Beyond the Hedge

02/05/2023

Tomorrow is the full Snow 🌝 Deep beneath the snow-covered surface there is a subtle stirring. Nature has begun the fierce yet tender work of a slow awakening of the forces that live within all living beings. Bulbs are beginning to push determined tendrils up through the snow-blanketed earth with remarkable tenacity and hope. Tips of tree limbs that have sat leafless for months start to quietly stretch forth new buds. The sun has begun to rise earlier, set later, and is beginning to follow a higher path through the sky.
This moon is a reminder that life, joy and expression is always there beneath the surface awaiting the time to emerge. Keep your eyes to the sun and enjoy the stillness and peace of this moon.

11/06/2022

I loooove the rain. The sounds of it on the roof and forest leaves, the way that it washes the pathways and fills the streams for salmon and ponds for trout and frogs. It cleanses us all and fills my heart with hope and memories. In reverence for this weather I went looking for a deity that personifies it and was captured by the description of Dodola (also known as Perunica) the seasonal goddess associated with the harvest and autumn rains.

She's though to control not only of the rains but is said to also wield the lightening of her husband Prune in order to punish those who were violent or disrespectful of their wives and women. In fact the name Dodola is consistent with the Lithuanian word for lightening.

Dodola was invoked through the act of dancing, particularly during periods of drought. The goddess would be worshipped and specific songs and dances performed in her honour in order to encourage rain and storms that bring the necessary nourishment needed for abundance and growth. She is also an advocate for love and relationships.

She's told of as flying through fields and the woods imbuing the forest floor with new life and vitality. Often depicted bare foot wearing a skirt made of every type of leaves and a flower crown of every bloom, she dances and sings during the heavy rain storms.

When was the last time you danced in the rain, allowing and rejoicing in the gift of water?or took a while to turn off the music or podcast to simply listen to the rythm of the rain on the window?

To honor Dodola we can collect rainwater for our altars, potions and houseplants, taking the time to give thanks for this life giving gift.

11/04/2022

The rains have at last arrived to my home on Vancouver island. With the rains come out the fruits of fungi in wide variety of weird and wonderful forms. These are some of my photos from the past two years of mushrooms found just outside of town.

Witches throughout time have used mushrooms for food and powerful medicines as well as psychedelic aids in flying, time-space displacement, transformation into beasts, and close encounters, often sexual, with man-beast therianthropes such as the god Pan. The redcap Fly Agaric mushroom, which appears in many pictures showing witches,being one of the most well known and recognizable (red with white spots on the cap).

This time of year it is a joy to get outside, get a little muddy and connect with these beautiful fungi in the wild with respect and curiosity. I rarely pick any unless there are a ton and I am 100 percent sure of what they are and how to safely prepare them. Most of the time I just enjoy the thrill of the hunt and the excitement of identifying them.

10/30/2022

Bonfires, apple bobbing and colcannon, a few easy and fun Samhain traditions to consider incorporating into your celebrations.

Since Samhain is the Celtic New Year’s Eve, it’s not surprising to find cleansing rituals as an important aspect of the festivities. Traditionally Folks would walk between two bonfires with their livestock during Samhain because they believed the smoke and incense from burning herbs had special purification properties. Likely, the smoke also served a practical purpose for cattle owners: It would have rid them of fleas as they readied the livestock for winter quartering.

With the new year came new predictions for the future. Because the boundaries between the worlds are thin around the time of Samhain divination is especially powerful. Many traditional forms of fortune telling involved apples and nuts, the fruits of the harvest. Apple bobbing and apple peeling being two popular methods. For apple bobbing, the first person to bite into a fruit would be the first to marry! When it came to peeling, the longer a person’s apple skin could be unfurled without breaking, the longer they would live.

Some of the staple dishes served on Samhain in more modern times also speak to divination. To make Colcannon, a mashed potato dish that would have been introduced after potatoes were brought to Ireland from Peru, you craft a mixture of potatoe, cabbage, salt and pepper, into a mound and place a surprise, like a ring, thimble or button, inside it. Depending on what you discover in your food, a "destiny" is cast. Interpretations differ by area. Finding a ring in the dish could mean that you'll be married within the year, while a button might brand you a lifelong bachelor. Also colcannon is delicious and warming a perfect dish for these chilly late fall days.

10/25/2022

10/23/2022

As the nights get longer and the branches become bare, it is an opportunity to connect with the power of Baba Yaga, the crone or Grandmother witch, for our personal growth.

Baba Yaga is a witch from Slavic folklore who lives in a magical hut (with chicken feet) in the forest and either helps, imprisons, or eats those she encounters. She is among the most famous figures from Slavic folktales (notably Vasilissa the Beautiful).

Although she is usually the villain, Baba Yaga is ultimately the catalyst for change and transformation. Her independence and rejection of societal norms frees her to act on her desires, and as she does, she changes the lives of those who enter her sphere of influence. She also represents the embodiment of one’s Shadow, the qualities we reject in ourselves (selfishness, violence, spite, jealousy) which, once acknowledged, we can work with towards greater self compassion and the development of our kinder and more loving aspects.

Baba Yaga is also thought to embody the spirit of the wild. In nature there are brutal storms, death, and decay. These forces do not care about our wishes and dreams but they do create change and our essential to allowing for new life.

When we work with Baba Yaga we are challenged, we must confront our shadows and honor the powerful forces beyond our control.

10/21/2022

Just a pic of my scruffy mug to let folks know that I am excited to be officially offering tarot readings!!!

I never imagined I would become a tarot reader, infact past me would have poo-pooed the idea for many reasons that I don't need to get into. Tarot is so much more than I understood and it is my joy to read for people. I have found my own way with the practice that feels genuine, honest and sensitive. That way is to be collaborative, trauma informed and focused on the client. I don't claim to foresee the future but I can offer insights about the present and past as well as presenting possible pathways for moving forward. I expect that folks will be open-hearted, and willing to engage fully in the reading, it's not a one way process.
I prefer in person but can also FaceTime or Skype.

My rates are $60 for an hour, $30 for half an hour. If you can't afford it just reach out and we can figure it out. Could make a great Yule gift :)
DM me or email allisonmarieparker@gmail.com to book.

10/20/2022

Pumpkins and Samhain!

During the thinning of the veil, on the days up to and including Samhain, spirits roam the earth freely, and people can communicate with ancestors. It’s also thought that the Fae become very active and pull pranks on unsuspecting humans.

Traditionally, in the Celtic world, people wore disguises made of straw, or dressed up as the opposite gender in order to fool the spirits who were wandering around. Bonfires were lit and turnips! carved out with scary faces ( see the second picture) were placed in windows to ward off evil spirits and to help the dead on their journeys.

When the Europeans colonized turtle Island, they found Native Americans growing pumpkins and adapted them for their Halloween rituals.

Pumpkins and pumpkin seeds also represent fertility, abundance, wealth, and love.Pumpkins can be used through cooking, potion making or placing them on your doorstep, altar or windowsill. Delicious and magical, what could be better?

10/19/2022

Cats are magical creatures. Since ancient times, their supernatural grace has been revered, demonized, and represented in spiritual practices and myth. Sleek, cunning, and a little detached, cats seem to have one foot in the spirit realm, their piercing eyes always gazing just beyond the veil. It’s no wonder, then, that cats are the number one animal associated with witches. There is something energetically similar about cats and witchy women, both so keenly aware of their surroundings while presiding in their own enigmatic worlds.

On Samhain, it was believed that the cat sidhe—a Celtic fairy creature that was said to resemble a large black cat with a white spot on its chest—would bless any house that left a saucer of milk out for it to drink. Likewise, the Cat sidhe cursed those houses that did not leave out a saucer of milk. Also the association of black cats with witches as familiars ties them to witches new year. Perhaps this Samhain you may want to find a way to honor these beautiful creatures through offerings or visualizations.

10/15/2022

At this time of year the Rowan tree is a beautiful sight with its flaming red berries. Rowan has a long and still popular history in folklore as a tree which protects against witchcraft and enchantment.

The physical characteristics of the tree may have contributed to its protective reputation. Each berry has a tiny five pointed star or pentagram opposite its stalk. The pentagram is an ancient protective symbol.

People also believed the colour red was the best protection against magic. Thus the rowan’s vibrant display of berries in autumn may have further contributed to its protective abilities. The rowan was denoted as a tree of the Goddess or a Faerie tree by virtue of its white flowers.

These themes of protection crop up again and again. People carried pieces of the tree to ward off witchcraft. They even used of rowan sprigs to protect cows and their produce from enchantment.

The tree itself was said to afford protection to the dwelling by which it grew, and residents would make sure not to damage them.  To this day rowan trees can be seen growing beside rural dwellings in the Scottish Highlands and Ireland.

Druids used the bark and berries to dye the garments worn during lunar ceremonies black. The bark was also used in the tanning process, and people used rowan twigs for divining, particularly for metals.

When I encounter a beautiful Rowan tree I like to take a moment to take it in, touch it's bark and maybe take a twig or berry for my pocket or altar :)

10/14/2022

This time of year, as the nights get longer and cooler, it is a perfect time to connect with Hestia, goddess of the sacred hearth.

The hearth is not only represents the every-day business of life such as cooking, but also the light and warmth that is the center of family life. In times past the domestic hearth also served as both sacrificial alter and gathering-place around which the basic unit of community was formed.

As such the Hearth-Goddess Hestia is the guardian and center of both domestic life and community. She can be honored through altar offerings such as candles, carnelian, honey, flowers and home baked goods. Through Hestia we channel the power of protection and the importance of our homes and families.

10/13/2022

Kerridwen (Celtic)

Autumn is associated with some incredibly powerful gods/goddesses that we can honor during this season of change and inward reflection.

The end of autumn and Samhain is closely linked with the witchy figure of the Celtic Goddess Kerridwen, Keeper of the Cauldron.

Stirring the cauldron of rebirth, knowledge and transformation, she reminds us that out of darkness comes new life and new ideas. As a goddess who can cross between worlds; Kerridwen also reminds us to honour and remember our dear departed and ancestors.