Make Friends with the Land

I have the wonderful luxury of having my house on the edge of the woods. This living situation offers me the closest access to the raw, untouched natural world I have ever had. Since moving in over five years ago, I have routinely expressed my profound gratitude for the land. At first these expressions were more about me – that I was so grateful to have this be my living situation, but soon that gratitude was extended to the specific energy of the land itself.

The composite energy of pine and oak and birch and maple and fern and moss and granite and quartz and deer and chipmunk and bear and turkey and hawk and owl became familiar over time. This happened not just due to proximity and my associating them with “home,” but rather, witnessing them change through the seasons – and years – and appreciating their specific medicines.

I’ve walked the trails in these woods many times both solo and with my dog Aahana. Every time I have crossed the threshold from the grassy area of the back yard to the unlandscaped, I’ve offered an out- loud prayer to the woods, honoring them, asking them for safe passage, and when needed, requesting their assistance with whatever personal issue I’ve been struggling with. I routinely have offered prayers through tobacco and song. My intention in doing this has been simply to honor the land. I’ve felt it necessary to show up in both energy as well as in action from a state of humility, as I recognize I am just a guest passing through – whether I’m at this house for another 2 weeks or another 2 decades. It’s simply felt like the polite thing to do.

One day I was walking with Aahana through the woods when she took off running. This is not an uncommon experience– she loves chasing chipmunks and squirrels and rabbits – but she usually loses the race, or interest, rather quickly, and happily returns back to my side and we continue on our way. The exception to this rule is if we encounter deer. Those four-leggeds induce a level of excitement in her that requires me to run after her and re-leash her.

Such as it was on this day, as she took off and I saw four deer prancing their way through the forest. I recognized the scene and ran off after her. Naturally, both the deer and the dog are way faster than the human, and Aahana followed the deer up over a ridge out of my sight line.

I wasn’t scared, as I could still intuitively feel her energy. But I also understood that she could be in real danger of getting lost, or running out onto a street in front of a moving vehicle.

So I turned to the woods. Out loud I called for their help. I asked for their help keeping her safe and guiding me and her to reunion as soon as possible. I climbed up over the ridge where Aahana had followed the deer, and saw a fox walk across my path. Odd, I thought, as it’s the middle of the day… foxes usually show up around dusk.

My eyes followed where the fox went as it disappeared into some thick brush. I turned and started walking that direction, and as I did, Aahana came into view, happily prancing along, heading right back towards me. The only indications she bore of her adventure being the black mud on her legs and her usually white-and-pink belly, eyes bright, tail wagging, and tongue happily falling out her mouth.

I was grateful, and surprised, at her sudden reemergence. I put her on leash, walked her home, bathed her, and then came back out to offer a more formal gratitude to the woods.

The engineer side of my brain wants to say that I have no concrete proof that any of this is related.

Perhaps it was mere coincidence that all this happened as it did. But the spiritual side of me deeply believes otherwise. That it is through my efforts to establish a healthy relationship with the woods, through ritual and offering and song, that the woods has seen my heart and earnestness, my humility and my willingness to partner with them, that they were more than willing to help me out in a moment of need.

This is not any special power that I have. I wasn’t granted any special treatment from the woods because I have had training as a shamanic practitioner. From all my experience, the woods does not care about such things. For them, it is not about title or training; it is about heart-centered relationship. This is something that every single person not only can do, but would be wise to do.

A sampling of simple ideas to cultivate a heart-centered relationship with the land:

• Go out and say hello. Introduce yourself. Talk to the trees, the earth, the rocks, the flowers, the birds, as if they are a dear friend or sibling. Remember this is not about reciting a specific prayer; it is about speaking from the heart.
• Sit out on the land. Just sit and witness. Be present with and curious about all that is arising. This is not about creating a detailed account of all the data points, but rather allowing yourself to experience the flow of the natural world.
• Offer a gift to the land. Put a crystal, or a bowl of crystals, at the base of a tree. Again, the specifics of which crystals is up to you. Be aware of the difference between offering something to the land which doesn’t matter to you compared to something that you value. The level of heart connection you have to your offering matters greatly.
• Research the local ecology. Who are the birds whose calls you hear? What is the medicine of the trees and plants who are growing next to you? These are your neighbors. Showing up with curiosity about who you are sharing space with opens your heart and deepens your appreciation of all that surrounds you, which is a powerful pathway to connection and communion.

Wherever you live, I strongly recommend you make friends with the natural world right around you. It is, at the very least, good manners. The deeper your relationship goes, though, you have no idea how the land may step in to help you out in your time of need.