CHAPTER 5 Discussion in this thread!
Some Questions to think about. Feel free to answer all or any as you see fit!
Do you work with the Sun in your magical practice?
Do you use lunar cycles in your gardening? Do you use a farmers almanac to help plan your magical work?
When working with trees do you choose fresh/live branches or do you use already discarded pieces?
There is a lot of reference information on trees, flowers, and herbs in this chapter. Do you have a favorite for use in your magic?
Do you ‘purify’ your stones before/after use? Do you program your stones?
What I liked:
I like that ‘nature’ is more than ‘just’ the earth and includes the entire natural system (above, on plane, and below)
I like that the author talks about the power of working with the sun. This seems timely with this heat wave! The sun is often overlooked for the cool mystic of the moon, but especially in the Central Valley we shouldn’t overlook this vast energy source. I also like that the author took time to iterate that there are different energies for different times of day just like there are for moon phases throughout the month. I am currently contemplating how the differences in the moon cycle length (~29 days) versus the sun cycle length (~` 24 hours) can play in our magic. Slow burn vs fast burn and all that.
I like that the author went into the rules of ethical Wildcrafting and why those rules are in place. I also liked that they urged the reader to look up local laws and to purchase a book on local plants. (my preference is Western Garden by Sunset, The California Wildlife Habitat Garden, and The California Native Landscape.
What I didn’t like:
Not much. This section has a lot of reference information that is helpful but brief. It should be used as a jumping off point for a deeper understanding that could be very rewarding if given the chance.