Sitting in a sacred circle, we listened intently. The spirits of the Wildwood spoke. Each in turn they gifted us with their wisdom, their warnings, their love.

Three of us created and held a safe space where people could explore their relationship with a spirit of the Wildwood. Nine others took the journey, staying close to the spirit who chose them for three days.

We adapted the concept from Joanna Macy's Work That Reconnects. With her, I believe it is important for us to listen once again to the beings with whom we share our world. To give voice to the voiceless.

As soon as humans and spirits made contact, creativity started to flow. People couldn't wait to give shape and expression to the spirits they were listening to. From very simple craft materials, card, cardboard, a bit of paint, and natural materials, masks were made. It was wonderful to see them come to vivid life.

On the second day the spirits spoke. Dragonfly and butterfly. Ash, alder and dandelion. Owl, eagle and horse. They spoke of their different ways of seeing and hearing. They reminded us to be still, so we can perceive the world like they do. They expressed their connection to the great Cycle of Being. They told us that they are everywhere: in the forest, in the city, in our humanity. And, most surprisingly, they told us that they love us.

Dancing around the Maypole on the third day, the Wildwood added a sense of otherness to the usual duality of male and female. The presence of the spirits was heart-opening and comforting. It filled our community's circle with the power of the green world, that joyful sense of renewal that flows through Nature at this time of Beltane.

For three days, we gifted the spirits of the Wildwood with our bodies, our creativity and our voices. In return, they gifted us with much wisdom and undeserved, unconditional love. May each of us disperse those gifts now, into a world that greatly needs them.

(Image by Airwolfhound on flickr - licensed for reuse)