Cottage Witchery (14 page)

[contents]

The ideal of happiness has always taken
material form in the house, whether cottage or castle.
It stands for permanence and separation from the world.

Simone de Beauvoir

6

Outdoor Rooms and the
Magick of Houseplants

Porches, Decks, and Patios

The porch, patio, or deck offers all the magick of nature plus the comforts of home just beyond your door. Here is a part of your home that is often ignored by the magickal practitioner. An outdoor room like a porch or a patio is an in-between place. It is exposed to the elements and the weather, yet it is still part of your home. And in-between places are traditionally powerful places for enchantment.

There are a few interesting magickal folklore tidbits that pop up from time to time concerning these outdoor rooms. The most prevalent that I discovered was the idea of painting your porch ceiling sky blue. Why? Well, to begin with, it is thought that it helps to keep flies off your food while you have a meal in your outdoor room. They supposedly become confused by the sky-blue ceiling and keep flying upward, to the false sky.

Also, a soft-blue painted ceiling is thought to keep away ghosts. In the old South, it was common for the porch ceilings to be painted blue. They were painted a special shade called “haint blue.” And the word “haint” is most probably a slang word for “haunt.”

If you have a large porch or patio, make it more inviting by adding some seating. This can be as simple or as elaborate as you care to make it. Check out local garage sales and flea markets. Look for metal or wicker furniture that is sound but that has some character—white and pale green distressed-looking finishes are wildly popular these days. You can always repaint the furniture or re-cover the cushions with fresh fabric. Watch for end-of-season sales and use your imagination. Look for small, charming bistro-style tables to accessorize your new treasures.

Even if a few folding lawn chairs and an overturned painted crate might be all your budget can allow for, it can still look attractive. Choose the colors with magickal intention and keep your outdoor room as clean and as inviting as possible. As weather permits, move a houseplant or two out on the porch or patio. Old canning jars with an inch or two of sand in their bottoms and studded with a white candle make for affordable and interesting evening outdoor lighting. Watch for garden lanterns and stylish citronella candles and set a enchanting mood with candlelight.

From a magickal perspective, decks are interesting places. They are typically several feet up in the air and may bring you closer to the trees and the wildlife that live in them. My thought on decks is that they are a terrific way to work with the element of air. Standing on an elevated deck is a way to give you a bird's-eye view on nature and on life in general. Working magick in mid-air, so to speak, is a wonderful way to put yourself in an in-between place—plus you get more of a chance to catch a breeze.

My parents have a large timber deck off the back of their home. Their property backs up to a wooded section and their deck keeps them up with the birds. Admitted wildlife fanatics, they feed the birds year-round at the bird feeders they have clamped to the deck railing or suspended from the trees that surround their deck. I shudder to think of the expense my dad has gone to trying to keep the squirrels out of the bird feeders. But the show the songbirds and wildlife puts on for them is always entertaining. They have had hawks in their backyard, several varieties of woodpeckers, and the occasional raccoon, which frightened my mom to death late one evening. Their deck is an extension of their great room; the drapes are usually flung wide open to enjoy the view, no matter what the weather. There is always something happening outside, and this way it brings a little of nature's magick into my parent's home year-round.

Porches, patios, and decks can expand our living space when you use them as outdoor rooms. Use these areas as a place to enjoy nature with all the comforts of home. Try dining alfresco some cool fall evening. Or fix yourself breakfast or lunch and sit outside during the spring, summer, and fall months and enjoy nature, the garden, and watching the birds. I do that all the time.

I usually take a break from writing around mid-morning, after the kids are off to school. I fix myself some scrambled eggs and toast, grab a glass of orange juice, and quietly slip out the back door with the cats as company. During the late spring and summer months the hummingbirds usually show up. They dive-bomb the cats or show off for me by hovering overhead and darting around to sample the red geraniums and the blue trailing lobelia that I always plant in hanging baskets and large clay pots on the back patio.

There is one male hummingbird in particular who is absolutely fearless. He has flown so close to my head that his wings often make my hair flutter back from my face. Once he zoomed in about six inches from my nose, and then stopped. He hovered in mid-air and then backed up to look me over. When I made no sudden moves, besides grinning like a fool, he circled around my head and then moved right over me to sample the flowers in the hanging baskets.

Now that we have gotten used to each other, this is our usual morning routine. I sit as still as I can and he delights me by showing off and proving just how territorial he can be. After he has checked me out, he zips back and forth between the climbing roses and the hanging baskets, chasing off any other birds that might want to check out the flowers for a snack. Occasionally this daring hummingbird gives the cats a thrill as he darts around. The cats hunker down on their bellies in the grass and watch him until he gets bored with us and zooms off. Then I finish eating breakfast and the cats strut around the back perennial gardens with their tails held high, as if they never were afraid of such a tiny bird in the first place.

The point of this story? My back patio is just a small area. Sure, I brighten up that concrete slab with pots and baskets of flowers, but it's not elaborate. The gas barbecue is there, and a hose reel for watering my gardens, and also four heavy white plastic lawn chairs and two little tables. It's simple and practical. We entertain on the patio, and I often meditate or work my herbal magick out there. The kids sometimes study on the patio or they sit there and talk on the phone. The whole family enjoys this outdoor room because it's a part of our house three seasons out of the year.

If you have a porch, patio, or deck and would like to bless the area and consecrate it into a magickal workspace, here is a quick blessing that ought to cover it.

an outdoor room blessing

Clean the area, remove all clutter, and arrange the patio furniture to suit yourself. Gather together the following: a lighter or matches; one white pillar candle, for your fire representation; and a medium-sized terra-cotta saucer to place the pillar candle in. Collect a few pretty palm-sized stones from your property or some that are local to your area, and arrange these in a loose circle within the saucer and around the candle to represent the earth element. Add a fallen feather for the element of air, or use any incense that you find pleasurable. Finally you may use a small dish to hold water, or perhaps a seashell or two, for the water element. Basically what you're assembling is a portable, miniature altar. A good time to work this blessing for your in-between room would be at an in-between time, such as sunrise, noon, dusk, or midnight.

Arrange these accessories on top of a small side table or in the center of the floor. Sit down comfortably in front of the items and place your hands, palms up, on your lap. Take a moment and picture your outdoor room as one that pulses with light and magick. Imagine the four elements swirling around you in a beautiful multicolored ring. Once you've got that spinning away, take a deep breath and visualize that the circle of energy is seeping down around you and into the floor. Now take a deep breath in, and then let it out slowly. Open your eyes. Light the candle and say the following charm three times:

Goddess, hear my call and protect this outdoor room,

Elements four, bless this space and banish all gloom.

I call on the God for strength and for courage true,

Let me be both strong and fair in all that I do.

Close with this line:

By the powers of silver moon and shining sun,

As I will, so mote it be, and let it harm none.

Let the candle burn for an hour; just keep an eye on it. Now set your little saucer full of those natural representations of the elements in a prominent place, on top of a table or deck railing, where you can enjoy them in your outdoor room. As you pinch out the candle, say a spontaneous thank-you to the elements. Then, the next time you decide to stir up a little magick for hearth and home, you've got a little portable altar handy, plus your outdoor room is all ready to go.

Through the flower, I talk to the Infinite . . .

It is the invisible world. It is that small
­voice that calls up the fairies.

George Washington Carver

Conjuring Up a Little
Container Magick

Now that you've consecrated your outdoor room, why don't we spruce it up with a few blooming plants? Working with pots and containers adds a bit more of nature's magick to your space. As mentioned earlier, red geraniums and red begonias are protective plants; you could always plant a few of these in a pot for your outdoor room. But we aren't limited only to those flowers. There are lots of options for hanging baskets and containers that will add a touch of herbal magick into your space. A good rule of thumb to follow with container gardens is to water them every day during the hot summer months. Plants in containers that are exposed to the elements can dry out quickly, so keep an eye on them. Also, when planting blooming annuals, remember that these flowers are heavy feeders—which means that they will perform best if given a dose of water-soluble fertilizer every other week.

choices for shady spots

If you have a shady spot, try looking for a blooming fuchsia in a hanging basket. This plant dislikes direct sunlight and will not tolerate any cold temperatures. The annual fuchsia's dangling blossoms burst open into ruffled blossoms in several shades of white, hot pink, and purple. As a hanging basket they are stunning, and they are also attractive to hummingbirds. They are readily available at nurseries and garden centers before Mother's Day. According to flower folklore, the fuchsia symbolizes a warning. So after you've hung up your blooming basket in a nice shady spot, you could enchant it for protection. Try this fuchsia fascination:

The fuchsia's pendant blooms are purple, hot pink, and white,

With this charm you add security, both day and night.

Your bold colors brighten up this outdoor room of mine,

May your protection radiate out, come rain or shine.

Another option for shady places are impatiens. Impatiens are the most popular annual shady bedding plants sold in the States today. They will bloom reliably for you up until frost. Some of their folk names include Busy Lizzy and Touch Me Not. The impatient may be used in charms and spells to speed things up. These energetic bloomers are wonderful in pots, hanging baskets, and containers, and they come in a wide variety of colors, such as red, orange, coral, pastel pink, hot pink, lavender, and white. There are also mixtures of colors such as orange and purple, pink and white, and a variety called the “peacock mix” that is white, soft coral, and pale purple. The markings of these particular impatiens remind me of pansies. Match up the color of the flower to your magickal intentions and spread a bit of energy and excitement into your life. Repeat this Busy Lizzy flower charm as you add these annual flowers to your outdoor room.

Impatiens or Busy Lizzies, call them what you will,

Add these flowers to your life and they'll give you a thrill.

Energy and speed they can add to my homespun charms,

As I work this magick with love and intend no harm.

choices for sunny spots

If your deck, patio, or porch gets a lot of sunshine, then consider annuals that enjoy the sun and hot conditions. Marigolds are a good choice. They are easy to care for, and the marigold is associated with the sun and has the magickal property of protection. For example, you could place the pot of marigolds by the entrance to your home to reinforce your wards. The scent of this flower helps to keep ghosts and negativity away. Are you being plagued by bad dreams and having trouble sleeping? Flower folklore says to scatter marigold petals under your bed. This will enforce a little protection and encourage prophetic dreams.