Of ceremony, loss and renewal

There isn’t a way to fully love someone and care about them while shielding yourself from the pain of their loss. ~ Tamsin Shaw

Loss of job. Loss of love. Loss of life.

In this summer of 2020 we are experiencing many losses.

Loss is a part of every life. It only becomes a nightmare if we assume it should be otherwise.

In this time of grief for the past and fears about the future, I find it nurturing to return to nature to rediscover wonder, curiosity and gratitude.

Recently, my community planted a young maple tree to replace a grand maple that had shaded the grounds of a 100-year old former elementary school.

While we relished the memories of the old tree, we stepped into ceremony to welcome the new.

Each of us gathered seeds, flowers, grasses and stones on solitary nature walks in the morning. At sunset we joined together to create an earth mandala around the young tree, inviting the ancestors of the land to engage with us in our celebration.

We acknowledged this small tree would grow to be majestic, offering shelter long after we the celebrants had disappeared from this earthly plane.

How could it be otherwise?