Fall Equinox, a beautiful sky, and Apprenticeship

This is actually looking due west this morning, not towards the sunrise as it appears. High clouds raced by the deep blue of the early fall morning sky today and a bit of rain pattered now and then.

It's the Autumnal Equinox, a year and a day since I performed my AODA Candidate Initiation.

Now, I have completed my Apprentice Initiation and wear the Red Cord with pride and humility as an AODA First Degree. I've received approval from The Grand Archdruid on my Second Degree Studies, and in essence, have already begun them (actually when I received notice that my First Degree exam was accepted and began formulating my study plan)...so, now begins my next phase and (hopefully) within the "two years and two days" (bringing me to the Fall Equinox of 2009) I will be performing my Second Degree Initiation.

Later this evening will be a small ritual to mark the Equinox. I believe (and felt) Tarannis was pleased...

Not exactly Sustainability, but, hey, it's a start!

Some of our garden on Canol Haf (midsummers)

The flowers on the corn are fascinating! Just behind the corn, you can see the corner of the raised bed where we have squash, parsley (a LOT of it too! ) thyme, bell pepper, string bean, and basil. It's a trial and error (mostly error) to find out what can grow in the micro-climate up here. Tomatoes have to stay pretty well shaded, melons can't be "full sun" as they say, and several other plants just didn't want to grow at all, even with conditioning the soil.

I see leaves of green...

Well, two of the ten trees are actually trying to grow! The Sargeant Crabapple (in the foreground) and the Arrowwood Virbinium (nearest the fence).

We shall see with the others. They're still pliable and haven't died completely, so we shall give them as much time as they need to start growing.

Tiny Trees!

A few actually have buds already forming. The Candaian Hemlocks and the Arrowwood are the smallest.

Now we say the long time family prayer whenever we plant anything...

"Okay, now grow...dammit!"

This has been a running family joke after my mother planted some Zucchinni one year, said that to the seeds, and even the neighbors were tired of the things by winter. Mega bumper crop. Zucchinni bread, pickles, canned, fried, sautee'd, in salads...it's amazing I still like them...

Trees!

My Arbor Day Foundation 10 free trees just arrived today! Well, I know what my weekend plans are now! (couldn't think of anything I'd rather be doing instead, that's for sure).
My wife and I are now proud "parents" of;
1 Arrowwood Viburnum
1 Bur Oak
2 Canadian Hemlock
1 Grey Dogwood
1 Northern Red Oak
1 River Birch
1 Sargent Crabapple
1 Tuliptree
1 Washington Hawthorn
Now comes the fun part of trying to figure out where to put ten treeson an eighth of an acre lot...

A gift to my wife

I'm a tricky 'ol Druid at times. I had a piece of Willow that was just screaming at me to use it for something. So, I made a wand for my wife out of it...making her think all along that I was crafting it for myself...lol...

It's hard to tell in the picture, but that's a band of silver spiraling along the shaft and terminating at the tip.

Now on to my next project...

I was asked some time ago to post some pics of my practice Ogham Staves...and I finally got around to it.

They're simply enscribed with a wood burner on birch discs that I purchased at the craft store. On the back is the english name of the tree, the Bricriu Number Ogham, the sound, the color, and the elemental association.

Perhaps one day I will gather woods from all the trees and construct a set, but these are good as a start for divination and a study aide.

" ...But Cormac shook the branch amongst them, and when they heard the soft sweet music of the branch they forgot ill care and sorrow and went forth to meet the youth, and he and they took their departure and were seen no more. Loud cries of weeping and mourning were made throughout Erin when this was known; but Cormac shook the branch so that there was no longer any grief or heaviness of heart upon any one."

From More Celtic Fairy Tales, collected by John Jacobs (originally published 1894).

The Craebh Ciuil, one of the three treasures of Cormac. The "apple branch", silver branch with it's tiny, musical, apples...

I figured I'd post a picture of my own "Apple Branch"

Finally!!

The garden is in the ground, the herbs are transplanted to their hanging baskets, and all is well!

We placed the "Little Bride" corn doll I made on Imbolc in the garden, for her assistance in our harvest, said a silent blessing, and went to planting. When we harvest the corn from our own garden this year, we'll save husks to make a "Cailleach", which will then go in next year's planting, completing the cycle.