Meet Nettle. Nettle is a regular guest teacher on my #animalcommunication workshops. On a previous animal communication & storytelling workshop, an attendee wanted to know what animals thought of #storytelling -
She read her this #maryoliver poem: “For I will consider my dog Percy.
For he was made small but brave of heart.
For if he met another dog he would kiss her in kindness.
For when he slept he snored only a little.
For he could be silly and noble in the same moment.
For when he spoke he remembered the trumpet and when he scratched he struck the floor like a drum.
For he ate only the finest food and drank only the purest of water, yet he would nibble of the dead fish also.
For he came to me impaired and therefore certain of short life, yet thoroughly rejoiced in each day.
For he took his medicines without argument.
For he played easily with the neighbor’s Bull Mastiff.
For when he came upon mud he splashed through it.
For he was an instrument for the children to learn benevolence upon.
For he listened to poems as well as love-talk.
For when he sniffed it was as if he were being pleased by every part of the world.
For when he sickened he rallied as many times as he could.
For he was a mixture of gravity and waggery.
For we humans can seek self-destruction in ways he never dreamed of.
For he took actions both cunning and reckless, yet refused always to offer himself to be admonished.
For his sadness though without words was understandable.
For there was nothing sweeter than his peace when at rest.
For there was nothing brisker than his life when in motion.
For he was of the tribe of Wolf.
For when I went away he would watch for me at the window.
For he loved me.
For he suffered before I found him, and never forgot it.
For he loved Anne.
For when he lay down to enter sleep he did not argue about whether or not God made him.
For he could fling himself upside down and laugh a true laugh.
For he loved his friend Ricky.
For he would dig holes in the sand and then let Ricky lie in them.
For I often see his shape in the clouds and this is a continual blessing.” Nettle liked it. Even though she wondered for a while who this Percy was.
I love #trees. They all have stories to tell. I love listening to them creak in the wind. My son and I always say that they are talking to each other... Some of the trunks have such interesting shapes and patterns. It’s a good lesson in self-acceptance: each tree trunk tells a story, their story. That growth there is from that disease they had a few decades ago. That branch there got struck by lightning. There is a hole here made by a woodpecker, and there is still a nest from last year on another branch... Trees don’t look perfect. Nature doesn’t look perfect. Only man made nature looks perfect, genetically modified, hybridised, carefully designed. Be like a tree. Be proud to wear your story on your trunk. 💚
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#positivebodyimage #selfacceptance #naturewisdom #nature #treesofinstagram #resilience #treestagram #forest #woodland #beproudofwhoyouare #messagefromtheuniverse #thesecretlifeoftrees #belikeatree #spring
Tonight’s moon as we walked out of the woods.
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The #hare is associated with the #moon in many traditions... This connection is found in mythology and #folktales all over the world: India, China, Africa, Mexico, North America, and Europe at least. This association was positive until the medieval times, when the moon started to be associated with lunacy and the devil. From then on, Hares were often called “moon-struck”, another way of saying “mad”. Hare is often associated with the moon, along with the #springequinox , #easter , the #dawn and more importantly with #enlightenment.
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When we celebrate Easter we are celebrating the dawning of life. The Easter hare is symbolised laying eggs for Easter: the rebirth of life, new beginnings, the cosmos...
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I particularly love this story from the Jataka Tales, which are stories from India telling of the Buddha’s previous lives. There is a Jataka Tale called The Selfless Hare, in which the hare sacrifices herself, as a tribute to her kindness her face is painted on the moon for all to see...
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The animal kingdom has such a rich and meaningful presence in folk tales and #storytelling, I invite you to join me and @ashleyramsdenstoryteller at the end of June for our #animalcommunication & #storytelling workshop. Link in my bio 💚
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#druidry #folklore #druidanimaloracle #animals #animalstories #folkandstory #jatakatales #aprilmoon #totemanimal #animaltotems #animalwisdom #animalsymbolism #animalkingdom #animallovers #hares #naturalworld #wild #stories #naturetherapy #animaltherapy
I have been walking past these wild beauties for a while now... They have chosen to grow on the side of a quiet road in town. We walk past them when walking the dogs to our local woods.
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Their colour is so vibrant and joyful, they always catch my eyes. Yesterday the yellow light of the sunset was shining a golden glow on them. It was stunning.
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I read this yesterday and I’d like to share it with you: .
“We are guests of the Earth, not its masters. And, like ill-mannered children at a banquet offered freely by a generous and forgiving host, we have behaved badly and are in danger of spoiling the gathering for everyone else. Our thoughtless greed and selfishness have seriously disturbed the ecosystem.”
-Mark Ryan & John Matthews - The Wildwood Tarot.
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I find it fascinating to see how nature is present everywhere. Like a passive, quiet act of resistance. #nature resides in every single one of us. Even when we feel disconnected from her, she is still there... You can see her resisting us boldly through that dandelion growing in the crack of the pavement, or in this defiant look in the eyes of an urban fox crossing your path.
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She is here, resisting our attempts to overpower her. Watching her resistance makes me happy. It gives me hope and brings me so much #joy !
She is majestic like a queen and she doesn’t surrender to us. Nature is sacred and so much more intelligent than us. We think we are some sort of God who can decide which species or which plant should survive or disappear. We think we can organise and design nature to suit our greed driven needs... but like Captain Paul Watson once told me: “We are just a bunch of conceited apes out of control” 🦍💚✊🏽
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#flowersofinstagram #wildflowers #sacred #sacrednature #wildwood #rewilding #wildwoodtarot #druid #druidry #witchcraft #witchesofinstagram #witch🔮 #urbanwilderness #urbanflowers #fortheloveofnature #naturalworld #wildbeauty #peacefulresistance #civildisobedience #captainpaulwatson #sacredactivism #activism
Here is how I honour my #animaltotem - of course your animals are always by your side and don’t need to be displayed or worn for their energy to be with you. I always tell the attendees of my ‘meet your totem animal’ workshops to invite that energy into their life by wearing or carrying an object/picture representing their #totemanimal - I also show them how to make a basic altar somewhere in their home using a picture, a statue or even a piece of their animal totem - like a feather, shedded antlers, a disused nest, a piece of fur etc. The altar makes a very good point of focus for meditation. This is a way to honour your totem animal and it is an invitation to reflect on her: What is it that you like the most about her? What trait of her behaviour do you relate to the most? What does she make you feel like? How do you resonate with her energy? What are her main qualities? How can you embody these qualities in your day to day life? How can your totem animal help you be a better person?
Always remember to thank her for being in your life. Generate a feeling of #gratitude , which will help you feel your heart open and expand...
Then relax & enjoy being in that space for a while 💓
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The owl was made by @elf_nook_cottage 💝
I knitted the jacket myself - the pattern is #owligan by Kate Davies.
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#meditation #animalspirits #animalspiritguides #shamanism #animalmedicine #spirituality #animalallies #animism #altar #spiritualpractice #spiritualprotection #knitting #knittingismymeditation #storytelling #magickingdom #magicofstorytelling #animalcommunication #animalcommunicator
12 years ago today I married @_nyishar_ and we rescued Tara as a wedding present 💝 She has been with us ever since... She has been through these last 12 years with us, highs and lows... .
Dramatic changes have happen during that time, such as the arrival of our son almost 11 years ago, redundancy, injuries, the arrival of the cat, the loss of our other dog... A few house moves. She has been with us through whatever we have been through as a family together. To me it’s rare. .
If you were to ask her, I think she would tell you that not much has changed, from her perspective. We just went through the motion of life, dealing with whatever life threw at us, doing our best. She would agree with me that Paul hasn’t actually changed that much. He has always been Paul, with the profound desire to help others. He has worked very hard to be able to do so in a deep, meaningful way without burning out in the process. Tara has always been Tara, made of military steel so things just bounce off her. She may has mellowed with age and has lost her hearing a bit but she is still as stubborn and mischievous as the first day we met her 🐾 I think we are very lucky to have each other, to help and support each other navigate through the storms of life, altogether as a pack ⛈
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I do think that Tara has taught us a lot about love, fun, forgiveness, kindness, patience and making sure one’s own needs are met. I do believe that we all have a lot to learn from the very young and the very furry...🙏
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#happyanniversary #lifelessons #bestfriend #love #12years #selfportrait #dogsofinstagram #staffygram #staffiesofinstagram #staffydaily #batterseadogshome #adoptdontshop #dogrescue #loveandkindness
I once gave worry dolls to my son. If you are not familiar with them, worry dolls are small, hand-made dolls.
In the dolls' original Guatemalan tradition, a local legend about the origin of the worry dolls refers to a Mayan princess named Ixmucane. The princess received a special gift from the sun god which would allow her to solve any problem a human could worry about.
In traditional and modern times, worry dolls are given or lent to brooding and sorrowful children. They tell their doll about their sorrows, fears and worries, then hide it under their pillow during the night. After this, the child will literally sleep over the whole thing. The next morning, all sorrows are said to have been taken away by the worry doll.
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When I gave worry dolls to my son 5 years ago, he did just that: told them his worries & put them under his pillow. I don’t actually know what he told them, wether they got offended, frightened or fell with each other, but the next day they were nowhere to be found! I have looked everywhere, turned his bed and his whole room upside down and : nada. They just vanished in thin air... I was sharing this story with @elf_nook_cottage - Trish makes the most beautiful spirit dolls: They just appear before her as she starts knitting. I’m in awe of Trish’s dolls. I have been stalking her on Instagram, going oooh and aaah at her posts.
Then this parcel turned up last week. And there, all tucked up in their indigo dyed little beds, wrapped up in rainbow paper were three worry dolls handmade by Trish for my son!! When he unwrapped them he said: “ooooh look! They are all tucked up in their little beds!!” They look so beautiful! It seems they can handle whatever my kid tell them, as so far they are still under his pillow and they are still smiling!
Worry dolls have also played a role in modern pediatrics and child psychiatry. During a psychological interview with children, counsellors have offered worry dolls to the child as some kind of imaginary, but trustworthy "listener", "allayer" & "contact person". The doll, in turn, will work for psychiatrists, psychologists, educators & parents as some kind of "agent" between child & adult. Thank you so much Trish!
