Like
all predators, a witch has a territory and patrols it regularly.
Gemma Gary
In his blog post here, Steven Posch reminds us that our Craft must be local if it is to be valuable to us. What power do we have as witches if we don't know where the sun rises in relation to us standing at our front door? What wildflowers might pop up in our back yard? (I know urban witches, you might never see wildflowers, but dandelions count! find your own local power!)
He listed a number of excellent questions, which I saved to come back to eventually. Now I have and I admit, I had to look one thing up. (where the nearest spring is!) So here are my answers. I have decided that I do not patrol my territory enough... it took me a long time to come up with some of my answers!
What is the Moon's current phase? waning crescent
At this moment, in what direction is
the Moon? far east, to rise
around midnight
From where you live:
Where on the horizon does the Sun
rise on the shortest day? The longest?
southeast (from trees), east (just north of the road from my house)
Where on the horizon does the Sun
set on the shortest day? The longest?
southwest (over the creek woods), west (over the trees that block sight
of the road)
How many hours of light do you get
on the shortest day? The longest? a
little over 9, a little over 15
Where is the nearest body of water? out back, behind my backyard and the yard lot behind me is Blackhawk Creek, which empties into the Mississippi
Where is the nearest river? Why is
it named as it is? Mississippi from the
native americans who called it "father of waters" also Misi Sipi
"big river"
Where is the nearest spring? Burlington IA, 1.5 hr drive
Where does your drinking water come
from? From the Mississippi, through a
water treatment plant
Where is the nearest oak tree? My neighbors one house over and behind
Where is the nearest fruit tree? a volunteer mulberry on my fenceline
Where is the nearest holy place? my yard. next I'd hazard a guess that the closest to me
is Sunderbruch park... everything west of me on my road is old agri properties,
but the park is undeveloped woods with recently (starting in 2005) added trails
for hiking, offroad bikes and horses. I
call it sacred because in a small city, to have that much undeveloped woods in-city
intended for people to move around in without motor help is sacred... it gets people in the WILD. Also, this whole
area was settled by native americans for thousands of years, and I'm sure is
riddled with their sacred sites, lost to us now.
In your area:
What is the predominant type of
rock? limestone and other sedimentary rocks
What is the soil type? fertile brown, with some clay
What are the three predominant
native trees? maple, oak, linden
What are the three largest raptors? owls, redtail hawks, bald eagles in winter
What is the largest native feline? bobcat
When do the deer rut? Give birth? last half oct-december, May-august
What are the predominant winds? north, northwest, west, south
From what direction does most of
your weather come? west, northwest
What are the three most important
crops? When are they planted? Harvested?
corn (mid-april/early may, sept-nov depending on it's purpose), soy (around april 25 unless too wet, sep-nov), livestock (sorry this isn't a crop! but it's true)
Can you name:
Three local wildflowers that bloom
at Bealtaine? may apple, sweet william, wild ginger
Three local wildflowers that bloom
at Midsummers? Queen Anne's lace, wild clover, purple coneflower
Three local wildflowers that bloom
at Samhain? late goldenrod, might still be Queen Anne's lace, blazingstars
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