Ipsophyto

As promised, this is the first instalment in a series designed to assist those who are interested in planting by the moon and other astronomical observations and in gardening as an art.

The planets in our solar system appear to move though the fixed constellations from aries through to pisces. Each constellation is within one of the four elemental triplicities Fire, Earth, Air, Water which correspond to the atmospheric qualities of Warmth, Cold/cool, Bright/airy and water with regards to weather.

As the planets move around the zodiac, they regularly make angles with each other. Students of Astrology will recognise not only the names of the constellations but these names of important angles wihin the ‘circle’ of the zodiac. Most important in forecasting the weather appears to be the 120 degree angle (trine) with conjunctions(where one planet joins another in the same space of the zodiac) and oppostions (where one planet stands opposite another in an elemental relationship of either Fire opposite Air or Water opposite Earth). Maria Thun has come to view these as the most important ones although Square aspects can also influence weather patterns as more will be explained later.

We are in mid-november, which when noting the planetary positions, shows us that the sun will remain in the constellation of Libra for three more days. Recent aspects of the moon in opposition with Venus (in sagittarius), Mars (in scorpio) and Pluto (in sagittarius) as well as the full moon and perigee of the moon, has, to be completely honest, revealed how much i have to learn of this science and how little i know. What you think you know and what you know are two different things! 

Having had some successes in the summer with some short and long term forecasting, I have increased an almost religious-like dedication to noting my observations of weather in whatever region i happen to be in to compare them to newspaper forecasts, radio forecasting and maria’s hints advice and results. Recording of the general synopsis alongside this information will, in time i hope, reveal patterns of weather to compare to planetary positions enabling me to become more adept at interpreting information and forecasting weather. 

What i seem to be noticing (almost obviously) is the simple four elements at play in numerous permutations, conditioned, for want of a better word, by the planets which reside in the constellations at any given time. What can be easily comprehended is the fact that the fire always burns, whereas the earth is the playground for all natures dramas and is by it’s very nature cold until the sun heats it up.  Air is omnipresent and the photons of light pass throught it whilst its intrinsic nature, comes to our attention as winds and the movements of clouds, which brings us to the most interesting of the elements as far as i am concerned, namely water.

Water is a tri-phasic element appearing as solid ice, liquid water and gaseous vapours. The amount of water in the air (or cloud cover) will largely dictate how much of the fire reaches the earth…

The rest of this month produces some interesting angles, notably on the 21st when saturn and jupiter hit trine within warmth constellations of leo and sagittarius respecively, On the25th, the sun cojoins with mercury in the scorpeio region of the sky, whilst the new moon on the 27th brings a multiple conjunction with mercury and mars in scorpio. On this day the retrograde movement of Uranus is cutailed going direct (forward) again.The 29th has mercury and mars conjunct whilst the moon reaches apogee. The month finishes with a trine of venus and saturn in fire constellationshe 30th.

What will this bring…well i dunno! but we may see warmer than average temperatures with liklyhood of above average rainfall. I am betting on this because of the influences of warmth and water.

I return from a lengthy, enforced period of rehabilitation following some extremely trying times. My protracted legal fight with Devon and Cornwall police continues (of which more details will follow) and i write with renewed passion and determination in my quest to spread the word of foraging and growing our own food and medicine.

A message of old that medicine is our food and food is our medicine, will be once again weaved into this blog whilst I knit together tales from my various horticultural interests such as growing under LED plant lights, Biodynamic gardening, Medicinal herb preperations, vegetable growing, Astronomical weather forecasting a la maria Thun and wild food foraging. All this and more will be procrastinated on as i continue to roam around the rivers, fields, highways and byways of the UK discovering plants, habitats and eco-systems that regail our magical isle, sustaining our richly diverse native and naturalised flora.

I hope i can give clues to how easy it is to take a significant step back from the consumption of mass market poison masquarading through marketing as balanced nutrition. This sorrowful excuse for food being bought by people unaware of other, simpler, easier, more efficient choices allows the continuation of planetary rape conducted to produce food to dull the minds and souls of a global village. On a world where resources are shrinking, Im on a mission to make a dent in this waste of humanity by revealing tips, hints, blags and design solutions for urban and rural living.

As I have only just got back into any semblence of mental health and peace of mind following my outrageous treatment at the hands of prejudiced police in Devon, Im now burstin to relay all the news from the many exciting events and places i have been to since that day in may 2007, as well as to talk about the coincidences, life changing and life-affirming happenings which offset the dusting down of myself after the towers i built came crashing down around my ears.

I will inevitably  wax lyrical about my-first-ever-real-time in-the-now-soul mate-love affair which sems inevitable as i walk this path. As i meet more amazing healers, be they with herbs , homeopathy, energy healers, shamens, reiki mistresses, dowsers or many others, i feel more and more blessed to be knowing them and to be able to assist any crossing my path who need help. Once again, the people i meet are touching my soul and giving me great hope for humanity (after the mass extinction of course!)

Some of the plants ive met this year on my travels have been old friends not seen in the wild or for a while, whereas others are seen in their naturalised state for the first time by these eyes, examples im thinking of right now include Sapponaria oficinalis (Soapwort), Amoracia rusticana  (Horseradish), Lycopus europaeus (Gypsywort) Water speedwell (Veronica anagallis-aquatica)  as well as a still unspecifically identified Ulmus (Elm) plant. The chances of it being an english elm are prety small but it seems there are a few escaping cultivars of Elm which have various degrees of resistance to ‘dutch elm disease’ Other plants i have the pleasure to live with and near on the river include Mentha aquatica (Watermint)  Watercress, (Nasturtium officinale)and certain members of the voluminous, formerly leguminosae(Fabaceae) family including gorgeous crimson clovers living with the red and the white near to each other on the same land near the thames in oxfordshire.

More later today…