The Witchery of Living

October in the Midwest. Blustering wind, rainy days, leaves beginning to fall in beauty and a little bit of spooky. The history of "witches," rife with fear of strong, intelligent, wise women with deep connections to nature, inspires me to look to the earth at this time. Walking in the woods. Breathing into the strong breezes. Digging my fingers into the cold earth. Watching the animals as they prepare for winter. My forever-favorite, Mary Oliver, based her work in the natural world. She illuminates for us how to see ourselves in nature. She reminds us:

the earth is wise

mother nature shows us what we need, we just have to look

we are creatures of the earth like all the rest

we have forgotten this earth is our home

we can always find our way back home.

From her book, Evidence: Poems, I share one of my most beloved, 'To Begin With, the Sweet Grass":

1.

Will the hungry ox stand in the field and not eat

    of the sweet grass?

Will the owl bite off its own wings?

Will the lark forget to lift its body in the air or

    forget to sing?

Will the rivers run upstream?

Behold, I say—behold