Night Time Mysteries – and “the world that could be ours”

This morning I walked out to greet the garden at the mystery hour of dawn. The air was so still, warm and soothing, it was as if I’d stepped into a comforting hug.

As I stood barefoot on the moist grass to ground myself, I was fascinated to discover a sea of wild mushrooms had sprung up overnight. Mushrooms are like magic. There was no sign of them yesterday. Yet today, there they were. I couldn’t help but imagine them being birthed under the midnight sky, only faeries and a thousand twinkling stars there to witness the miracle of their essence coming into being.

What other mysterious things are born in the dark hours of night, I wonder? When I lay my head to slumber and my soul returns to its place in the stars? What unseen things manifest before the sunrise of a new day illuminates the world? And also, who plucks the flowers from my tomato plant at night before they’ve had a chance to bear fruit?

It makes me think of Mary Oliver’s poem, Five AM in the Pinewoods. In the poem she talks about how she gathered from spoor tracks in the pine needles that two deer had visited the woods where she lives at night. So she goes to that spot in the wee hours of the morning to wait for them and quietly watches the pair when they show up. Oliver says that this isn’t a poem about a dream, but rather a poem about ‘the world that could be ours.’

Indeed, the world of Spirit and of Nature is so full of precious and wild mysteries just waiting for us to notice. And when we do notice, when we show up and pay attention, we discover a whole new world. One where Goddess is ever present. Along with this comes a deeper understanding of the inner mysteries of our souls. And perhaps by openning up to that world, we too may come to experience what Mary Oliver discovered when she said:

“so this is how you swim inward,

so this is how you flow outward,

so this is how you pray.”

~ Mary Oliver

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As the Wheel Turns

Monday blessings dear souls!

The wheel of life is turning and I’m feeling beautifully attuned to the flow of it all.

Finding the balance and peace of my centre isn’t always easy. I tend to frequently fall into pits of stuck-ness, getting caught up in cycles of negative thought patterns that I spend a lot time digging out of, trying to find my way back to the light and to my grounded self. But lately, things are moving with a new kind of ease for which my heart is so grateful.

I am feeling the presence of Spirit, of Goddess more strongly and I am finding it less of a struggle to stay connected to sacredness. Lessons of surrender and letting go of the struggle come hard, but right now I’m really witnessing the magic that happens when you give up the battle and just allow.

Simplicity and sacredness are at the forefront of my mind. Each day when I ask myself what I want to feel or invite into my life, these two words come to me immediately. So I’ve been receptive to the kindness of October that has brought me many moments laced with both of these precious gifts. A thread of stillness has woven its way into my days forcing me to be still, to rest, to breathe and to simply gather my energy for the things to come.

This ease of flow is not without touches of busy-ness. In between the pauses, I am knee deep in studies – Tarot Journey with Marissa Moondaughter, completing my Herbalism studies and I’ve just began The Captivate Program with Angela Raspass – all gifts that are enriching my mind and soul right now for I love the feeling of learning and seeing my inner world expanding.

Nonetheless, I just feel the need to be present with the magical essence that is growing within and flowing all around me to honour it and to express my gratitude for all that I have been blessed with. I know that soon there will be a quickening of energy that will whisk my back into action and backing into the busyness of doing. For now I just am happy to be moving at the pace at which the wheel of life is turning.

What space do you find yourself in right now as the wheel of life turns?

monday blessings

Sacred Space and Elephants

The moment these two majestic beasts arrived at the forest clearing with their guides, I was tempted to take your shoes off for it was clear that something incredibly holy had indeed just entered this space. I must say that I was completely intimidated by the sheer size of the young elephants. But once I looked into their big beautiful eyes, it was difficult not to fall in love with their sweet and playful nature.

To give this a bit of context, last week, my husband and I went to a friend’s wedding in the South African lowveld, a beautiful scenic part of the country with the bushveld as its backdrop. While there we made time to explore the area and connect with the wild life too. A definite highlight of the trip was visiting an elephant conservation sanctuary that cares for rescued elephants and runs an interaction programme. I’d been looking forward to doing this for months now and feel so blessed that it has finally come to pass.

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As spirit messengers, elephants hold various meanings, bringing messages of leadership, compassion, mothering, grieving, emotional healing and removing obstacles. In each of my encounters with them, I’ve found that these creatures embody such a peaceful and loving energy.

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In the interaction programme at the sanctuary, I was introduced with a young bull named Casper. Standing next to him, stroking his wrinkled skin and feeding him, I felt that I was in the presence of an incredible soul. His gentleness was so heart-warming and one can sense the profound and ancient wisdom that he carries in his bones. It only felt right to send love and healing energy his way as I brushed my hand against his skin. He had had a hard journey before he found refuge at this sanctuary, yet here he was still standing and emanating such compassion. It brings tears to eyes just thinking about the experience.

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Joseph Campbell said that – “Your sacred space is where you find yourself over and over again.” One thing that I know for sure is that wild Earth is my sacred space for it is where I find my way back to inner peace. When I was with the elephants, I know that I entered into a special kind of sacred space too.