The Energies of February 2021

Good Witches Homestead

We are now just past the midway point between the solstice in December and the coming March equinox. Daylight hours are now expanding at an increasingly noticeable rate, bringing a welcome reminder that Spring is not so far away again.

Despite the winter cold, aconites, crocuses, snowdrops and the first delicate pink Hellebores are lighting up the corners in our garden and reminding us that it is nearly time for the next round of mother tincture making to begin. It is also a lovely reassuring reminder to us to connect in with the natural world any time we feel in need of a little extra stability and grounding.

As we venture forth into the energies of February there is still plenty of the same volatile intensity in the energy flow that we have experienced so obviously during January.

In general, we can expect a few more peaks of intenseness before…

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Gemstones for Love – Our magnificent 7 Gems of the Heart

Good Witches Homestead

Are you looking for love or trying to mend a broken heart? In a new relationship or in the middle of a life-long love story? We have the gemstones for you.

Source: Gemstones for Love – Our magnificent 7 Gems of the Heart

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The Next Shiny Object

Sacred Trees in the Americas: Ironwood or Hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana, Carpinus caroliniana)

The Druid's Garden

Ironwood tree ecoprint from my upcoming Tree Alchemy Oracle!

There are actually two tree species that are known as both “hornbeam” and “Ironwood” along the US East Coast and into the midwest: The American Hop Hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) and the American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana). After doing a lot of research and interaction with both of these trees, I see them as interchangeable. First, they are both in the Beech family (Order: Fagales, Family: Betulaceae). They actually have a very similar growth habit and look to their bark (like muscles), their wood is quite similar, and the hop-looking fruits are similar on both trees. Thus, if you can find either of these trees, you can apply the information I’m sharing. I have primarily focused on Ostrya Virginiana (Ironwood/Hop Hornbeam) in my comments here as it is the more dominant tree in my specific ecosystem.

This post is part of my Sacred…

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Astrorisa Moon Forecaster – Leo Full Moon -January 28, 2021

Video Forecast

Happy Full Moon!
Thursday, January 28 2021, 02:16 PM ET
Moon 9°06′ Leo, in House 2
Sun 9°06′ Aquarius, in House 8
Sun opposite Moon
Moon opposite Saturn
Moon opposite Jupiter
Moon square Uranus
Moon square Mars

The Butzemann (Magical Scarecrow) Tradition at Imbolc and through the Light Half of the Year

The Druid's Garden

Last year’s butzemann, dressed in her finery (Technically, she was a Butzefrau!)

For the last three years, I’ve spent part of my Imbolc celebration making a Butzemann for our land. The Butzemann is a really interesting tradition from PA Dutch (German) culture called the Butzemann (literally, Boogieman). In a nutshell, the Butzemann is a magical scarecrow that protects the land for a season. He is created at Imbolc from natural materials and given clothes and a heart. At the Spring Equinox, the Butzemann is shown the property and the breath of life is breathed into the Butzemann, naming him/her for the season. Then the Butzemann is displayed prominently throughout the season to protect the and. Before or on Samhain, the Butzemann is burned and the protective spirit is released and then at Imbolc, a new tradition begins. Today I thought I’d share this tradition with my readers, in case they…

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Hello January 2021

Good Witches Homestead

We wish you all a very Happy New Year and hope that you are feeling rested, rejuvenated and ready to take on whatever opportunities and challenges 2021 has in store for us.

2020 was an unusual year in so many ways, so much so that looking back it seems that it has acted as a bridge between two very different realities. We are left with a sense of completion and the recognition that there is no going back to how things were at this time last year, too much has changed.

Despite all the difficulties this feels like a positive step forward and we look forward to what is coming next, with both interest and curiosity.

The previous twelve months has been dominated by the effects of the Saturn/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn with its focus on destabilising and dismantling old worn-out forms, be these old thought forms or inflexible corporate…

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Purification| Moonthly Lunar Report New Moon in Capricorn

Happy first New Moon of 2021!

Set the intention to call in a beautiful, magickal, and healing year! We have a lot going on this new cycle, and there is going to be a need to find and maintain your center.

This cycle is an eventful one!

We are experiencing change on a global level and it will be apparent this cycle.

Each new moon, using our planners, and decks, we create the Moonthly Lunar Report.

It’s broken down in the 4 main moon phases, and explains the current astrology and how to best navigate it.

New Moon in Capricorn

The new moon in Capricorn helps us maintain our goals with discipline and order.

There is a need to not try to win at all costs right now though. Be careful to not step on others while you try to reach the top.

Now is a great time to plan the cycle ahead and make clear goals that you feel you can achieve. You will need to put in the effort and get your hands dirty in order to achieve these goals though!

Read original article at: Spirit de la Lune ~ Purification|Moonthly Lunar Report New Moon In Capricorn

Visioning the Future through the Bardic Arts: Creating Vision, Creating Hope

The Druid's Garden

Reishi mushroom from the Plant Spirit Oracle offers a vision of healing, growth, and regeneration

I used to be a big fan of reading dystopian fiction when I was younger. It seemed like a distant world, a reality far from our own. But perhaps now, those books resonate too close to reality. As someone who practices magic, I have to wonder, would the concepts present 1984 be as present if the book hadn’t been so well-read? Did George Orwell manifest these concepts as a magical act, or were these already present and he simply channeled what was already coming into focus? The same can be true of many such influential works: The Handmaid’s Tale, Brave New World, Bladerunner, and more. We also have things like robots, invented by Issac Asimov as science fiction in the 1940s and 60 years or more later, became a reality. One might…

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