Dear All,
Thank you Francesca for raising my awareness to consider placing
nature. This is so obvious and now, I see my blind spot ? too
difficult to face.
I will share some very personal musings on separation from nature and
the impact of the lack of that resource.
Connecting with nature is so necessary for some, and from my
perspective for everyone.
When we ask the question who or what is missing it had not occurred to
me until now to consider nature ? mother earth. This year I?ve become
more and more aware of my need to relocate and live more closely with
mother earth again. I?ve realised that in part my lack of connection
in Australia is from missing my close communion with nature. My Celtic
soul craves that grounding. There are of-course deep dynamics around
migration from rural Ireland.
At a time of great change in my life your posting is timely.
As I write tears stream down my face. Those who know me well will have
heard of my mountain and my kitchen window in Ireland. From my
grounded place there, I communed with nature, hours of conversing
prayer, oft time lamentation viewing the changing tones of the heather
on Benevenagh mountain (240m), which overlooks Ireland?s longest and
best beach, Benone Strand (10 km, formerly known as Magilligan). To
the west the headland of the Donegal hills a perfect backdrop for the
setting sun, and reported to be the inspiration for Red Sails in the
Sunset. (The Donegal hills in southern Ireland are actually due north
of Northern Ireland!) The flat plains of the raised beach of
Magilligan in years gone by were called the ?medicine garden of
Ireland? due to the variety of herbs found among the sand dunes.
Living in close communion with mother earth balanced complex external
demands. Nature provided an incalculable resource.
Life in Northern Ireland was challenging, and involved ownership and
operation with my then husband, on a part of the family farm, of a
tourism business (100 acres), seven miles from Magilligan prison. The
nature of the business necessitating personal attack buttons at either
side of our bed and at every entrance to our home. (The buttons, if
activated and they were, brought the police (RUC) in attendance within
twenty minutes from the nearby town of Limavady. The leave-taking
process is another story.
Now, living in Australia for the last sixteen years and eleven of
those in Fremantle, close to the Indian Ocean, where although I plunge
into the ocean to soothe my soul most days is not the same as living
closely with nature and feeling the pulse and rhythm of the earth. I
had no idea the cost of that lack of nature?s resource, until I became
more aware of the impact and jarring of the louder and louder urban
noise and vibrations and my dis-ease.
A special experience of connection with nature in Australia, being the
Cape to Cape Land Rover trek from Cape Leuwin, WA to Cape York,
Queensland in 1998 ? communion with the red Centre, the many
Australians and Australias.
Thankfully, in August, a difficult constellation with low, low energy,
beautifully facilitated by Albrecht Mahr revealed and healed key
aspects of my migration journey.
Those of us who participated in AMI with Albrecht Mahr in Queensland
in August experienced and enjoyed close connection with nature, the
sounds, smells and rhythms of nature an implicit aspect of our holding
field.
On a cool and blustery morning in Fremantle I shall go bounce in a
turbulent Indian ocean and no doubt ponder the wisdom of pressing send.
Seems apt to close on a Celtic Blessing
Deep peace of the running waves to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
With love to
All my relations
Heather
North Fremantle, Western Australia
