As I sit, quieten down and begin to listen to the whispering leaves that flutter in the autumn’s soft breeze, the descending sun casts a warm glow and creates an even darker shade of orange in the numerous oak trees that encircle me where I sit. This warm november has resulted in even more leaves than is usual to adorn these graceful and majestic oaks. This space is peaceful and calm, a shutting down of energy, now being preserved into the roots. The ground feels vibrant and alive. The grass grows thick and long for this time of year. The brambles and nettles, still a vibrant green, greener even than the evergreen conifers who struggled with the recent summer’s drought and are shyly showing brown petticoats beneath their thinning, threadbare frocks. The kaleidoscope of colour bedazzles the eyes and I feel grateful to be here in this space, to observe and to bathe my senses in such serenity. 

 

A blackbird’s alarm call has been sounding since I arrived with my dogs. But interestingly, she has now gone quiet since I began writing these words. Connected as we are, she can be quiet now I have acknowledged her concern. How interesting. A distant aeroplane rumbles past, as they always do, and breaks my reverie, reminding me of the chaos and madness that exists beyond this special place. An example of how we can choose to focus on the chaos or the calm. Both exist in any given moment and it is our choice where we settle our attention and thus the emotions that are stirred within us as a result. 

 

She would like to be shared. To be loved and appreciated. Honoured for all that she gives. Without her we cannot exist, yet she too cannot exist without us. A reciprocity. In harmony, in balance. To be celebrated and nourished. Not other, but part of us. Together we create wholeness, separated we are alone and ungrounded; easy to uproot. United we will be stronger and can start again. Share what we perceive. Deepen our practice to perceive more. Gather. Learn. Share. Listen. Love. Open your heart. Receive the lessons. Learn to speak and be heard. The wisdom of the elders is held within the oak, guiding us should we choose to listen or pay attention. Another cycle is heading our way. Hunker down and we will be ok. 

 

This week we did share the space; glorious artists gathered and brought their wonderful gifts and talents to the estate by painting the classroom with stunning nature scenes; flowers, fungi, trees, insects, leaves, birds and mammals now decorate the walls and have brought the space to life. Bringing the outside in has enlivened the room and made what we are learning and sharing here more alive and more connected. It was a joy to witness the walls being brought to life with character and beauty. I am so grateful to all those who came. It was a perfect representation of how all of us have something important to contribute and I hope, in time, we will add to these paintings and the density of the wildlife inside will increase and become more complex, just as it is doing across the estate on the outside. Together we will create wholeness, we will share, learn, and love with an open heart. The land is calling us to pay attention and we are doing what we can to listen.