Welcome Kindreds

Welcome Kindreds
The Garden's Heart is always awake..

A Garden of Secrets and Old Charms

A Garden of Secrets and Old Charms

Explore My Realm of Enchantment

All Creative Content and Photography
Created by Victoria Pettella
Thankyou for Visiting


The Garden is Immortal

The Garden is Immortal
Even in the beautiful disguise of Death, Creation Exists, Victoria Pettella

Sacred Space

Sacred Space

Nature's Embrace

Nature's Embrace

Color Feast

Color Feast

Roses in the rain..

Roses in the rain..

Garden of Angels

Garden of Angels

The Garden Is Pure Meditation

The Garden Is Pure Meditation

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

On the Eve of October



It is another Magical evening.
September's Arrow is rushing towards October's Door.


October is rising fast and into the Light.



I celebrate all things( if you know me by now)..and  every month for me, is like  a "Mini New Year's Event."

All of Time is to be treasured and honored in my thinking..so I celebrate the passing of September's Reign and welcome in the coming of October's Bewitching Beauty and Mystery!





I am thankful for all of September's treasures and await October's newly fastened gifts.  




October is beginning to open it's Heart and Spirit to us All









I absolutely love October.

I always thought I should have been born in October! What is it like for you October babies out there? Very cool I bet!

You must all be Super-Charmed and born with a twinkle in your eye!  (Let me in guys.. I wanna know!) October just FEELS magical to me!






October is also full of New Inspiring Color schemes  to explore and enjoy!













October is Beautiful!!




Well, I hope you all enjoyed your own memories of September ...and that you also look forward to the "Magical Wings of October" that are about to adorn us all now!!!




The countdown begins.....

How will you celebrate the end of September and the Birth of October? 

I wish you all the Blessings of October's Spirit and more! May it bring you Unstoppable Magic in every color possible!





Happy Birthday October!!!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Enchanting Companions of Autumn



Autumn seems to open up an entire Realm of New Enchanters. They come in all shapes and sizes... fur, feather and guises! The Companions of Autumn carry an Ambience of Newly Charged Life that I am captivated with. I treasure these secret visits. They are fast and fleeting, so you must be quick as light to catch a glimpse. There are many treasures hiding within the camouflaged canopy of leafy-haired monsters.

This sleepy-eyed Raccoon brings the Gift of Serene Beauty and a Flare of Mystery! He reminds me to be a Creative Dreamer and explore the many Masks of Mystique every now and then!

Shouldn't be hard, as I have an appetite for all things mysterious and I have an imagination running at large most days! He also looks like he is doing some sort of Nature-Infused Tree Yoga that I really should try! I haven't yet attempted Yoga in trees, but it may be good to swop my yoga mat in, for tree bark and see where it takes me.

Raccoon also tells me to find your own Sacred Space, a special spot that you can "be still" within and feel at One with the Universe. He seems quite cozy where he is.
The power of Nature is like that..one big comfy Universal couch of Oneness we are all welcome to lay upon.





How more magical can you get than a random visit from a stunningly gorgeous black cat? This new stranger has visited me three days in a row. Where does she come from? To whom does she belong to? The night ? Is she some form of a Phantom Feline Presence enchanting me even deeper into Autumn's grip?
I welcome it all in.

She reminds me to be Awake with Inner Strength and Confident in my pursuits. Black Cat asks me to intuitively explore every single piece of this colorful landscape as though I owned it all. 

Black Cat nudges me to hear the call within, to witness the Hidden Side of the Season. There is an Undefinable Magic everywhere I hear her say!






Even Autumn's Rain brings out the tiniest of charmers.
Meet little Oliver, always begging for more!


Can you really say no?
He gazes at me through the old vintage kitchen-door window.
It IS raining afterall, and I am so dry and warm in here!

Rain-soaked Chipmunks remind me to Open my Heart with Kindness and Compassion, to share my Abundance with the tiniest of furry strangers knocking at my door.

You never know when YOU may be stuck in the cold rain, lost your keys and need a kind word, friendly smile... or a small snack to keep you going! You just never know! I heard a rumour once, that Chipmunks are THE Silent Rulers in charge of the Karma Wheel Kingdom and a spin in your favor may be a good thing!





I Love these Epic Autumn Visits from these giant Pileated Woodpeckers! They mesmerize me with their sense of grandeur and stylish demeanor! Every Spring and Autumn I begin to have recurring dreams of these gentle giants. I always know it is time for a new route and routine. Whether waking or sleeping their visits bring change and I find that suddenly.. new pathways begin to open up widely for me to walk through.



The tinier ones are beautiful too. I adore them all and feel blessed when they come to visit.


Woodpecker Spirit reminds me to Focus, Take Charge and pierce powerfully through the many veils I may encounter and to Fly Forward Always with a strong sense of  inner-direction.

Woodpecker Spirit also tells me you can break through any walls you come across (not as barriers but as divine gateways).. and create an array of openings..filled with positive opportunities.. gifts that are perfect for you.




Woodpecker dazzles the dead wood of trees with its strong beak. It drums in a pulse searching for new life and nourishment.. if you listen carefully you will hear the answers you feel have been hidden from you..and you will suddenly know exactly what you must do and what path to follow! The coordinates will be felt within.


I hope you enjoyed some of Autumn's Enchanting Companions. I am sure to share more of my visitors, so check back if you enjoy the Wisdom Of Nature whispering through Autumn's ears and from my heart to yours.
PS: Have you come across any new Enchanting Visitors.. I 'd love to know!


Kiki



Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Saturday, September 19, 2009

The Mystique of Love Lies Bleeding: Amaranthus




It is not for everyone! Certainly not. Some look away with a tinge of revolt. Some cannot look away ever again, entranced and bewitched by this red-haired gypsy creature.


For some it is a spectacle in the garden. For some a peculiar beauty from another dimension! I must admit I am smitten with Amaranthus and even the gothic, poeticly-charged name "Love lies bleeding", captures my soul. Something dark and mysterious stirs deep inside me when I see this strange flower-thing. If I knew any Vampires, Amaranthus definately would be the bouquet of choice I'd offer as a housewarming.


















I love the long crimson ropes dangling in the garden..especially thier monstrous tassel-shadows they cast on a bright summery day. I believe every single thing holds some element of beauty. Of course, it is in the eye of the beholder they say and clearly, I am beholden to its rare and unique nature. To me she is a Divine Creatrix waving her universal mystery across the gardenscape.



Amaranthus brings me back in time, a time I never was..but it sure feels real to me. Apparently it was popular with the Victorians and it is popular with me! I love watching it grow from start to finish. As a tiny new plant, it's small pale green leaves are not very impressive or unusual, but then as it grows, the change is startling! It has huge "Transformation Factor",  another Must-Have Feature that I love in plants. And as you wait for this "Becoming" to arrive, you are never disappointed by the wild yet serene creature that she becomes. No one could ever tell at first glance, that this small unassuming plant woud EVER transform into such a Magnifcent Thing! I like stories like that.

I think every flower has a story, but the ones with unexpected, powerful endings are ones I live for. Amaranthus truly makes for a good story ..one you never expect to turn out in such a thrilling way!









Amaranthus will always be in my garden. Perhaps it is the child spirit within me that brings me into some sort of Magical World.Whenever I dare touch the red coiled tassels, a sensory feeling comes over me and I smile. Something tells me Love Lies Bleeding is like a Floral Doorway to a magical place, a world  I would find quite alive and divine.


The children who visit my garden run straight for that plant first."What is THIS ?" they ask . (They touch the long dangling ribbons with amazement!) A bit of flower-magic I say! "How does it DO that ?" they say. ( referring to the long winding ropes draping over) No one knows I say!

Love Lies Bleeding..you either love it..lust after it or despise it. Yet one thing it does, is intrigue ALL who see it for the first time. Whether it casts it's crimson spell on you or not, it lays in wait looking for those who will be it's Guardians and Earth Keepers. And you know you are One at an instant, when you feel the heart and spirit of a child spark within you again.




Tell-Tale Signs you are A Guardian of Amaranthus  ~Victoria Pettella
  1. You Love "Transformation Factor" in a plant
  2. You are Wild at Heart, even Exotic in some way
  3. You secretly write poetry
  4. You know Vampires or are One yourself
  5. You fancy the Victorian Era
  6. You admire unobvious beauty, you appreciate the rare and even odd aspects of things.
  7. You Love good stories and appreciate plants that have good storylines.
  8. You are mysterious, you have a powerful sense of imagination
  9. You have a Romantic and Creative nature
  10. You yourself are a rare, unique soul and have a strong unstoppable inner spirit
  11.  You feel protective of unwanted things and make a special home for them to belong in always.
  12. You are a child at heart and love the enchantment in all things
  13. Most important: Even if you hate the color red , you somehow cannot help but be mesmerized by this gorgeous red dazzling creature and you must have it at all costs.
So now that you know...tell me the truth..do you love it or hate it? Are you one of the Guardians and Keepers of the rare and unwanted, the beautiful and exotic? I'd love to know either way. Don't worry, I won't be offended, for I am part-Amaranthus-Soul after all and nothing can break our kind. Nothing at all.



All Photos of Amaranthus taken from Victoria's Gothic Garden( me!)

Awake with Charm and Spirit
*

To Visit MORE Amarathus Magic in my garden
Click on this picture

Spell of Amaranthus
Spells of Amaranthus


Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Autumn's Embrace

Today was the first morning I felt the whispering chill of Autumn's presence. It hasn't arrived "officially" quite yet..only mere days away I suppose...but todays first sign of Autumn's Gateway was also a poetic Gift. The Pink Drift of Cosmos were carrying a great Seasonal Icon this morning.... a tattered reddish maple leaf ! It felt like a call to accept Autumn's Embrace displaying itself before me. Such symbolic beauty in this image of one single red leaf  being held  up for an offering to anyone who walked by. How did this happy little leaf make his way into the arms of my garden. With a love for all things in nature...he is quite welcome to stay.
The Autumn Equinox begins next week...very soon ..it will be intriguing to witness the rapid changes that may follow from there. For now I will enjoy the flowery drifts and the colorful hazes that still grace my garden..I will still walk along in Summer's Footsteps and feel the last Shine of it's Rays.
This tiny spirited bumblebee in the morning chill..still feasts in my garden. I watched him quite fondly today. He bounced from cosmo to cosmo like he was in his own Cosmic Dream-world zooming across town from sweet shop to sweet shop.  Soon it will be time to say farewell to all the tiny bumblebee Dreamers.
For now...feast ...this is the last of your summery sweets.
Today the cosmos embraced the leafy creature upon their heads...to tell me  that I must embrace it too.. They have told me Autumns's Reign is already here...so I bow to the Newest Kings and Queens of Fall and welcome them in! The Summer Kingdom is vanishing away and the New Kingdom is beginning to form.
So I shall savor this last bite of summer and hope it's vibrant and lush remnants still shine through Autumn's guise for quite some time....well...at least a little longer!
Enjoy the arrival of Nature's Newest Kingdom.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Friday, September 4, 2009

The Flower-Charm of a Cutting Garden











































Fresh Cut flowers from your own garden.. how magical is that?
If you have an over-abundance of flowers or an actual Designated Cutting Garden for that purpose.. it is a wonderful thing to have and to share!


Fresh cut flowers
~shared with a friend..
~placed in a pretty vase to spruce up your front porch, 
~or to bring indoors..
~or for a tea party outside in the sunshine..

It is always a Beautiful way to add Charm to any scene and embellish any decor.




Flowers are simply stunning... and full of life and they bring Harmony wherever they bloom, grow or are displayed!

They simply hold a special magic for all to behold.




 
The other exciting part to a cutting garden is also how you decide to dress them!


Yes, anything will do..
*an old urn, *an heirloom vase, *colored vintage glassware ,
*a simple mason jar, *a pretty colored tea cup ,* a bottle..
*a tall sap bucket..it is endless!  Experiment!




Be creative and dress them to your heart's desire!
They deserve a special spot after all,
 for they bring
Endless Beauty amd Charm!


































Awake with Charm and Spirit
****


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