at night I hope! The Golden Rain Tree has bloomed out front too - a sure sign of seasonal change. Now I will
have millions of baby rain trees soon I am sure - everywhere!! Amazing and also a pain! LOL We are into our second planting
here - which for us means the heat is past the worst. I have planted more tomato’s, Roma beans, corn, collards and
more to come. I hope to have broccoli, cauliflower and various cabbages, kales and chards in as well as spinach, beets and
who knows what else. I hope to eat more then buying more. Plus I can dry and save much for future meals and be more prepared
for emergencies.
This year has been
very different. For me living in a home of my own for the first time has been one factor, but so far we have not - knock
on wood - received any seriously heavy hurricanes or storms. I hope it stays this way, especially after what we went through
when we moved last year. The weather is such a teller of things to come and right now it is mostly on the larger scale -
unpredictable. Look at the very late winter the north had and how many of you are having weird or unusually early chills.
My in-laws in Illinois had a 39 degree morning - in July!! We had not really reached over 100 degrees for more than 3 or
4 days and then that was it - none since then.
I have learned to watch the animals and even my little truck to determine the days weather. Here in the early am -
we are a humid place, so to have a very dry truck first thing in the early am tells me the moisture is high up in the atmosphere
and we will have severe late afternoon storms. 9 out of 10 times it is dead on. Drenching wet truck - usually means no rain
that day. Fog, well it could go either way depending on how wet the fog is! Have you found or looked for common signs to
your area that can help you predict your local weather events? If not pay attention and see what the plants, animals and
even moisture can tell you. It can help you plan your day and people think you have a 5th sense :)
So Samhain approaches - what are you doing for your new year? Me,
painting the house! The week before Samhain I will be instilling my green nature upon my home even more - she will become
green - in color :) Got it all arranged to get my dad to help me and hopefully it will be much cooler - well even 10 degrees
will be much cooler - lol. I hope to start on the trim in the next week or two - that will be the long one that will take
me forever! Detail work can be so rewarding and make the difference between good work and sloppy work. Same for our everyday
lives. Details can make us look polished and professional, or sloppy, lax or less than concerned. There are times this is
perfectly appropriate and times it isn’t. DO you go before the gods with detail? Or without? Does it matter? If so
, when does it matter? I know there are time such as my major festivals such as Samhain, where I go before my Gods with the
details ready! This is the time of honoring those passed, recognizing the cycle as it has been and will be, a time to notice
the details that perhaps I had missed before. But sometimes I go and don’t worry about the details, my new or full
moon personal work - usually more spontaneous and less formal - so more relaxed. Like we said before, each has its place!
SO when do you go formal? Casual? Both? LOL
Samhain is the reminder
of new beginnings. Hows that you say? Our Celtic ancestors saw the entry into winter as the beginning of the year, the time
of returning to the dark - like in the womb, we each are in the dark before we come to the light, same as for knowledge -
you are in the “dark”, and you learn and enter the “light”. SO our ancestors endured this dark for
half the year, staying close, sharing lore, teaching and story telling. COme Imbolc - our next fire festival, we are reminded
the light is returning and soon we will emerge back into life and light. Yule or Winter Solstice will be that shift, when we experience the longest
night and wait for the returning light, we are reminded of this.
How about your seeds? Seeds you say? The things you “planted” in your life, subconscious
and more. Are they growing? Have some come to seed and are producing offspring now in your life? Do you need to plant new
seeds this Samhain? Is it time to put a new thought, idea or need into the darkness to be nurtured and wrapped in love and
warmth and prepared for coming into the light soon? What do you want to plant? What do you need to plant? What is sowing
itself now in your life? DO you need to weed? Transplant? Harvest? Life is like a garden, or gardening is like life - you
must know when to properly place your seeds and plants to get the most out of them. They may grow at the worst times, but
then may not thrive. Same with our lives - there are times that are best to plant and best to maintain. Where are you? YOur
plants and seeds?
May you Be Blessed
and Your Own Garden of LIfe! Until next Time!
Blessings From the Grove
Aauriane Veleda
About the Author: Aauriane Veleda is Priestess Hierophant and founder of Garden of Sacred Wells Lyceum and Seekers
of Sacred Wisdom Iseum. She is Grand Dame Commander of the Green Ways of the World Tree Priory and ArchDruidess of the Hearth
of the Sacred Ways Grove. She currently lives in Central Florida with her husband and one fur child, a kitty called Kerridwen.
In addition to the FOI, she is an active member of the Henge of Keltria, a Druid Companion of the OBOD, trained Celtic Shaman,
Gythia and Seidhmather. Her personal work is focused on Irish and Scottish Druidry with its Avalonian connections through
Kildare and the connections to Northern Ways (Norse). She is a full time Nursing Instructor, Master Herbalist, Naturopath
and Reiki Master/Teacher. Aauriane is a member of the ArchDruid Union of the Fellowship of Isis.
© Aauriane Veleda 2009
