TEALarbor stories’ “Hearth” blog posts offer a tiny, gentle respite during this incredible transition we’re in. Rest for a few seconds here in the hearth of everyday nature and creativity.
"Watching"
Over the past two and half months, I have spent close to one hundred and fifty hours in this forest. Walking. Hiking. Meditating. Making offerings. Burying creatures who have died here. Offering blessings for health and safety for the world, and saying blessings for peaceful passings for those who are dying. And in all of that time (as well as before our world broke open into something we've never known), I have never seen a deer anywhere in this forest. Of course, because I live a few minutes' walk from this forest, I know that deer must bed down here; they certainly visit our home frequently enough. But a few days ago, I was given this beautiful gift: two deer walking (though only one is visible in this clip) through the part of the forest I call "the cathedral." She watched me; I watched her. We abided together peacefully, unhurriedly. Somehow I felt like she knew me, knew my prayers, knew my heart.
All blog images created & photographed by Jennifer J. Wilhoit unless otherwise noted. Please circulate images with photo credit: "©2020 Jennifer J. Wilhoit/TEALarbor stories. All Rights Reserved."
