Course Two: Nature 89
Kwan-Yinjust what is planted where. If you are making a large
and complex garden, with many different kinds of
herbs and vegetables, that could be quite a project.
However, even a very modest amount of sunny space
can be turned into a small garden. And if you don’t
have any yard space at all, perhaps you can plant a
window box with a few strawberries or other plants.
Here’s a simple concept for your first garden, with
a few basic plants that will give you a good start. This
is based on having four square or rectangular sections,
each about 6–10 feet on a side, with plenty of sun-
light. These can be grouped into a single large square
or rectangle, or end-to-end in a line, or even sepa-
rated in different parts of your yard. If they are to-
gether, you will need to keep clear pathways between
them, so you can get at them from all sides without
stepping on the plants. If you’re not able to handle
four plots, at least try one or two. You might find
making an herb garden to be the easiest.Plot One will be for corn, pumpkins, and morning
glories.
Plot Two will be for tomatoes, chives, basil, and
catnip.
Plot Three will be for zucchinis, squash, water-
melons, sunflowers, and snow peas.
Plot Four will be your magickal herb garden.Rotation
These recommended veggies are for a basic first-
year starter garden. For future years, you might want
to consider other crops—especially if you have plenty
of space. So here are a few tips for main-
taining a good garden year after year:
Avoid planting the same or related veg-
etables in the same place two years in a row.
Shifting them around from year-to-year is
called rotation, and it’s necessary to prevent
soil exhaustion and to starve out soil-borne
disease organisms. The best way to do this is like ro-
tating the tires on a car—move the main crops of each
plot to the next space each year. The basic rules are:- Alternate corn with legumes (peas and beans) in
the same space. - Alternate leafy vegetables (spinach, lettuce, cab-
bage...) with root crops (carrots, beets, onions...).
Lesson 3: Your Garden Altar
Every magickal garden should have a garden altar.
Ours is a concrete bench, which we set up near the
middle of our veggie garden, right by the path. As the
seasons go by, I change the altar cloth and place dif-
ferent things on it, according to the Wheel of the Year
(see 4.VI). A particularly appropriate place to set up
your garden altar, however, is right in the middle ofthe pentagram of your herb garden, in plot four (see
following). It can be a large flat stone, or anything
else you like. The garden altar is a great place to do
special magick outdoors, under the Moon and Sun.
You should think of your whole garden as a sacred
ritual space (see 4.II).Garden Goddess: It’s not a require-
ment, of course, but a garden Goddess is
a great addition to any magickal garden!
We’ve picked up a several very nice
ones at flea markets—Ceres (the Ro-
man grain goddess from whose name
we get “cereal”), Kwan-Yin, and
Hygeia (goddesses of healing—
our word hygiene comes from
Hygeia). You should look for
concrete or even plastic
rather than plaster, as plas-
ter will crumble in the rain.Witch Ball: Perhaps you have seen those large mir-
rored glass gazing balls they sell in garden shops?
These are giant versions of blown glass Christmas
tree balls, and are traditionally called “Witch Balls.”
Their mirrored surfaces are to create a spell of pro-
tection around your garden. We keep ours on a stand
in the center of our rose garden. However, a big one
isn’t really necessary—even a fairly large Christmas
ornament will do, as long as it has
that plain mirrored surface. It
would make a perfect centerpiece
for your garden altar.Scarecrow: Although
the birds don’t seem to
be terribly frightened of my
goofy scarecrows, I still like
to put one up in the garden
each Fall, just for the sake of tradition.
After all the corn has been harvested,
it’s fun to tie the stalks together and
dress them up with an old shirt, a pa-
per or cloth bag stuffed with leaves for
a head, and a big straw hat. I think of
him as Jack Straw, ghost of the Green
Man, who is cut down in the harvest.
His final appearance will be at Samhain
(Halloween), as Jack O’Lantern.Bird Bath: A pretty bird bath near your garden will
welcome birds to eat some of the nasty bug pests that
will be trying to attack your plants—especially leaf-
eating caterpiggles, like tomato hornworms. Make
sure the bath is high enough (such as hanging from a
nearby tree) to keep your cat from catching the birds
it attracts, and always keep it full of water.- Nature.p65 89 1/14/2004, 3:33 PM