A bad witch's blog: apples

Showing posts with label apples. Show all posts

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

Folklore: St Swithun's Day, Rain & Apple Christening

Tomorrow, 15 July, is St Swithun's Day. Most people have heard the saying that if it rains then it will rain for 40 more. There's a rhyme that goes:

St Swithun's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St Swithun's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain nae mare

The Bishop of Winchester, who died in the year 862, would probably be forgotten if it wasn't for that bit of folklore. However, he wasn't associated with rain until after his death. According to a legend, he had asked to be buried outdoors but his remains were later reburied inside the church. A storm brewed on the day his body was moved, and rain continued to pelt down for over a month. It didn't stop until he was reburied out in the churchyard. This was taken as a miracle.

But the rain wasn't always seen as a bad thing, and the saint's water-bringing powers became associated with growing apples. According to Steve Roud in The English Year, it was believed that rain on St Swithun's Day and afterwards was essential to produce a good crop. A Warwickshire saying was that you should never eat apples until St Swithun had "Christened them".

Having an apple tree in my own garden, I know that getting rain at this time of year is important to help the fruit plump out properly. Otherwise they can be too small and hard.

I've looked at the weather forecast for tomorrow and at the moment it isn't saying rain. I might do a spell to help the clouds water the garden.

Rounding the Year

Quite a few annual customs linked to Christian saints' days are more about seasonal cycles and harvests than religion.

My book Pagan Portals - Rounding the Wheel of the Year offers more ways to acknowledge and celebrate the seasons in ritual, magic, folklore and nature. You can view Rounding the Wheel of the Year on Amazon, find it at esoteric bookshops or via my publisher Moon Books: https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/moon-books/our-books/pagan-portals-rounding-wheel-year

(Please note: I earn commission from some links.)

Monday, 20 January 2025

Rounding the Year: Wassailing the Apple Trees

I enjoyed a traditional winter wassail on Saturday. It was a lovely community celebration in an orchard local to me, in Beckenham, Kent, on the border of south London. Wassailing the orchards is an old British tradition to ensure a good harvest.

The word 'wassail' originally comes from an Anglo-Saxon term 'waes hael', meaning ' be well'. It now means sharing a drink of mulled cider or lambswool punch (warm ale mixed with baked apple pulp), or a blessing of orchards. Both the drink sharing and the blessing are associated with this time of year. Any chance to have a bit of fun is welcome in the cold month of January, but especially if it might help bring good health in the year ahead.

The picture at the top shows the master of ceremonies with the wassail bowl and Morris dancers who performed at the event.

A few years ago I did a private wassail in my own garden with a traditional brew of lambswool punch. You can read about that here: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/01/wassailing-my-apple-tree-with-lambswool.html

Sharing seasonal photos

Inspired by ideas in my book Rounding the Wheel of the Year, I share seasonal pictures, art, crafts, words and customs as well as a record of what's happening in nature.

Where to Find my Books

If you want to buy Rounding the Wheel of the Year or any of my Pagan Portals witchcraft books, or my Gothic novel Erosion cheaply, now's your chance. My publisher Moon Books, which is part of Collective Ink, is offering 50 per cent off all e-books until the end of January. All you need to do is:

Click here > https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com
Choose your e-book(s)
Click 'Add to basket for direct download.'
Click on your shopping basket
Click on 'Do you have a coupon?'
Apply promo code WINTER50 and Validate.
Proceed to Checkout.

You can order any e-books from any of Collective Ink's imprints. Moon Books publishes well respected titles on magickal topics, particularly the Pagan Portals series. Other imprints cover mind, body, spirit subjects, culture and politics, history and fiction.

If you want to search for my books, you can go straight to my Lucya Starza author page. I've written on candle magic, poppets, guided visualisations, scrying and the wheel of the year as well as my novel Erosion.

You can also view Pagan Portals - Rounding the Wheel of the Year on Amazon.

(Note: I earn commission from advertisers for some links.)

Other previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/12/rounding-year-wintery-bare-trees-in.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2021/02/wassailing-apple-tree-in-springtime-by.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/01/magical-wassail-under-frosty-full-moon.html

Friday, 14 January 2022

Wassailing my Apple Tree with Lambswool Punch

There were just three of us wassailing my apple tree this year - me, my husband, and my cat Tommy. In bygone years I've invited a party of people to sing good health in my garden and share a bowl of drink. I hope to do so again in the future, but it hasn't seemed so wise to do that in plague years.

However, having got a new wassail bowl just before Yule, I was keen to try it. I also experimented with a traditional recipe for lambswool punch that I haven't made before. Usually I mull cider, which is one of my favourite warming beverages, but thought it was time I did something different.

There are lots of recipes for lambswool online and in books. Many are intended for at least 8 people, so I scaled it down. The basic ingredients for two people and a tree (I didn't actually let my cat have booze) are:

A bottle of real ale
A large bramley cooking apple
1/3 of a nutmeg freshly grated
1/3 tsp ground ginger (I used a little more than that)
50g brown sugar

You core the apple, slice it around the middle then put it on a baking tray and cook it in a cool oven (gas mark 1) for an hour. You then let it cool a bit while you put the sugar in a saucepan and cover that with a little ale. When the sugar has dissolved you stir in the spices, then add the rest of the ale and heat gently for 10 minutes. Scoop the apple pulp out of its skin and add it to the ale mixture. Keep it warming on a gentle heat for 30 minutes. Whisk it before serving for a frothy top - the reason it's called lambswool. I used an old hand whisk and it didn't foam much - I think a electric whisk or even a food processor would do better.

I poured the lambswool into my wassail bowl and carried it outside, accompanied by my husband and Tommy the cat, who does seem to like helping me in my witchcraft. Before sipping from the lambswool, I recited a traditional wassail rhyme (slightly adapted to be a tad more pagan):

The Apple Tree Wassail
Old apple tree, we'll wassail thee,
And hoping thou wilt bear.
The Gods do know where we shall be
In merry another year.
To blow well and to bear well,
And so merry let us be;
Let every person drink their cup
And health to the apple tree.
Wassail!

We then shared some of the punch and I have to say it was very nice. It was appley but with a nutty taste. I could happily have drunk all of it, but in the nature of the custom I got a share, my husband got a share and the rest of it was given to the tree. I hope our offering and wishes of good health will produce a good crop of fruit.

Saturday, 2 October 2021

Magic for the Month of October: Halloween & Samhain

Here's a video of the talk I gave on Facebook Live yesterday (Friday) about October customs, Samhain, Halloween, Apple Day, and beliefs about death and rebirth.

Thursday, 2 September 2021

Kitchen Magic: Making the Most of Windfall Apples

Here's another post by my fellow blogging witch Jane Mortimer, about kitchen magic with foraged fruit:

A few days ago I scrumped and prepped over 4 kilos of apples from the tree I wassailed earlier this year. Two bags of slices went in the freezer, and one got stewed with a few cloves, and we're still getting through it.

The peel and any unbesmirched cores were stewed in a small amount of water for about 7 minutes in the pressure cooker, left to cool and put in the fridge. A couple of days on, I've assembled my trusty passata mill and put all the soggy peel and cores through it, putting the waste pulp through several more times till it was completely wrung out. The good stuff filled 3 plastic takeaway boxes for the freezer, and the waste was only a couple of tablespoons of wrung out grot for the compost bin.

The finished product can be added to fruit to make jam. The apple gives jam a more spreadable texture and helps it to set. Or it can be sweetened, a few cloves added, and eaten like stewed apple, the only difference being all the extra pectin. Pectin is a great fibre for sweeping away cholesterol. It is mostly concentrated around the core and just under the skin of the apple, and is often wasted. Chopping whole Bramleys, stewing them and then putting them through a mill or sieve is a great way of retaining all the pectin and busting a bit of cholesterol.

My passata mill is one of my favourite kitchen toys, but if you've got one, don't do what I did once and try to de-pip blackberries with it. It just doesn't work! It's perfect for tomatoes and apples though.

Happy foraging!

The photos are copyright Jane Mortimer

Thursday, 26 August 2021

Harvest Time: Thanking the Apple Tree

Here's a post by Jane Mortimer about foraging for apples and testing the success of a Wassail:

Remember when I wassailed the apple tree on the A12 back in the spring? Well, last week we passed it in the car and I noticed big red apples – big enough to see from the opposite carriageway. So the next day I went to the tree with my walking stick, bag and camera, and collected 4.44 kilos of lovely apples, virtually unblemished, and some of them straight from the tree. I said a big Thank You to the tree for giving me its apples.

The council hasn’t mowed the verge for months, so it was hard to get to, luckily for me. On the way there I spotted a huge crop of unmown yarrow and plantain, so I’ll be popping back to gather some for drying. Yarrow’s good for nosebleeds, and plantain contains a natural antibiotic that can be made into tea and applied to damaged skin.

Notes: The photos are copyright Jane Mortimer. Any health-related information on this blog is not medical advice.

Friday, 26 February 2021

Wassailing an Apple Tree in Springtime by Jane Mortimer

Here's a post by Jane Mortimer about wassailing apple trees in springtime:

Earlier this week I finally got round to wassailing the apple tree on the A12 using the ceremony from my own Book of Shadows. I've copied the text below and included pictures. It was a bit sad having to do the ceremony on my own. Maybe next year a group of us can do it.

Wassailing the apple tree …..

It’s Tuesday 23rd February, and we are blessed with the first warm, dry, sunny day this year. The moon is waxing gibbous and I’ve been waiting to wassail our wonderful A12 apple tree for weeks.

First I prepared my ingredients: a can of cider, a couple of cloves, Jamaica peppercorns, a piece of cinnamon stick and a star anise, all boiled and simmered in my flat-bottomed cast iron teapot, which is the nearest thing I can find to a cauldron for the ceramic hob. After a few minutes’ simmering, I strained the liquid into a jug to cool for a while before transferring it to my battered old Thermos flask.

Then, armed with my flask, brass wassail cup and camera I went under the subway to the tree. In its bare winter state and with the ground clear of its usual thicket of undergrowth, I could see why the tree bears two different kinds of apple. Some of them are Bramleys, and some are huge cooking apples with redder skins, and I could see where a sucker had grown fromthe rootstock that the Bramley was grafted onto many decades ago. Bramleys can’t be grown from seed – only from grafting scions onto a suitable rootstock or tree, so another cooking apple is ideal. It takes two older trees to cross-pollinate and produce apples, so, job done!

I hid behind the tree, away from the traffic, and sang the Apple Tree Wassail twice, so I could give the tree its four pieces of toast and a generous libation of the spiced cider, then toasted the tree with my share. I’m so happy to’ve done this little ceremony at last. Here’s to the health of the Apple Tree!

Saturday, 24 October 2020

Pagan Eye: An Apple Pie for the Feast of Pomona

This photograph of a home-made apple pie and cream is making my mouth water. It was baked by Jane Mortimer, but I now might have to get cooking and make one myself!

Jane said: "I hope Pomona will forgive me for being late with celebrating her special day, but I didn't look at my copy of Pagan Portals Every Day Magic until it was too late to make a pie for the right day. I made an apple pie using windfall apples collected locally and frozen a few weeks ago. I ate my portion with a liberal dollop of clotted cream. I'd like to think food eaten in honour of deity doesn't have any calories, but sadly that's not the case. Good thing we had salad for our main course!"

Pomona is the Roman goddess of the orchards, and Apple Day is celebrated in the UK on October 21, but I don't think it is ever the wrong time to have apple pie! Pagan Portals - Every Day Magic is published by Moon Books and has something to do or celebrate every day of the year.

My Pagan Eye posts show photos that I find interesting - seasonal images, pagan sites, events, or just pretty pictures. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself.

The photo is copyright Jane Mortimer.

Friday, 28 August 2020

Apple Season: Gathering Windfalls After the Storms

It is apple season, and many of my friends are picking, cooking and preserving fruit. Bad Witch's Blog regular contributor Jane Mortimer wrote to me about six weeks ago saying she was checking out the hedgerows for the developing fruit, and that at the time noted the apple tree on the nearby A road was loaded, but the apples were quite small then.

Jane emailed me again earlier this week saying it had blown a gale where she lived. She popped down to the tree the following morning and picked up some windfall apples before the bruises got a grip. She wrote:

"There were loads, and I came home with 18 pounds of them. They ranged in size from 3-4 inches in diameter. There was no way I could keep them all, so I rang a couple of friends who were happy to take two thirds of them off my hands. I've just spent a good hour prepping our share for the freezer, and the pix are attached. It was a bit of a chore, but I managed to keep kitchen magick at the front of my mind as I peeled and sliced. The worms and other iggies in the compost bin have had a feast added to their heap, and we've had four bags of apple added to the freezer to make into pies with this year's foraged blackberries and fruit from the garden. I'm almost looking forward to the cold weather now so we can eat fruit pies and custard - yum!"

My reply was: "Synchronicity - I collected windfall apples and some blackberries last weekend too!"

I love blackberry and apple. I stewed some up and had some of it cold with yoghurt, the rest is in the fridge. I also cooked red cabbage with apple to have with my Sunday dinner and enjoyed a baked apple another day. I was also reminded that a long while ago I gave a talk called A Bad Witch's A-Z, and A was for apples and apple folklore. I'm thinking of doing some more video recordings and using A Bad Witch's A-Z as the theme, starting with A for Apples - and this is the right time of year to do that. Look out for more details soon...

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/08/janes-book-of-shadows-edie-librarian.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/07/spells-making-peace-dust-from-foraged.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/06/of-stones-and-jam-and-returning-to.html

Monday, 28 August 2017

Mandala: August Harvest of Apples and Berries

I've been creating a mandala each month with things from my own garden - and this month is an edible mandala as August is so much the time for picking all sorts of fruit including blackberries, apples and elderberries. My aunt always used to make a lovely rosehip jelly at this time of year too, but sadly I never got her recipe.

I did, however, cook and eat the fruit in the picture - except the unripe berries - with some yoghurt for my tea. It was very nice too.

As you can see, for the mandala I cut the apple in half to reveal the star in the middle.

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/07/july-mandala-lavender-mint-meadowsweet.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/06/june-mandala-summer-solstice-sun-in.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/05/may-mandala-stone-circles-and-wild.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/03/mandala-for-march-goddess-of-life-death.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/04/april-mandala-blossom-and-shadows.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/02/february-mandala-hearts-flowers-seeds.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/01/january-mandala-lips-as-red-as-blood.html

Wednesday, 21 October 2015

Magic and Recipes for Apple Day, 21 October

Today is National Apple Day - an annual celebration of apples and orchards, traditionally held on 21 October, although there are usually apple festivals taking place on the weekends either side.

This year, I have had a superb harvest of apples from the tree in my own garden with lots of good-sized fruit. In fact, I've had rather too many even though I gave loads away to people and put a box of them outside my gate saying, "Free, help yourself".

Although it has generally been a good year for apples, I'd like to think my tree's bounty was because I held a traditional Wassail party back in January, where we sang to the tree, offered libations of mulled cider and let off party poppers. Well, I say it was traditional, although in days gone by farmers would fire their shotguns to wassail the tree. Living in London where shotguns are these days largely only owned by criminals, party poppers had to suffice.

Although my apples are eaters rather than cookers, I get a bit bored with eating them raw and they can be cooked even if they don't quickly go mushy. As well as baking pies and crumbles, I've been having apple and cinnamon porridge for breakfast. I cut an apples up into very small pieces and add a little cinnamon to the porridge before I cook it, then sweeten it with honey to taste.

I've also been making carrot and apple soup. I know that might sound odd, but it is very nice. I've found you need about one large apple or a couple of small ones per five carrots and a small onion. Peel and core the apples, then chop up with the other veg and put in a pot with enough vegetable stock cover it all and a teaspoon of mild curry powder to taste.

Boil the soup until well cooked, adding more water or stock if necessary, then put it in a blender or mash it up well with a potato masher if you don't have a blender. That makes a large bowl of soup for one hungry person or you could share it for two small bowls. Increase the quantity of ingredients if you are cooking for more people.

Apples are very magical fruit. According to Rachel Patterson's book A Kitchen Witch's World of Magical Food, they are symbolic of abundance and excellent to use in spells to contact spirits, fairies or ancestors. Rachel says the apple magical properties are love, healing, clarity, knowledge, abundance and spirit work. They are ruled by the planet Venus and the goddess of love.

So my soup would be perfect for sharing with someone you want to get romantic with or to cook up for a Samhain or Halloween feast.

The photo shows some of the apples from my garden this year.

Links and previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/10/national-apple-day.html
http://www.national-awareness-days.com/apple-day.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/02/magical-uses-for-apple-wood.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/10/godfdess-of-week.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/01/twelth.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/06/review-kitchen-witchs-world-of-magical.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/07/apple-seeds.html

Friday, 4 October 2013

Pagan Events in London and Southern England

Saturday 5 October; Rediscovered Urban Rituals in collaboration with Deptford Is Forever present Give Us Back Our Blooming Anchor procession. Gather at noon from the Dog and Bell, 116 Prince St, Deptford SE8 to the Arthouse, Lewisham Way, Deptford High Street and Market (approx 12.45pm).

Saturday 5 October; Family Apple Day event at Chalice Well World Peace Garden, in Glastonbury. Tickets £3.80 Adult, £2.00 Child. For more details about Chalice Well, visit the website http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/ The photo shows the book Apple Games and Customs

Saturday 5 October; Kingston Zodiac Walk. Meet at 12 noon by the Coronation Stone/Kings Stone in Kingston town centre (near the Druid's Head pub). Charge: £10. For more details and to reserve a place, email Rosemary Hanson at rosemary@limelightessences.co.uk

Saturday 5 October; Spirit Inspired Healing and Wellbeing Fayre at Holmesdale Technology College, Snodland, Kent. Time: 11am-5pm. Tickets £5. www.spiritinspired.co.uk

Saturday 5 October; Wyrdcraft Pagan Fayre with stalls, entertainment, readings, therapy taster sessions and workshops. Venue: the village hall, New Park Lane, Aston, Nr Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG2 7ED. Tickets £2 on the door with children free of charge. Runs from 10am-4pm.

Saturday 5 October; Hendon Heathens Moot. The Greyhound, Church End, Hendon, London NW4 4JT. 6pm until 9pm (then over the road at a blues and rock club until the early hours). This moot meets on the first Saturday each month. https://www.facebook.com/groups/151618854867807/

Sunday 6 October; The Alternative Bring and Buy Sale. Venue: The Dome, 178 Junction Road, London N19 5QQ. Time: 11am until 5pm. Entry: 50p. enquiries to: enquiries@alternativebringandbuy.co.uk. https://www.facebook.com/events/150983531775894/

Sunday 6 October; Launch at Treadwells: Daimonic Imagination: Uncanny Intelligencewith Angela Voss and William Rowlandson Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 5pm-8pm start. Tickets free but advance booking essential. For further details: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Monday 7 October; A Pukka Life Talk by Sebastian Pole at Alternatives, St. James's Church, 197 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LL. Time: 7pm to 8.30pm. Tickets £10/£5 concs. Advance booking required. To book tickets and for more info visit the Alternatives website: http://www.alternatives.org.uk/Site/Talks.aspx

Monday 7 October; Treadwell's Open Circle. Wiccan-style ceremony for those with some experience led by Lisa Grace and Ellie Hughes. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets £7, advance booking recommended. For further details: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Tuesday 8 October; Hypnotist and magician - More lives than one? Lecture by Martin S Taylor at the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Room LG01, New Academic Building, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London SE14 6NW. Talk starts at 6.10pm. Free entry, just turn up. For more details, visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/apru/speakers/

Tuesday 8 October; A Demonstration of Mediumship with Q and A by crystal expert Judy Hall, author of Life-Changing Crystals: Using Crystals to Manifest Abundance, Wellbeing and Happiness.Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Cost: £10/£12 Advance booking advised. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit http://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/index.html

Wednesday, 9 October; Ickenham Moot. Venue: Coach and; Horses, High Road, Ickenham, UB10 8LJ. Nearest tube stations Ickenham and W. Ruislip. Time: 7.30pm start. Monthly moot on the second Wednesday. All welcome. For further details email Gina: brockwitch@yahoo.co.uk

Wednesday, 9 October; Align - a multimedia lecture-performance about ley lines and psychogeography by Minimum Labyrinth. Venue: Bridewell Theatre, City of London. Time: 7pm to 9.30pm. Tickets cost £8.82 plus a small booking fee. For more details and to book tickets: http://www.minimumlabyrinth.org/ You can read my review of it here: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/08/review-aligh.html

Wednesday, 9 October; Hocus Pocus - Witches in Film. Lecture by Judith Noble. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets £7, advance booking recommended. For further details: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Thursday 10 October; Performing the Devil: A storytellers perspective on Rebranding Beelzebub. Talk by Tim Ralphs at South East London Folklore Society (SELFS). Venue: The Old King's Head, Kings Head Yard, 45-49 Borough High St, London SE1 1NA. Entry: £2.50 / £1.50 concessions. No need to book in advance. Meetings are the second Thursday of each month. http://www.selfs.org.uk/

Friday 11 October; Enchantment - An Evening of Chant and Mantra with Stewart Pearce, creator of The Alchemy of Voice, InitiationVenue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm. Cost: £10/£12 Advance booking advised. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit http://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/index.html

Friday 11 October; Transitions at Work. Talk by Steve Nobel Venue: Westminster Quaker Meeting House, 8 Hop Gardens, off St Martins Lane (look for ‘Gymbox’ sign) London WC2N 4EA. Time: 7pm. Cost £10. Reserve places through: http://www.meetup.com/londonspirituality/

Saturday, 12 October; Introduction to Shamanism. Venue: City Lit, Keeley Street, Covent Garden, Camden, London WC2B 4BA. Time: 10.30am-5.30pm. Cost: Full fee: £54 Senior fee: £33 Concession: £24. Course code: PG678. For more details and to book places, visit the on-site advice desk from Monday to Friday during term-time, visit http://www.citylit.ac.uk/ or call 020 7492 2530.

Saturday, 12 October; Introduction to Wicca and Witchcraft. One-day workshop by Shamanic Spirit at a venue in Croydon, South London, on Saturday 12 October. Time: 2pm to 7pm. Cost £40. For more details and to book places visit http://shamanicspirit.co.uk/ or call Megan on 07952 041444.

Sunday 13 October; Introduction to Crystals and Chakras with Cobwebs N Cauldrons. Venue: Bonlife, 43 North Street, Romford, Essex. Time: 10am-4pm. Tickets: £50 (£10 non-refundable deposit). For more details, visit: https://www.facebook.com/cobwebs.cauldrons

Monday, 20 May 2013

Pagan Eye: Falling Apple Blossom

I looked out of my window and saw a shower of apple blossom falling from my apple tree. By the time I got my camera ready, what looked like a snowfall had lessened to a just a few white petals drifting to the ground. Oh, and I do realise my garden seriously needs weeding - but it does look rather fairyland-like with the bluebells, forget-me-nots, blue alkanet flowers and long grass. It would have looked even better if the sun had been shining!

My Pagan Eye posts show photos that I find interesting - seasonal images, pagan sites, events, or just pretty pictures. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself.

Links and previous related posts:
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/04/pagan-eye-apple-blossom.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/10/godfdess-of-week.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/07/apple-seeds.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/02/magical-uses-for-apple-wood.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/09/pagan-eye-fallen-apples.html

Saturday, 6 October 2012

Event: London Orchard Festival Tomorrow - Sunday

The London Orchard Festival, which takes place tomorrow, looks like a fun day out for pagans as well as anyone interested in gardening, folklore and drinking cider. I thought I'd put the poster advertising the event up for those who are interested.

Links and previous related posts
http://www.thelondonorchardproject.org/news/london-orchard-festival-2012
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/10/national-apple-day.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/07/apple-seeds.html

Monday, 1 October 2012

This Week's Pagan Events In and Near London

Monday 1 October; The Lady of Avalon. Talk by Elle Hull at Romford Sacred Hart Moot, which meets on the 1st Monday of every month, from 7pm to 10.30pm at Edge Nightclub, by Romford Market, Romford. There will also be stalls selling interesting items. Entry £3 or £2 for PF members. More details on www.sacredhart.350.com

Monday 1 October; The 10 Secrets of Healthy Ageing: Surfing the Silver Tsunami. Talk by Patrick Holford, author of the book The 10 Secrets Of Healthy Ageing: How to live longer, look younger and feel great.Venue: Alternatives, St. James's Church, 197 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LL. Time: 7pm to 8.30pm. Tickets £10/5 concs. To book tickets and for more info visit the Alternatives website: http://www.alternatives.org.uk/Site/Talks.aspx

Monday 1 October; Treadwells Open Circle. Wiccan-inspired ritual led by Lisa Grace and Ellie Hughes at Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets £7, advance booking recommended. For further details: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Tuesday 2 October; The Mind Body Connection. Talk by Ana Isabel at The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 12.30pm.- 1.30pm Cost: £5/£8. Advance booking advised. Tel: 020 7589 3292. http://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/index.html

Tuesday 2 October; Fareire And Nature Spirits View On The Environmental Disaster. Talk by Amanda Roberts at The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm.- 8.30pm Cost: £5/£8. Advance booking advised. Tel: 020 7589 3292. http://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/index.html

Wednesday 3 October; The Moot with No Name Psychic Cafe - Working With Animal and Spirit Guides at The Blue Posts at 81 Newman Street just off Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 3ET. Meet from 7.30pm, event starts at 8pm. Admission £8.

Wednesday 3 October; The Curse of the Mummy: Rumour and Truth in the Victorian Era. Talk by Professor Roger Luckhurst, author of The Mummy's Curse: The true history of a dark fantasyat Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets £7, advance booking recommended. For further details: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Thursday 4 October; Druid Order Open Introductory Evening. A chance to learn more about at The Druid Order (A.D.U.B.) at an evening with talks and a meditation. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Price: £7. For more details, call Druid Order on 020 8659 4879.

Friday 5 October, Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine. Talk at the London Spirituality Movement with Sujith RavindranVenue: Hughes Parry Hall, University of London, 12-18 Cartwright Gardens, London WC1H 9EE. Time: 7pm to 9pm. Cost: £10. To book and for more details visit http://www.meetup.com/londonspirituality/events/81685942/

Friday 5 October, Sound Healing - A Gong Meditation by Diana Vernon at The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm.- 8.30pm Cost: £8/£12. Advance booking advised. Tel: 020 7589 3292. http://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/index.html

Saturday 6 October; Apple Day at Chalice Well World Peace Garden, in Glastonbury. Programme of events including music and storytelling. Price £3.70 adults, £1.90 children. For more details about Chalice Well, visit the website http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/

Saturday 6 October; Beelzebub and the Beast: Crowley and Gurdjieff. Afternoon of talks and an evening party to launch Beelzebub and the Beast, a comparative study of Gurdjieff and Crowley, published by Starfire. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. The afternoon are from 2pm to 6pm. The pary starts at 7pm. Price: Free, but advance booking essential: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Sunday 7 October; Treadwells Social Sunday: Reading from Aradia, Gospel of the Witchesat 2pm and 4pm. Also a chance to socialise and enjoy a cup of tea and cake. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Shop open from noon. Free social event. info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Sunday 7 October; Herbal Magic: Artemis - Mugwort. Afternoon workshop with Fiona Heckels and Karen Lawton. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm - 5.30pm. Cost £25 advance booking required. info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

If you know of any pagan event taking place in or near London and want it listed on A Bad Witch's Blog, please send the details to badwitch1234@gmail.com

Monday, 19 September 2011

Pagan Eye: Fallen Apples

We had a few days of high winds and all the apples fell from my tree onto the ground.

Yes, I know I should have got out the ladder and picked them before the storms, but once again I've shown that I'm a bad gardener as well as a bad witch.

At least I picked up the best of the windfalls and offered them on Freecycle to anyone who wanted to make them into pies or chutney or cider - and I took this photo to post on the blog.

I liked the contrast of the ripe red apple and the shrivelled rotting fruit next to it. It seems appropriate for the time of year as we approach the Autumn Equinox, and the season of the harvest turns to the season of decay.

Links and previous related posts:

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/09/pagan-eye-autumn-berries.html

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/04/pagan-eye-apple-blossom.html

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/05/pagan-eye-red-rose.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/05/apple-blossom.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/08/gods-and-goddesses-from-apples-to-atlas.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/02/magical-uses-for-apple-wood.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/07/apple-seeds.html

Tuesday, 12 April 2011

Pagan Eye: Apple Blossom

Once again the apple tree in my garden is covered in blossom. I love this time of year and I couldn't resist photographing it for a Pagan Eye post.

My Pagan Eye posts show photos that I find interesting - seasonal images, pagan sites, events, or just pretty pictures. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself.

Previous posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/05/apple-blossom.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/08/gods-and-goddesses-from-apples-to-atlas.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/02/magical-uses-for-apple-wood.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/07/apple-seeds.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/03/pagan-eye-saturn.html

Monday, 17 January 2011

News: Wassailing takes on around the UK

Wassailing - an old tradition to ward off evil spirits from orchards and encourage a good cider apple harvest - has been going on all over England and some events are due to take place tonight or the next few days. Here are links to several news stories about what is going on:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/somerset/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_9362000/9362050.stm
http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/news/8791665.Porlock_wassail_revived/
http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/lifestyle/weekend-life/food-drink/food_drink_lift_spirits_with_a_bit_of_wassailing_1_2313116
http://www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk/news/Raise-cider-glass-toast-good-apples/article-3107025-detail/article.html

Wednesday, 8 December 2010

News: Mistletoe under threat

Mistletoe, a plant that was traditionally revered by druids and which provides food for many birds in winter, could vanish within 20 years, according to the National Trust.

Conservationists say the decline of apple orchards, where mistletoe grows, could cause the plant to vanish. The National Trust is campaigning for orchard owners and gardeners to protect their old fruit trees and to consider cultivating the plant.

You can read the news story on The Guardian website at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/dec/07/mistletoe-vanish-20-years-national-trust

Details of the campaign, including details of events such as fruit tree pruning workshops, can be found here: http://www.orchardnetwork.org.uk/

The photo shows mistletoe on sale at Middle Farm apple and cider orchards
Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/12/who-killed-cock-robin.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/02/archaeologists-find-site-of-golden.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/12/mistletoe-facts-and-folklore.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/02/magical-uses-for-apple-wood.html

Tuesday, 12 October 2010

National Apple Day

I have a lovely apple tree in my garden. I even had it pruned earlier in the year because I was told it would produce larger apples as a result. It did.

Sadly, most of them fell to the ground while I was away in Sussex enjoying an autumn equinox holiday.

Although I have picked up a lot of windfalls, and used as many as I could, many went to waste.

However, the apple season is still not quite over and National Apple Day is still to come, on October 21.

National Apple day began in 1990, when an organisation called Common Ground set out to create a new calendar custom to celebrate the UK's most versatile fruit and the beautiful orchards they come from.

Common Ground held the first Apple Day on October 21 in 1990 in the old Apple Market in Covent Garden, London, bringing fruit back there for the first time in 17 years. The event has since gone from strength to strength and has been countrywide through nurseries, fruit farms, restaurants, the National Trust and RHS gardens, museums, art centres, community groups and schools who celebrate the day in their own place, in their own way.

Apple Day provides an opportunity for people to celebrate and enjoy apples, orchards and all the customs, rituals, songs, drinks, recipes and wildlife associated with them. It also reminds us of our reliance on the land and the importance of a healthy relationship with nature.

Sue Clifford of Common Ground said: “Apple Day is not a marketing device, its creation has been impelled by altruism and idealism for living better with nature – the apple and the orchard are symbols of hope. They demonstrate how we can have our trees, bees, bats, butterflies, birds and badgers whilst growing good fruit to eat and drink.”

Although National Apple Day is a new annual festival, it comes at the around the same time of year as the ancient pagan festival of Pomonia, in honor of the Roman orchard goddess Pomona. Pomonia took place each year on November 1, to mark the end of the apple harvest. It was celebrated with fun and games that might have included apple bobbing - now a traditional Halloween pastime.

Apple Day events are taking place throughout October. To find out more details about activities taking place near where you live, visit the National Apple Day website at http://www.england-in-particular.info/cg/appleday/a-events.html

Common Ground also publishes Apple Games and Customsby Geraldine Bracey, which includes a wealth of folklore about apples plus a variety of traditional games played with apples during the harvest season, over Halloween and throughout the year.

Links
http://www.england-in-particular.info/cg/appleday/a-events.html
http://www.commonground.org.uk/appleday/index.html
Apple Games and Customs
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/01/dancing-in-orchards.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/07/apple-seeds.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/08/apple-harvest.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/10/godfdess-of-week.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/12/recipe-mulled-cider.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/08/gods-and-goddesses-from-apples-to-atlas.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/01/twelth.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/04/apple-tree-mystery.html

Pages