The Importance of Connecting to the Land
“One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between man and nature shall not be broken.”
—Leo Tolstoy“To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.”
—Helen Keller
There’s a magic that comes with connecting to the land. It can be quite a controversial subject, the land. It’s one of those areas that has been subjugated by the far right, all that blood and soil stuff and of course if you live on colonised or stolen land, well, you know how that narrative goes. But I wanted to talk about connection to land today anyway, despite those things already mentioned. You see, I believe we all too often let these issues get in the way of forming a meaningful connection to the land where we find ourselves. That’s not to minimise those issues or to sweep them under the carpet. They are important topics, we do need to acknowledge and discuss them, but all too often you see these discussions tear folks further away, you see them being hammered out by people who truly care about these matters, antifascists, leftists, witches, pagans and occultists and what often happens is that people who are perhaps on the same side, or at least should be, end up arguing about the semantics of words used or meanings inferred by social media replies, because of course so much nuance is lost in these conversations.
And so I wanted to talk about the importance of the land where we find ourselves right now, regardless of how we ended up there. Those journeys are important but like I said, they can get in the way of forming a meaningful connection, and it is the connection that is important, that breeds respect and indeed love, that brings us closer to one another regardless of the arbitrary divisions and the hurts, both past and present, that so many have faced and continue to do so.
I’ve written about Nanny of the Maroons before but for those who haven’t read my previous work, Nanny of the Maroons is a Jamaican National Hero, obeah woman and freedom fighter who won freedom for her people against the British. She was a woman stolen from her home land of Ghana and sold into slavery. As an obeah woman, she took her connection to the land, the new land she found herself in and used it to free herself and others. I often use her as an example of an oppressed woman in a stolen land who was able to overcome these barriers, develop a deep and meaningful connection to the land and defeat her enemies.
Connecting to the land is one of the first things I get my obeah students to develop and nurture because it is through connecting with the land and the spirits that reside there that true magic can be found. Ask any witch. There are many different ways of connecting to the land, the most obvious of which is getting out where you live, regardless of wherever that may be. City dwellers can connect to the land just as much as country folk, and once you get into the habit of actually getting outside, it doesn’t take long to realise just how much you needed it, how good it feels, physically, mentally and spiritually. But I also use other techniques to help people understand and develop their connection to the land, one of which is journeying.
Journeying is a useful tool with many applications. It gives you the time and space to begin to see the land where you live in a different way, to begin to develop those connections formed by actually getting out, to give a means of escape when you can’t get out. And though I don’t normally share this kind of thing here, today I thought I’d share with you all one of the guided journeys I sometimes give to my students, seeing how it’s Earth day (isn’t everyday?). I often advise them to make a recording of themselves reading it aloud (or, if you’re like me and can’t stand hearing your own recorded voice - it just sounds fucking weird - get a friend to record it). So get comfortable, turn off the TV, and your phone, close the laptop and get comfortable...
A Journey to Connect to the Land
Close your eyes.
Let your breathing come naturally. Notice the sensations within you as you begin to relax. Let any thoughts come as they may, simply acknowledge them and let them pass. Notice how relaxed you feel. Spend some time enjoying this sensation.
Take a deep breath, hold it for as long is comfortable and then exhale.
You are in a meadow. The house, street or town where you live is behind you. It’s evening and the sun is fading fast, just dipping below the horizon. The sky is aflame with oranges, reds and pinks. Soon it will deepen to purple.
You walk through the meadow, letting your hands trail through the long grasses. Feel them as they tickle the skin at the back of your knees. Feel the grass underfoot, cool and refreshing. Watch as flying insects glide through the air, the last rays of the sun glinting off their tiny bodies and wings, making them seem otherworldly, ethereal even.
Soon trees begin to encroach upon the meadow, just one or two at first. As the trees grow thicker, the grass beneath your feet grows shorter and shorter until you are in a forest and the ground is now that of the forest floor.
It’s dark beneath the canopy of the trees but you are not afraid for the forest is an old friend and the path beneath your feet is familiar, leads you on.
As you begin to tire, you choose a tree to rest against. The tree is ancient, the trunk massive. You can feel the rough bark through the thin cotton of your clothes. You sit down, with the tree at your back. Lean against it, letting your full weight rest against it. Feel it’s strength, the stability and safety it offers you, giving freely without expecting anything in return. Lay your hands flat upon the forest floor, at the base of the tree. Can you feel it’s roots as they delve deep into the Earth? Feel the flow of energy, from the Earth to the tree, and the tree’s energy flowing back down into the Earth. Feel the exchange of this energy, and as you do, become aware that the Earth of the forest floor and the tree are incarnations of the same force. Can you feel the energy exchange between the earth and yourself?
When you feel rested, you stand and continue to walk through the forest, all the while aware of the Earth beneath your feet, it’s coolness and how it moulds to your feet so that a gentle imprint is left with each step, a visual representation of your relationship to Earth, how it supports you.
Soon you come to a clearing.
You walk into the centre. The sky is full dark now and a bright round moon hangs in the vast blackness, casting its silver glow over the clearing.
The Earth is bare here. No trees or grass, only the dark fertile blackness that is the Earth. It feels pleasant underfoot. You bend low, scooping up a handful of the soil. You raise it to your nose and breathe in deeply. Notice the pleasant aroma, rich and fertile, brimming with the prospect of life, of creation. You crumble the earth between your fingers, letting it fall to the ground, watching as it rejoins itself, no longer apart from itself.
You stand up, placing your feet shoulder width apart. Close your eyes and feel the hum of the Earth, it’s subtle yet deeply powerful energy, full of promise, like a seed containing the plant yet to come, all of that energy contained within. Feel it pulsing underfoot, a gentle throbbing that would be oh so easy to miss. Imagine roots extending down from the soles of your feet, delving down deep into the earth. Feel its welcoming embrace as it takes you into itself. Feel the earth's energy being drawn up into the roots, spreading through you, filling you with its steadfastness, offering its stability and limitless potential.
Consider the processes that make up the soil, the Earth. The processes of life and death and rebirth. The endless possibilities.
When you open your eyes, the sky is still dark, though it seems lighter than it was. You leave the clearing, passing through the forest until the trees begin to thin and the view opens out. The path grows steeper and harder underfoot. You are climbing a hill and though it isn’t uncomfortably steep, you can feel your calf muscles begin to ache. Soon you reach the top.
As the sun begins to rise, the landscape below is revealed in all of its beauty, and you realise you can see for miles. You sit and feel the strength of the hill, it’s power. Consider how it was formed, how it came to be and of the stories it could tell if only you listened with your heart, with your feelings, with your mind. Know that the power of Earth resides within you.
Know that you are of the Earth, the land.
Gradually become aware of your breathing. Notice how relaxed you feel. Become aware of the sounds of the room, of your own body. Gradually come back to the present.
When you are ready, open your eyes.
“Earth's crammed with heaven...
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes.”
― Elizabeth Barrett Browning
EMMA KATHRYN
Emma Kathryn, practises traditional British witchcraft, Vodou and Obeah, a mixture representing her heritage. She lives in the sticks with her family where she reads tarot, practises witchcraft and drink copious amounts of coffee.
You can follow Emma on Facebook.