An ancient folktale from the Faroe Islands, Scotland, Ireland and Iceland about a seal-woman, or Selkie, who loses her pelt, and how she finds it again. Though this story is ancient, it still speaks deeply to the lived experience of those of us who offer our time and energy to others at sacrifice of something vital to us whether it is a love, a dream, or the potential to develop, and how important it is to reclaim it.
Read MoreThe Pilgrimage Against The Current: A River Tale of Return & Resilience
It is not just humans who tell stories. The annual migration of herring up the Mystic River, Massachusetts, tells a story about resilience, persistence and trust in intuition. An ancient wisdom arises from the soft splashes and flickers of silvery blue gray, it is the landscape speaking reminding us to persist amidst challenges. In the words of Robin Wall Kimmerer, ethnobotanist and bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, “The land is the real teacher. All we need as students is mindfulness.”
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Photo of a gorgeous scene from the North Woods Lake Umbagog and Androscoggin River region where I spend several; days each summer immersed in pristine wilderness . . . .along with all the rustic charm and quirks and inconveniences that come with truly getting off the grid! Every corner of this lush landscape carries the spirit of Sky Woman, from the Haudenosaunee creation story of Turtle Island—North America.
Sky Woman’s Seeds: A Myth to Grow What Matters
What if creation wasn’t just something that happened once, long ago—but something we’re still a part of? In this reflection on the Haudenosaunee story of Sky Woman, I explore themes of reciprocity, balance, and the quiet power of tending what we love. With insights from Robin Wall Kimmerer and Ilarion Merculieff, this piece is a love letter to the enduring relevance of ancient myth for our contemporary moment.
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