Today, I would like to talk to you about being out in Nature, there is no better teacher. I used to wonder at these words but slowly, over years, I have realised the truth of this. Nature is anywhere and everywhere, by the sea, in the woods, even in your garden or local park.
You can only get to know Nature by being out in it. Pictures will not suffice, nor will visualisations, although they have their place. It is important, to try and be out in Nature everyday and to pick a particular spot that you like and feel comfortable in. I would also add, for those of you, beginning your journey in this powerful and transformational quest, if you feel at all vulnerable in a place, find somewhere else, where you feel safe. Most of us, especially women, can feel vulnerable if the place is too deserted or has groups of young men/older men hanging around. Nature is powerful but most of our fears relate to either fear of the dead or of death and fear of attack, usually by people. These fears, until you get to a stage where you can release them and know that you are protected, will prevent you from getting the most out of your time out in Nature.
So pick a spot and time of day suitable for you where you will preferably, not be disturbed but where you also feel safe.
The purpose of picking the same spot is to get to know the spirits there. These will include, the guardian and spirits of the place, the spirits of the land and any ancestors that lived and walked where you choose to sit. Of course there will be many other spirits that you might wish to get to know, e.g. the tree, plant, animal and bird spirits around your place in Nature, this would also include water spirits if you are near a stream or the sea. There are in fact more spirits than you can imagine, but for now, the above is sufficient.
Getting to know the spirits, is like getting to know someone new. You generally pick out people in a crowd you would like to speak to, we tend to go for people with a similar signature/energy to us. So, use the same awareness by going towards a place or tree or plant that you naturally feel drawn to. Don’t battle with an Elder Tree spirit, for instance, who clearly gives you a cold feeling or angry feeling every time you have approached it. It might seem obvious to say, but this does not mean it has a bad or foreboding spirit! There can be other complications but we won’t go into that here. Instead, know this is only your perception. If you are picking something off of the tree, think about this as a possible scenario. This Elder Tree used to be respected and people would sit beneath it for picnics or come to gather its beautiful blossom for Elderflower Champagne or to help with their hay fever. However, in recent years, young children kick it and climb it to pull of it’s branches. It lives in constant fear that it’s head will be the next on the block to be cut down whenever it sees the nasty people with the chainsaws in hand or the old man who goes round marking the trees, due for the chop! P.s this is not an Elder tree below, it is a Hawthorn!
So, to recap, choose a place you can go to, preferably daily, somewhere you feel safe and comfortable and choose something specific, that you feel drawn to to begin building a rapport with. Sit on the floor, with your shoes off whenever this is possible. If your immediate thought to me saying this, was I can’t sit on the floor, there are spiders or its muddy. Then you truly NEED to sit on the floor! If of course you have a hip problem or a physical issue, you may have to sit on a bench. Remember, you need to go to this place everyday or at least three times a week, so I am not just talking about when it is warm and the sun is shining in the sky. No, I mean see the place through the seasons and the wonderful changes in weather. See your place to sit at different times in the day when you can, note how it feels, the sounds around you, how it looks. In the morning, does the sun drizzle down through the trees, dazzling you with its beauty. At dusk, does it feel different, do you sense different beings/spirits at this time.
A word about elementals and the Fey here, I don’t use the word fairy because people immediately think of little pretty people from Disney. Some of them are indeed beautiful and small, some are possibly, not what we would call pretty, some are extremely tall, the shining ones, I could go on, but you get the picture. Suffice to say, never get trapped in an accepted world view, expect the unexpected, there are millions of different beings out there!
Some elementals, can feel heavy when they are around but this doesn’t necessarily mean that they have mean intent. Often, if they are earth type elementals, their energy is denser/heavier and might be interpreted as foreboding. Always treat with respect. Sometimes, you may feel that you are not wanted at this time in your space – all beings have a job to do, they all have purpose and they might not want you around whilst they are doing it! So be prepared to say, “Thank you for letting me know, I’ll come back at a more convenient time if that’s okay?” You might get a response or you might not. The response might come as a sudden gust of wind or a sudden owl screech, or if you are very in tune with the place, you might sense it in your body or as words in your head or even as a song. Know that, in this work, anything is possible! We, as humans only miss out when put limits on what is possible/probably. And as an extra here, no you are not going mad!
The purpose of all of this, is to really become familiar with a specific place. You will notice how it changes and over time, you will notice more subtle changes like mood or feel. You might notice that there is an unusual silence or that the birds are extremely noisy today. During your time, and I would suggest at least 15 minutes every day in your place, if you can do a longer time at least once a week, so much the better.
For now, when you go there, first let the spirits of place know that you would like to come here regularly to get to know them. Say this out loud if you can, or in your head. Ask if they are happy for you to do this. Wait for an answer, either by sensing, hearing or feeling/seeing something externally. You might say to me, but Kaarina, its a park, loads of people come here everyday and I am sure they don’t ask permission to be here – again, if you have this thought, be prepared to realise that this is from arrogance. The council said it’s a public park, therefore I have a right to be here to! This work is all about relationship to spirit and nurturing those relationships, the way you would a new friendship. On first meeting someone, in a park or elsewhere, you wouldn’t go rushing up to them and invade their personal space would you? Chances are, they would run a mile!
Now, if you felt that it was okay for you to use this place on an ongoing basis, thank them! Its their pad/house! Now, find somewhere you wish to sit and just let yourself go into a light meditative state, even if you want to keep your eyes open. Do this for about 5 minutes of your time there. Use this time to ‘tune’ into the spirits of the place and let them know that you would like to get to know them. Again, to start with, as I said previously, chose a specific tree or plant or bird that you feel drawn to and speak with them.
When you leave, say to everyone – all the spirits, not just the tree spirit you have sat with, thank you. It is nice to leave a general offering, this can be a few dried herbs, some honey and milk, an apple/carrot, whatever feels right. You might want to do this every time you go or once a week. I leave this up to what you feel to be right. This is all part of the learning. My hope is for anyone reading these words or attending training with me, that you develop your own way, you find what’s right for you and your relationships, this is personal and a personal experience. I don’t want you to follow me, I give you the rudiments and when you feel more confident, like a child, you start to explore on your own. Gradually, you gain more insights and more confidence and your personal relationships blossom and you get given very personal ways that are right for you. This is true growth. I am not a shepherd and you are not my sheep!
Bright blessings all!
Native Shamanism 