Connecting back to the Sacredness of Nature
Have you considered that life on our planet is actually a dependent relationship?
We rely on nature, Gaea, Mother Earth, to provide us with the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we irrigate our crops with. It has even been scientifically proven that our personal levels of health, happiness and prosperity are interwoven with our relationship to the natural world around us.
"Nature is not a place to visit, it is home.”
(Gary Snyder)
Our distant ancestors understood the sacred connection between their environment and their own selves. All around the world we still marvel at the alignment of monuments to specific seasonal and astronomical timings, such as how the first ray of the sun pierces an entrance way of a megalithic tomb in order to expose an engraved stone at the end of a darkened passage way at the autumn equinox or winter solstice, as is the case with Newgrange in Ireland.
It has been scientifically proven the positive effect that connecting with nature has on our health. Not only does it have a calming quality on our stress levels, but can also improve our own mental health.
On a more spiritual level, when we align ourselves with the natural ebbing and flowing of the seasonal cycles, we become more consciously aware of our connectiveness with, not only our immediate environment, but also with the planet upon which we live as a whole.
Within earth-centric spiritual practices, this ebbing and flowing of the energetic tides of our planet is referred as the Wheel of the Year.
The Wheel of the Year follows the eternal cycle of nature: from winter to spring, to summer then autumn, and back to winter again, where it repeats. When we consciously align ourselves with this understanding, we realise that there are times of birth, growth and abundance, as well as also times of decline, old age and death. On a deeper level we also understand that, as in all things, there is wisdom to be learnt, not just in what is bright and new; there is also deep knowledge and vision in those things old and dark.
Through consciously aligning ourselves with the Wheel of the Year, we return to the natural ebb and flow of not only the seasonal tides around us, but also the cosmic tides that influence our planet. This concepts enhances the belief that we are not insular beings - but a part contained in a much greater macrocosm that flows through us, connecting with us as we connect with it. In other words …
As above, so below - as within, so without.
Within specific earth-central practices it is taught that through understanding and working with these various energetic tides that a greater Mystery is revealed - that of the endless cycle of birth-life-death and rebirth. As is found within many Indigenous teachings, this Great Mystery can be found contained within the sacred stories, all of which add a deeper level of understanding of these cycles, not to mention connectiveness to the land upon which we all reside.
It is acknowledged that at times the Northern Hemispheric myths can seem out of place in a sunburnt land such as Australia, yet on a deeper level, they still hold many of the original keys with respect to understanding these Mysteries that may otherwise be forgotten.
In 2012 I published Dancing the Southern Wheel, which was a journey through the eight seasonal festivals (referred to as “sabbats”) as observed within my own earth-centric spiritual practice from a Southern Hemispheric perspective. From the inclusion of Northern Hemispheric myths and seasonal observances formed a foundation upon which astronomical happenings from south of the equator as well as a selection of local flora and fauna activity and Indigenous information was interwoven.
Today, some 10 years later, my book still appears to be one of the few books where the sole focus is on the Wheel of the Year, especially from the Southern Hemisphere.
**If you reside in Australia and would like to purchase a signed copy of Dancing the Southern Wheel, please email me for details.
Unsigned copies are available through an assortment of online book suppliers as well as via Amazon.com.
If you are interested in learning more about the Wheel of the Year from a Southern Hemispheric perspective, I also have a video series on the sabbats available on my YouTube channel.
Circle of the Seasons
:: Winter Solstice zoom call - 21 June 2023 (8pm ACST).
In this special Zoom circle, we explore the myths and magic of the winter solstice, discover what sacred sites are in alignment to the ultimate darkness and the rebirth of the sun, and also discuss ways as to how we, in the modern world, can reconnect with this most invaluable time of the year - that of complete darkness.
Regardless of where you live in the world, we will all experience the winter solstice at some stage during the year. How do we feel when the encroaching darkness comes around? Many of us have been conditioned to be afraid of the darkness, regardless of its essential benefits to our health.
When you join this zoom call, you will be invited to undergo a transformational inner journey connecting you with the nurturing darkness out of which the light and life of our very being is born, as well as receive a booklet about the solstice.