New Moon, New beginning.. and apples

when we first moved into our home in Blackheath, we were stunned by the amount of Waratahs in the garden, and quickly gave the house the name of Waratah Cottage. there was no fanfare, just named it, found a sign in a local antique shop and thought nothing of it.

Over the past 12 months, we have changed a lot in the home. removing carpets, blinds. totally renovating the bathroom. new kitchen. changed the back verandah. the garden has been transformed and the tile roof painted. And the house has taken on a new persona. Waratah Cottage doesn't fit it anymore and I feel that in my bones.

I have planted 6 apple trees in my garden here, with a further 3 planned for this winter and I recently realised that most of my homes have had apple trees. Inglewood at Woodford was built around an old orchard and one ancient tree still survived and produced apples every year. Avalon at Katoomba had an ancient apple tree in the back garden and I had planted 3 in the front. And now here - I have chosen apples without knowing. I have a strong connection to Avalon and Apples. It is my spirit tree.

the past weeks, I have been looking at my family tree [read forest] and being interested in the Welsh and Irish in me, I started to think of maybe changing the name of this home to something more fitting with my own soul, with my ancestry and my heritage. I pondered a few, but nothing really resonated.

but as it will, with this new moon coming and the astrology of the moment, there, popping out at me this morning was this: Afallon: apple orchard or paradise, blissful otherworld. And I think it is perfect for the naming of our  new home. Afallon, welcome to our apple orchard, our blissful otherworld.

so beginning this New Moon coming on 26 May at 5:44 am, our home will be known as Afallon

the time of Hallows

Juniper for love
Yew for rebirth
Bay for strength
parsley for cleansing
Alyssum for happiness
Basil for peace

I love this time of year. on the threshold of deep winter. leaves falling, currawongs calling and the soul begins to journey inward, spiralling, following the wheel of the year, in to the dark. Living in the southern hemisphere, having to work out when and what to honour and celebrate becomes a chore at times... but I am at last coming to a place of 'that it doesn't really matter'. There are no set rules. It is all about building relationship with whatever Is, relationship with nature and green things.
Hallows is now and winter solstice is in June and at this moment in time, that is what I work with. I hear the ancestors, whispering at times... find me, tell my story.. and I feel myself drawn to them at this time of year more than any other. The garden is being put to sleep, I begin to plan soups, my yearly ritual time of watching All Creatures Great and Small is close, favourite books in piles to be read yet again for when the wind starts whipping about outside and hopefully snow begins to fall. The thought of mulled wine beckons. I begin to think about a yule log and creating a spiral in my back garden. My black Hallowmas candle continues to burn on the ancestral altar, for as long as I feel it is needed.

when does Hallows finish and Yule time begin? I don't know. For me, I guess it just melts in, one after the other and I like that idea because the yearly wheel becomes part of my every day life. And like all and every bit of nature, I am ever evolving..