February's Foresight
Exploring the abundance offered to the body, mind and spirit through the month of February as seen through my lens.
In early February I walk on the (typically) icy shores of Lake Erie and in the still (sometimes) snowy forests breathing in the nourishing vibrant silence. I listen to the music of the ice shifting on the lake as it begins to thin and the currents pop large shelves of ice apart and pile them up when it gets windy. Sometimes it sounds like whale song or some kind a of sonar device as the sound vibrations reverberate across the ice on the lake, resonating like a drum with a 100 km diameter skin.
Sometimes when the ice is really singing loudly, it sounds like sci-fi laser sounds in some kind of ray gun battle. I have never done anything as brave as this guy, but I have sat on the shore when it was doing that and watched the stars and that was something else.
As the ice begins to melt it is sometimes gathered together by wind and waves into mighty ice piles along the shoreline. If really high winds come up right as the big ice chunks are breaking apart out on the lake some pretty intense action can happen on the shoreline some years.
These sometimes 20 foot high+ piles of crystalline H2-0 often serve like prisms as I walk along the beach sending rainbow projections. These ice flows can have a powerful impact on the shore line if the wind blows in a particular direction.
Later in February, as the ice and snow begins to become the nourishing liquid again filling the soil with life giving water , I begin to plant seeds inside, I take hard wood cuttings for rooting and I watch the forest floor for signs of awakening so that I can strategize for foraging spring shoots and know when the seeds I have stratifying outside will soon awaken.
This is a month of stillness, peaceful majestic restfulness, contemplation, renewal, foresight, fecundity and awakening.
and sometimes when it snows I like to use that as an opportunity to nourish my inner child, to play and embrace loving and interacting with the world with the same reckless abandon I did before “civilization” trained me to “grow up and get serious”.
because why not!? :)
and now for a brief music intermission. Here is a song I like to listen to sometimes when it is snowy and icy outside but showing signs of melting to invite spring time to begin..
Sometimes we get surprise ice rain storms in February that encase everything in a crystal clear coating making entire trees look like 10 million dollar crystal chandeliers in the morning sunlight
another music intermission offering some refreshing and transitory winter to spring vibes from my old friend Ruto
I wish I would have though of what these awesome people are doing in the video below this when I came across the ice pile on the shore of lake Erie shown in the pic above. Next time I find a giant pile of ice sheets on the beach I shall try my luck at ice drumming for sure ;)
some more wintery/early spring time vibrations to enhance the journey
and when the ice and snow begins to melt I like to go on mushroom appreciating and foraging for Chaga and Turkey Tail walks in the forests
In late February if the ground thaws I go for forest walks to source out large colonies of endangered rhizomatous native plants for propagating into our garden, to scale up seed production for re-seeding in other forests. I also begin to start heirloom seeds inside that have a native range in the warmer parts of planet Earth to give them a head start.
Here are a few i`ll be growing this year:
Some years we even have seedling defenders that show up to help protect our young plants! The predator insects shown below must have came in on some Amarnath. Cannabis or Tulsi flower heads I had drying in the basement and then they sensed living plants and went over to guard them against aphids and white flies :)
Okay that is all i`ve got for February my friends!
Now that our exploration of the nourishment for the soul that is offered in the month of February has come to an end I hope you will take some time to go out and experience similar moments of magic in your local area. Each moment we spend in nature opening our heart, our eyes and our other senses to what she is communicating to us offers us a chance to gather spiritual sustenance and enrich the eternal part of one’s Being.
Those of you living south of where we are may already be seeing the forest floor waking up and green poking out from under the leaves here and there. For all of you and those who want to plan for foraging nutrient dense ephemeral wild foods and “weeds” in the coming month or two, I share the following:
Embracing The Abundance Of Spring
As the first signs of spring arrive, and winter fades into the rear view mirror, those of us who love to garden will likely be busy planting many of the crops that will sustain us for the rest of the year. This time of year, after winter stores…
I created a particularly full post this month as I will be starting up working at my day job landscaping again soon (working long hours) to help pay for the second edition printing run of Recipes For Reciprocity and the first printing run of my second (yet unpublished) book. That means I will not have as much time to devote to online posts in the months ahead as I will be focusing on working towards writing and publishing my second book (which all annual and founding level paid subscribers to this newsletter will get a digital copy of upon completion).
I am very grateful to my paid subscribers as though I am not currently able to become a full time author, educator and activist at this point (and I will have to work a day job in the warmer months to fund the printing costs for self-publishing my books) having the growing support of paid subscribers on Substack gives me hope that I will be able to transition to being a full time regenerative gardening educator, endangered species/habitat protector, seed saver/provider, natural medicine researcher and permaculture designer in the future. Thank you very much for your continued support as I work towards that goal!
I hope you all take time to get out in that crisp spring time air, exploring nature and enjoy all the nourishment for the soul, mind and body that March has to offer.
Wishing you all many majestic, serene, inspiring, healing and refreshing moments outside and many heartwarming, cozy and joyful moments spent in the kitchen and with loved ones in the month ahead.
If you are still craving more nature photography here is a video I made a while back that offers an glimpse into year of 2017 as seen through my lens here in Ontario (with some music to enhance the journey).
Enjoy! :)
As I said way back in my May photography post from last year, one day I hope to offer a type of holistic alchemical expression of photography (that one might call "photographic spagyric alchemy") in which I collect some form of the essence of the poetry for the senses each wilderness or garden location in which I take a photo offers.
This would include objects, extracts or preserves with distinct aromas of the place, tastes, tactile sensations and sounds. It may be in the form of an essential oil I would extract from lets say a fir tree's needles in the area in which I took a picture infused into a capsule attached to the canvas print of the photo. Then it would also come with a nutritious and/or medicinal preserve made from herbs, berries or other foraged foods from near where the photo was taken, it would also include an object that conveys a distinct tactile experience from the place the image was captured and then an audio clip I recorded there of the sounds of that wilderness space (which would also be attached to the canvas print, so that one can experience yet another dimension of the holistic beauty of the place in the picture when they are appreciating it on their wall).
Finally, the package would also include seeds to grow some plants/trees from that area (with instructions on how to cultivate them) and part of the cost of the package would be donated to projects aimed at protecting that ecosystem, so that the gifts Mother Earth shares with us can be gifted back to her in the reciprocal action of helping to regenerate her body. I very much look forward to creating offerings such as that once my book(s) are published.
If this concept of a photographic spagyric alchemy resonates with you, please let me know in the comment section.
Thanks for checking out my photos I hope you all have a beautiful March with great germination rates for all your seeds and lots of moments spent in nature bearing witness to the awakening of the forest floor. May these moments you choose to cultivate and occupy serve to nurture your spirit in nature and in the garden.
And this song is for you Grandma… May your spirit find it’s way to Baralku, burning eternally as the soul within the stardust that used to make up your body becomes one with the stars as well.
‘Baralku’ is a mythological spirit island in the Milky Way upon which departed souls build fires to let their loved ones know they arrived safely in the afterlife.
"I was moved by the imagery of this concept as it relates to my life and the creative process. Music takes me to places, and each song is a spirit island on which its soul lives infinitely. To release a song is both a death and a birth at the same time. The sounds contained in each song have reached the end of their life process. The once shapeshifting collage of expression has been crystallized into a final form, no longer kinetic. Yet it exists in a state of permanent potential energy, waiting to be accessed in the form of music, just as the memory of a departed soul will always have the power to move us."
– Doug Appling (Emancipator)
Such beauty through your eyes, Gavin! And ears, too. That ice sonar is ASTOUNDING. Thank you for this February kaleidoscope of nature's finest. (Oh! the tiny droplets on moss! Be still my heart...❤️)
I am at a loss for relevant words at this moment, reminded, amazed and quieted by the beauty of this message. Thank you.