Wintertime.

It’s time to let the Old Woman have her way and come in. December is a time of deep contemplation for me, -of rune casting, writing, painting, and now swimming! The Old Woman has me tending to the personal, the elemental, and the animal. I’ve discovered my fox friend Annie, my BFF here on the Aspotogan, has mange and I will be trapping her and taking her to Hope for Wildlife so she can rehabilitate. If she’s too cunning to be caught, I will be able to treat her here, but the cold might be too hard on her and Hope has warm space for another fox. Goddess Bless Hope, so often I am noticing the bedrock strength of one woman taking on thousands of helpless suffering animals. It’s incredible. If you have any more money to spare this season, consider a donation to Hope. Without her our injured and diseased wildlife would be left to suffer. This isn’t The Way.

This breathtaking time of Solstice. A time to sit with the year past, and even the decade past. To sit in honesty of who you are and speak your truth. What is working, what isn’t? What would you like to change? What is in your power to change? What were the highlights and lowlights? One of the highlights of this year for me was spending time with Mi’kmaq elder Albert Marshall at the How We Thrive Nova Scotia convergence. As many of you know, I spend a lot of time being with the land here -talking, listening, making medicine, sharing stories and song. But there’s a part of me that is always aware that I am living on stolen land, and this imperial colonial wound gets in the way of feeling like I truly belong here. I do my best, but it’s not home. Sitting with Albert Marshall this spring allowed me to put voice to some of my feelings and feel heard and accepted. Welcomed by the land. As Albert expressed, the colonial wound started here in Nova Scotia so it is at its deepest; here will also be where it truly begins to heal. I felt that healing force of love over the weekend coming from Albert and other Mi’kmaq elders. They are the true voice of this land. The earth still loves us, she just wants us to wake up and belong.

Three questions came out of that encounter. They are:

Who are you?
Where do you come from?
What are you doing here?

I have these sentences taped to my wall. I let them into my digestive tract and merge with my insides. They are a call to the soul to get real. I have a feeling we are going to be hearing more of that soul call as 2020 progresses. May we all answer in our own way and begin or continue on our journey of belonging.

-Blessed Be on the Longest Night.