Tag: Gervase Markham

The Wicca Book of Days for Aug. 15th – Moon Meteorology

The Wicca Book of Days for Aug. 15th

Moon Meteorology

 

As Leo’s ruler, the sun may currently be playing a starring role in the heavens, but the moon continues to illuminate the night sky. In The English Husbandman (1635), Gervase Markham (1568 – 1637) advises readers on how to forecast the weather with the moon’s help:  “If when you see the new Moon appear,… she be black or discoloured in her midst …if she be compassed about either with thick or waterish transparent vapours; or if she look more than ordinarily pale, all these are infallible sign of Rain.

 

Moon Monikers

 

Before your August Esbat, consider which aspect of this time of year you wish to highlight and then address the full moon accordingly. The name Corn Moon emphasizes the ripe harvest, while Wyrt or Wort (Old English for “root” and “medicinal plant” respectively) Moon focuses on the gathering of herbs.

The Wicca Book of Days for March 8th – Planting Advice

The Wicca Book of Days for March 8th

Planting Advice

English writer Gervase Markham’s seventeenth-century almanac, entitled “The English Hus-wife,” advised the sowing of seeds in March that would provide the household’s supply of herbs, scented flowers, and vegetables later in the year. It was important to match certain seeds to specific lunar phases, he noted, as follows: “In March, the Moon being new, sow Garlic, Chevil, Marjoram, white Poppy double Marigolds, thyme and Violets. At the Full Moon, the wane, Artichokes, Basil, Cucumbers, Spinach, Gillyflowers, Cabbage, Lettuce, Burnets, Leeks and Savory.”

Mother Earth Day

Either follow Markham’s advice today or celebrate Mother Earth Day, as is done in China. “Plant” congratulatory gifts of flowers, coins and other objects symbolizing fertility and prosperity in soil, in the hope that the coming agricultural year will be a fruitful and rich one.