Landscape as Witness

Living in the valley surrounded by the rolling hills of the Northern Appalachian mountains, intersected by two rivers, the Conemaugh and Stonycreek, to me, feels connected to presence, aliveness and change,

The hillsides in each season provide a constant reminder of change. Just a week ago, the hillside popped with oranges, russet browns and even pink colors on the leaves. Now, the trees on the ridge tops extend their bare branches up to the blue sky.

Meandering rivers carry yellow and brown leaves, some piling around rocks, sunlight dancing through trees and low lying shrubs. Ducks float. Geese fly. I breathe in and out, always mesmerized by the sheer awareness of aliveness and my connection to place.

What places capture the longing in your soul? What memories of place live in your body/mind?

In the Celtic Cosmology (and many others, I would venture to guess) landscape is alive. Of course it is!

I sit often on crisp fall mornings, the rolling hills shrouded in fog, anticipating their emergence. Their presence comforts me. Seeing the different places on the rolling hills throughout the day the sun illuminates fills me with awe. The cloudy days provide a different saturation of color on leaves, bark and more awareness of varieties of textures.

Change is constant. We witness this in the living, breathing system that is our planet. Our planet. This aliveness. What type of relationship do we have to this aliveness?

How do we live in right relationship with the elements, the changing seasons? This question guides many indigenous medicine practices including Five Element, Ayurveda and Celtic Cosmology.

Octavia Butler says change is God.

Arundhati Roy says Another World is Not Only Possible, She is on Her Way. On a Quiet Day, I can Hear Her Breathing. She is One Her Way.

Listen. Notice. Feel. Sense. Connect.