My Journey into the Past
Nature magic, the art of incense, and the Old Faith of our ancestors—this is what has held me under its spell for decades, and what I have been writing about on my German blog Celticgarden for over 13 years. This inclination was planted in me during my childhood and has grown ever since.
I love to read about the lives of our ancestors in old, dusty books. My focus lies particularly on the historians of the 17th to 19th centuries. It fascinates me how unselfconsciously they dealt with the unseen, because for them, it was omnipresent. Just as they rummaged through the ancient texts of their time, I now scour their works to record their “stories.” They were 200 to 300 years closer to the source than we are today, and they understood the belief behind it because—as I said—it was their daily reality.
From Holstein to the Soil of Mecklenburg
My name is Katja (born 1970). I am a native of Holstein, the windy north. Over a decade ago, I moved with my family to the beautiful region of Mecklenburg, where I have found my true home.
Here, I tend and shape my old “magic garden” according to Ancestral Knowledge. I try to cultivate rare wild plants and propagate them from seed—I have had great success with the Roman Nettle (Urtica pilulifera) and, since last year, with the cultivation of the rare German Hedge Nettle (Stachys germanica). Through my genealogical research, I discovered that some of my ancestors—both maternal and paternal—originally came from Mecklenburg, even from the very area where I live now. It seems the circle has closed.
The Stone of Remembrance
My garden is not just a place of plants, but a place of memory. A few years ago, I had an original, antique gravestone placed in my garden. I did not do this out of grief, but to create a permanent sanctuary and memorial place for my ancestors. It is a place of silence and reflection, where I feel particularly close to my roots. This stone stands as a testament that my work is not just words on a screen; it is a lived reality.
Genealogy: The Hunt for Roots
This search for roots is my second great passion, which I actively pursue in a genealogical society. There, I manage a project close to my heart: “Chance Finds” (Zufallsfunde). We rescue lost documents and stories that appear in unexpected places, saving them from oblivion.
(If you are interested in pure family history, feel free to visit my sister-blog: Ahnengeflüster)
How Celticgarden Bloomed
My blog Celticgarden was born by chance. Originally intended as a private online herbal lexicon, it grew rapidly. The breakthrough came in 2015 when I shared wild herb profiles on Facebook. They went viral overnight. I woke up to find my page had jumped to nearly 100,000 followers. It was overwhelming to see how much people 10 years ago already longed for the old knowledge of our great-grandparents. Today, we are a community of over 145,000 souls.
A Note on the Name: The name Celticgarden has no deep historical meaning—it was a fantasy name I chose while gardening years ago. My own DNA holds very little “Celtic” blood; I am rooted in the Germanic, Slavic, and Baltic peoples (my great-grandmother was a Prussian/Pruzzin).
My Philosophy: Understanding, Not Judging
Smoke of the Ancestors: Incense is special. Many associate it with “hocus-pocus,” which it certainly is not. For us today, it means relaxation or grounding. But for our ancestors, incense was a tool for protection and blessing—a sacrifice to the forces of nature to keep their livestock healthy and ward off the “Evil Eye.”
Garden Therapy & The Old Faith: The word “superstition” (Aberglaube) sounds condescending today. I prefer terms like “Folk Faith” or “Old Ways.” This belief in the supernatural was often vital for our ancestors’ survival. They were not “stupider” or more childish than we are; they simply tried to understand and navigate the world they lived in. Nature has the power to soothe us. In the past, there was even “Garden Therapy” prescribed for those with troubled souls.
A Word on Privacy & “Witches”
I receive many requests to visit my garden, but I must decline to protect my privacy and the peace of the garden itself. I write here about the old customs. I do not judge how “superstitious” people were back then; I research their stories. Also: I am NOT a “witch.” I find this word often used thoughtlessly today. The women who were historically stigmatized with this title suffered terrible pain. I research their history, but I do not adopt the label as a fashion statement.
I invite you to join me on this search for traces. Explore the categories and discover what nature has to whisper.
