Ode to the Land: Relations

By Kristine Karpinski

We welcome the energy of Beltane ('bright fire') as we celebrate the fertility of the land and the strengthening sun!

Green things are bursting forth, water is flowing in unexpected places, the air has the fragrance of worms & rain, and critters are getting busy with the season. We wait for the grand blossoming, which may have arrived by the time this Ode goes out.

The journey of the last month has moved us through the brief return of winter, the eclipse, and the arrival of ducks. Mostly recently a pair have taken up residence in the old pond here, likely because of a lack of early vernal pools in the fields, given this years’ dryness. They are befriending the snapping turtles.

The duck pair have been seen wandering around like an old married couple, staking out the best place to hang out. They waddle the field and paths and seem relaxed and conversational. A wild turkey couple are doing the same. Sometimes their paths cross, ducks to turkeys, turkeys to ducks. A nod to the neighbours out and about. 

Spring mushrooms are communing with the old tree stumps. Poplar buds are meeting the breeze with their fragrance. Old dried leaves are birthing green shoots. Ants are beginning their strategic formations with the dirt, and chipmunks are claiming stone piles as their spring castles. 

Relations seem key right now.

A day ago, I watched a deer pluck through the trees, taking time to bow her head and greet roots with her nuzzle. A reverent pause before reaching up to eat new growth from the lower branches. I noticed a bear take a walk and after acknowledging a tree stump with a sniff and blessing to the air, he gently licked the mushrooms off the surface. I watched a raven walk the full perimeter of the parking lot, warding the edges with invisible magic as if keeping the cars contained and off new growth in the grasses. 

As each being demonstrated their awareness of another whether critter, tree, plant, elemental, or otherwise, they acknowledged balance with right relations in their actions. It’s the season of planting seeds, may the seeds we plant allow balance for all beings.

Kristine hosts a variety of offerings - Sound Nidra, Mystery in Motion, etc. Check them out on our website.