A considerable time ago I started thinking about making a hole in the ground, you know, a place to crawl into, sleep, get restored. only partly because of a longing to doze off again in one of the soft safe burrows in this The Global burrow art-project, but what I longed for was different now, deeper into earth, more permanent.
Life has changed and so have I.
.. not sure life has become more hectic or the news that filtered through the channels more aggressive, but the longing to dig me a hole kept coming back in earnest though I let weeks turn into many months until one day, after being ill for a while, I strapped the spade to my bicycle and went to a wood where the owner told me I could dig to my hearts delight.
As I dug a shallow shape in those woods with trees and roots I again wondered if only I could lay in the earth for long enough, if it were possible for the mycelium to connect me to the trees so I could perhaps become family. And I gathered dried grass from a nearby place and made me a bed and dozed off, occasionally waking up because of bumble bees brushing my cheeks or birds rushing through the undergrowth, and I knew. And for hours I laid there and rested.
The whole idea behind making hollows, burrows and dens was born because I felt this longing to find refuge inside Mother Earth, seek asylum within Gaia, get nurtured and fed and to step into the footsteps of many a woodwitch, many a seeker, many a listener, to rest, be strengthened, to gather the self and figure things out, to understand.
And so I rested and the soft damp burrow in the barren earth was as I longed for, with the spiders, white soft ones and dark long legged ones crawling over me, the earthworms hiding into deeper earth close to me, snails and slugs sliding by over the thick roots running through my hiding place. I heard birds and saw the tops of the trees swaying in the spring breeze, heard a car in the distance and knew that no one would find me and I could just stay in my safe haven and dream while the little birds checked on me and the raven looked down from high up in the sky. And I closed my eyes again.
The granddaughters. 
Have you heard of the book by Peter Wohlleben, ‘The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World ‘. If not, I think you would really like it. The author encourages that we should care for trees because of the little puzzles and wonders they present us with. And, he shares that there are more life forms in a handful of forest soil than there are people on the planet, and goes on to say that, “Under the canopy of the trees, daily dramas and moving love stories are played out. Here is the last remaining piece of Nature, right on our doorstep, where adventures are to be experienced and secrets discovered. And who knows, perhaps one day the language of trees will eventually be deciphered, giving us the raw material for further amazing stories. Until then, when you take your next walk in the forest, give free rein to your imagination-in many cases, what you imagine is not so far removed from reality, after all!” Elis, I think that you are deciphering the secrets of nature.
And, I love this: “Whether we can somehow listen in on tree talk is a subject that was recently addressed in the specialized literature. Korean scientists have been tracking older women as they walk through forests and urban areas. The result? When the women were walking in the forest, their blood pressure, their lung capacity, and the elasticity of their arteries improved, whereas an excursion into town showed none of these changes. It’s possible that phytoncides have a beneficial effect on our immune systems as well as the trees’ health, because they kill germs. Personally, however, I think the swirling cocktail of tree talk is the reason we enjoy being out in the forest so much. At least when we are out in undisturbed forests.
dearest Dawn, never got the mail and I only found your lovely comment today. I have been away so often and so long. but yes, I have the book =) and it makes me smile to read you know it too. I am now reading The healing code of nature, same messages apart from a lot of double blind official testing. ;) so I think we should meet in the woods one day. I’ll bring the tent ok? x
I would love that so much my dear friend. I am so blessed to know such a wise woman. I will look for the book, ‘Healing Code of Nature’. Sending you lots of love.
Sounds idyllic. I could see the space in my minds eye and wanted a burrow of my own.
I have been away a lot and never saw your comment. so this is a late but well meant one. I think you should get out the spades Deborah and start digging somewhere. =) build your own burrow. x
Embodiment. Reweaving ourselves back into the web of the Earthmother.
I have been up and gone a lot so a late reply to your your comment and your use of words, thank you. Elis