Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

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Class VI: Your Magickal Garden



  1. Introduction:
    A Wizard’s Garden


ARDENING IS A WONDERFUL MYS-
tery. There are magickal lessons
that can only be learned through
the experience of planting, nur-
turing, and harvesting food and
herbs for the sustenance of your
body and spirit. I have been ut-
terly fascinated watching those
first tiny leaves unfurl, daily growing larger and stron-
ger into plants which produce fragrant blossoms, get
pollinated by bees and butterflies, and then create
luscious food that grows fat and ripe for our table.
As I am writing, it is now early May, and I’ve just
spent the day working in the garden. My muscles ache,
but I feel great! I have found that growing a garden is
a special kind of magick that is very important to a
Wizardly life. There is nothing quite so miraculous in
all the world as the emergence of new life—whether
it’s the birth of a human baby, or puppies, the hatch-
ing of an egg, or the sprouting of a seed. Over the
coming months, I’ll be taking breaks from this writing
to be tilling, weeding, planting, irrigating, nurturing,
and harvesting. Won’t you join me?
If you have any space at all in your backyard that
can be turned into a garden, I recommend you do so. If
you don’t have such a space, perhaps you have a
friend with a garden you could work in together. Some
city neighborhoods have community gardens that you
can participate in. If you’re not able to work in a gar-
den at all, at least try and visit some of the beautiful
public gardens that others have created.
There are several types of gardens—herb gar-
dens, veggie gardens, flower gardens, even ornamen-
tal gardens. In this Class I would like to encourage
you to grow veggies and herbs—with a few special
flowers mixed in. The information I am setting out here
should provide you a good foundation, but, depend-
ing on just where you live, it may have to be adapted
considerably. Consult with your local nurseries when
you buy plants and seeds.
Get to know the people
who work there, and ask
them lots of ques-
tions! You might
even go over
some of the
following ma-
terial with
them, and get
their opinions...

Tools & Supplies
Only a few basic tools are needed for small-scale
gardening. You should also have a place to keep them
out of the weather when they are not being used.

Shovel and spading fork: Get a round-nosed shovel
with a 47”
handle for
moving dirt.
Also pick up a 4-tined garden fork.
Pickax: This will only be
needed if you have very
rocky soil; otherwise, don’t bother.
Steel rake: Get the bow type rather than the
kind with its
handle attached directly to the head. A
good size is about 15” wide with 14 teeth.
Hoe: Get one with a 7” blade and a 4’-5’
handle.
Trowel: This is used in digging
small holes for setting out
starter plants.
Garden hose: You will need a long enough hose to
reach from your outside faucet to all parts of your
garden, along with a spray nozzle (or wand).
Gloves: Good sturdy garden gloves are a must!

Four Rules for Successful Gardening
There are many important factors in planting and
caring for a garden. It is the act of being in balance
with Nature that will produce a beautiful garden. Walk
through your garden every day while thanking Mother
Earth and the Nature Spirits, and thinking positive
thoughts to your plants, and you will be greatly blessed
for your care and attention.


  1. Use only natural fertilizers—manure, lawn and
    garden clippings, kitchen scraps, compost.

  2. Mulch your plants when they get about a foot tall,
    to conserve moisture and keep the ground cool.

  3. Use only natural pesticides—make your own
    sprays from garlic, onions, peppers, etc. Encour-
    age predatory insects and garden spiders. Attract
    birds with birdbaths and feeders. Interplant insect-
    repelling companion plants (see following).
    4.And finally, garden by the phases and signs of the
    Moon.


Lesson 2. Laying Out
Your Wizard’s Garden

Designing and laying out your garden is a real art
form, and many people make detailed maps showing

Corrected pages 3rd printing.1.p65 35 6/10/2004, 2:59 PM

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