The Gift of Presence

Yet one of the most meaningful gifts we can offer, to ourselves and to another, is the gift of presence. Not more physical presents and buying more stuff and clutter usually for the sake of it, but our mental, physical and spiritual presence; our company, our attention, fully and whole-heartedly.

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Honouring the Waning: The Sense of Loss at Summer’s Peak

Since the summer solstice, I’ve noticed a quiet pull inside me, what could be called a kind of seasonal sadness. If we were in the depths of winter, I might have called this Seasonal Affective Disorder but I realise, this isn’t a ‘disorder’ at all. To feel a sense of sadness or even what you might call a subtle grief, at the turning of the wheel of the year, feels right, appropriate and perfectly natural. If we tune in closely enough, remembering we are the Earth, the elements and the seasons, we might feel as if part of us is turning with the Earth, waning like the Sun, pulling away, already slowly letting go.

Rosemary & The Magician

As you can see, rosemary's energy, qualities and correspondences span all four elements and therefore all four Tarot suits, so it becomes a versatile magical tool, just like array of tools on the Magician's table. Rosemary could be substituted for either tool, energy or attribute, and indeed, it is often used as a substitute for other herbs in things like rituals and incense recipes.