Tag Archives: nature
What Lies Beneath: Finnish Water Spirits, Shamanism, and the Sacred Lake
Stand at the edge of a Finnish lake in late May. The ice has only recently gone. The water is cold enough to ache and quiet enough to hold your reflection like something precious. A loon calls, once, and then there is silence so complete you can hear your own heartbeat.
Finland holds approximately 188,000 lakes. These are not incidental features of the landscape — they are its architecture, its memory. For the people who have lived among them for thousands of years, the lakes have never been merely water. They have been worlds.
Christmas Panic Approaching – Remember This!
As Christmas draws near, panic tends to strike. Is everything ready? Is everything tip-top, corners scrubbed, and casseroles prepared? Everything should be more finished, tidier, and “just right.” Meanwhile, the to-do list grows longer, even though this time of year our souls long to slow down.
Forest Bathing with Your Shamanic Drum
It Is Talking to Me…A Winter Journey with Shamanic Drums
The snowshoes crunch on the frost-covered snow. The old path through the forest has nearly vanished after last night’s snowstorm, and I can only see occasional depressions in the snow to guide my way. There’s no danger of getting lost, however; I’ve traversed this forest strip so many times that I could almost navigate it blindfolded. The snow is already over half a metre deep, so I take care not to slip off the path, which happens if one steps from the compacted base into the soft snow.
A Spruce-Induced Spark: Our Whimsical Journey to an Enchanted Finnish Farmstead
Well, well, well, what a jolly adventure this turned out to be! Picture this, dear reader: there I was, minding my own business, when suddenly I found myself absolutely smitten with a charming old farmstead by the shores of Lake Pyyvesi. Now, let me tell you, it wasn’t your average holiday cottage search – oh no, this was something altogether more magical.
