A Druid’s Web Log – Leaf Fall is here!

Fall is definitely here, suddenly the days are cool and the nights are downright cold. I have begun the annual task of shifting my summer nightgowns to the bottom and warmer ones to the top of the pile. A new quilt graces my bed with a blanket underneath for extra warmth. Last night it was so cold I had to put on socks just to stay warm under the covers.

The houseplants have been brought in from their summer vacation and the last hummingbird was seen two weeks ago, sipping on phlox. I am suddenly wearing sweaters in the house.

image from Goldenrod Fact and Mythology https://sciencealcove.com/2015/10/goldenrod-fact-and-mythology/

In the wild areas the goldenrod is yellow in some places and faded grey in others, the tall stalks leaning crazily from the torrential rains, like flopsy old ladies who can’t manage to stay upright.

Purple asters are blooming in the fields and I have taken some dead flowerheads for seed.

I also collected a few milkweed pods as I do each year, to plant in the flower bed. I am always hoping for Monarch butterflies who need them to lay their eggs on.

The wooly bears in the garden are sporting long red mid-sections, which is supposed to presage a mild winter. I hope so.

In my neck of the forest we are starting to make plans for Samhain (Halloween), scoping out tented areas where we can safely gather to honor the ancestors, gather food donations for local pantries, and share treats. It’s a sobering time, with cases of Covid still running rampant. My Druid group Tribe of the Oak will hold an on line ritual in November. (Feel free to message us if you are looking for in-depth Druid studies and initiation)

This Moonth I thought I would share an excerpt of a fall story from the new children’s book “Once Around the Sun: Stories, Crafts, and Recipes to Celebrate the Sacred Earth Year” which will be on sale April 5, 2022 in the U.S. The UK on-sale date is about 6 weeks later. It is now available for pre-order at Inner Traditions and at other retailers worldwide .

“In the land where I am from—and you are, too, though you have never been there—we live close by the sea.”

“So do we!” said Lorna. “We can see the ocean just by standing on the high wall behind the barn!”

“Just so,” said Grandma Torrie. “And that is why I am going to tell you the lore of the sea that I learned when I was exactly your age, back in Orkney. We always paid close attention to the ocean, because our faethers mostly made their living as fishermen. Everyone wanted to know what the weather would be and how to prepare for it. It was a matter of life and death for us. The most important spirits of the ocean were called Teran and Mither o’ the Sea. Sea Mither and Teran are invisible to us humans, but you can follow their activities quite clearly as the seasons change.”

“What does Teran look like?” Lorna asked.

“He is a huge sea monster with cold eyes that never blink,” said Faether.

“You mean like a shark?” Lorna asked. She had seen sharks brought in by fishermen and some that were stranded on the beach.

“Quite so!” said Grandma Torrie. “He also has huge, twining tentacles and big barnacle-crusted flippers that he uses to churn the sea into giant waves. If a sudden summer storm rises up, that’s him thrashing about, trying to escape the powers of Mither o’ the Sea.

She continued, “In the springtime, at the time of the equinox, Sea Mither battles with Teran, and she always wins. She sends him deep under the waves and holds him captive. But that takes all her strength, and by the fall equinox she is quite exhausted and loses her grip. Then Teran rises from the ocean floor once more and rules all winter, until Mither o’ the Sea can get her strength back at the spring equinox.”

“And so,” Grandma Torrie told them, “Every equinox, spring and fall, they battle for weeks. You always know when it is happening because there are gales, high winds, dark skies, howling blizzards, huge waves, and cold waters that boil and churn.”

“But Sea Mither always hears the cries of drowning people and of people crying on the shore—anyone who is starving, sick, or cold—even in the winter when her powers are weakest,” she said. “So, you can call on her any time you need protection. But her powers are at their peak in summer, of course. She is the one who repairs and replenishes the land after it is ravished by Teran’s freezing winter reign. She is the one who gives the sea creatures the strength to have their babies, warms the oceans, and sends the gentle sea breezes. She keeps Teran and the other dark sea creatures in check!”

Grandma Torrie reached over to her dessert plate, took a small piece of broonie*, and threw it into the fire. “To keep evil forces away,” she explained, adding, “and now it’s time for bed. Sweet dreams and good night!”

* a broonie is a type of sweet bread and I give the recipe in the book – Ellen

Mither o’ the Sea image

A few more book excerpts for you to enjoy;

Book Excerpt: The Sacred Herbs of Spring – how to make your own home made Juniper berry gin!
Book Excerpt: Tree Medicine Tree Magic – make a sweet chestnut cake!

Upcoming Speaking Events

October 26, 2021
Wild Ginger Herbal Center
6-8 PM Eastern
A talk on the Sacred Herbs of Samhain – plants to communicate with the Spirits of the dead
A Zoom webinar

Below is the usual round up of the past Moonth’s news; archaeology, herbs, health, climate, nature, fairies, religion, arts and ethics. *Reminder – you can purchase all my books here and YULE IS COMING! * Enjoy the read!