What is Earth Magic?

Earth Magic has its roots in the beginning pagan practices of witchcraft. It focuses on the magical properties of the earth around us, from plants, to rocks, to the very sky. It also teaches the importance of the moon and sun cycles and the thus the calendar year as it plays into the strength of spells. It leans heavily toward hedge witchery, kitchen witchery, and forest witchery as well as other niche aspects of witchcraft and wizardry.

How is it taught?

Historically Earth Magic has been taught at Hogwarts in a mixture of hands on practices, lectures, wand work, and assignments working in nature outside of class.

What will students learn?

Students will learn about many pagan rituals that surround every aspect of magic. This may overlap with other courses being taken such as herbology, charms, and potions. The difference comes in the intention of the magic and ingredients combined.

Some notable subjects of study:

• Herb and wildflower identification and properties
  
• Witchcraft history and plant history
  
• Ancient witchcraft traditions (example: Beltane)
  
• Minor healing remedies such as salves and potions, with an emphasis on the ingredients used, when they are harvested, and the best time to work on such properties
  
• Identification of magic in the earth, not only in plants, but also in rocks, water, air, and the mundane
  
• Crafting magical projects such as poppets, kitchen witches, protection charms, and other physical magic pieces often associated with historical witches
  
• Wand work spells that help plant growth, move wind/water/etc., and other spells which would be useful to the study

How much homework is there?

From time to time there will be written assignments but most of the out of classroom work comes from tending the gardens. Earth Magic students will be expected to sign up for a weekly timeslot to tend the Earth Magic gardens outside throughout the school year.

What does the classroom look like?

"The earth magic classroom was settled near one of the shortcuts to the greenhouses. With easy access to the herb garden she and her students maintained for their magic. It wasn't only that it was convenient with easy access to the outside, but also the windows. The room boasted windows in a semicircle before the desks, angled to meet in a domed skylight above. Almost as if it were a greenhouse itself. There was a view of the forest on one side and the lake on another. She could feel the sun on her cheeks as she taught. Around her plants grew, making themselves one with the furniture. Vines wrapped around legs of tables, moss formed carpets for feet to walk on, potted plants hovered in the air basking in the sunlight, even fairy circles with their white capped mushrooms popped up around the room. Bells could easily settle in to such a room, especially when the windows opened - which they were now even with the appearance of the biting easy winter breeze they brought."
From 'Return Policy'

What does the Earth Magic Garden look like?

It is formed from the ruins of the original kitchen gardens from when the castle was built. It stands near the castle but has the appearance of being a slice of wilderness.

(Think cottage garden combined with the foggy fields from the 2005 Pride and Prejudice.)

She led the way out of the greenhouse, winding past the three glass structures and taking a turn that most students hardly even noticed. There was a small copse of trees and then a field close to the castle. She suspected it had originally been a kitchen garden when the castle had first been built as a stone fence was laid out around it. "That door leads into the corridor to the Earth Magic classroom. There is a shortcut to the kitchens and Hufflepuff room near the classroom"

Instead of stone or dirt pathways the grass grew.. There were beds of herbs carefully weeded against the taller stone wall that remained near the castle. The walls of the castle had vines growing and tall bushes. Other parts of the garden hosted wildflowers and wild plants (she disliked calling them weeds as each plant had so much more to offer than the mundane insinuation a weed did). Unlike the greenhouses the Earth Magic garden was closer to a kitchen garden, an herb garden, and a flower garden. She didn't utilize the magical plants that the greenhouses offered and instead focused on the plants that were more readily available throughout nature. On the magic that any plant could provide under the right circumstances. In the center of the garden sat worn stones in a circle, perfect for sitting upon. And when one looked out past the wall away from the castle they could see the grounds sloping and leading toward the forest, a small sliver of peace. Trees behind her, castle and vines to one side, history in a forgotten garden at the far end of the garden, and an almost wilderness to the other side. In her opinion it was the most beautiful place on the entirety of the grounds and castle.
From 'The Sun Peeking From the Clouds'

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