Nature Spirits Keep A Place Alive!

Although it would be hard for most people to say where nature spirits are, it would be very easy for anyone to point out where they are absent from. This is because the role of nature spirits is to keep the land and all that is natural on it healthy, vital and alive. And we can all know when a place feels vibrant and alive and when it doesn’t, can’t we?

Amongst the earliest people we know of who took an interest in the spirits of the land were the Vikings. Their ships used to have fierce-looking carvings on the front to intimidate their enemies. An old law said that those carvings had to be removed and hidden when a ship came home for fear that the spirits of the land would be frightened away and the land would be worthless and sterile.

What are they?

It is thought that every natural thing, whether it is a plant, a rock, a tree, some grass or a puddle, has a spirit. This is thought to be something like a low-level intelligence or consciousness. However, all the spirits of an area can be thought of as working together, helping to create a web of life which sustains each aspect of the land in a harmonious way. This helps to promote growth and contributes to a feeling of well-being in such an area.

Some people will say that you could call such spirits by familiar names such as brownies, elves, sprites, fairies, dwarfs and so on. Others will say that they have no names, but you can only really sense them as being present or absent.

Is it important what they are called?

Not really.

If you like gardening, then you can call upon the nature spirits to help you with the fertility of your garden. You don’t have to know their names or anything like that. What you have to do, instead, is show some respect for them.

Consider this...They have been tending this planet for a long time. They have witnessed our ugly buildings and our brutal farming and still they try and create beauty and harmony. How would you like it if someone came along and ignored what you had been doing for years and years and simply assumed you would do as they asked, without explanation or respect for your knowledge?

How do you work with them?

Remember that we are talking about nature spirits, things associated with the land. We’re not talking about making your house suddenly better (although they have a small role in such tasks). We’re primarily talking about the outside,about gardens, about growing and flowing things; land and water and air (and sometimes fire).

So, if you are serious about wanting to work with them, take the time to sense them. They’ve always been there, but you haven’t necessarily noticed them.

• Begin by feeling the air flow over you outdoors. Feel where it flows from, where it’s going. How it feels about it. Move to sensing the earth itself. The feel of it between your fingers (and toes?). Close your eyes and let your senses be as wide a they can to catch every little sensation which comes to you.
• All you’re trying to do is become closer with the land, to understand it better through your senses. You can take a very long time to do this or you can do it for short periods every day. But be sincere. Really want to know, to feel, to understand.
• When you have that understanding, then you can begin to explain what it is you really would like to happen. See it clearly in your head. Explore it in your mind. See it through the seasons.
• Then, when you have it clear, ask the nature spirits if they would be willing to help you, because they have so much knowledge to share. Wait. Wait for the answer to come. It might be short and obvious, but it might also be an answer which says something like, “That’s nice but we can make it work better if we alter it by doing thus and so”.
• Don’t be arrogant and assume your vision is the only right one. They know far more than you. Be guided.
• When you are ready (and don’t rush any of this!!), feel your way to what are the first tasks and how they should be carried out.
• If you really want their help, keep asking them, keep seeking guidance, keep listening to them. Don’t think that asking them once and then never speaking to them again will ensure their co-operation, because it won’t!

If it truly is a joint venture, everyone will know, because everyone knows what such an area of land feels like!!

PS...Don’t take all the credit!!

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