Happy Spring to my WordPress readers. I have not spent much time here on WP because I have been building my Substack platform instead. I love the vibrant writers’ community that has developed there and would like to invite you to follow me there.
Here is my latest post on Early Spring Foraging. Please check it out and follow. It’s free!
Winter Solstice
At the end of a sullen day,
frozen into grey monotones,
the clouds open
to reveal an unexpected gift:
lemon zest and spring butter yellow,
gleaming gold, ochre sand dunes,
egg yolk orange and pumpkin spice.
Sun rays kiss
my cherry tree good night,
snuggling the snowy hill under a
somber purple cloak
a passionate lullaby of colors
swaying to a few breathless beats
flooding me
with certain knowing
that light will
return tomorrow
to banish the
darkness.
I am thrilled to share that the book I’ve been working on for the past four years, Seasons of a Wild Life, has been published by Bold Story Press.
Seasons of a Wild Life is an intimate journey through the seasons of the year and a love letter to our diverse and ancient human-nature interactions. It is based on my experiences as a homesteader and land steward in the Virginia Highlands, my deep interest in nature mythology and symbology from around the world, and my personal commitment to live lightly on the earth. I love to help others reconnect to nature through forest bathing, foraging classes, and retreats – and now my book.
The book takes you through the calendar year from January to December. In each chapter, you meet deities personifying nature’s forces that month, from frost giants to the Grain Mother.
You learn about nature celebrations still observed around the world, from the winter solstice to ancient Beltane merriment to harvest festivals. You come to know the animals that live in our mountain environment—bear, snake, deer, spider—and hear about their habits and cultural symbolism.
You meander through garden and landscape witnessing the frosty, fallow land in winter, the exuberant eruption of the life force in spring, and the voluptuous abundance of autumn.
You discover wild plants that offer beauty, food, and medicine, from stinging nettle to elderberry to witch hazel. You may feel inspired to learn a new skill or embrace a concept that connects earth-friendly practices to the challenges facing us as a world community.
You can find out more on my author website.
During my safari in Tanzania this summer, I was most impressed by my encounters with elephants, not so much the big cats, or the hippos, all impressive in their own way, but the elephants. These massive animals weighing up to six tons move slowly through the savannah grasslands feeding on grasses and tree branches. Big and bulky, they remind me of Sumo wrestlers who pack strength and agility into a large body mass. The elephant’s thick, wrinkled skin is a testimony to the harsh demands of climate and environment, protecting their intelligence and ancient wisdom carried down through generations.
We spent two days in Tarangire National Park which has the largest elephant population in East Africa. Thousands of elephants gather here during the dry season when water sources elsewhere have dried up. The Tarangire river and surrounding swamp lands offer reliable water year round, not only to elephants but also a wide variety of grazing animals such as antelopes and gazelles, giraffes, big cats, cape buffalo, zebras and over 500 species of birds.
Elephants feed on grasses in the wet season and browse baobab and acacia trees in the dry season often breaking off branches for younger elephants to access. What they leave behind on the ground also feeds other animals, like the dik-dik, a diminutive antelope. During the dry season, elephants will strip the bark from baobab trees and burrow into its massive trunk that stores hundreds of liters of water, leaving huge hollows that can lead to the demise of the entire tree. They spread seeds of tree fruit by pooping them out and spreading them into the surrounding areas. Elephants also provide water for other species by digging holes in dry river beds and unearthing other underground water spots. Their dung becomes habitat for beetles and other insects, reptiles, and birds, and fertilizes the soil.
As a keystone species and landscape engineers, elephants actively shape their eco system. They maintain the savannah grasslands by culling trees. Without the elephants’ interventions, thick forest would take over the grasslands which would eliminate food sources for the grazing animals and, consequently, their predators, the big cats.
As we paused to watch an elephant herd feeding on acacia trees, a giant bull elephant came running towards us and positioned himself right in front of our Land cruiser, trunk waving up and down in a threatening manner.
Oh, and that is not a fifth leg, that is his phallus, enlarged by the testosterone coursing through his system and preparing him to fight, as needed. As I only saw the massive legs and penis of this elephant from the backseat, I was wondering whether he would flip us over and trample us into the dust – I was not ready to die, and not that way. But Moses, our driver and guide, carefully studied his body language: the bull was only declaring who was boss and warning us to stay away from his herd. Fierce protective behavior. As Moses slowly backed the vehicle away, the elephant was satisfied that we meant no threat and rejoined his herd. Big sigh of relief.
It was terrifying and humbling to realize how small and vulnerable we humans really are when faced with a powerful animal. And here, in these grasslands, there were so many other animals that could easily end a human life if you found yourself in the wrong place: cape buffalo, hippo, lion, even a well placed kick from a zebra or an ostrich can kill you.
Not surprisingly, the elephant in the form of Ganesha became one of the most important deities in the Hindu pantheon. Half elephant, half human, he is the remover of obstacles, and the patron of the arts and sciences. His elephant head embodies Atman, the soul, while his human-shaped body represents Maya, our earthly existence. His trunk symbolizes Om, the sound that connects us with the cosmos. The massive ears remind us to listen carefully for wisdom coming our way while the small eyes focus in on the important details of life, one-pointed focus and utter concentration. The elephant’s rotund belly is capable of digesting all the good and bad life throws our way.
Hindus petition Ganesha for success in important ventures such as establishing a new business, buying a home, or beginning a major project like writing a book. He removes whatever obstacles present themselves in our attempt to complete our ambitious endeavor.
Is it any surprise that the elephant showed up for me several months before my trip and even found its way into a collage I created during a writer’s retreat?
This essay first appeared on my writer’s platform, my Seasons of a Wild Life substack blog: https://annettenaber.substack.com/p/elephants-savannah-royalty
References
The Meaning of Ganesha God in Hinduism, Spiritual Culture, March 16, 2024, https://spiritualculture.org/ganesha-god/
Ah, Spring – so many ways to love you.
Find out how to enjoy the wild foods so abundant now and take a look at some of the dishes my foraging class students created recently: https://annettenaber.substack.com/p/inhaling-spring
The Beauty Along the Road 