A Green Faerie's Herbal, - from author and gardener Antoinette Beard...: September 2016

OKAY. OKAY. Who ARE The Fay???...

That's a question that's pretty hard to answer... According to some thought, there are two types of life: corporeal and in corporeal, --- or earthly and solid and spirit and unsolid. Faeries belong to the later type of life. It is believed that they perhaps "put on" physical form for the benefit or detriment of humans. Yes, --- the detriment, for many, many of the fay ARE NOT NICE. They are definitely NOT cute and cherubic sweeties, as they were thought to be and painted in pictures in Victorian Times. According to folklore, there are two governments of faeries: the Seelie Court, or the Good Fay, and the Unseelie Court, or the Bad Fay. According to some folklore and Shakespeare, King Oberon and Queen Titiana rule over the Good Fay and Mab, the Blue Faerie Queen. rules over the Bad Faeries. According to some, Maleficent rules over the Bad Faeries, she who is their Empress. >>> Where did the Fay come from?... Some say they're extraterrestrials who came to earth in "dark ships" (cloaked?) eons ago. Others say they're evil spirits, demons from hell and fallen angels, or pagan gods. Others say they're simply primitive nature spirits. >>> Will I ever see them?... According to folklore, seeing faeries as if you were looking at any solid object is so incredibly, incredibly rare that's it's hardly worth talking about, --- one person in many millions. Those who actually DID see faeries were, according to stories, whisked away by the fay immediately because faeries don't like to be seen! Some humans said they "saw'" the fay with an "inner eye," and that they sensed faeries just out of their actual eyesight. Some people will never, ever have any faerie contact, --- the cruel of heart, the greedy, the spiteful and selfish. The fay love humans who will give without expecting anything back, who are gentle and strong, who will fight to protect the helpless and innocent and those who love animals and nature. >>> Are the Fay still with us?... Folklore says that they were everywhere in the Celtic Isles centuries ago and actually practically every nation and culture has tales of faeries, but that the fay have dwindled greatly because modernization and technology are their most serious mortal enemies. They have said, very sadly, and repeated and repeated that, --- "We go. We go. But, do they REALLY GO???!!!... Faeries are very capricious and unpredictible. They delight in being that way!!! >>> WELLLLLLLLL!!!!!... NOW. that you know a bit about the fay, whether you believe they're REAL is REALLY, REALLY very much up to YOU!!!

PLEASE don't pour poison on the breast of our Mother, The Earth!!!...

The "Green Life" Is Such Fun...

I can hardly remember when I wasn't interested in plants. I love it all, - from wild woodlands where everything grows in a tangled jumble, to sculptured, formally structured gardens, like you might see on a castles grounds. [Although, I must confess a definite preference toward the wild side of gardening.]

***Please note: I live in Zone 5, in Ohio, U.S.A., if you plan to garden, according to my suggestions, you might have to adjust to your own growing conditions. The weather where I live gets to be hot and humid to frigidly cold, - 90 degrees, F., in July, - and can reach lows of -15 in January with mild lovely Springs with plenty of rain, and brisk glorious Autumns.

It's amazing, the variety of plants that can be called herbs: Did you know that roses are considered herbs?... Yes, roses are, of course, used in aroma therapy, and they are among the edible flowers. [I have eaten rose hip jelly. It's delicious!]

Some of my favorite herbs are: oregano, basil [Ah, that basil pesto!], rosemary, lavender, sage [I love the purple stemmed variety.], Lemon balm, the wide variety of mints and the scented geraniums - rose, lemon, apple and mint.

If you know me at all, you know that I love folklore. There are many faerie folk tales involving woodlands and the "green" life. Faeries love all wild natural places, all over the world, and detest that their environment is constantly being taken over by civilization and mechanization. I believe that this is the main reason why faeries are so vulnerable to iron and metals, and why anything to do with the fey should never, ever include such things!

If you want to make a faerie garden it should be in a peaceful place with sun and shade and where there is water, even if it's just a bird bath. It should have pretty shiny rocks and, perhaps, ferns and moss. Include some garden sculptures of gnomes, winged faeries and animals.

Happy gardening!...

Yes...

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Soul Cake Recipe, - [The origins of Halloween]...

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Herbs & Candles...

Monday, September 19, 2016

How to grow garden vegetables in small spaces...

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Mad Ophelia recites her herbs...

Thursday, September 8, 2016

The Faerie Trees...

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Off the Grid on a Homemade Island...