walk barefoot on stones in shallow streams.
talk to the wind and let it carry away your regrets.
forage for wildflowers to place on your altar, press in thrifted books, or give to loved ones —be careful when identifying
watch sunrises and sunsets. wake up before the sun. bare witness to the painted sky.
spend hours in the woods among the wild. take long long walks or sit still and watch the world.
talk to plants and listen to them. make friends.
get field guides to trees, plants, birds, etc. that are native to your area. learn which are which. bookmark pages that you recognize or want to find.
sing back to the robins. caw back to the crows.
journal by firelight and feel the flame burn your worries away.
gather snow and bring a bowl inside. talk to it and tell it your worries. your fears. let it melt, transmuting your stress and worries into healing nourishment. bring it outside and water the soil. see how things can be changed.
dance. run. move your body to sweat, if this is something you can do
collect stones from the river and try to find the best ones. keep them in your pocket. hold onto them to remember that you’re an animal.
go to a lake and float. feel the water carry you. lifting you from your stress. bring a vial and collect some for spellwork.
make a necklace out of an acorn and thread.
stand in the rain. dance in it. lay down in the grass and let it pour. let it wash fears away, transform doubt to hope. start anew.
𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘
(wild winter witchcraft here)
When I say "connect with nature" I don't just mean the aesthetic forests with deer and beautiful flowers.
I mean the weeds growing through concrete, the fungus that grows on the rotten shed, the nettles that always seem to return and the scary, spindly cellar spider in the corner of the bathroom.
Nature is not always pretty or magical - the pigeons and seagulls you swat at are nature too, the wasps and flies that hover by your meals are animals too, store-bought strawberries and the leaves that fall from your neighbour's tree are not all that different from the Giant Sequoias and it's seeds.
If you want to connect and understand nature, I mean *really* connect to it, in it's entirety, you have to seek out and learn about the ugly, scary and mundane things as well. You don't have to like it, just don't forget that it's there.
For the witches and pagans who need to hear it, connecting with nature is supposed to be about like, actually observing nature over long periods of time, not doing stuff like hoarding endangered bird feathers and beach sand, or just meditating out in aesthetically-pleasing locations. Can you tell me exactly when your wildflowers and weeds start blooming? When do your bugs come out of hibernation? When do migratory birds come and go? How does the air feel during different times of year? If you can't do stuff like that, you aren't connecting with nature.
whenever i get sad that i don’t have friends to worship and do rituals with, I remember that birds sing love songs into the sky everyday, and the grass dances in the wind when it blows. And the clouds blush at the sunset, and the wind whistles tunes, and the bees hum, and the deer trot. And then I remember that the river runs, and the flowers open themselves to the sun, and the bugs sleep on warm leaves. and as I walk and pray, perhaps the rabbits nibbling on shrubs are praying too, perhaps that’s why the spider spun her web so beautifully. and then I remember that I’m not worshipping alone. I never was.