So, we all know that Spring Cleaning is a thing. But everyone talks about it as if it’s the thing. I mean, sure. Before I head out to the garden, I’ll knock down some cobwebs and give a good sweep and a Cleanse and Bless smoke to chase out the winter gunk, but really I just need to get out in the garden!
I know, I know. Spring cleaning began as the way to clean out all the winter gloomies and yuckies and germs and stink. But these days, no matter how cold it is, we all take baths, don’t we? I mean, do any of you really still believe that a bath will kill you or in the least make you deathly ill? I’ve gotten over throwing my refuse from meals and such on the floor of my castle in the last few centuries or so, too; so thank Goddess that’s not an issue anymore. In fact, the house stays so clean during the winter (due to the reasons below) that spring cleaning isn’t much more than a wave of my broom and a twitch of my nose!
Well… that might be a slight exaggeration. Of course after a long, cold, winter inside, I like to throw open the windows and doors, grab both my magickal and physical arsenal and do a little house cleaning and cleansing, but the really deep clean? That waits for Fall in Thornesworld.
I can’t speak for all witches, or even any other witch but me; but I am super in tune with the turning of the wheel of the year. The seasons as they come and go are times of change on both inner and outer levels for me. I hear a lot of folx say that there are no seasons in California, but I must heartily disagree. We may not get tons of snow, and it can be hard to come by a road covered with the bright colors of fallen autumn leaves, but our seasons are as distinct to me, (and must be to any who stop to really experience them), as are night and day.
Here is the High Desert Spring comes in, often like gangbusters after the coldest months of Winter, January and especially February, when I hope I’ve wrapped my pipes well enough to survive the hard freezes without a plumbing disaster. Last year’s Spring was a true, gently Spring of 70 degree days with chilly nights, while the year before brought us a heat wave with temperatures over 105 F for over a week in February!
So in the spring I’m planning my garden and making lists of all that needs must be done while I check the thermometer and wonder when the last frost will finally come. I’m ordering and sorting seeds and sowing in my little greenhouse shelf… peppers, tomatoes, flowers and herbs to start things rolling.
In summer I’m fertilizing, pruning and weeding, foraging and working on my landscaping in the cooler hours before noon and in the evening hours approaching (and sometimes after) dusk. I’m catching up on the laundry I let get behind in Winter and Spring because it was too wet or too cold to hang out on the line. I’m harvesting herbs and hanging them to dry and scouting the yard and garden for any errant Goat’s Head vines or invading Russian Thistle (Tumbleweeds). Summer is for swimming and napping naked, for grilling and iced teas, for late nights under a sea of stars. And for trying to keep up with the dusty house as the dry winds blow powdered sand in through every crack in this 150 year old home of ours.
Then comes fall. The days begin to cool and I have more energy again. We’re wrapping up the gardening, lots of harvesting and canning or freezing our bounty to carry us through winter. Time to start picking the pumpkins and gourds and the Winter Squash for storage. It’s time for outside cleanup and prep. Making sure tools are put away, and the house is sealed up tight against the coming cold. There’s kindling to gather and cordwood to cut, split and stack, and yes, the house to clean so we can enjoy being inside for the Winter months.
Sometime around the first of October is when I get serious. Winter is the time I go inward, both physically and magickally. Who wants to be cooped up inside a dirty, dusty house all Winter? So I grab my magickal vinegar, light some of my Clear & Cleanse incense, crank up the tunes, and get to work. Yeah, yeah, there’s more to doing a Deep Cleanse & Bless than that, and you can find my full kit along with 11 pages of detailed instruction/guidance HERE, but it’s a good start toward making everything clean and clear for both myself and my guests. Besides, if I light the fireplace without removing the current inch or so of dust, we might explode.
Hallowe’en begins the biggest ritual observance of the year for me. I celebrate all the solstices and equinoxes (Greater Sabbats), as well as the Cross Quarter (or Lesser Sabbats) in my own way, but on Hallowe’en I really pull out all the stops.
And I have a lot of guests from Hallowe’en thru the calendar New Year.
A lot of them arrive on Oct 31st and don’t leave until Jan. 2nd or so. Along with the living friends and family that come to celebrate and enjoy our traditions, this is the time of year that I celebrate and honor my beloved dead. My ancestors, my husband, friends, family, and lovers who have passed on. I spruce up their year round altar, both cleaning and decorating it, and I pull out photos and mementos. I cook their favorite foods and we offer some to them on the Dia de los Muertos altar, along with clear water from our well and the light of many candles and sweet smoke from resins and herbs, and we the living eat of their favorite foods and share the stories. Although our beloved dead are only a thought away all through the year, the winter is when they come in and cozy up close to the fire to enjoy the light and celebration.
This year I’m moving my little mommy from the small altar I made for her in my bedroom,
out to the family Altar of Beloved Dead. She’s been here in my room for almost 2 full turns of the wheel and I think I’m finally ready to have her join the rest of our loves.
Winter is my time for study and deeper meditation, it’s the time that I spend hours gazing into the fire to see what I might see, the time that trances come easily with needlework, crochet and spinning, and that I set myself to divine my path forward as I meet the challenges and joys of the coming year. It’s my time to cuddle and nest, to nap and dream and to eat all the wonderful comfort soups and stews and other delicious cold weather fare. A magically clean and cozy home is a lovely place to do all of this!
I wish you all a happy and blessed Autumn and Winter to come.
Blessed be,
93
In Light and Shadow,
~Thorne
*I don’t do affiliate links, so any links you find here in my blog will take you to my own hand crafted products/items. Please visit the shop to view my hand crafted items.
Blessed be,
93
In Light and Shadow,
~Thorne
*I don’t do affiliate links, so any links you find here in my blog will take you to my own hand crafted products/items. Please visit the shop to view my hand crafted items.
