Using the Moon in your garden

In this episode, I’ll talk about using the Moon in your garden. You’ll also hear about one of my Tarot readings. I’ll talk about the uses for Ginger, and I’m going to give you a prompt, something you can do easily and in a short amount of time, to get some magic into your day.

Caution and Disclaimer

A small caution. If you’re sensitive to language, I must warn you that the occasional swear word might slip through the cracks when I edit.

I do not give medical advice
I am not promising a cure for any illness
I am not telling you to replace conventional medication. Remember
that this is about magic and not physics, chemistry or something similar.
Any and all parts that contain information about herbs and remedies is only of historical interest.
Any use of this information is entirely your own responsibility and at your own risk.
I do not guarantee the function of any of the recipes or instructions.

Show Notes

Use the Moon in your garden

More and more gardeners are turning to the moon for the best time to plant, prune, weed and harvest these days. The practice of moon or lunar gardening is based on the idea that the moon has a gravitational effect on the flow of moisture in soil and plants. There are scientists that have done research on this, and there seems to be some scientific proof that it works. Gardening by the moon is a lot older than gravitational theory, though, and witches have used it for many years.

In short, you plant above ground plants during the waxing, and below ground plants during the waning phases. But there’s a lot more to it.

During the New Moon, water is pulled towards the surface. This creates balanced root and leaf growth and is, therefore, the best time for planting above ground annual crops that produce seeds outside the fruit. Some examples of such crops are lettuce, spinach, cabbage, and grains. Cucumbers are said to like this phase too, even though they’re an exception to the rule. It’s a good time for tilling and planting seeds.

During the second quarter, the gravitational pull is weaker but the moonlight is stronger, which is said to cause strong leaf growth. This is a good time for planting, especially in the days before the full moon. The crops that prefer this phase are the annuals that are harvested above ground but form their seeds inside the fruit. Some examples are melons, peas, squash, and tomatoes. If you want your lawn to grow faster, they say you should mow it during the first or second quarter.

As the moon wanes, the gravitational pull is high creating more moisture in the soil, but the moonlight is decreasing, drawing the energy into the roots. This is a good time for planting root crops like carrots, potatoes, and beets. It is also a good time for perennials, biennials, bulbs and transplanting. The Waning Gibbous Moon is a good time to harvest roots and branches while the Waining Crescent is a good time to do some weeding and mow your lawn, if you want it to grow slower. Some roots, like the Mandrake, are best harvested during the Dark Moon.

Ute York’s book “Living by the Moon”, says
“When the sap in the plants rises, the force first goes into the growth above ground. Thus, you should do all activities with plants that bear fruit above ground during a waxing moon. With the waning of the moon, the earth inhales. Then, the sap primarily goes down toward the roots. Thus, the waning moon is a good time for pruning, multiplying, fertilizing, watering, harvesting, and controlling parasites and weeds”

There are also factors like astrological correspondences and planetary hours. If you want to try that, you can read more about planetary hours in The Witch’s Library.

Where should she focus to build a thriving business?

Last year, I did a Tarot reading for a business woman, and her question was: Where shall I focus my energies in order to become a THRIVING success in my business?

It seems someone is trying to tell you how to do things. This might just be someone who’s advising you. You have great potential, so you’re definitely going to get there, but you have to think big. Put up this major goal. It doesn’t matter how far ahead it is, just so you have something to aim at. It looks like you might get some unexpected help.

There’s something here about not getting distracted, about focusing on what you really want. (I also got a clue to what the client did in her business.) The main message is having a goal to focus on that’s specific, focusing on what you want, and taking action on the steps you need to take to get there. You definitely need to make an effort and take some action. If you find the steps that suit you, the outcome will be positive.

It’s important for you not to worry because it may disturb your focus. It seems things will turn to the better if you do this because there are cards here showing positive changes, and money. You want to share a lot, but you feel you’re not able to share as much as you’d like to. Whether it’s in a different way, or other kinds of information. But there are lots of ways to be generous. Just jump in and do it. Take your time and be patient. Take the steps one by one. The outcome of this looks really good, but I’d say the answer to your question is the writing. It seems like the overall message; writing, creativity, communication.

Should I go for a physical book?

The cards don’t know the difference between a blog, a physical book, and an ebook. So it’s hard to get specific. Recycling your information may be one way to create new things, without working yourself to death. There’s a lot to be said for using what you have and sending it out in new ways. Whether to go for a physical book, is more about how much work you want to put into it.

Is there anything about speaking?

There’s something about communication, but not specifically speaking. It can be a part of your marketing, though. You have to be a bit realistic about how much work you can fit into a specific amount of time. It sounds like you work a lot. Make sure there’s some time to rest and to have fun.

Herb of the week: Ginger

Waxing Crescent or New Moon

Some people confuse the New Moon with the Dark Moon. The New Moon is when the moon is more dark than light and has a slim crescent shape, a few days after the dark Moon. It’s also called a Waxing Crescent and means that the Moon has begun its waxing phase.

The increasing powers of the waxing phase are at their weakest at the beginning of the phase. It can be used for drawing, increasing, or growth spells. The waxing crescent is the best time for working on yourself with new beginnings, starting a new project or making plans for the future. It can also be bringing new things into your life such as a more positive attitude, more patience, more understanding, more strength, improved abilities. For artists or any other creative, this the best time for workings that will bring inspiration and passion. The Waxing Crescent is also good for making plans, regeneration, finding information, research. The New Moon is a time for rejuvenation and renewal, as the body absorbs more easily during this time.

As for gardening, it’s a good time for tilling the soil and planting seeds.

Today’s prompt: Go out for a few minutes every night, when it’s dark, and get to know the phases of the Moon. Where to find it on the sky where you live during each phase. If you can’t see it in the sky, there are web pages and apps that can tell you where it is. I’ve linked to a couple in the show notes.

That’s it for me for today. Thanks for listening to the Witch in the Valley Podcast. The next episode will, among other things, be about muscle testing for answers. If you have any questions, just reach out to me at linda@lindaursin.net Remember to rate and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.