Green Witch

This morning I lit a new candle, a Lemon Myrtle one. It smells divine. My dog is in his usual position beneath the desk as we perform our daily guided meditation. I ponder briefly on how grateful I am to have the luxury of a roof over my head, space for candles to burn and soothe, the companionship of my shadow dog and my wandering dog. In Aboriginal culture, lemon myrtle is used to flavour fish and other foods, wrapping such bounty in the leaves and medicinally to heal wounds, treat headaches and respiratory issues and repel insects.

Not for the first time, I contemplate the ignorance and greed of humans who ignore the wisdom of our ancient cultures and brand as witches those who understand the properties of our indigenous flora. In this age of fast, over the counter medicines that come with a torrent of health warnings and potential side effects, of sitting in a crowded Drs waiting room inhaling the germs and misery of others, there is little value placed on the medicinal properties of plants.

I, of course, am as guilty as the next person. I would love to have a 'witches' garden, overflowing with all manner of useful vegetation that I could make into lotions and potions to satisfy my witchy cravings. I turn to Dr Google and discover there are books and YouTube videos aplenty I could use for reference if only I had the time. And there we have it. I simply do not have the time or the energy to become a green witch. So my medicine cupboard will continue to overflow with out-of-date tablets, coated in who knows what, encased in increasingly hard to open plastic containers.

Or will it? I have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a new garden and plenty of space in which to do so, when I move to our land in a tiny village. I could satisfy my nerdlike instincts with in depth research, make a project plan, plant a garden that is truly useful. Then I can head into old age with purpose, knowing I have bested big pharma in a very tiny way. Maybe I could help out a few neighbours or would that be too dangerous? My ADHD is grasping this idea with both hands and will run with it for a while. I'm already contemplating adopting a black cat but not sure how the hounds would cope with that. Maybe just a cat statue.

Watch this space.