The Autumnal Equinox passed today, and I paused to acknowledge the event. I did my rituals this prior weekend and the weekend before, and I feel well connected with the spirits and pathways of my practice.

I always feel that the beginning of any practice should include the words “Welcome” and “Thank you.” My practice is based on the notion of building relationships and saying “give me this” or “give me that” right off the bat, is not the proper way to start.

Just like welcoming someone into your home, it is best to welcome them into your practice. Offer them a chair, offer them a drink or something to eat. Make them comfortable. Ask how they are doing. Then, perhaps, you can launch into this matter.

I also feel that it might not be the best of hospitality to “summon and call thee forth” to begin a relationship or a ritual. I am blessed just by the presence of guests, not necessarily but what I may come to ask of them. If the Gods are Gods of Magic, as I believe, then I have no right or desire to command them or make demands of them. I am just a man.

Hospitality, just because

Sometimes, we just welcome them in, offer them hospitality, and call it good. As the lyric from “The Night Watch” goes, “Shine, shine, the light of good works shine.” Maybe doing the right thing is its own reward. Our reward comes later.

When I planted my garden earlier this year, it was done with thanks in my heart and on my lips. It was not done with expectation. As I have previously written, planting a garden is a way of undertaking devotional practice. Your garden needs water and the presence of rain is never guaranteed. Therefore, you must devote yourself to that garden and to its well-being.

I do this practice because – if for no other reason – it is the right thing to do. To plant, to nurture, to care for, these are fundamentally human and compassionate undertakings. When I plant those seeds in the ground, I make an offering of them to the Gods. Should the seeds grow and flourish, it honors the Gods.

Garden with care

My job, therefore, is to garden and to care. My offerings of water and care are quite simple and part of daily practice wherein my daily prayers happen while I am doing my daily garden tending. I love to see my plants grow and extend into the world. I do, on occasion, must protect them from rabbits and other entities in the middle realm that may wish to eat them.

It is genuinely exciting to see them blossom and fruit and as the season moves along, inevitably, it is time to harvest. It is at this time that saying “thank you” is most appropriate. When it is time to pick fruits and vegetables, I always say “thank you for your bounty.” Whether there is one tomato or a bushel of tomatoes, for each item that is to be harvested, I say “thank you for your bounty.”

A thing of beauty

This is important because each of these items given by the plants is a thing of beauty and a gift from nature. When one thinks about the humble seed from which all these plants arise and the incredible bounty provided by the Earth Mother, thanks are in order. This year, there is a bumper crop of tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapeños, and okra.

Passing it on

Since the bounty comes from the earth, the many things I cannot use myself are still gifts from the earth. I share with other children of the earth. I have set up a table in my front yard, and all the excess items go onto this table so that passers-by may also share in the bounty. As they take items from the table, there is no need to say “thank you for your bounty,” the universe is aware that thanks have already been given.

Some of the vegetables fall from the branches on their own and become volunteer seeds for next year. I find this to be a particularly wonderful type of bounty because through the generosity of the Earth Mother, the plants may very well return next year. They return by chance, by wonder, and by blessing.

Continuing care

This also holds true for flowering plants, trees, and, honestly, plants of any kind. By caring for these plants in our own small spaces, we care for the planet. We care for the Earth Mother as best we can. Every good blessing deserves favor. The Earth sings this song every year, and every year to come.

Hospitality does not require a reward or an equal act of kindness. Doing what is right, as in right action. It is an act of beauty in and of itself. When I welcome those seeds into the ground near my home early in the year, I welcome them. I feed them, I care for them. And I give them love. If the universe is kind, they give blessings in the form of harvest, if they do not, it is still a pleasure to care for them.

Care for these plants does not end at harvest time. They continue to grow and need care until the season claims them through cold, through weather, or purely through time. While they are alive, I will care for them, because they need and deserve the care. And, when the season has moved on and these plants find the rest and sleep in the Mother, I will still reach out to them and say, “thank you for your bounty.”