Week 5: Held Between Storm and Sun
Weather in Motion
Reflection
On these mornings, upon awakening
when the sky is slate, confusing twilight for morning
and the rain pelts the house in sheets; at times dancing on the glass window.
I burrow into my sheets surrounded by the warmth of my fur companions who, too, want to share warmth against the tumult outside.
Evidence & Ecology
Winter on the BC West Coast is experienced through water.
In it’s abundance it creates the shorelines, the rivers, stream and lakes; all of the reservoirs of life that will hold us through the long dry summers.
Through this process of creation, rain becomes the spiritual architect of this ecosystem. Without it there would be no misty, humid and voluptuous forests of green, full of the mosses, lichens and other bryophytes that drape and frame the canopy, inhaling the moisture for growth.
This element often arrives in deluges in winter. Sometimes sideways and pelting, and other times simply a vast enveloping mist, that hovers, not seeming to arrive or dissipate.
It cleanses the earth in this little pocket of paradise, renewing a cycle of growth and death that creates abundance for every creature that exists within.
In the times between, the sun breaks through clouds that have cloaked it’s brilliance for what, oftentimes, seems like weeks. This dazzling display takes us by surprise as we forget its existence behind the shroud. Our human nature always leaning towards “what we cannot see, does not exist”.
When you experience a ‘deluge’ in your life do you open yourself up to it’s power to cleanse and renew?
Where have you noticed rebirth and creation in your life after periods of darkness and storm? Have you allowed yourself the grace of acceptance to this ongoing dance of life? Never still. Always in motion.
When the darkness and rains arrive in your life, are you able to remember that the sun still exists behind these stormy moments? That like the sky, these clouds will dissipate to reveal the warmth and power of the sun on your face once again.
Moment by moment, the storms of life come and go, with interludes of warmth and happiness scattered between. No one moment will last forever. Both darkness and light will end. Do not only endure. Have gratitude for both as teachers on your path.
The Practices
Embodied Nature Meditation
The Tree in the Storm
Begin by finding a comfortable posture that supports you in this moment. Sitting or standing.
Lift your toes and spread them, before you intentionally lower them back to the earth. Notice your connection to the earth. Feel the weight of your body supported by the chair or the floor.
Become aware of the weather outside; the wind, rain or cold. Feel the cool air on your skin and invite it's presence. Offer no resistance…..
Somatic Witnessing
Wintering Pause
When feeling overwhelmed or experiencing a lingering melancholy due to the darkness or intensity of the weather, take a moment to check in with yourself.
Pause, soften into your body with your breath and gently inquire “what do I need more of in this moment?”
What is my body asking for? Soothing? Energy? Warmth?
Respond with a kind and gentle acceptance that you will provide what your body needs….
Story of Place
A Conversation with the Season
In the traditional ecological knowledge and spiritual practices of the Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, who are the traditional landholders of this area, the period of late January was one of dormancy that mirrored the earth’s rest. Indoor storytelling, ceremony and weaving filled their days.
The snow blanketed the mountains ensuring an abundance of water to sustain the salmons lifecycle during summer. Their model of existence was that of the “Gift Economy” where the interconnectedness of the ecosystem ensured a healthy and prosperous life for all inhabitants - including the more than human.
Snow would fall and be held in the mountains, until the spring melt. The streams would be fed with this cold and abundant water sharing moisture with the earth around encouraging a richness of growth of skunk cabbage, salmon berries, nettles and poplar bud. The foodstuffs and medicinal plants that early spring gifted the people.
The photo above was taken in 2006. A year of magical winter abundance in the coastal mountain ranges. Bluebird days of ski touring. Snow so deep that trees were blanketed half way up their trunks. Snow and ice bridges lasted until late spring. Our blissful ignorance thought it would always be this way…..
The Invitation
Nature Kinship
Weekly nature connection practices aligned seasonally to engage with your locale. Encouraging immersion, appreciation and spiritual attunement with the more than human world around you.
Always remember to enjoy these practices within the bounds of your physical and ecological limits (do not sit outside when it’s -40, or walk on slippery surfaces), practice “leave no trace” and mindful reciprocity (take only what you need, ask permission from the earth, and only leave what is naturally biodegradable)
Gifts from the Storm
I invite you to go outside after a storm has passed - whether it wind, rain, snow or sleet. Feel the freshness of the air. Fully charged with negative ions. Crisp and clean.
Find yourself in a space surrounded by nature; a meadow, forested glade, beside a stream or intertidal flats. Even if in an urban area, you may choose to walk down a street graced with trees, an urban park or your own backyard with any mixture of trees, bushes and grasses.
Allow yourself to be drawn towards what is calling to you. Do not over think. Go where your body tells you…….
A Final Note
Closing Invocation
“You are not surprised at the force of the storm - you have seen it growing. The trees flee. Their flight sets the boulevards streaming. And you know: he whom they flee is the one you move toward.”
Singing the Earth
All photos copyright
Nature. Connected.
