Craft: Magical Flower Art from the Greenoaks Gathering

Here's a close-up of some beautiful flower art a group of us made at the Greenoaks Gathering. The picture at the bottom shows they entire thing. We used foraged grasses, leaves and flowers to create a pattern inspired by the summer solstice sun. It was a lovely communal activity. Afterwards we spent some time contemplating what we'd created then talked about what it reminded us of or symbolised to us in any way. It's an activity you could easily include in a solstice celebration or ritual.

Here are suggestions for things to do when your art is complete:

• Meditate on what you have created 
• Photograph it before the greenery fades
• Press the flowers to preserve them
• Dry them to later use in spells or incense blends

If you repeat this several times over the course of the wheel of the year, you can observe patterns in the cycle of the seasons, as well as increase your awareness of what’s in bloom when. 

There are more ideas for seasonal activities in my book Rounding the Wheel of the Year.

Ethical foraging

When picking wild flowers or plants of any kind, don't take more than you need. Only take things that are growing abundantly. Make sure you’re foraging somewhere you have permission. Don’t trample plants – keep to paths and grassy areas. Don’t uproot anything, just snip a bit off it. Don’t pick rare flowers or plants.  Leave plenty for wildlife and for other people to enjoy. Some wildflowers are protected by law - if in doubt, check or leave it alone.

Previous seasonal flower pictures

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/07/july-mandala-lavender-mint-meadowsweet.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2021/06/summer-mandala-sun-wheel-of-leaves.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/06/june-mandala-summer-solstice-sun-in.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2021/10/autumn-mandala-leaves-in-green-gold.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2021/04/spring-mandala-jill-in-green-from.html