#flower and garden festival 2023

[adventuresofoswald]

"Don't mind us. We're off on another adventure."

[mikeysbride]

Living Colour has been my favorite band for 35 years. In that time, I've lost count of how many times I've seen them, and I am OK with that. I will always catch them anytime I can as many times as I can. Here are a few of the photos I took during the band’s sets at Epcot Friday.

[magicaltrash]

Disney doing what it does best in Epcot - not innovating with new ideas, but pulling out Figment once again as a nostalgia play to sell merchandise. This trash can salt & pepper shaker created for the 2023 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is anchored is soft pink and light green colors, featuring a pseudo-hand-drawn look anchored by the phrase "Stuck on Imagination." Get it... Imagination, Figment, that thing you used to love? // Salt & Pepper Shaker, Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, 2023 [Source: Jeremiah Good. Used by Permission.]

[savage-daughter-of-nikitie]

Croissant au Fromage de Chèvre Herbes et Ail Rotio with La Vie en Rose Frozen Slush. 😋

[samsdisneydiary]

Exclusive Monorail View: Epcot's Transformation Update August 2023 | Journey of Water

[havestia]

Epcot Flower and Garden Festival.

#Epcot #WaltDisneyWorld

[traught-whelmed-aster]

Went pottery painting with the girls 💜

~

I’m absolutely obsessed with the 2023 Epcot Flower and Garden plant pot mug and so I decided I wanted to make a figment mug for my plant to live in ✨

Then realised it’s too small but at least I have a cute mug now, can’t wait to pick it up 🙏

[mscmphotography]

Amazing Grace tulip is a stunning flower but it’s color changing ability is what makes it worthy of its name. As the flower opens it is lavender pink with artistic looking touches of green on the outside of the petals. As the sun beams down on they transform into this rich dark pink color. If you like the performance of this variety then you will like it’s sister “Copper Image”.

.

Amazing Grace tulips are also known as peony tulips because they look similar with several layers of petals. They grow tall & have sturdy stems & are along lasting flower. When they are at optimum growth the flower head can be 4” across. Because of their size it’s best to grow these in protected areas away from strong winds & heavy rain/snow.

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Canada receives from the Dutch Royal family, a gift of 10,000 tulip bulbs every year for the last 78 years. We honour their gift by holding the largest tulip festival in the world. The gift commemoratives the Royal Families gratitude for sheltering them during WWII, also in remembrance of the Royal birth of Princess Marguerite in Ottawa Canada during that time (the prime minister of Canada declared the maternity ward extraterritorial so she could be born an heir to the Dutch throne). Most importantly the gift of tulips commemorates the Canadian Military who fought & lost their lives in the Liberation of the Netherlands & for the lasting friendship of our two countries.

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Captured at the Canadian Tulip Festival, Commissioners Park (main festival site), Ottawa Canada’s capitol city May 14, 2023.

[beingjellybeans]

8 things to do at Paradizoo Theme Park

Looking for a getaway from the metro’s worsening traffic and rising temperatures? Searching for a place to experience simple pleasures, learning and healthy living? Look no further than Paradizoo Theme Park, a 12-hectare theme park located in Mendez, Cavite which offers a combination of paradise and zoo which is uniquely relaxing and entertaining. Now that quarantine restrictions have been…

[adventuresofoswald]

"Goofy triumphantly salutes you with his bouquet."

[greenwitchcrafts]

August 2023 witch guide

August 2023 witch guide

Full moon: August 1st in Aquarius

New Moon: August 16th

Blue moon: August 30th Aquarius into Pisces

Sabbats: Lughnasadh August 1st



August Sturgeon Moon

Also known as: Corn moon, harvest moon, ricing moon, barley moon, dog moon, fruit moon, grain moon, herb moon, red moon & wyrt moon

Element: Fire

Zodiac: Leo & Virgo

Animal spirts: Dryads

Deities: Diana, Ganesha, Hathor, Hecate, Mars, Nemesis, Thot & Vulcan

Animals: Dragon, lion, phoenix & sphinx

Birds: Crane, eagle & falcon

Trees: Alder cedar & hazel

Herbs/plants: Basil, bay, chamomile, fennel, orange, rosemary, rue & St. John's wort,

Flowers: Angelica, marigold, sunflower

Scents: Frankincense & heliotrope

Stones: Carnelian, cats/tiger's eye, fire agate, garnet, red jasper & red agate

Colors: Gold, orange, red & yellow

Energy: Authority, appreciation, courage, entertainment, finding your voice, friendship, gathering, harvesting energy, health, love, pleasures, power &vitality

Sturgeon moon gets it's name from the high numbers that are caught at the Great Lakes & Lake Champlain in North America during this time of year. The names come from a number of places including Native Americans, Colonial Americans & European sources.



Lughnasadh

Also known as: Lammas, August eve & Feast of bread

Season: Summer

Symbols: Scythes, corn, grain dollies & shafts of grain

Colors: Gold, green, yellow, red, orange, light brown & purple

Oils/incense: Aloe, apple, corn, eucalyptus, safflower, rose & sandalwood

Animals: Cattle & chickens

Stones: Aventurine, carnelian, citrine, peridot, sardonyx & yellow diamond

Foods: Apples, grains, barley cakes, wild berries, cider, honey, potatoes, rice, sun shaped cookies, blackberry, corn, nuts, breads, blueberry. berry pies & grapes

Herbs/Plants: Alfalfa, aloe, all grains, blackberry, corn, corn stalk, crab apple, fenugreek, frankincense, ginseng, goldenseal, grapes, myrtle, oak leaves, pear, rye, blackthorn &wheat

Flowers: Sunflower, cyclamen, heather, hollyhock & medowsweet

Goddesses: Aine, Alphito, Bracacia, Carmen, Ceres, Damina, Demeter, Freya, Grain goddesses, Ishtar, Kait, Kore, Mother Goddess, Sul, Sun Goddesses, Taillte, Zaramama, Ereshkigal & Ianna

Gods: Athar, Bes, Bran, Dagon, Ebisu, Dumuzi, Ghanan, Grain Gods, Howtu, Liber, Lono, Lugh, Neper, Odin, Sun Gods & Xochipilli

Issues, Intentions & Power:  Agriculture, changes, divination, endings, fertility, life, light, manifestation, power, purpose, strength, success & unity

Spellwork: Sun magick, rituals of thanks/offerings, bounty, abundance & fire magick

Activities:

Bake fresh bread

Weave wheat

Take walks along bodies of water

Craft a corn doll

Watch the sunrise

Eat outside with family/friends/coven members

Donate to your local foodbank

Prepare a feast with your garden harvest

Give thanks to the Earth

Decorate your altar with symbols of the season

Clean up a space in nature

Plant saved seeds

This cross-quarter fire festival is celebrated on August 1st or the first full moon of Leo & the seventh sabbat of the year. It represents the first harvest when the Earth's bounty is given for the abundance received.

Some believe this is the time where the God has weakened & is losing his strength as seen in the waning of the day's light. The Goddess is pregnant with the young God who will be born on Yule.

In some traditions, this day honors the Celt god Lugh, the god of craftsmanship; He is skilled in many things including wheel making, blacksmithing & fighting. Though there is some discrepancy as to why Lugh is honored on this day. Some tales say it's because he held a harvest faire in honor of his adoptive mother, Tailtiu.



Sources;

Farmersalmanac .com

Boston Public Library- The Origins & Practices of Lammas/Lughnasadh by Dhruti Bhagat

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

[holylulusworld]

One Summer Night - Kinktober 13

Summary: You meet a charismatic man at the farmer’s market.

Pairing: Cult!Leader Thor Odinson x fem!Reader

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: seduction, desire, smut, unprotected sex, needy reader, public sex/kinda public claiming, voyeurism

Square 3 filled for @anyfandomangstbingo: Square 3: Cult AU

Kink: Sex Cult

Kinktober vs Flufftober 2023

The first time you saw him he walked through a field of yellow wildflowers. He looked like he was out of this world. Chest bare, barefoot and his shaggy hair blowing freely in the wind.

He looked up at the blue sky, and let the sun kiss his skin.

For a moment you watched the man until more people joined him.

Mostly women who looked like they were hypnotized by his beauty, or something else. You didn’t know. 

Eyes glued to the man you watched him run one hand over his naked chest while the other gently touched the flowers.

You dropped your gaze the moment his eyes found yours. He smiled and plugged a flower to tug it behind his ear.

It looked like he was watching you and your heart thundered in your chest. He walked toward you, as your feet felt like you were frozen to the ground.

The spell he held over you was broken when your aunt called your name and grabbed your arm. 

“Y/N, don’t you ever get involved with that…hippie. He’s no good and means trouble. Everyone knows he’s the leader of a sex cult or shit.”

“Sex cult?” you glanced at the beautiful man standing only a few feet away from you. He smirked and studied your face as your aunt tried to drag you away. “Stay away from my niece. You won’t get her too!”

He raised his hands in surrender, making things worse for you. Your eyes dropped to his abs, leading you down to the prominent erection he didn’t even try to hide.

“Little wildflower, if you are ever free of that woman, come see me,” he spoke to you. You shuddered and clutched your hands to your sides.

It felt like his words went straight to your heart, running through your body to reach a much lower region… 

“Y/A/N, it’s the farmer’s market, not an enemy base,” you rolled your eyes as your aunt scrunched up her nose. Unlike you, she never liked spending time at the farmer’s market. “How about I get everything we will need for the pie festival, and you can go home and rest?”

“My bench in the garden is waiting for me,” she considered your suggestion. Your aunt feels responsible for you, even though, you are an adult, and a grown woman. 

“Alright,” you clapped your hands. “I didn’t come here to spend my vacation with you to sit around and do nothing. Let me handle this.”

“Don’t stay here too long,” your aunt said. “Uh-and don’t talk to strangers. If that bastard shows up, ignore him. Do not get too close to him. He comes here every summer, looking for God knows what.”

“Auntie,” you sighed but smiled at her. “I’m a grown woman, you know.”

“You’re still the little girl I raised,” she tutted and patted your cheek. “Stay out of trouble, young lady.”

You grinned. She won’t ever change, and you love her for it.

“Wildflower,” you felt his presence before you heard his voice call for you. The man in the wildflower field suddenly stood right in front of you. 

That day, he was wearing an unbuttoned button-up shirt. He was still barefoot and looked like the hippie your aunt called him, but you’d call the shirt progress.

“Mr.,” frowning you realized you didn’t know his name. “Sorry, I don’t know your name,” feeling your cheeks heat up you let him take your hand to press a soft kiss to your knuckles.

That feeling overwhelmed you once again. This time it went straight to your lower half, making you soak your panties.

“Names are only...,” he cupped your chin to tilt your head, humming as your eyes fluttered shut, “for the people with no fantasy. You can call me anything you want to.”

“I prefer a name,” you murmured but allowed him to stroke your cheek with his knuckles. “Please…”

“Thor, little wildflower. That’s the name the immortals gave me when they created me to bring sun, love, and new life to this world.”

You giggled at his words. Your aunt was right. Thor did sound like the leader of some cult. But this didn’t stop you from dreaming of offering your body and soul to this man.

“My name is Y/N.”

“No. Your name is Sif, my Goddess and future mother of my children. We will bring love and hope to this rotten world, my little wildflower.”

“No…I’m Y/N.” You tried to open your eyes, but it was so hard to fight the warmth on your cheek from his hand.

“You are my fate,” he murmured as he dipped his head to press his lips to yours. Your eyes snapped open, and you wrapped your arms around his neck, almost pouncing on Thor to taste more of him. “Come with me and meet my companions. They can hardly wait to get to know you.”

“I can’t,” you whispered. “My aunt is waiting for me.” You looked up to Thor, the personalized sin. “She warned me to get involved with you.”

“Of course, she did,” he purred against your lips. “You’ll come to me, sooner than later. I’ve chosen you to become my mate for the coming eons…”

“Y/N, what’s wrong with you today?” Your aunt watched you poke the pie on your plate. “Are you not hungry? Do you want to go home?”

“Did you ever feel deeply for a person you just met?” You glanced at your aunt before dropping your eyes to your hands. “With your heart, body, and soul?”

“What did that man do to you?” She shook her head. “Please don’t tell me you fell for him too. He ruined so many girls. Every summer he comes over to our little town like a force of nature. He seduces women here and there only to disappear until the next summer.”

“He didn’t do a thing. We didn’t do a thing,” you spluttered. “I was wondering if you felt like this too when you were younger. He means trouble, so much I know. But I can’t help it. I’m drawn to him.”

You met Thor again only a few days later. This time he came to your aunt’s garden and talked you into following him to the wildflower field.

Walking next to him, fingertips touching the yellow wildflowers you tried not to think too much.

“Come with me. The moon is right,” he said, grabbing your hand to guide you toward a secret place.  A spot you never set foot in before.

Thor led you toward a wild of pink orchids, protected by large oaks. 

In the middle of the field stood a statue. It looked like a God. Its right arm stretched towards heaven, the other one holding a large hammer. 

“Where are we?” you whispered as his companions stepped toward the statue. They all kneeled and placed a pink orchid to the statue’s feet, mumbling words you didn’t understand. “Thor, what are they doing?”

Your eyes grew wide when the women and men stripped each other bare. “Just watch my little wildflower. And if you are ready, we will join them.”

Gasping you had to watch them all gather around the statue. This time they didn’t pray. This time they start to chant a name and move their body to music only they seem to hear. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time how they chanted themselves into a trance-like status.

For a moment, it seemed like the statue smiled down at you. You blinked a few times to be sure you didn’t imagine things but its face remained stoic.

“What are they doing?” 

“They call for me, my wildflower. They want us to unite to bring eternal summer, love, and fertility back to this town,” he wrapped his arms around you. “Give yourself to me.”

“Give myself to you.” 

He started to sway to music you couldn’t hear, but your body moved on its own. You let him slide the straps of your dress down. It fell to the ground, but you didn’t care.

“You’re meant to be mine,” he whispered in your ear while guiding your body, making you dance with him. “You’re going to be mine forever.”

The people turned their attention toward you and Thor. They cheered him on as he slid your panties down and ripped your bra off of your chest. 

“Look at my bride,” he shouted out a victory cry. “She’s going to be my mate.”

You felt like you were lost in limbo, his arms the only anchor keeping you in this world. He picked you up, carrying you toward the statue.

You’re not sure it happened, but the flowers seemed to form a bed. Thor placed you on the flowers and spread your legs. 

You heard gasps and chants but all you could focus on was Thor taking off his clothes. He looked down at you, nodding in approval when you spread your legs.

His blue eyes seemed to sparkle when he laid with you. He took his rightful place between your thighs, claiming what he told you was his all along.

Thor sank into you, inch per glorious inch. He whispered gentle words, but his hands roughly pinned your wrist down, keeping you immobile as he started to move inside of you.

“All-father, watch me claim my bride,” he chanted while his hips mercilessly crashed into yours. You were writhing underneath him, crying at the intense pleasure he forced you to endure. “She’s my goddess. Give me your blessings.”

Lightning hit the ground right next to your head, but you didn’t care. Your body craved something more than survival.

“Thor,” you began to meet his thrusts, encouraging him to take you harder. “More…deeper…I’m yours.”

“Thor, our god.” The crowd began to chant. They kneeled next to you, watching you and Thor unite. “Give her your seed.”

Thor gripped your thighs, spreading you wider to watch his cock slide in and out of your dripping cunt. He growled like a feral animal.

“Have my seed, my little wildflower,” his features softened, and he released your wrist, allowing you to touch him. “Cum for me. I want to feel your pleasure.”

“Oh…I’m gonna cum,” your hands move to his back to hold tight onto Thor. 

His warmth filled you, but he didn’t let up. Thor pushed into you, over and over again until you tightened around him. 

Your eyes sparkled, and your skin began to glow. It felt like your body wasn’t yours any longer. Thor now owned it, but you didn’t mind.

“Watch my goddess transform into her true form.”

He slipped out of you, smiling down at your trembling body. 

“All-father, give her your blessing,” he chanted as another lightning hit the ground next to you. You felt like you began to float, and maybe you did.

You still don’t know. 

Blinding light covered your whole body and wrapped you in its warmth until you felt nothing but love.

You sank back down on the bed of pink orchids, eyes fluttering shut.  

“Yes. All-father.” Thor chanted even harder. “Please allow me to make her mine completely...”

That’s how you became the goddess of fertility, ruling this world alongside your lover. Thor, God of love, thunder, and summer.

From that night on, you walked this world with your mate, bringing summer, love, and fertility to the people.

Tags in reblog.

[magicaltrash]

You want a "groovy garden," don't you? Orange Bird here to help you out by starring on trash can salt & pepper shaker created for the 2023 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. Nostalgic design with orange, yellow, and wine colors. Throw in a rainbow, some flower seeds, and an orange tree with a strong resemblance to Spaceship Earth. Groovy! // Salt & Pepper Shaker, Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, 2023 [Source: Jeremiah Good. Used by Permission.]

[breelandwalker]

Buck Moon - July 3, 2023

Put on your flower crowns and your dancing shoes, it's time for the Buck Moon!

Buck Moon

The Buck Moon is the name given to the full moon in the month of July and is called this because at this time of year, the antlers on male deer are at the height of growth and impressiveness. This month also marks the first supermoon of the year!

Other European names for the July moon include Hay Moon and Wort Moon. North American Indigenous names for this moon include Salmon Moon (Tlingit), Berry Moon (Anishinaabe), Month of the Ripe Corn Moon (Cherokee), and Raspberry Moon (Algonquin, Ojibwe).

The West Abenaki also call this the Thunder Moon in reference to the often-stormy summer weather. (This one is my personal favorite and the name appears in lunar calendars just as often as the Buck Moon.)

What Does It Mean For Witches?

The July full moon continues June's template of planning for the future, this time with a focus on your passions and ambitions. Reflect on what you've accomplished so far this year and plan your next step.

Dream big and plan big, but don't give in to reckless urgency. Summer (and capitalist grind culture) gives us the urge to Go Go Go. Despite all this, it's important to take time to rest and recharge, lest we find ourselves burning out and losing our motivation.

What Witchy Things Can We Do?

Celebrate your victories and revel in the abundance of the summer season. If you're inclined to do so, take a page from the deer and do a bit of prancing around a bonfire or your favorite flower arbor with some festive flowery headgear.

Go exploring! Find a local park or garden and take a stroll among the greenery, or use TV and the internet to explore and learn about faraway places. This is another opportune time to go and check out pick-your-own farms and farmers markets as well. Sharpen your foraging and plant identification skills while you're out and about!

If you're tending a garden, harvest some herbs and investigate what you can make with them. Whether it's seasoning for meals, homemade botanical products, or just helpful spell ingredients, many herbs and flowers have a plethora of uses. As an exercise, select three plants growing in your garden, research their magical correspondences and botanical properties, and try to think of as many ways as possible to use each one for witchcraft and for practical purposes.

(Safety Note: Always clean and prepare home-harvested herbs properly before using them for kitchen, bath, or medical preparations. Always consult a doctor before trying an herbal treatment and take all allergies, medications, and pre-existing conditions into account. Please also note that while herbal treatments can be helpful, it can have negative interactions and side effects just like any other medication, and it is not meant to be a replacement for modern medical care.)

Apart from the usual full-moon festivities, I've always found this is an excellent time for weather-witching. Summer weather is notoriously fickle, but it is also highly malleable - one recalls that old American Southern epithet of, "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes."

If you're hoping to bring some rain to water your garden or break the back of a heat wave, this may be the time to do it. My personal favorite folk magic ritual for rain-calling involves going outside with a broom and a bucket of water, using the broom to scatter drops of water over your yard, and shouting up to the clouds, "SEE? IT'S NOT HARD!"

Make sure you take local weather patterns into account and try to draw on existing fronts and nearby precipitation to get the desired result. And keep in mind that with weather magic, less is more and one casting is enough. Asking for too much or asking too often can produce undesirable results. And if you manage to make it rain, be sure to collect some for moon water!

If you're interested in weather-witching, I highly recommend checking out this masterpost by @stormbornwitch for a number of excellent articles and suggestions.

Happy Buck Moon, witches! 🌕🦌

Further Reading:

Buck Moon: Full Moon in July 2023, The Old Farmer's Almanac

Buck Moon 2023: The Awesome Spiritual Meaning of July's Full Moon, Amanda Brethauer, The Peculiar Brunette

The Hearth Witch's Garden Herbal, Anna Franklin, Llewellyn Publications, 2023.

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison

(If you're enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

[samsdisneydiary]

What Else Can I Do | Spaceship Earth | Kiss Good Night | Epcot Flower and Garden Festival 2023

Spring is in the air, and that can only mean one thing, the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is here! Running March 1 through July 5th, 2023, this year’s festival is packed with topiaries, outdoor kitchens, activities, and entertainment. And in keeping with recent tradition, the Spaceship Earth beacon of magic has debuted a new sequence, or Kiss Good Night, for the 2023 Flower and…

[suzannahnatters]

Flash Fic: The Gardens of Hades

The gardens of Hades are barren when I come.

He snatches me from the sunlit lands and carries me to the underworld, a dark chasm lit only by the distant flames of Tartarus. His house is of black marble, and as he drags me through the shadowed halls, I try to empty my mind of everything but this moment.

I know the stories. I know that the gods have cruel desires.

Instead, he opens the door to a walled garden. A black pool glitters at the centre. Naked sticks rattle in the earth, but nothing lives here.

“This is yours, Lady Persephone,” he says.

Then he leaves.

.

I’m just glad Hades leaves me alone, so I don’t ask questions. I infuse the pool with light and call grass and asphodel from the dead soil.

When he visits again, he comes with a gift.

“I have brought you a servant.” A veiled shade follows him into the garden.

I wonder if he wants me to thank him for giving me a slave when I once had friends, a desert when I once had flowers.

I wonder why he took me.

Hades inspects a young shrub. “What’s this?”

“A pomegranate,” I say.

For a moment, I think he’s going to speak. Then he swallows the impulse and leaves.

.

On the day my pomegranate tree blooms, I find the shade sitting beneath the tree wiping her eyes with her veil. She says her first word: Springtime.

Little by little, she remembers how to speak. She talks about finishing this garden and moving on, the underworld blooming under my touch.

She doesn’t remember her name, so I call her Lethe.

.

My pomegranate tree bears fruit, but as I peel it open Lethe grabs my wrist. “If you eat, you will become a creature of his realm.”

I hurl the fruit at the wall.

.

It’s only a matter of time till my mother finds me.

Hades keeps sending gifts: servants, seeds, pruning-hooks and shovels. As the garden fills with life, so do the shades. The third time he visits, he dismisses the servants and looks at me with tired eyes. I wonder if he is always this sad.

“Your mother grieves without hope. Crops and men die, and no one sacrifices to the gods.” He sighs. “I am to send you back.”

Back to the home he took from me. Back to mother and wind and sunlight, but first I have one question.

“Why did you take me?” I spit.

He is the lord of the dead. He cannot sugar his words, as other gods might. “I need you,” he admits.

I think of Lethe, and to my surprise, I understand. I am springtime, but he is pain. No wonder the dead suffer, if that is all he can give them.

Before he can stop me, I rip open a pomegranate, and the juice is sour on my tongue.

The gardens of Hades are barren when I come.

But where I tread, they bloom. ---- I wrote this flash fic for the Pilgrim Artists' Festival, a small Christian festival of art, music, and words which runs every year in Tasmania's Huon Valley. The theme for the 2019 festival was "Grief and Hope", and I at once thought of Dorothy Sayers' poem, Rex Doloris, which imagines Hades as the King of Grief. This is the 500-word short story that resulted. I'd been looking for a way of retelling the story for nearly as long as I can remember, and this ficlet is the first step in that process. I can promise you that it won't be the last.

The 2023 Pilgrim Artists' Festival is now open for submissions of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, art, and music from Christian, Nicene-Creed-affirming artists, including children and adults, anywhere in the world. This year's prompt is "Beauty in the Everyday" and there is a 500 word limit on literary entries. There are also dozens of prizes available - check them out and submit here.