About

 

CROSSROADS

 

In Ukrainian folklore, the crossroads (or places where things branch, fork, juncture...) is considered a place of power...  It is the place where "one" becomes two (or three, or more) -- or vice versa.  It is also considered a portal and juncture between the physical and otherworld realms, where unseen" includes realms of ancestors, spirits of the land (Dukhy Pryrody), and other forces.  

 

Many people of older times, and today, approach crossroads with care (and perhaps some fear), erecting various ritual objects, amulets, and talismans in order to ensure safety, well-being and good relations with the unseen forces and spirits.

 

 

Harvesting water from streams that diverge or unite into/ from 2 or more channels makes use of this principle of crossroads and forking.  Gathering and combining wild water from three to nine different streams or wells is also highly desirable. And, while we’re on the topic, harvesting the water at specific phases of the moon, as well as particular times of day, with prayers and song, also amplifies the potency.  Utilizing the “intersection” of cosmic (moon & sun) and spiritual (prayer & song) forces, along with different or diverging physical sources of water is thus another enactment of this principle.  Potentized water is then used for talismanic, ritual, or "medicinal" purposes.  

 

The archetype of the crossroads is powerful, and to make use of this, both in practice as well as symbolically, is the reason I choose to work with these practices and invite you to explore with me.

 

 

TWISTED

 

Spinning, twisting, plying… Bringing together that which is divergent, separate…  As the individual strands come together, the whole is made stronger.  Yet, each strand or fibre remains integral and unique.  Too much twist and the yarn or thread becomes unworkable; not enough twist, and it becomes weak.  As a metaphor, this is the work of living relationally within land and community.

Twisted…  So, there is a whole background story that you can read here. A short version: Ma Honeysuckle (a vine commonly found here on Vancouver Island) adopted and began teaching me in WSANEC territory in 2011.  I have studied with her since that time.  She grows within the laws of relationality.  If she is not in a balanced relationship with her companion tree (or whatever she is climbing up), she will “strangle” them and cause their eventual demise.  Likewise, the companion has to be a suitable choice, or she herself will not thrive and survive. 

 

Ma’s bark will either twist to the left or to the right, though her vine will always spiral to the right (clockwise).  This is due to the alignment of protein molecules which influence cellular growth. After working with Ma for a length of time, I sat with the twisting and spiraling as a meditation for a few days.  It resulted in a profound lesson from Ma.

Spiraling and twisting has acted as a powerful symbol for me for a long time, reaching back to my early 20’s and teachings that were shared from Odawa elder Wilfred Pelletier.  So, taking it into a direct hands-on meditation and practice through the crafting of cordage has been profound.  It stirs blood & bone memory and is incredibly empowering in ways that were both unexpected and surprising.  Blood and bone memory is like that…

 

And so, we enter the Crossroads together, twisting (and untwisting) teachings, memory, practice, ceremony and tradition in ways that, hopefully, will stir your own blood and bone memory, strengthen connection and relationality to one another and the land, and will help you re-member yourself within it all.

 

In Earth Blessings

Nikki