Listening to Grandmother

I’m trying to get back in the habit of writing up posts so I thought I’d share a little story from my day yesterday.  I’ve been doing a lot more foraging from the wild lately, edibles, acorns, plants for dyes, etc.  Since I’m also a dip-pen and fountain pen enthusiast, I had decided to also use the numerous black walnuts around me to make some black walnut ink.  Taking a break from my studying, I went for a walk to find some black walnuts.

It’s late in the season to be sure and I knew any I would find would be black and decomposing.  In other words, perfect for ink.  After a quick stroll around I’d found very little since the leaves had also begun dropping in large numbers, covering what I was looking to find.  I then opted to go to a nearby park where also stood Grandmother Tulip.  Not only would I pay my respects to her and the Fey there, I’d look around for some walnuts.  I’d first encountered Grandmother Tulip over a year ago.  Go here for the three part entry on it.

Grandmother Tulip and I have built an extraordinary relationship.  I’ve taken my family and close family members to go see her.  Everyone who has met her has remarked, without me saying anything, on how gentle and loving she feels.  My daughter likes to just hug her and sit underneath her.  To me, it is a sacred relationship.  I always approach her with deep respect and she always greets me with love.  This afternoon was no different as I approached, laid a hand on her and just relaxed.  She told me a few things about the coming winter and I made sure to share some of my energy with her which I felt her pull into her roots and then “pulse” outward to the other nearby trees.  As if on cue I heard a breeze begin to the north and I smiled as it gently played through the woods.

As an afterthought I asked her, “So, do you mind telling me where I might find some walnuts?”  I felt a pulse of warmth and then I felt the same feeling I get when I’m dowsing and get a strong “hit.”  I felt a pull to the north and in my mind’s eye I saw an overhead map of where in the park I should go.  It was a very strong communication and I had to laugh out loud.  I said my thanks and my goodbyes, promising to be back in a few weeks.  In my communications with her so far I’ve learned that trees have a much different scale of time.  The best I can tell they operate on more “stretched out” version and it wasn’t too far removed from the way the Ents treated time in Tolkien’s works.

I walked over to that side of the park and noted no other black walnut trees until I got to the area indicated on the mental map.  Following with some directionless dowsing/intuition, I left the trail and walked to the spot on the mental map she had indicated.  Standing there was an adult black walnut tree with black nut hulls all around it.  I had the urge to applaud.  I’m not sure why.

I greeted her, said my thanks and felt an answer.  As I came nearer I saw an entire pile of black walnut husks peeled away, most likely, by a busy squirrel gathering the inner walnuts for storage.  I filled up a grocery bag with the forage and left the tree a small geode crystal I had found in my foraging as I said my goodbyes.

Walking back to my car with a smile I thought to myself, “Had it all just been that easy?”

Yes.  Yes it had been.

Thanks for Waiting on Me

It’s hard to describe what the past several months have brought my direction. In a previous post I mentioned that it was the result of manifestation work and I want to offer a bit more explanation. Four months ago, I started doing/making direct manifestation work in relation to finishing up my college degree which had gone dormant for about twenty years.  I asked the Universe pretty directly if it was a good idea and was told it would require a great amount of physical and mental energy but the idea was an excellent one.

I began to ask for direction and to look for signs pointing the way.  A little over three months ago, things opened up and against the grain of what I thought possible it became possible, bureaucratically and financially, for me to go back to school. In a flurry, I completed my re-registration, signed on for classes, and came to college for one final insane semester so as to finish up my degree by December.

This is where I have been. I’d thought I would have time to do a few videos and some posts.  I was so wrong! Given the fact I’m taking a little more than the required 12 credits and have a family, I’ve been incredibly swamped.  I’ve come to a whole new relation to what “sleep dep” really means to me.   However, I’ve kept up with my spiritual assignments via the Wildwood Tarot Bow Spread and just wrapped up a fairly intense one for Samhain.   The assignments have had an interesting focus of review, cutting away, death and renewal. I’ve spent a great deal of time looking at the very core of what I know and shaving away the parts that, although needed at one point, are no longer necessary to carry.  More than that, it’s been a deeply distilling process of application.

As to the Wildwood, I’m not sure what else to say.  If you follow this blog you know my deep seated love of The Faeries Oracle. It will always be special to me.   Yet, the Wildwood tarot deck has easily become one of the most amazing decks  I’ve ever worked with in my experience.  Since my reading I posted here about my work up to Lammas, I’ve regularly drawn a card almost daily so as to get regular instruction on my the information offered from the core readings.  It’s been nothing short of amazing and I’ve never seen so many Major Arcana cards coming forward time and time again.

A simple and recent example – In the early morning liminal space of November 1st,  I began my reading for information leading me from Samhain to Midwinter Solstice.  For warm-up, I drew a single card that would give me help with the day first.  Had things been wrapped up nicely at Samhain?  Where was I in my path and in my lessons?  As I shuffled, just as normally and gently as I had all the other days previously, something happened and a card literally flew upwards out of the deck, flipped over in front of my eyes and then floated to the floor and landed face up.  The card?   The World Tree. (The Universe Card in normal Tarot decks.)

“The great World Tree marks the end of the Wanderer’s Journey…” 

A true symbol that although things were far from over, some very initial and important work had been done and completed.  I made sure to really sit back and drink things in on the 1st including going to a local labyrinth for an afternoon walk.  During that walk a small still voice reminded me about this blog and that I needed to come back to it.  With my internal work over, it was time to come back.

I realized something else during the walk; the origin of that internal work.  The work and energy I had put into some things earlier in the year had opened a flood gate of information and connections which affected me more than I had given them credit for when I first encountered them.  If you remember I did a reading regarding rising Earth energies on the youtube channel.  I feel very strongly that this energy is continuing to rise and it’s effects can be felt worldwide.  I believe that it’s this rise in energy that caused me to become a bit more internal.  Almost as if the Universe was urging me to make sure the engine or the connection was running as clearly as possible and with a minimum amount of unneeded extras.  I also had a  handful of experiences with my card readings and some very intense dowsing/spiritual experiences (some of which I’m still trying to get my brain around.)  Add in a family move and a brand spanking new college semester and the resulting sum equals “not enough time in the day.”

So, as the switch happens from internal to external work I’m glad to be back and I will do my best to get at least one post out a week if possible.  If nothing else I promise not to let several months go by.  I want to extend my deepest thanks for all of you that have stuck with the blog during my absence.  Thank you for your support and your well wishes.

Now, let’s see what we can find out there!