It has been a while since I wrote a blog post. I thought the days of that were done. Yet recent interactions within nature's weave, the weave that is the fabric of my being, nudge me to write again.
Scots Pine and Reindeer, Autumn
Over the last year I've been diving deeper into listening to Gaia. Beginner's mind actively taking me through the steps of an interspecies communication course with Animal Talk Africa; putting into practice the messages received from the living and ancestors - plant and animal. Deepening, ever deepening, the practice of remembrance and playing my part through shamanic practice to ensure safe passage of souls deceased. Deepening, ever deepening, the awakening to ensure life is as good as I can make it so for future generations.
Cairngorm tundra at the end of winter
My draw energetically, ancestrally is to The North. On occasion, to within the Arctic Circle. And whilst I have Scandinavian ancestry, this year I have needed the wild inspiration of the land I am native to. The tundra stretches of north-eastern Scotland have become a homing place for me. The North. The direction of Ice holding Life in her Waters. The direction of Sun shrouding Night with dancing Light. Death and rebirth. Low lying, seeded plants tenacious in the frost. The stark cycle of our existence here on Earth.
The Reindeer draw me in. I find myself walking again among the Cairngorm Reindeer herd - the only free roaming herd of reindeer on the British Isles. It is a blending of all that is ancestrally human, animal and plant. There is no boundary between species here. Standing on this land is a meditation in itself. I am a breathing being, grounded. As rooted and hooved to this land over time gone and time to come as those who are here with me. A place where earth and heart are one.
The herd, many pregnant, still in winter coats, Spring 2023
Mother and calf still in summer coats, Autumn 2023
Here, in northern Scotland, I have also touched base with the Trees for Life project which is dedicated to rewilding the highlands. The enthusiasm and bio-diversity knowledge of their guide who walked us around the tree nursery filled us with hope for the future. Her intuitive tree sense, woven with the old, ancient tales of land and plant, was a joy to witness for now and future generations. Again, the message is clear: Honour the ancestors for future generations.
Tree Nursery
The Remembrance Ceremonies I hold each dark moon (the eve before a new moon) name and honour all animal and other than human life that has come to my attention as having died during the previous month. When I remember and honour an animal who has passed away, anyone who has asked for a remembrance of a deceased animal companion (or any other animal or group of animals that have lost their earthly lives under whatever circumstances, and there are many these days, inflicted by both humans and the elements) are invited to plant a tree in reciprocity for the remembrance and ceremony done on their behalf. A small donation ensures a native sapling is added to the Pause for Paws Grove. Another tree planted creates more forest and native woodland on what was bare moorland. More native habitat is created for native wild species to flourish. More natural environment is reclaimed for humans to be part of and shift their consciousness and actions away from the ego-centricity of mono-cultural ways towards eco-centricity of community living.
This land has a chance to be restored. And we do too. Our human species has asked too much, one way or another, of the one planet which sustains our life and the one body we are each gifted with when born as a human. We have taken too much from other species, animal and plant. Taken too much from the elements and expected too much in return without fully understanding the implications and consequences of our actions on all species including our own, on the land, the soil, air and water that sustain us all. Let's not waste time or energy on being hard on ourselves or anyone else right now. Let's be kind. Let's be the vibrant life we wish for this Earth and all its inhabitants. Tricky as that can be when it comes to others of our own species. We can re-store our thinking and our actions. We can all start with the simple act of thanking our own ancestors for their life which has enabled ours.