New growing site update….well it’s looking alot greener than a few weeks ago! I have continued to work on the soil, I have added some blood, fish and bone and some top soil, I found an abandoned compost bin so I have also started to make soil. Nothing has died except 1 viola…the passion flower has taken really well and we have harvested courgettes I’m not sure if we will get tomatos but they are fruiting. The pumpkins and squash that were already here are amazing, we are going to have a fantastic harvest off those. The brassica are doing well despite continued attacks from the cabbage whites! I’ve started preparing a couple more beds for some autumn planting and there are lots of dandelions popping up and helping condition the soil, there is also lots of plantain so I obviously need to make some salve with them and it also means we can kick start the wild grain project that got shelved a while ago. I’ve also been focusing on getting some berry bushes which will go in the front garden, so far I have got a couple of blackcurrants. The little Nettle plant seems to have taken ok…I’m very happy about that!
We are continuing to lift and rearrange the many bricks, we are planning to build a little bbq if we have enough left. Next plan will be to get some undercover growing space ready for next spring.
Progress after a month…… You would normally observe a potential growing space for a year before you put a system in place, however I already know that this space has virtually no underground ecosystem, fortunately there are quite a few worms but they look very sickly. The ground had a summer house on and we had to remove bags of rubble/builders sand/screws etc. This means the ground is very compacted also indicated by the large number of plantain and creeping buttercup plants. So I have had the pick on it and dug over in some places so the ground can breathe. I have planted some areas mainly to help break up the soil and add nutrients and life, they are acting as pioneer plants really, the final system won’t look like this. The Mediterranean herbs should take ok as they are hardy and I have also put in some brassica as they are also pretty hardy. At the side of the house are courgettes which were there when we arrived, they have grown huge possibly because chickens were kept there. We have a beautiful scented rose out front and also a small grassed area so I have been using grass cuttings to make a feed for the plants/soil to add nitrogen, someone told me they used grass as a plant feed at a workshop once, I have never tried it but as that’s what I have on site I thought I would give it a go. Also growing on site are the natives speedwell, native geranium, herb robert, yarrow, chickweed, dandelion and scarlet pimpernel, there is also wood avens which does have its uses but I know from experience can be very evasive if you let it take hold. There are cultivated plants too honeysuckle, ferns, bamboo, some kind of canna and a privet. I am hoping the nettle seed will take although I also have some in a pot! I have also put in a passion flower which seems OK so far. I was lucky to find a lady round the corner selling plants on her drive and I was also given plants by Emma and Andy and Helena, thanks so much guys xxx ….. I also found an abandoned compost bin round back, it is also nice to have some new plants in there to feed the soul!
We will continue to gradually dig over for the rest of the season and nuture what is there while we continue to observe things like rainfall/drainage, tracking the sun, growth patterns and insect life etc. We can then work on planning the actual system that should be put in place.
‘On the heights overlooking the crossroads she takes her stand
The blessings of wisdom – From the book of proverbs – Ketuvim number 8
The inn was more welcoming inside than it had appeared from the outside, Nwyfree set about battening down the hatches whilst instructing the 12 to settle in the comfy chairs that surrounded the fireplace, it was piled with wood ready to be lit….All it needed was a spark. After closing the shutters the Nettle lady made her way across the room to do just that and then proceeded to light a number of candles around the room….the smell of incense wafted around them.
Although cosy, the room was sparse dominated big two large stones either side of the fire – the first a bright blue turquoise stone, a talisman for protection revered by our ancestors. The second a huge peridot born of fire and light. As the storm continued to rage outside they did indeed feel protected inside and began to relax once again.From a nook in the fire Nwyfree produced a freshly baked rich fruit loaf and invited them to break bread with her.’Would you like some Nettle wine? ‘ she inquired. They all were poured a small chalice each and the conversation began. ‘Why do they call you the Nettle lady one of the 12 inquired – In truth they had all been itching to ask.’It began when I found myself seemingly trapped in the mundane, I travelled to the boundaries, discovered the productive edges and became aware of internal foundries. It was an elemental journey, starting with the earth, from aggregates to soil, a transformation into the key stone. As I was once invited, you All too can journey down a less trodden path where nature is teacher and wild magick tickles our fingertips, the Nettle epoch is upon us my friends! Listen closely and i will tell you her story….
News of the Nettle, A little bird brought me,
A message given to her whilst flying free,
Of how this year, if you get pierced – you will feel a sting oh so fierce!
Urere! Urere!…..To burn! To burn!
Bringer of the flame – A wisdom we call Nettlology,
A pioneer plant, which cannot be tamed.
A guardian of the threshold – transporter of the breath.
She is ready now for war – she is ready to protect,
Some say she is evasive, or is she screaming to be heard?
A NETTLE EPOCH!
Hear me cry!
Take heed of every word.
There exists, such a symbiosis, with this our ancient mother,
Called living fossil, called famine food,
A plant unlike any other.
Protector of beast and bird, creator of soil,
A harvest you can gather, without the need to toil.
Queen of transmutation, A guide to us through change,
Resilient and adaptable, evolved down through an age.
Brings antidote to the sickly sweet, A mothers milk for pain,
To nourish and to strengthen, food directly to your brain.
Teaches about boundaries, stokes internal foundries – Assists synapse interchange.
She is energized to act, when things around get tough.
Nettle is the one nature calls on, when she has had enough.
For she is destined to make a stand, to heal the ravages upon the land,
She holds the power against the foe, whom through the land does roave,
Her roots run deep and she brings flow, If you meet her you will know!
After initiation – Nettle offers ALL she has, she has the empathy to feel,
How we too are Nettled, don’t know what’s real.
Tantalizingly veiled, her wisdom – not all has been revealed,
If the world makes you feel weary, let her be your shield.
Connect with this powerful ally, who holds the power of light and dark,
You may think it strange, but at close range, she will lay bare her spark.
Time for urtification – movement, growth and change,
NETTLE TRIBE! WE ALL SHALL RISE!
Through photo-chemical exchange,
To sting as the Nettle does, two houses now united,
Chose unity, evolve, be free, your passions now ignited,
When taking counsel with the Nettle, show caution, give respect,
For ALL she gives,
And ALL she knows,
NETTLOLOGY
IN . FULL . EFFECT
The 12 had been listening raptly, with a her eyes blazing she stood ‘this too will pass’ she exclaimed and with a flourish she grasped the Nettle and threw it on the fire, there was a spark so bright it flew from the hearth and danced around them, it got bigger and bigger until it became so bright they all had to close their eyes. Colours swirled around their inner vision – first bright hot pinks, purples and oranges, giving way to yellows and greens. They also saw a myriad of different shapes – squares,circles,triangles and ones they could not name configuring into symbols they did not recognise.
Finally a calm came and their inner landscape grew blue, things returned to their rightful place and the universe breathed out. Slowly they opened their eyes…..They had travelled between the lines, through the secret door of the leaps of life and were now clothed in pure energy,they slowly realised that they were no longer in the Wergla inn but in a cave,they looked about themselves in wonder and saw they had come to a place where the light meets the dark and becomes one. It was warm in the cave and beside them was there was a small underground pool fed by a small waterfall, shafts of light shone through small fissures in the stone above making the water sparkle, on its surface grew many white flowers of countless species fragrant and glowing. On the wall etched in the rock was a symbol of a snake or maybe it was a dragon, forming a circle and eating it’s own tale.
Instinctively,the 12 stepping into the pool and rested there awhile,it felt womb like, they listened to the sounds of the breath and the water, smelling the fragrant flowers. They felt refreshed, as though a lifetime of weariness had been washed from them -they felt whole and grounded.
It was then that they noticed a small passage with stone steps leading up to ….well….they did not know…and so it was that they departed from that place the 12 changed, shadows no longer but whole and energised, focused and able to truly see not just with their eyes but by All available means. They travelled up the tunnel and emerged to a bright blue, clear sky. They found themselves in a beautiful meadow, it was outside the ideas of right or wrongdoings. All about them Nettles grew tall and majestic as far as the eye could see.The plane of the plant minds had gifted them this close encounters of the Werde kind,itself a fragment of the line of knowledge which runs through the collective consciousness like a divine golden thread. And all of a sudden they knew of the Nettle seed and leaf, they knew of the root, stem and flowers.They knew of its powers of transmutation and indomitable spirit. The line of knowledge had taught them how to respect its wild nature, to understand its niche in the web of life and how t
o work alongside this abundant resource for food, medicine, earth care, fibre and Art.And so it came to pass that the 12 settled there and each brought another 12 so their numbers equalled 144. They had gained 20/20 vision and there vibration attracted still others who travelled there looking for answers to questions they did not know and as they were once invited,they now invited their brothers and sisters to join the Nettle Epoch and if you are ever travelling in those parts if you listen very carefully at dusk when it is time to gather round the
fire, you just may hear their cries~
‘Nettle Tribe, we all shall rise….
Nettlology IN.FULL.EFFECT
EpilogueAnd the Nettle lady?…. No one knows where she went or when she will appear again but if the path less trodden is of interest to you and you truly wish to seek the line of knowledge so it may continue unbroken then there will always be room at the inn for you…..you just need to knock.
For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner. Ecclesiastes 7:12 Berean Study Bible
Ba’al rode in high on the back of the East wind over a bleak and torrid landscape. It was aeons of so called time since he had traversed these currents and the alien nature of this earthy realm, with its dense matter and tangible tension, did not go un-noticed to him. However, the planets and such had aligned, cause and effect an immutable law to which ALL in this universe are beholden to. The affirmation had arrived on the ether and so, with much effort he had emerged from the Materia Prima and begun his descent, the pressure building from above and below as he travelled.
Meanwhile far below….
Twelve lone travellers, each on their own individual paths who were unaware of all this, save for wondering why the hairs on the back of their necks suddenly stood up without warning and goosebumps appeared on their arms, just the cold and fatigue i’m sure, they all reasoned. Each had been travelling across this misty isle far from any villages or settlements, their quests known only to themselves. After journeying all day, dusk was creeping over the horizon, changing the vista and the tracks on which they travelled. Weariness had begun to sneak over them; from their aching feet, to their tired legs and upward into their minds. But where in this inhospitable land could they rest? Moreover, they each one cursed that they had not the foresight to ensure they had a suitable place to rest this night.
However, at this uninhabitable void there was in fact a crossroads, and there was a dweller at this place in-between, who had built a sanctuary there. To provide shelter and sustenance for travellers and seekers, for those who needed to rest when weary from their travels. Those who needed to replenish their mind, body and spirit before they continued on their path. A place where you could linger at the crossroads a while and ponder on which was the right direction to take,so as not to cover old ground. A small stone Inn called The Wergula lay adjacent to the crossroads, it was covered in parts by a rambling wild rose and it had thick ornately carved oak shutters at the windows. The courtyard out front was surrounded at the edges by huge bramble thickets and patches of tall Nettles, in the centre of the courtyard there was the welcome sight of a bright burning fire.
So it was that one by one, twelve shadows arrived and gathered around the fire, grateful for its warmth. Their hollow stomach’s aching to taste some of the rich Boar,Mushroom and Sage stew that bubbled in a large Iron pot suspended by a tripod over the fire, sending coils of smoke, bright sparks and a delicious scent up into the air. There began whispers among them as they were none too sure of where they had alighted and felt all of a sudden fearful and vulnerable.
Suddenly a movement in the twilight, a figure emerged and moved forward to stoke the flames and stir the pot, ‘Welcome’ said she…’Who are you?’ the twelve inquired, ‘Where are we?’ they wondered. ‘It is of no consequence who I am really, I much prefer verbs to nouns!’ she declared. ‘But, as seekers you should know this…
‘I embody The line of knowledge, the masculine AND the feminine AS ONE. I am the keeper of the flame, stoker of internal foundries,The one who dwells in between, Some call me Titchener, some call me Nwyfree, others the Nettle lady, And yet others call me Ides, I am of the Clan McFarlane, And I stand on the shoulders of giants’
‘You are safe here’ she told them and so, they all allowed themselves to relax….just a little – these were strange times after all, they remarked to each other how it was almost as if they couldnt trust their own eyes any more. ‘Do not doubt your own power my friends’ The Nettle lady urged ‘Intuition, plus the ability to clear and maintain your own internal landscape is imperative in these times.’ she continued ‘Remember this… the true price of freedom is eternal vigilance.’ They cast glances around at each other but did not know what to say, so they ate, watching the fire and the sky. They talked among themselves of their respective lives, homes and families, of their travels fair and foul, of helpful strangers and tricksters. As they chatted they laughed and smiled, a camaraderie grew between them and they felt familiar to each other as if they had met before.
If only they knew, that directly above them over the crossroads flew Ba,al, and rising up to meet him, a mass of green, black and orange, swirling and writhing as it came was the Earth serpent. Flying down from above, hurtling and tumbling like Thors’ hammer, yellow and golden came thelightning serpent. There they met the One and the Three, energy gradually building to form the eye of the storm. A triad containing the spark, which in turn contained ALL. It had been brought to this place of limbo to fill the void, for nature abhors a vacuum. The eather swirled and created a potential for change, movement and magick. And so it was that the wind blew fiercely, the thunder roared and the lightning cracked sharply.
Far, far below the stars shone bright and a purple streak crept over the inky sky. The air pressure dropped and they observed a low growling noise in the distance, a vibration could be felt. The rumbling grew closer and big fat drops of rain began to fall slowly, at first but then ever faster and heavier until the rain was lashing down upon them. The veryearth itself shook and the heavens opened – a downpour the likes of which not been seen since the days of Noah began. They were all of a sudden on guard again…. ‘You told us we are safe here!!!’ they cried ‘Do not be afraid’ said she ‘Know you are protected’ she instructed them. Then suddenly came a flash of bright white lightning it burst from the heavens which lit up the whole scene for a few brief seconds as if it were day, the birds fell silent and Cernunnos stirred. Something immense was coming, that much was certain….. Swifty and deftly the Nettle lady placed a heavy iron lid on the stew pot and shouted at the twelve to follow her to the Inn and the sanctuary which lay within. Instinctively they all ran towards the shelter, the dweller at the crossroads swung open the heavy Oak door for them to enter. For reasons unknown they hesitated…
‘Do not dwell on the threshold my friends’ said she ‘Cead mile failte’
And so one by one the 12 shadows did indeed cross the threshold….
Magical news from this weeks Home Education session….the fairies have moved in!
The children found the door in a secret spot in the wildlife area of the garden, Ive had word from the fairy kingdom that more tiny folk are planning to move in soon so we will have a little magical trail that the children visiting the garden can follow very soon.
We also hung some food out for the birds to see them through this cold snap and painted stones to place round the community garden to brighten up these grey January days.
We also spotted the first signs of Spring in the garden and checked our Hedgehog house, we are taking our Hedgehog theme through Spring and will be doing various activities around this topic…the children have written a Hedgehog story using story cubes and are now working on some pictures to go with it. You can find some fantastic Hedgehog resources here-
Our other main project this year is to set up a nature cam so we can discover what nocturnal visitors we get in the gardens, you never know we may even get footage of a few faries!
I chose the word Emporium because you never know what to expect… like happening upon the beautiful fungi above, which I think is a Red-cracked Boletus or like the frog popping out of a lavender bush below…we work with the seasons…we work with the ever changing environment…we work from where we are with what we have got.
I chose the word Wood because that is where we came from in times gone by….it is where we go to find solace….and joy….that is what gives us our inspiration…it teaches and offers us its bounty.
I chose the word Wild because just like our natural environment we shall not be tamed!….everyone needs a little bit of wildness in their life….
So welcome to the new wordpress site with all the info on our work and projects, our work is diverse and varied. I will be blogging about these over the coming months.
One of the areas we work in is the home education network in sandwell, wehelp run a nature based groupwhich we havenamed Seedlings, for more info please see the home ed page. I will be adding resources to this page connected to the sessions and I am also hoping the children will create content for the site too.
I shall also be blogging about the sessions to keep a record of what we cover, we are starting an very exciting project in the new year where we will be building a rasperry PI nature cam and weather station
In upcomming weeks I will be inviting you to take the path less trod with us… a journey to learn the way of the Nettle and the intrinstic part it plays as a natural resource. As well as documenting the work we do in local schools.
HOME ED Saturday session at the allotment 13/10/18
Once upon a warm damp Saturday we followed the fungi trail to the prehistoric Gunnera with its spikes and alien looking foliage, it lead us to the raspberry patch where we stopped for a snack. We potted up garlic bulbs and Blackcurrent cuttings and we then finished our session under the willow arches weaving beautiful fish and hanging decorations.
Its looking like good weather for gardening next week, we will be working at two of our local school sites with the children preparing beds for sowing broadbeans, collecting our ‘sunzilla’ sunflower seeds and digging up the last of our potatoes
Thank you for taking the time to read the first ever blog from The WildWood Emporium – I hope it interested you enough to look out for the next one!
I’m not sure if we will get tomatos but they are fruiting. The pumpkins and squash that were already here are amazing, we are going to have a fantastic harvest off those. The brassica are doing well despite continued attacks from the cabbage whites! I’ve started preparing a couple more beds for some autumn planting and there are lots of dandelions popping up and helping condition the soil, there is also lots of plantain so I obviously need to make some salve with them and it also means we can kick start the wild grain project that got shelved a while ago. I’ve also been focusing on getting some berry bushes which will go in the front garden, so far I have got a couple of blackcurrants. The little Nettle plant seems to have taken ok…I’m very happy about that! 
The WildWood Emporium 