Solstice Blessings from Me to You

I believe She hears me when I pray
Like breath sent on the wind
Like a voice that carries love
I believe I am heard

Even when the eyes of summer are closed
even when the hands of autumn withdraw
there is a blanket of knowing
and an unspoken law of rebirth

I believe in our place among the plants
Among the flowers and dirt
and wild waters
and I know there is an absolute belief in us
or we wouldn't be here.

Our connection is deep, long, and unending
Today I pray in gratitude for the turning of the wheel
The bounty of cycles
The beauty of sleep and stillness
The inner awakening of Solstice

May the spark in your soul be kindled and tended on this sacred day.

My Poplar Friend

The Poplar Stands alone

...just the same as I first met her. White and grey cracked bark and branches pointing upwards to the sky. She stands like a jewelry tree for the red cardinals and hawk who perch upon her branches. The little birds too, have their turns, and the crows enjoy the good acoustics where he can call down to the entire field at once.

December 25 will mark my one year anniversary in my new home. I've now seen an entire sun cycle from this window, overlooking the subtle changes of leaves and the shocking field-to-lake in a day that occurred several times in 2011.

I've seen and heard all kinds of wildlife like coyote, fisher cats, and eagles, gotten to know horse medicine a little bit, and eaten a plethora of wild foods and herbs.

Gulls dance along the back field

Of course sometimes you never feel quite at home until one little shift happens, and for me that was the call of the owl.

My old place, my little cabin in the woods, was home to several owls. They were my totem friends who sung me to sleep. I have missed them so, for they made me feel alive and connected.

So when the hoot of the great horned owl came to my new home, I finally felt like I'd been given permission to put down some real roots. Or perhaps the ones I'd been working on - had grown.

Perhaps we are all looking to feel at home in our lives, on this miraculous Earth, and in our body. Feeling at home, and knowing a real sense of belonging, is a powerful security, and a doorway to health, happiness, and abundance. For some of us that means a real home as in dirt-house-kitchen-land. For some it means place-community-friends or lover. For some it means finally inhabiting our bodies (as Even Ensler often speaks about). Perhaps it's all of the above.
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Still not sure? Read Rosalee's beautiful post on her experience so far.
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May your holiday season be bountiful with nourishment.

May it be bright with newness and soft with letting go.

May your loved ones be held in compassion and joy.

May your worries be small and easily remedied.

May your heart and life be filled with all that you hold dear.

Yule Blessings,

Ananda

Plant Journeys

Amrita Apothecary on Poppy Swap

The Lady's Slipper Ring

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