Nature, Ritual, Connection: We are not just lovers of nature, we are part of the natural world. Perhaps that’s why, when we feel most emotional, we reach for the trees, rivers, mountains. Perhaps that’s why we find comfort basking in sun or dancing in rain. Perhaps that’s why I find peace weeding in the garden. Or why you might find peace rambling along a well trodden path. Perhaps that’s why so much ritual is within nature.
It’s probably one of the main reasons why the location of our final resting place matters so much. And why so many of us are seeking out Green burial alternatives.
I know I want to be nestled in a meadow of wild flowers protected on all sides by the Welsh mountains and in earshot of a flowing river. Good job I know just the place!
Last week a mother and daughter came to stay at my guesthouse.
As I do, I engaged in a conversation about what brought them here. their story touched me. Maybe because I do this myself to some extent.
The mother/grandmother of the two had always picked up a pebble from everywhere she visited in life. There was a substantial collection of her stones, rocks, shells from her various trips.
I do this too. I find myself drawn to a pebble on a beach or a bit of smoothed sea glass, or drift wood. A pebble of granite or lava rock, or slate or flint. And I bring them home and I nestle them in plant pots or in a bowl on the hearth.
A pilgrimage – a legacy gift
This lady went one step further, on each bit of treasure she wrote where it came from.
Grandma/mum has since died. Granddaughter/daughter are now on a pilgrimage to return each stone to its original home.
When they told me I cried. It’s so poignant and beautiful. They hadn’t thought of it as a pilgrimage, until I used the word. For them it was a way to spend time together. To me it was honouring a legacy. And the fact that Grandma/mum had gifted the pair an opportunity to spend precious time together, share stories and reminisce was priceless.
Nature, Ritual and Connection
Stones/shells/ leaves/driftwood – the things we pick up when we’re travelling, that connect us to our world are so precious. At a recent wedding, the couple had bathed in the local natural pools in the nearby river prior to their wedding. They had collected some river stones, which they placed on each chair at the ceremony. They invited their guests to hold the stones and imbue them with love and well wishes. A few days later, after their honeymoon, they took the stones back to the river and released all the love back into nature.
If you enjoyed this post you might like this – The Importance of Ritual
