But there is a dearth of fungi here this season. It is true.
In a way, maybe this is a good thing. Sort of. I guess.
It is in the sense that we have had to turn our attention to other things. Things overlooked, but things that also fill our hearts & imaginations. They are not fungi, but still, as I reflect, I am grateful.
When we turn our eyes from the duff, what more is there to discover?
The World. (In no particular Order.)
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| Just allow me open spaces to roam, please. |
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| And Mysteries to solve... A stone left at Hubby's workplace. Turns out this is Norwegian translated to runic, it says, roughly, "There is no cake served in hell." |
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| And flowers to Learn, Know & Nurture... Wild ones, like the Twinflowers (Linnaea borealis) |
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| And Buttercup (Ranuculus, spp.) |
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| Or Yarrow (Achillea millefolium L. var. borealis), white & pink varieties. |
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| And Strawberry Blite (Blitum capitatum) -- coated with insect reproductive activity of some sort, I suspect. |
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| A Foxglove (Digitalis spp.) at the front doorstep |
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| A Fuchsia, "Blackie" (Fuchsia, spp., one of many) in back. |
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| And Poppies (Papaver, spp.) everywhere in between. |
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| Show me other folks' creations to discover, admire, emulate... |
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| And allow me to indulge in their creative Secrets, Free Play & Art... |
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| Always remembering that everything, everything from eating to breathing to sleeping is an Art... (especially if there is a basil sorbet involved...) |
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| (...or a local rhubarb-infused vodka, paired with friendship & sacred choreography planning) |
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| And may I always be an open witness... Witches' Altar. Lammas 2015. |
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| Labyrinth, Anchorage, July 2015. |
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| Laybrinth, Kasilof, August 2015. |
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| Especially to Play. |
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| And more Play. |
Let me look to the Earth & the Sea & the Sky...
And everything in between.
And moreover...
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| Please let me recognize & embrace the aesthetic of every human moment... |
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| Let me respect my own mortality, (Also let me know my allies: wounds packed with Yarrow & bound with Plantain) |
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| And that of others... Shrew (Sorex, spp.) |
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| Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) remains. |
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| And please, let me laugh, (Thank you Llewellyn.) |
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| experience Joy, |
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| and Love. |
7 comments:
This is so good and refreshing and wonderful. I have been too into my books and my fitness. I've got to unfocus and relax, invest some time just *being*. I know better, just needed a reminder like this. Bless you!
What a lovely life-affirming collection of images. What wonderful parents you must be! Hearing about the absence of mushroom-people in your part of the world at the moment reminds me to send this link to an issue of another Australian academic eco-journal on the subject (only the contents, not the text, unfortunately). I do hope you manage to get hold of it...
http://www.panjournal.net/issues/10
Mitch,
I think some of your books & most, if not all, of your fitness is part of you being YOU & making your Art. Despite my initial introduction to you & your work as "Mordred" through the mystery box of books & blocks, whenever I think of you, I think of your urban writer/martial artist side -- the mystic who spray paints the side his garage & plays with logs & dice. There's a Joy & Bliss there too, in being you. And if you take your Play too seriously sometimes, if your work your Spirit too hard, well then, sure, relax luv. I fall into the trap of working too hard at these joyful things too -- sometimes I must have that conversation with myself about dance... "Why am I making this un-fun? How have I sucked the pleasure out & left this thing I love to feel like a chore?" Or worse still, when I have to ask, "Am I doing this to the detriment & expense of all the other sides of my life & not enJOYing it?" I suppose that is the cue to tell ourselves to chill out, unfocus & relax.
Brian,
I read the introduction piece for that issue of PAN -- FAB-U-LOUS. What I cannot figure out is whether one can purchase a print copy of that journal. Is it only online? I would love to have a hard copy to drag about & mangle. Smell too, of course. Thanks for the heads up -- I really appreciate it.
As to the parenting, this is heartwarming to hear. I think most parents never feel good enough & always keep their eyes to what they are inevitably neglecting in their children's lives. I can tell you that the joys & adventures you can see some of here come at the expense of other things human-folk consider important, like structure, organization & sometimes general common sense. In a way, raising children is a bit like re-raising yourself. The things with which you struggle most, those things you need to tend to in your own life will inevitably come to light.
I suspect that PAN may only be online. If you know a friendly academic they may be able to obtain it for you. Failing that it might be worth contacting one of the editors. No doubt they want their journal to be read :).
If only all parents realised they needed to re-raise themselves!
Happy foraging.
Beautiful photos. There's a special boreal yarrow?? Or are you just having a little fun?
Chas -- There *is* a boreal variety, Achillea millefolium var. alpicola, although how that really differs from the plants we see in the West I am not entirely sure. The Yarrow here is by majority white, but sometimes you find a few, or even a good patch of light pink to very, very dark pink, almost purple.
My reference to Yarrow here was not so much about nurturing & tending (obviously, because if any plant could grow on the Moon it would be Yarrow) or even elevating, but because I had my first experience of really, REALLY needing it. (It was a bloodbath.) So, I was more or less expressing an animistic gratitude as well as a very pragmatic thankfulness for having it in my neighborhood -- & in my awareness. Hope that helps explain how Yarrow made the pages. ;)
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