Dryads Fried my Film

When I was eleven and my younger brother five, our family drove a questionable old RV down the west coast. It took us two weeks to drive to San Francisco, and then a week to drive back. When we visited the Redwood Forest, we took nearly a roll of film of photos. Something happened to that roll of film, and it was completely black when we got the pictures back. We were so disappointed because not only was the forest magical and the pictures great, but this was the first time in over a year that my brother allowed his picture to be taken. I figured maybe I had accidentally opened the back of the camera before completely rolling up the film. (To my children and other youngsters this will sound so very strange and dated!) Many times over the years I've thought back on that lost roll of film. There was just something about those pictures and that time.

Well. I just read in Bronwynn Forest Torgerson's essay, "Midsummer: Otherworldy Magic" in Lewellyn's 2011-2012 Sabbat's Almanac (on sale right now for $3.25):

At California's Muir Woods, it is not uncommon to catch a glimpse of dryadic faces peering through the bark of redwood trees. If your eyes are honored with such a sight, do not think to capture it on film, for your batteries will go dead in an instant.

We were farther north, but of course dryadic spirits are in any redwood forest. A-ha! It wasn't my negligence, but magic afoot.

Dryad Sister by Jane Starr Weils
http://www.magicalomaha.com/Janestarrweilsartprints.htm

As a little side, a fun synchronicity: I was just thinking of writing up this trip as a young adult novel involving magic. More material that I'd forgotten about! Another: On this trip, I visited a friend named Bronwyn, whom I always think of when I hear that name, shared by the author of the above quote. Don't you love little fun synchronicities? They are signs that we are on the right path.

Nature Spirits and Devas

"One may ... look at being such as elves, and devic angels as communication bridges between man [sic] and nature intelligence." -- "What is Nature Intelligence," Co-Creative Science by Michaelle Small Wright

"[T]o resolve the evils and problems of this world we must all learn to communicate with the world of nature spirits and the angelic hierarchies from which they derive." The Secret Life of Nature by Peter Tompkins

The natural world is conscious, and we can interact with nature spirits, fairies, nature intelligence, and individual "natural" beings like trees. First, we must honor and respect them. Give them space to do their work. Then we must learn to listen. Slow down, open your heart, and open your senses. You may hear nature spirits, see them as light or even little beings, or feel them as presences and intelligences. Finally, we can use the wisdom we gain from working with nature to improve our own lives, from our spiritual path to the way we walk upon the planet.

A good place to begin to open to devas, fairies, and other intelligences is in your garden, or in a place of wilderness. Sit or lie down in a comfortable place. Open your heart, relax, and let your consciousness drift among the beings around you. Notice what happens. At first, you may not believe that what happens is "real," but over time you will learn to trust your abilities and style of listening.

For more on communicating with the natural world and developing your sixth sense, check out Voices of the Earth: The Path of Green Spirituality.

Links

How to See A Fairy by Clea Danaan

What are devas?

Devas, Elementals, and Nature Spirits

Nature Spirit in Artist's Photograph

A fantastic artist named Rosemary Ranck contacted me for information about nature spirits as she had just captured one in a photograph. She wrote, "I was lucky to have a sweet, cute elf like image appear in a photo I shot while photographing changing leaves a month or so ago." And later said she "never saw 'her' [the spirit] until it was uploaded."

Here is the original photo untouched:










Again, Rosemary did not see the little face until she uploaded the photo to her computer.

Here is the photo lightened and sharpened some:










You can't really tell the size of the little face, but you can clearly see her curiosity with the camera and/or Rosemary.

Rosemary wondered why the little elf revealed herself to her. In looking at Rosemary's paintings, it's clear to me that Rosemary's intuitive abilities tend towards the visual. She felt attuned with the place and the beauty of the changing leaves, and her friend came to say hello. Now Rosemary is hiding little nature spirits in her paintings.

Here is some of Rosemary's work. You can see her heart and soul in her paintings.















Thank you Rosemary for sharing your story with us!





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For more on nature spirits, devas, elfs, and fairies, I recommend the following books: