A few weeks ago I came across some long assumed lost writings I'd done nearly 10 years ago. Of course, I had to sit down and reread them. I guess I have to pat myself on the back, because even though I've traveled a long way on my path and learned a lot in the ensuing years, I am still proud of a lot of the words I put to paper back then. One of the essays was on the topic of reconciling living in an urban environment with the need for a connection with Nature, especially for someone trying to live a Pagan life. Basically, it takes a conscious effort to see, acknowledge and honor those natural connections necessary when you are an "urban pagan". It's easy to lose the smell of a single flower amidst the fumes of fossil fuels, but it's crucial to seek out that bloom and breathe it in deeply. That was the first metaphysical elbow in the ribs.
About the same time as these writing surfaced we had a discussion at our local Pagan Night Out that concerned comparing and contrasting "old school" paganism/craft with "new school". Inevitably the discussion turned to whether "techie" tools interfered with a practitioner's relationship with the Earth and Nature. I think most of us agreed that it is hard to escape the use of more modern and technological tools these days, but that it is of vital importance to seek and find that balance of the new, with the ancient, primal forces of the Earth that sustain us. Okay, second nudge received.
Most recently a wonderful Fire Keeper that I know related a parable that further solidified the notion that this awareness of Nature was something I needed to turn my attention to. The tale went something like this, and I apologize if I don't get the details exactly right, but I know I got the gist of it:
There was once a village that was situated near a tall mountain and a life-filled river. One beautiful summer day, most all of the people had gathered in town for a sporting event. The game was loud and raucous and the crowd was even more so. The spectators cheered and sang and celebrated, and in fact became so caught up in the celebration and the game that they failed to notice the huge wave of lava that was flowing down the side of the rumbling mountain and heading straight for their village. There was a farmer, however, that lived near the river and he and his wife had not joined the rest of the village at the game. The farmer preferred working his land, and the quiet of nature to the loud and boisterous event in town. As the farmer gazed at the river that day, he saw that the fish in the river were swimming quite the opposite of their usual direction, and were in fact swimming rapidly away from the village and the mountain. The farmer packed up his wife and belongings straight away and followed the fish. The two of them survived while the rest of the village perished in the onslaught of lava. The farmer had a relationship with the Earth and he paid attention to her message when she spoke to him through the fish.
Third time's the charm? I hope so, because I know to what lengths the Universe will go when it seems you're not getting the message.
I guess I have been caught up in my own toils and troubles too much lately. Too much time spent indoors over the past cold months of winter has taken its toll on my relationship with the Earth Mother as well. But Spring is alive and ready to burst into bloom now. The days are warmer, and the nights are getting there. The dogwood trees, always among the first to show their blossoms in this part of the country, are in full beauty and sending showers of white and pink flowers down like rain. It's time to emerge from this self-imposed cocoon and revel in all that the Mother offers. And wow, what an offering she made with the most recent full moon. Huge and bright, glowing with an ethereal light that reminded us all that we are only a small part of this great creation. Humans may want to think that they have dominion over everything on Earth, but you only have to look up at a moon like that, the so-called super moon, to realize that it is Nature that has dominion over us.
The Earth is coming alive, shaking the mantle of winter off of her shoulders, and making us sit up and pay attention. Or at least trying to. We are her children and we owe her respect, we owe her love, and we owe her for our very lives. I think I got her message. It's time to renew my connection to the Earth. It's time to be proactive in the care of her. I keep a slip of paper taped up on my desk these days, just to remind me in case I start getting lost again. It reads, "Don't forget to watch the fish."
It's a good reminder for all of us.
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