Author: Lana Holmes

Spring is such a gift to all of us every year!
As her warm fingers slowly creep around our chill bound joints we begin to unwind again and stretch toward the light.

Mother Life is a wise mother indeed.
She knows that after the time of death or dying… a time of being deep inside in
the darkness…
the abundance of spring is so needed, so necessary!

A few years ago I studied ‘winter’ and was amazed to discover that an amazing amount of activity occurs during the winter months. It is one of the most, if not the most active of the four seasons.
During this time of apparent darkness, when all external seems to be dead or fallow, the earth/soil is very busy!

Microorganisms are gobbling up or more accurately breaking down plant materials, which becomes a new layer of enriched soil. That same soil will provide essential nutrients to food. Seeds that have fallen or planted in a garden are kept warm in the soil until thawing when the shell begins to swell with moisture and as the ground heats up, new shoots burst out of the moist shell finding their way to the heat and life giving rays of the sun… photosynthesis!

Humans need the season of the year as much as any other living beings. For us, winter is often the signal to shift indoors. We are invited to slow down, become stiller, quieter and spend time in the inner realms for dreaming, deep reflection and listening.

This poem by Matthew Arnold capture the essence of this time of reflection and listening.

But often, in the world’s most crowded streets,
But often, in the din of strife,
There rises an unspeakable desire
After the knowledge of our buried life:
A thirst to spend our fire and restless force
In tracking out our true, original course;
A longing to inquire
Into the mystery of this heart which beats
So wild, so deep in us—to know
Whence our lives come and where they go.

So winter is a time to reflect on what has been, where we might want to improve or percolate on desired dreams. Spring could not and would not occur without winter. Winter gives us a new appreciation of darkness and brings an entirely new meaning to spring.

It completes a cycle of wholeness and so… we begin again! Whole and complete in every way in our journey of learning and growing!

Mother Earth, isn’t this what you want
To arise in us invisible?
Is it not your dream, to enter us so wholly
there’s nothing left outside us to see?
What, if not transformation,
is your deepest purpose? Earth, my love,
I want that too. Believe me,
no more of your springtimes are needed
to win me over — even one flower
is more than enough. Before I was named
I belonged to you. I seek no other law
but yours, and know I can trust
The death you will bring.
~Rainer Maria Rilke~

These exquisite words from Rilke were sent to me this first day of spring by a person I have grown to dearly love and deeply respect.  He has sent this poem before and as one that possesses a poets heart, I have heard him quote it often.  When he does recite the poem, it flows as if for the first time he has ever heard or spoken the words.

On March 19th, the eve of 2014 Spring Equinox, I pitched my small tent by the koi pond and slept under an ocean of stars.  As I recalled the poem, hearing my dear friend’s voice in my memory, I realized that his words flowed with beauty, passion and ease because they came from a deeper well within him.  A well that is filled with a profound love and respect for Mother Earth.

IF this life path as a human being is all about learning and growing then I suspect that a good deal of that comes when we are in relationship.  This is often where we learn and grow the most… relationship. This poem and my friendship are two relationships.  Both possess a sense of emanating life.  One has the power and energy of the written word and one has that of the spoken word.  However, it is the unique combination of a human speaking from a relationship with Mother Life that has the transforming energy that engenders my own heart to a deeper relationship with that which I love and respect most… Mother Earth, Mother Life, Gaia.  So, I pray this spring is filled with much relating and learning and growing!  Happy Spring, dear ones!

“It may be that when we
no longer know what to do,
we have come to our real work…
and when we no longer know
which way to go,
we have begun our real journey.”

~Wendell Berry

Walking a mindful, conscious path in Earth Wisdom is very much aligned with walking other conscious, meditative paths.

Walking in Earth Wisdom is a mindful practice in which we become more attuned to the timeless rhythms of the natural world.  It is a conscious, mindful path of asking questions and seeking responses from Mother Earth’s amazingly elegant designs.

My life path of recent has been strewn with amazing complexity.  Challenges in the territories of property, finances, attorneys, profession, etc.… well, I trust you are able to imagine.

In past seasons of my journey, when faced with difficult challenges along life’s path, I would turn to friends, teachers, books, experts, extraordinary mental exercises and amazing amounts of emotional consternation.  Eventually, a direction would arise but in the end, I was often forced to just make a decision that felt ‘iffy’ at best.

Although many of these options hold wisdom, Wendell Berry’s words, gave me great comfort and send me back to sitting quietly upon the earth.  Since practicing Earth Wisdom, the first “ expert” I seek out is Mother Life, Gaia, Mother Earth.  Who better to consult than her ancient wisdom?

Moving into a favorite spot within the fabric of nature…

I begin to observe and study what my eyes see, my ears hear, nose smells and my skin feels.  As I move into these simple acts of mindfulness, new perspectives and questions arise.  How might an ant respond to an overwhelming obstacle or challenge?  How might an oak tree sprout respond having just broken through the earth’s crust to find itself surrounded by other plants also seeking light and water?  How would a rabbit longing to eat, avoid the talons of a lofty eagle as it ventures out of its lair?

When I no longer know what to do, I go into nature; the earth.  That is when my real work begins.  If I am attentive enough, quiet enough, patient enough…  without fail, Mother Life always responds.  She always reveals the next clear step along my path.

What answers might you find to your troubling challenges if you listen to Mother Life’s voice?

Few life experiences stir the deeper areas of our human heart than those of our beloved four-legged companions.  I could not have begun to imagine how my life would be touched twelve years ago when I gave a yellow lab puppy to my partner for our fifth anniversary.   Luna was immediately a pivotal influence in our lives as we began wrapping our daily activities around her care, training and play!

As I recall those early years, it fascinates me how we three came together in our efforts.  We wanted a dog that we could trust; one that would come when called and well behaved when we left her alone in the house.  A being that others would enjoy, trust and fall in love with as we did when we first saw her.  Well, we got all but one of those traits and I am thinking now that the notion of ignoring the call to come home was a direct mirror of myself as a child.

As we worked with Luna, she worked us.  We found ourselves captured in a common objective that grew our individual selves as well as our relationship and we became a family.

Luna was a wonderful teacher, companion, friend, mother and mirror!  In her unique personality we often saw our own stubbornness or obstinacy giving us a front row seat for personal growth in patience or tolerance.  She brought amazing amounts of laughter often when we most needed it in times of struggle.  Most of all, she taught us the meaning and practical application of unconditional love.

Several weeks ago, Luna came to the end of her physical journey.  We are never ready to be separated from our precious loved ones and despite knowing of their short life spans we do not withhold our love, devotion and admiration.  In return, they give us all of themselves and give us extraordinary new levels of understanding in our human path.  Perhaps this was Mother Life’s design all along.

Thank you, Cassiopeia’s Golden Luna for being a wonderful companion!

From the time I was a small child, I have been in love with maps.  I would carry a map of the state into my play grounds deep in the East Texas woods and that map would transport me to faraway places where adventure awaited.  My fingers first located the wilderness areas, then state or national parks, rivers, lakes and finally towns and cities.  Even at this early age there were telling signs of my deep love for the wildness of the nature.

Many years ago when I first begin the study of Earth Wisdom, it was explained that the this ancient body of wisdom was an oral tradition and the information was arranged on an eight point circle known as a medicine wheel.  As I learned new bits of the oral tradition, I would draw a circle in my notebook and place it in one of the eight directions of the wheel.  As time passed, the genius of how these wisdom teachings were arranged become evident.  These ‘medicine wheels’ became maps of wholeness that enabled methods to navigate life in an entirely new and empowering manner.  They were diagnostic tools that asked me deeply thought-provoking questions.  Questions that encouraged the examination of images, attitudes, beliefs and opinions which may have previously hindered a successful life path.

The medicine wheel’s four cardinal directions, East, West, North, South and the non-cardinal directions or “marriage points” of Southeast, Southwest, Northwest and Northeast are arranged on the circle.  Each direction on the wheel has an energy signature and just like we humans, a “personality”.

The first, basic medicine wheel provides a map of the elements that are needed for life as we know it to exist.  The Elemental Wheel consist of Earth, Air, Fire and Water.  Each element holds a position in one of the cardinal directions.  This wheel is also known as The Four Daughters of Beauty.  As I learned this basic wheel, I began to ‘live into’ the energy of each element.  I spent many hours outside on the earth; feeling it, studying it, pondering the earth and developing a relationship with it.  The same process followed with air, water and fire.  Spending time with these “elemental energies” has resulted in a deeper understanding of their unique “personality”.  Developing a relationship with these elemental Beings was excellent entry into my study of earth wisdom.

So, there will be more to come about the Elemental Wheel but until next time I leave you with a question, “What is your relationship with The Four Daughters of Beauty?”

 

In love and service to life and all that bring life,

Lana