Earth Shrine 2 (Directions)

Last weekend I returned to the spot where I had made the nature shrine I called the “Earth shrine.” You can see it in another post. There is a beautiful flat stone in the river where I had created the piece about four years ago. I felt drawn to go back to that same location four years later, and build again. It’s interesting because in the post about the first shrine here, I talk about this not being the only one. I had forgotten completely about that, yet four years later here I was returning to this spot to create again!

Four years ago, when I built the first shrine here it had a very specific focus. A friend and I were about to go on an “Earth Walk.” An Earth Walk is heading into nature to fast, meditate, drum, journal and whatever else you feel you need to do. The goal is to get some kind of clarity about your life or situation. I had found a compass and decided to make the shrine sort of like a compass, and with an intention of acknowledging the idea of direction and the directions.

This year what unfolded on this very same spot was something similar. Also looking like a compass, a circle with clear indications of the directions. My last shrine spoke to my health concerns, and weight problems, etc. My yearning to connect more with my body, and my “Earth” element. As I built the new shrine here I couldn’t help but think of how far I’ve come in four years. Having lost some weight, and gotten on a healthy exercise routine, my health doing better in general. Whatever magic was created that day in the shrine building, and that coming week at the Earth Walk, had worked!

I was thinking about making choices in life. How we often come to cross roads, and have pivotal decisions to make that will alter the course of our lives. Some days, some months, some years, hours or even minutes are more important than others in the course of our lives. Often times when we are in it we don’t even recognize the importance of the moment. Our lives can unfold in so many various ways depending on small decisions we make along our paths. I’m not sure why this is significant to me now as I build this shrine, but I listen to the guidance with curiosity, and I let the message unfold visually into the new shrine/ mandala.

A friend points out when comparing the two shrines how much “softer” and more “open” this new one feels compared to the one I made before. I think about her comment and how I feel softer and more open. How the last time I built here I was having a slot of heavy concerns, and today as I build I feel more gentle, soft, open and joyful.

The white fluffy stuff is animal fur. I found it on the walk out to the building site. Clearly an animal had been eaten by another, and a pile of fur was left behind. It’s use in the shrine felt like a homage to the beauty and growth that comes out of death itself. Meaning death as a metaphor for transformation. It ties into the decisions theme. When we choose one path another “dies.” Another friend notes how the fur looks like “clouds” in the center of the mandala.

Another significant event that happened with these two shrines is the presence of a red headed woodpecker while I built. I was surprised and delighted to see him come back and hang out with me as I built with seeming curiosity again this year, and remembered him from before. Woodpecker become like a guide for me on the Earth Walk after my experience with them here while building the shrine. While fasting in the forest, and in somewhat of a trance state by then, I had an experience with a giant pileated woodpecker. I heard a sound like a woman’s laughter in the forest and followed it only to meet this magnificent bird. It was HUGE! I was awe. I followed it for several hours and it took me on all sorts of adventures in the forest including coming onto some sacred land nearby used by the the Native American community for their ceremonies. It showed me it’s favorite stand of trees to east from and they were utterly destroyed by this beast! I thought about the significance of woodpecker, who finds it’s treasures and sustenance in dead trees. In other words one mans trash is another’s treasure. Their constant drumming and digging beaks at work they also bring an emery of persistence and strong will. An attribute I think is clearly linked to healthy routines and also one that feels very “Earthy” to me!