Covens, Rooks and a Beltane Blessing

walking the Wiccan path

I’m Jo, a maker, grower and musician, nurturing a life-long devotional practice of weaving nature and ritual into the everyday. This is a place for seekers of untamed edges, the imperfect and the meaningful with twice monthly tales from the woods, garden and hearth. Gather in, rest and deepen your relationship with the beguiling beauty and feral corners of the natural world.

The rookery in the old graveyard is a cacophonous frenzy, an aerial commune in a lofty copper beech. More than forty birds fly in and out, beaks full of gathered twigs and small branches. Jet black plumage spreads wide, jostling for space as old nests are repaired after winter’s damage. The incessant flapping of so many wings loosens the blossom petals of the neighbouring tree, leaving a diaphanous pink layer over lichen-covered gravestones. Fully immersed in readying for this spring’s brood my presence is ignored by the rooks, so I stand back and marvel at this tree-top society. 

I find it a calming place to be: so many birds nesting in this half-wild space, new life springing up around past lives.

On the ground, large clumps of forget-me-nots surround a crumbling tomb and I wonder if they were planted there deliberately for their symbolism, or seeded by a passing bird in poetic happenstance. 

April is the month when I desperately want to put the breaks on Time, to enjoy each day for longer. The greening and the unfurling along every path and road feels like the most uplifting point in the year. 

In April I took a break from writing here, to concentrate on preparations for my wedding, which then came and went in the blink of an eye. Without the usual routine of photos and writing I had space to think about what else I wanted to offer here. Seeds, Weeds and Wildflowers is an extension of my life where I bring my love of nature and ritual into a place where others can also discover ways of deepening their own relationship to the natural world—as well as finding their own meaning in the essence of each season. But what I haven’t written about here is that I’m a member of a Wiccan coven, which is the thread that weaves all of this together. 

Wicca is an earth-centred, nature-based pagan religion—or practice— which observes and honours the seasons of the year and the eight Sabbats: an ever-turning wheel that has no beginning or end. It’s a living tradition and a sacred way of life for those who choose to follow this particular path. 

Wicca is often thought of as a goddess based religion, and although there is a strong emphasis on goddess worship, there is a belief in two deities: a goddess and god. They entwine parts of our human story with our transcendent aspects, creating balance and uniting these two parts as one. 

There are initiatory traditions and established, structured rituals within a Wiccan coven, often written in a Book of Shadows, along with affirmations, chants and spellcraft. 

Wicca also works with the elements of fire, water, air, earth and spirit, seeking to find harmony with the world, and nurturing a mystical connection to all that is unseen. 

This is a tiny summary of what is a broad and deep belief system. Wicca is sometimes referred to as The Craft, or Witchcraft and Wiccans are often referred to as witches. But to me labels are far less important than the actual substance of a belief system and the support and joy that those practices bring. 

I felt drawn to this way of life as a teenager and joined a coven for the first time when I was seventeen. I was clueless and utterly out of my depth, but I knew it was a path that I wanted to continue one way or another. I’m now forty eight and have been in my current coven for eleven years. It has been a source of so much joy, reverence, friendship and support that I would struggle without it. 

A common misconception about covens is that there’s an evil undertone involving devil worshipping or other “malevolent forces”. This couldn’t be further from the truth, because a core tenet of Wicca is Do Harm to None. 

There’s so much more to it, and I’d love to talk to you about it, so I will be bringing more of these practices to Seeds, Weeds and Wildflowers. This will always be a place where your senses can engage in the subtle shifts that each month brings, along with rituals, offerings to the earth, poems, reflections and observations, guides, stories, celebrations and quiet contemplation. You’ll also find connection with other kindred souls.  

In the meantime it’s Beltane, an absolutely beautiful Sabbat overflowing with life. The Greenwood has burst into the most vibrant shade of emerald and it’s a time of music, dance, song, love, nature, fertile soil and the beginning of summer. Beltane is also a fire festival, symbolising the strengthening of the sun and hopes of a fruitful season ahead. 

In rural antiquity, fire rituals were considered to be potent symbols, representing fertility, blessings, good health and protection. The fire rituals and festivities of Beltane (or Bealtaine) were observed by Celtic speaking peoples in the British Isles between 21st April and May’s full moon, at the boundary of spring and summer. Nowadays, Beltane is commonly celebrated on May 1st, on the same day as May Day - although they are different festivals with different origins. You can read more here.

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I hope you’ve all had a lovely April. What’s been changing in the landscape where you live?

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