After the dreary and melancholy
weather of November overstayed its welcome (last weekend we had rain and
temperatures in the high 40's) an old-fashioned Upper Peninsula winter storm
finally arrived on the afternoon of December 20th and dumped a good
16” inches or more of snow before it cleared out of the area on the 21st.
I was granted my Yuletide wish.
I didn’t get the opportunity to
celebrate the Winter Solstice until Saturday the 22nd but I made the
most of it. Alone, I hiked out into the woods, making my way through
deep, sometimes waist high, snow drifts. I stopped frequently to soak in
the breath taking scenery around me and to capture it all with my digital
camera. I didn’t have a particular destination in mind since I am still
taking the time to get intimately familiar with these eleven wooded acres I
just purchased less than a month ago to add to my beloved three acre
homestead. I decided to follow the deer
tracks and trust that they would lead me to the perfect place to hold my
ritual.
I’m not sure how far I hiked and I
doubt it will be easy to find this place again as winter winds and storms can
completely transform a landscape, but I knew it the moment I saw it…a small
area semi-enclosed by a border of trees. From my winter coat, I removed a
yellow candle, the only ritual “tool” I had brought with me to symbolize the
returning sun, and placed it in the snow. I stood for a long moment,
silently watching the flame flicker and dance as the wind gently sighed through
the trees.
The ritual I had spent weeks
crafting and fine-tuning was abandoned for something much more spontaneous and
meaningful. I formally introduced myself to the Land Spirits that reside
in this beautiful wooded acreage and gave them my word that as their new
guardian, I would love and care for this land that had known only neglect and
indifference for more than 30 years. I honored my ancestors of blood,
bone, and spirit but I did not, however, call
upon any specific deity. Even though I
have felt the presence of the gods every day of my life, the more I pursue them,
the more elusive they become. Yet, somehow
I know that they are always there--as steady as a heartbeat.
My ritual complete but in no rush to
return home, I began exploring the area around my ritual site only to be
stopped dead in my tracks by a deep, loud growl behind me. I slowly
turned around and saw, just beyond some small pine trees, the dark body of an
animal but couldn't tell what it was. I starting yelling at him, the
entire time thinking, "Oh great, I'm going to get mauled to death and all
they're going to find is my bloody corpse." Then the wild animal
started running toward me and all my brain could muster up as a reaction was,
"oh shit!" As he plowed through the snow in my direction
and I braced myself for my violent demise, a familiar, goofy looking face
emerged and almost knocked me on my ass.
He's a hunting dog that belongs to
the neighbors who own the 20 acres just north of me (I've had to bring him home
several times in the past). He happens to be one of the sweetest, most
gentle babies alive but I know that we both scared the hell out of each
other. He runs out in these woods all the time and I’m sure he never
expected to encounter a crazy human babbling to herself out in the middle of
nowhere. After a quick friendly greeting and a loving pat on his head, he
high tailed it home and I enjoyed a good laugh at my own expense. Of
course, it would have been funnier if my heart hadn't gotten lodged in my
throat!
The ass end of the "wild"
dog running toward home...:)
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