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| Roamer of the Subterranean Forest by Andy Kehoe |
Over the past 2 weeks there have been many sightings of Deer and Stag in Sherbrooke Forest. It is indeed a magical world here in the green, especially in Winter. Winter is my favourite season and I am opening more and more to the messages and oracular wisdom being shown to us daily here in forest. In the Dark Moon I felt the presence of Deer so close to our home and I began to create a medicine doll that brought such a sense of nourishment to me that I decided that she was for me to keep. At first I thought she was Stag Woman - carrying the energy of both Sacred Masculine and Feminine but as I was making her I began to remember an elderly couple who cared for me when I was child. Their names were Mr & Mrs Elks and they were so incredibly resilient and wise. Brought up in the bush, they lived simply and mended what broke down and and whenever I went to their home I was always excited because I never knew what creature would be in their house. Because of their childhoods spent in the bush, they were used to wild creatures and any time an animal was found hurt or sick by a local, they brought it to 'The Elks' to care for it before it was released into the wild again.
One of my strongest memories is of feeding a baby joey kangaroo with a baby's bottle whilst looking up at a painting of a deep green forest of Redwood trees and deer. I loved that painting. It seemed to calm me instantly when I got home from school and I understand now that I would often become entranced while looking at it and go into deep meditation. I always had a feeling that I remembered this kind of world. Even though I lived in such a hot and dry place, I remembered what it was like. Years later I discovered the exact same print: Serenity by Paul Delefsen, 1969, in an op-shop and felt such a wave of emotion and familiarity. It's kitschy and cute but I still love it and I hung it in our healing space. One day a client pointed out that it looked very similar to a photo that I had on my computer screen that I'd taken on my first walk in Sherbrooke Forest. At that time I was waiting to find our new home and was using the photo to dream it in. I'd had no idea before that of how very similar the two images were. The forest we live and work in is populated with giant Mountain Ash trees, the second tallest hardwood trees in the world after the Redwood. And now I discover that there are also deer nearby... I see now this print from my childhood was perhaps my first vision board. One that my child-self recognised straight away and one, you could say, that worked slowly but very, very well.
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| Serenity - hanging in our healing space today |
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| Photo I took on my first walk in Sherbrooke Forest - 10 mins from what is now our home |
When I remembered all of this, I saw that my wee wise woman was not Stag but Elk Woman. She is a link to the beautiful elderly couple who introduced me to my future home so long ago and taught me how to handle and not fear wild creatures. It was my inner child that made her and brought this memory back to me. This is the power of Spirit and Medicine Dolls - they can be wonderful memory keepers and awakeners.
In this time of such a wave of change it's important for us to move towards not only work that nourishes and inspires us but also to move to land that calls us. To be connected to the Earth is so important. She is the best teacher and she truly is all you need. What Country calls to your Dreamer? Where do you feel most at home? Choose a photograph, a magazine cutting or paint a picture of your Dreamer's Home and put it somewhere you can see every day. No need to strive or stress or feel cut off - give this wish to your Dreaming heart and be patient, don't put any expectation upon it - instead sing to your Dreamer's Home, sing the songs of that Land and Country. Imagine you are there already. Take comfort in the fact that it truly exists and you will find your way back.
