The Five Fairy Mounds of Nova Scotia

From the Dark Ages on, people have talked about fairy mounds. The home of the elusive sidhe (although people today call the fairy people sidhe, they used to be called aos si, and their sithen used to be sidh). These mounds or sithens are the dwelling place of the fairies of old. You know the legends of these mounds in the British Isles, but did you know that prior to the arrival of the Europeans to Nova Scotia, there were FIVE fairy mounds in Nova Scotia? In an earlier post, I talked about the fairy mound that was at the sight of current Inverness, Nova Scotia. The town was literally built atop it. But there were five in total. Also, interestingly enough, they are widely spaced across the map.

While the first mound was at Inverness, the second mound was within Dartmouth. Its exact location a mystery, only that the city built atop it. The third one was near the Wilkie Sugar Loaf Mountain in Cape Breton. The fourth one was located in the Dagger Woods area in Antigonish county. The fifth and last one was in the Kejimkujik Lake area. This last one is fairly interesting as the common belief held that it wasn't fairies, but rather pixies that lived there (pixies being much smaller than fairies, but pixies and fairies are also enemies). The Kejimkujik mound was closely studied by a famous Nova Scotia historian and author William Richard Bird.

The Dagger Woods mound in Antigonish was the sight of an abduction. A young married man, on his way home from a local "drinking establish" was captured and held for three days only to be released on the fourth. His wife was suspicious that he was spending his time with a former paramour, but under repeated questioning, he told his family and friends that he had no memory of the event. No memory at all.

These mounds and the people therein were well known to the Mi'mkaq people of Nova Scotia. They called them Mikmwesuk and believed them to have magical powers. Mi'mkaq people generally avoided these areas as the Mikmwesuk was said to be fond of playing tricks on people. Although they do also tell stories of people that were aided by the "little people" as well. Does that not sound familiar? Like the fairies of Europe?

The existence of these mounds has been documented in several books, long out of print. The question that remains is just what happened to the mounds? Are they still there? Have they been vacated? Or do the fairies/pixies still appear from time to time, leaving mischief in their wake?

• Story from https://www.facebook.com/nscryptids/

Walks aren’t canceled!

And neither is protecting the planet. Here are some photos of a few of our members doing roadside/community cleanup in social isolation.

It is hard to think that normally around this time of year we would all be getting together for hot chocolate and a roadside cleanup but, due to the current climate the best we can offer is family pickups and fun photos.

Don’t be afraid to safely engage in your normal activities. Just because a lot of things are on hold doesn’t mean that caring has to be.

Blessed be

Covid-19 & Waste Reduction

If you are anything like me, you are trying to cleanse your brain of all the terrible things happening in the world by checking out the small positive articles online. Articles about being able to see the fish in the rivers of Venice, news reports about being able to see the Himalayan mountains without smog. It’s incredible to think that we only had to take a small break from our daily lives before these things started to present themselves and the earth started to repair itself. 

 But, as I watch those marvelous things happen I look around at my local community and see disposable masks, gloves, and wipes littering grocery store parking lots. It sickens me to my core. I try to remind myself that these people are afraid and being callous but it’s not helping. There are places where disposable gloves and masks are a complete necessity and we all know that.  However, throwing these things on the ground when you’re finished with that is not the answer. There is going to be a massive environmental impact just from the increase in medical equipment and PPE. Let’s just think about that for a moment, even with that massive increase good things are happening all over the globe. More animals and more plants; cleaner air and holes in the ozone repairing themselves. We can do this! We can have an impact!

 As I look at my hand sanitizer and Lysol wipes I think to myself that I need to combat in other ways right now… Yes, these things are a need sometimes but not all the time and I want to talk about what we can do even when we are stuck home and scared

Reducing home waste is always on the mind but we can easily lose track of those goals when things get hectic or scary. Here is a list of simple things we can all try: 

Glove-less

If you can go without gloves, do it. Wash your hands properly and often. Hand sanitizer is not as effective but will work in a pinch as well to keep everyone safe and happy.

Cloth and Disinfectant

Rather than single-use disinfectant wipes, use a cloth and bottle spray where safe. 

Upcycle!

It’s very easy to fall into the online shopping trap right now. If you are home and you have spare time try upcycling a few things rather than buying new. It can help the planet AND give you a project which is great for mental health. 

Shop local.

A lot of your local shops have come up with ways to do contactless and curbside orders. Skip amazon if you can support a neighbor. 

Garden!

This is a great time to help the bees and to learn a new skill. I love gardening but with more time this year, I am planting new things to see how they fair in my yard. 

Cook

Cook more or skip the plastics. Lots of people are ordering in to support local restaurants. It’s a beautiful gesture but remember each meal comes with plastic forks, knives, spoons, and straws you just don’t need. 

Compost

Compost and reduce your waste. If you are home and have more time this is a great time to do more composting and meal planning. With a little forethought and perhaps a list you can reduce what you are even offloading into the compost. For example, this week we had tacos on Tuesday and use the leftover meat to make pasta sauce. No waste AND yummy sauce. 

Water Conservation

You can still save water. I know it is a scary time and we all want to be as safe as possible but we don’t need to let the water run while we wash our hands and brush our teeth for the most part. Maybe it’s unnerving when we’ve just come back from the store or outside of the house but if you are milling around your own space and no one has been in or out, you are likely safe to turn the tap off while you scrub. 

Power Conservation

Be mindful of your light usage. It’s easy to lose track of this in an office but a lot simpler to do at home. Whether you are working or not keep an eye on your lights.

Heat Conservation

Dress warmly. Keep your thermostat lower and pop on two sweaters. It’s not a fashion faux pas... who is going to see it anyway?

Recycle

Don’t forget to recycle. More time at home means you can be more mindful of your bins. Make it a challenge to see how little garbage you put out for pickup day

There are lots of ways we can have a positive impact on this pandemic situation. Let’s keep Mother Earth in our hearts and in our minds. 

Blessed be.

How to grow an Oak tree.

We are an incredibly fortunate family to live in an urban setting with several large Oak Trees in our yard. One of the issues with this though is the astronomical amount of acorns that litter the ground every year. One thing I have always wanted to do was grow our own oak tree from one of those thousands of acorns that we crush underfoot year after year. So after several failed attempts we finally found some success! So here on Earth day, you should try your self and here are some instructions.

1. Collect acorns in early autumn. Acorns are best harvested in the early-to-mid autumn before they have fallen from the tree. Choose acorns that are free of worms, holes, and fungus. Suitable acorns should be brownish with slight tinges of green remaining, though the appearance of acorns can vary based on the type of oak tree they come from. A good general rule is that acorns are ready for picking when they can be removed from the cap without tearing them.

• Note that the cap is not part of the acorn, but a (separate) protective covering. By removing the acorn from the cap you are not damaging it unless you tear the acorn itself.

• If possible, look for suitable trees in the summer. You'll want mature trees whose acorns are easily-reached via a ladder or with a long pole.

• Some oak varieties, like red oaks, have acorns that take two years to mature, rather than one. As you pick suitable trees in the summer, keep this in mind - the acorns on some oaks will be ready in the fall, while others won't be ready until the following year.

2. Perform a "float test." Put the acorns that you've harvested, without caps, in a bucket of water. Allow the acorns to settle a minute or two. Discard any acorns that float - these acorns are bad.

• An acorn may float because a worm or grub has burrowed into it, creating an air hole. Similarly, a fungus can make the acorn float.

• If, at any point, you notice that an acorn is soft to the touch, discard it as well. Soft, mushy acorns are rotten.

3. Hibernate the remaining acorns. Take the "good" acorns out of the water and dry them off. Place them in a large zipper bag with damp sawdust, vermiculite, peat mix, or another growth medium that can hold moisture. You should be able to fit up to 250 acorns in especially large bags. Put the bag in the refrigerator for a month and a half or longer - as long as it is needed to germinate the new oak.

• This process is known as stratification, which is simply exposing the seed to cold temperatures, mimicking the natural conditions that seed would experience had it fallen to the ground. This primes the seed for sprouting in the spring.

• Periodically check on your acorns. The medium should be just barely moist. Too moist, and the acorns may rot. Too dry, and they may not grow.

4. Keep an eye on the growth of your acorns. Even when stored in the refrigerator, most acorns will begin to germinate in the presence of moisture. The root end may begin to crack through the shell around early December (late fall, early winter). Whether or not the root has cracked through, the acorn is ready to be planted after about 40-45 days of storage.

• Handle your seedlings with care - the emerging roots are easily damaged.

5. Plant each acorn in a pot or container. Obtain fairly small 2 inches (5 cm) diameter gardening pots (or, if you prefer, large styrofoam cups or milk cartons), for your plants. Fill these with a good quality potting soil (some sources also recommend adding milled sphagnum moss). For watering purposes, leave about an inch (2.5 centimeters) of space at the top. Plant your acorn just below the surface with the root facing down.

• If using a styrofoam cup or milk carton, poke holes in the sides of the cup near the bottom so that water can escape.

• If you prefer, you can also try just burying the acorn in the yard. Bury the root in a shallow hole and gently tuck the acorn to one side on top of suitable rich, soft soil. This will only work if the taproot is already well established, long, and has detached adequately from the acorn. Be warned - this leaves the seedling vulnerable to mice, squirrels, etc. It's best to wrap a cage around the seedling to protect it from animals.

6. Water your seedling. Water your plant until water comes out of the holes at the bottom of its container. In the coming weeks, water frequently, never allowing the soil to dry out. In this stage of their life, keep your seedlings indoors. Place them on a southern windowsill, where they can absorb the winter sun. You may not notice rapid above-ground growth right away. This is because, during the first stage of its life, the plant is developing its taproot below the surface of the dirt.

• If you live in the southern hemisphere, place your seedlings on a northern windowsill instead.

• If your seedling isn't getting much sun, use a supplemental indoor grow light to provide more sunlight.

Now, these instructions have come from Wiki How and we deviated ever so slightly at step 5. From 4 on we followed the instructions from another suggestion about using an Acorn vase. There are several options out there, one being this stunning vase from Svenskt Tenn. We personally were able to find a vase from Ikea. After we get some solid rooting in the vase we will return to step 5 and plant in a pot. We have a huge beautiful Oak in our yard we planted on the day of our handfasting which has well over 10 feet tall now.

Fun Acorn facts

• There are about 600 species of oak that produce acorns, in the genus Quercus.

• Oak trees are pollinated by the wind.

• A common motif in home decorating and heraldry, acorns symbolize strength, honor, longevity, life, and fertility.

• Acorns contain tannins, which are bitter tasting and interfere with an animal's ability to metabolize protein. Acorns can be toxic to horses and cows.

• In early human history, acorns were an important food source. Today, they have largely been replaced by grains.

• Oak trees produce acorns annually. Trees in a region synchronize their acorn production, and the volume of acorns can vary dramatically between years.*

*This variation affects animals, such as deer, mice, squirrels, and jaybirds, that rely on acorns for food and causes “boom and bust” cycles in their populations. While weather conditions, such as drought, can affect acorn production, research suggests other possible reasons. One hypothesis is that variable acorn production is a strategy that evolved in response to seed predation. In “boom” years, more acorns are produced than can be eaten or stored by animals, allowing some acorns to grow into trees. Another hypothesis is that oaks are trying to maximize pollination efficiency by flowering and releasing pollen at the same time (which results in greater acorn production). I noticed there were substantially fewer acorns on the Stockholm University campus this year compared to last year.

Self Isolation

Though I am still working as part of an essential service I know there are a lot of people stuck at home right now and I know that it can be really stressful for some people. 

Because of my work, work schedule and general nature I love being home. I have lots of hobbies and I enjoy them all very much. I am just one of those people who “never get bored“. But I live with an extrovert! And I worry about the toll that social distancing and isolation will have on his mental well-being. We talk about it often and I think we have it under control but I thought this might be a good time to write a little blog about things that are definitely not canceled.

1. House cleaning and house cleaning rituals. This is a great time if you are feeling well enough, to give your house a great big clean. Start from top to bottom and make sure that you focus on what you’re doing and do it with intent. If it is warm enough, open up your windows and let the fresh air in.

2. If you are feeling a little isolated from your spiritual community, connect with some online rituals. Even if you have to host one yourself, I am sure that there are those out there who will greatly appreciate it. There is no sense in giving up your spiritual connectivity for the sake of social distancing. There are other ways to make it work.

3. If you are not in the mood to perform a ritual, perhaps consider sharing some of your practices online. This can be a great way to connect and gain inspiration. 

4. Being forced to “stay in“ is a great time to brush up on some studies. For example, members of the ADF have what is called the Dedicate Program. There are many similar programs to this and it’s a great use of time if you are looking to expand your knowledge.

5. Maybe it’s not warm enough to get outside but you can certainly tend to your house plants. Connect with the plants as a means of connecting to nature and find peace. 

6. Compost maintenance! If it’s not frozen, try to give that sucker a turn. You will thank yourself when the gardening season rolls around. 

7. This is a great time for extra self-care and meditation. A little TLC goes a long way.

8. Start a diary. This one may seem a little too obvious but someday we will want to look back on these experiences and you may not remember everything that went on. Daily diaries also have therapeutic value and it is important to take care of your mental well-being while in isolation even if you enjoy being alone.

9. This is a great time to connect with your food. I am sure we have all heard of the Kitchen Witch. working in the kitchen can be a great way to connect with yourself spiritually if it is something that you enjoy. It is definitely a great way to connect with food. You might find yourself learning some new skills or new spell work. And hey, If you end up making a big meal or have a little extra consider spreading it around to others who may have fewer resources or abilities. 

10. walks are not canceled! Get out in nature! You can practice safe social distancing with people outside very easily. Always keep hygiene in mind and consider carrying a bottle of sanitizer. But this is a great way to recharge. 

11. Lastly, and this one is difficult for me too, sometimes we just have to wait.... this too shall pass and the more we keep calm and follow health authority guidelines the faster it will all pass. 

12. Blessed be in this most trying of times. Take care of yourselves and each other.

Update from ADF

Greetings to the grove organizers of ADF,

Due to the health concerns around COVID-19 (Coronavirus) we are suggesting that groves re-consider their plans for public rituals and act for the safety of all the folk. If your grove determines that it is unsafe to hold in-person public rituals, there will be no impact on your grove standing based on your decision. The MG trusts your judgment and supports your decision.

If you choose not to host in-person public rituals, we urge you to consider one of the following alternatives:

- Provide the script of the rite to the folks and have everyone perform the rite at home on same day as was planned and then have everyone compare notes and omens online.

- Perform your rites over Zoom. Free Zoom will give you 40 minutes of meetings, or you can request to use the ADF Zoom for longer sessions by emailing secretary@adf.org. The ADF Zoom is first-come, first-served.

- Virtual rites via the internet using Facebook, Discord, Slack, Skype, or other online interactive social media.

If you do host in-person public rituals, please remember the basic safety rules:

- Have Sanitizer on hand for folks to clean their hands

- Remind everyone to wash their hands if there are facilities available

- Do not share drinking vessels, utensils or eat off the same plates

- Avoid hugging if possible - elbow bumps, foot taps, or small bows are preferable

- Cough or sneeze into your elbow or a disposable napkin/tissue

- Try not to touch your face

And above all, please remember, if you feel sick, stay home.

May we all stay safe and healthy.

Kindreds Blessings

The Mother Grove and the Council of Senior Druid

DIY Beeswax Wraps

Last night I did something VERY fun. 

We are all trying to do a little better with our waste. I am no where near “Zero Waste” but I am going to keep trying. I have been intrigued by Beeswax Wraps for a while now and decided I would try to give it a DIY. After much digging I decided the best method for me was to try and iron. let me show you how it was done 😊

What you’ll need:

• 100% cotton or linen

• Scissors (preferably pinking shears)

• Beeswax

• Coconut oil

• Pine resin (if you can find it, helps with stickiness)

Firstly, lay out some parchment paper to protect your surfaces. You should try to go much larger than your fabric so you don’t get wax on your tabletop.

Next, grab your fabric and make your cuts (you can see from the photos I upcycled an old shirt, this is a great option), if they are a bit jagged, that’s ok, you can trim once its hardened too.

Then, grate your beeswax, coconut oil and resin over the fabric. Place another sheet of parchment paper over the top and begin to iron. I set my iron to wool, that’s where I got best results. Move the iron slowly and mindfully, spreading your wax mixture all over the fabric cuts.

When you are confident you’ve got full coverage, you can hang it to dry (be careful! Its hot!) Repeat with other cuts.

Once dry (hardened), check your sheets to make sure they are fully saturated in wax, if you think you can still feel the texture o the fabric, get some more wax and go over that area again. Repeat as needed.

Interfaith and Druidry

Earlier last week, I had the honour of representing our local ADF grove at a public interfaith panel discussion as a part of Interfaith Harmony Halifax's “World Iunterfaith Harmony Week”. The public panel discussion, was one of 3 taking place in the city as IHH's “Library Conversations” series, to get an interfaith conversation going on the topic of how our faiths help or support us in nurturing connections in our lives.

Our grove has been involved (to varying degrees each year) with IHH for the past six years, but it was nonetheless very exciting to be approached and asked to participate in this event. I think it speaks volumes to the success of our grove's community outreach and involvement, that we were considered a reputable source to be involved in these interfaith conversations. Involvement in these types of event are so important, as they help us both in the promoting of our organization as a reputable public pagan church, and helps to “normalize” our Druidry within the religious diversity of our communities.

Our panel discussion lasted a little over an hour and a half, and the other faiths represented on the panel were Buddhism, Mormonism, and Islam. I want to share with you the moderator's questions and my responses (summarized to the best of my recollection)

“How has your relationship with your faith supported you to nurture connections in your life. This could be within yourself, with the natural environment, or with others.”

This was an easy one for me, as so many core elements of our faith are about relationship building. First and foremost, I spoke on how Druid ritual is world-affirming, and its focus on the importance of bringing the spiritual into the physical. Group ritual for us, is just as much about building and strengthening bonds with the community of human participants, as it is about establishing relationships with the sacred/deities/spirits. This focus on the here and now, rather than on some ultimate goal of some heaven or nirvana, demonstrates that the physical and the sacred can be one and the same, and exemplifies the importance of treating the people, places, and non-human creatures around you with love and respect, fostering deeper meaningful relationships with the land and your community. Naturally this led into a discussion on the core concepts of Ghosti and reciprocity, and that this focus on both giving and receiving entrenches the concepts of generosity, patience and understanding, which are so important to the development and deepening of healthy relationships.

“How does your faith tradition helps you to connect with the world outside of your faith and with the wider world. The assumption here is that your tradition has something beautiful and significant to offer to the wider world.”

It was a little difficult to separate the nature of this question from the first one, but my answer on this focused on the idea of ADF being an Orthopraxy rather than orthodoxy. I Stressed that a focus on “Doing the right thing” rather than “believing the right thing” makes it easier for us to work with people outside of our faith so long as we are working towards a common desirable goal. I used the example of treating a tree with respect or sustainable forestry practices – I care less about whether you believe the tree has a sacred energy of its own, was put here by a monotheistic god, or just has a pleasing aesthetic, than that you just respect the tree.

The other focus of my answer to this was around approaching our worldview from the perspective of Hard Polytheism. If i assert that my gods exist, it's fairly reasonable to assume that your (other) god(s) exist as well. If we're able to skip the insulting argument about whether each-other's deities exist at all, that makes interfaith cooperation that much more possible and simple. The obvious caveat to this argument is that a similar respect needs to come from the other side as well. This is difficult for followers of a monotheism to reciprocate, as they usually see our gods as either A) a delusion or idolatry or B) some malevolent manifestation of their god's evil counterpart. This led to an interesting follow-up conversation from the Muslim representative, who supposed that it could be possible that pagans or followers of other gods were “tricked” by Djinns or other similar supernatural beings into believing they were deities. While this still came across as (I'm sure unintentionally) insulting, i thought it a step in a positive direction from the all too common outright disbelief and rejection that we can often encounter from monotheists.

There were a number of other questions from the audience following the moderator's questions, and a couple of good tangential conversations between the panelists. Overall, it was a very positive experience, with a focus on thoughtful and respectful discourse that is seriously lacking in today's world. I would love to have the opportunity to participate in these events in the future, and would strongly encourage other groves to get out there and do the same if interfaith events are happening in cities near you. Nurture those connections in your communities. Show the public that we are people just like them. Show them that we are here, that we are putting in the effort, and that our views, (while different) are nothing to be afraid of. Show them the value of our orthopraxy, and slowly we may grow from tolerance to acceptance... as fast as a speeding Oak <3

More on staying connected

Winter is very much here again and as mentioned in previous posts it can be very challenging to stay connected to nature and your spirituality. Last year I suggested things like reading blogs (like ours, YAY) and doing some in home gardening.

This year I am looking for more ways to connect and I think I am slowly getting there…

This year I was fortunate to experience a trip to the Dominican. Where resort life is not for me, I did enjoy the nature and warmth as well as some of the local wildlife. Seeing rock water formations was fascinating to me and I very much enjoyed exploring. Its not for everyone and not always in the budget but one way to reconnect with nature is to get yourself someplace where the weather is a little more hospitable.

Another fun idea to stay connected to your spirituality is to get out and do things with your fellow pagans. This coming week we will be having an Interfaith Celebration at a local church and each year the Grove of NS Druids sets up a little table and we are happy to chat with anyone who comes by. Events like this are a great way to see other paths; broaden your horizons; become inspired by others and connect with the community which can help to enhance your own connection.

Its not getting outside but I have been researching companion planting and really planning out my garden for next year in hopes of getting a better yield than last year. I find I have things that thrive and others that pretty well laugh in my face… I am trying to improve on my relationship with peppers. My biggest challenge is deer. We have a couple families of deer who come though and love to enjoy the salad bar. Just my luck.

Additionally, you can always read books about nature to help stay connected to your values. Last year I read a series of three books by a New York Times Bestselling Author, Peter Wohlleben. Where they are not directly Pagan they had a lot to do with nature and in a season where finding the beauty of nature can be more challenging, these books were a phenomenal read. Peter’s books, The Hidden Life of Trees, The Inner Life of Animals and The Secret Wisdom of Nature are a must read.

I hope this read has been helpful, the days are getting longer here and I now go to work with light and come home with a bit too…

Blessed be

Yule Ritual

We had a lovely Winter Solstice. Doing things a little differently because this time of year because thins for everyone are hectic. 

As always we used the ADF ritual base along with an offering to Outdwellers because that’s my style and I did most of the speaking so everyone else could be immersed on the moment and not have to focus on lines or bits of paper.

For our workings, we made Bind Runes. Similar to last year I really wanted something families could work on together and then hang in their homes as a reminder of our path and goals. I have to say it worked out better than I expected. We used salt dough to make little plaques and then carved in the Bind Runes we felt most drawn to.  I had premixed the dry ingredients and anointed our working space in some moon water. We each took a turn mixing the dough so that a small part of everyone went into the mixture. We then completed ritual and enjoyed some wine and cheese while the children ran a mock.

Overall it was a blast!

The salt Doug worked out so well I thought I would share it here for others to try, it was VERY simple and fun. With so many of us having statutory holidays this time of year we let ours air dry to soak up the holiday season. See recipe below, get creative and remember to work with intent. 

Salt Dough Recipe:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup salt

1 cup water

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients throughly. Add water slowly while kneading. Once dough is easily workable with no dry spots and not too sticky you are ready to roll it out, cut your shapes and carve in your runes.

Notes:

We ended up having to add a little more than 1 cup of water. We also used a straw to precept little hanging holes at the top so we could display our runes.

Blessed be!