Walking the Land, Knowing the Spirits

I've spent a few days this week away in a rural area outside my city. It used to be largely farming land, and there are still many farms, but there's been a lot of new building and small communities of homes popping up. Fortunately, these on the whole are tasteful and work with the land instead of against this; a far cry from Texas, where the goal seemed to be to destroy and pave over as much of Nature as possible.

I've spent quite some time on my own, walking about and exploring my surroundings, and have been amazed at the wide variety of animal life and magical trees there are, to those who have the eyes to see them. Perhaps it's because of the land's relatively unmolested state that I feel the spirits are especially welcoming to those who seek to learn from them. As I have walked between the wise Hazels and powerful Alders I felt outside myself and could feel the spirits of the soil awakening from their long winter slumber; as indeed Spring is on the way. There is so much wisdom to be had by knowing the Land that supports you and the life that surrounds you, and this is a lesson that can never be learned from any book or training.

Enjoy these few images of my journey this week. As I return to the city I hope to take what I have learned and experienced with me, and to focus more on "doing" and less on merely "knowing."

Farming Land

A View of the River

The Alder King

The Alder King

A View

The Wise Hazel

Sunset In The Country

The Crooked Hazel