Wheel of the Year
Artist: Joseph A. Smith

Although each season on the wheel of the year has something that I love, summer has always had an especially magickal attraction for me. The weather is beautiful, the flowers are in full bloom, the scent of freshly mowed grass sparks pleasant memories, and the fruits of the garden hang ripe on the vine. Of course, summers when I was a kid meant freedom. No more school, no more schedules, time to play, to do everything or nothing. Well, now that I'm an adult, I can't live by those rules anymore (as much as I'd like to!). After all, somebody has to be irresponsible and go to work, right? So, while lots of folks are frolicking out in the fresh air, I'm usually at work, in an artificial environment. This is why I tend to use my weekends to get back to nature, like any good Pagan would!

Yesterday, after being cooped up in air-conditioning for the past few days, I decided to go for a walk, to clear my head and get some real air. I wanted to go down a back road that I hadn't been on before (what was it that Robert Frost said about the road less traveled?). Walking is one of my favorite pursuits, because it gives me a chance to look around and notice the little things in nature, like a burst of bright tiger-lilies surrounding a lone mailbox, a tiny white butterfly making its drunken flight over a meadow, or the song of a bird I've never heard before. And, as always, after being outside for a while, I start to think lots of philosophical thoughts.

While I was walking, I came up on a field of grain. The stalks were waving in the breeze, and because of the warmth of the day, the field had the scent of baking bread. I was a little dismayed that I couldn't tell what kind of grain it was, but I vowed to find out, so I snipped off a few stalks, thanking the Goddess silently for her blessings. I was always on the lookout for things to use on my altar during celebrations, and since Lammas was almost here, I thought that ripe grain would be perfect.

As I continued on my walk, the road started to slope downward toward a grove of trees, beeches, oaks, sycamores, and little bent dogwoods. The sun filtered down among the branches and leaves, and as I looked up, I noticed that some of the leaves were already starting to turn colors. I stared at the gold and scarlet leaves mingled among the canopy of green, and thought, how can this be? The leaves can't be changing already....summer just started! What happened while I was inside the house! I had thought that, being a Pagan, I noticed Mother Nature more than other people. I was more in tune with what was going on outside, on the Earth. After all, that is one of the things that drew me to this path in the first place. But then I realized something.

Living in the present day, with every modern convenience at our disposal, we tend to get away from our roots, even if unintentionally. Seasons come and go, the wheel turns, and before we know it another year has passed before our eyes. I don't want that to happen to me. My parents used to have a sign hanging up in our kitchen, "Along the way, take time to smell the flowers". When I was little, I told my Dad that I thought it would be a good sign to hang in a greenhouse, and he laughed. "I guess it could" he said, "but that's not what it means". Being so young I didn't understand the sentiment, but now I do. Every second of life is valuable; take it from someone who almost missed summer! A flower that blooms today may shrivel and die tomorrow, so throw caution to the wind and take advantage of any time that you can.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going outside to smell the flowers!

Katrina

WebMasters Note: Katrina, a solitary witch/pagan, lives in the lovely Garden State of New Jersey (although this year her garden is about 5 feet by 4 feet!). She is mom to two lovely girls, Casey, age 6, and Corey, age 2. She is also "owned" by a lazy, black small cat named Maia, who was probably royalty in another life. Katrina has been on the path for about 4 years, and is an eclectic/kitchen/garden witch (you can throw a few others in there, if you like!). Her interests include reading books & poetry, studying J.R.R. Tolkien, listening to music (the B-52's are among her favorites), growing herbs, and playing with her daughters. Feel free to email Katrina with any thoughts or comments that you may have related to this article