I was taught to love the Earth in all her beauty and mystery, through folk tales and science in equal proportion. There was nothing of glamour attached to magic. It was simply there- always and everywhere.

I work in field sales, and one of the privileges of that job is to organize one’s own workload. So, as Thursday dawned windy, but gloriously sunny, I decided to visit customers in the Cotswolds and treat my city–sated soul to the beauty of thatched cottages and rolling English hills. For some reason, I threw a pair of jeans and my painting easel in the car along with the files, which I’ve never done before.

I had a good day with customers and my final visit took me nearby the Rollright Stones, a stone circle set in a ring of trees on top of a hill. I went there once before with a friend and had shown him how to dowse with copper rods. This was the first time I’d been on my own and, being midweek, I had the site almost to myself.

I parked in the lane and stripped off my business suit, feeling that as I did so, I was stripping away the world’s perception of my persona. Donning jeans and T-shirt brought me back to simplicity devoid of pretension or pretence. Leaving the mobile phone behind, I stepped away from the humdrum need to make survival money and felt I crossed more than one threshold as I walked between the gateposts.

The circle, though weathered, is almost complete. The stones stand like broken teeth around a green lawn, not manicured, but scattered with daisies like little bright stars lifting their faces to the Light. The path enters the circle at the wrong place. A stone there has fallen, leaving a natural entrance, but it was never the original portal. Nevertheless, I enter the circle, and as there is no-one around to notice, I bow to the Light and enter barefoot, treading deosil around the perimeter.

The sand is hot underfoot, the circle sheltered from the wind by a horseshoe of trees, but here and there little dust devils dance. At the four quarters, flowers have been left as offerings, Sweet Williams, with their heady scent and blood red petals, stark against the white and ochre of the lichen covered stones. Last night was the summer solstice, and I have heard that this ring is still used by devotees of the Craft. I know that I will find the same flowers at the King Stone, a single monolith, as well as at the fallen burial chamber called the Whispering Knights, which form a triangle with the original entrance to the circle.

Circles and triangles take my mind to the Tree of Life with its great inrush of Cosmic Force and I wonder what the ancients were doing when they built this Temple of Light.

I walk to the centre of the lawn and sit, cross legged, in the circle. I am no longer alone; four men are also seated on the grass, talking quietly. We are isolated here and perhaps I should be careful. Yet I know there is no threat and a deep serenity enfolds me. One of the men stands to leave and I hear the words “Blessed be” repeated softly.

The sky above is clear blue, scattered with clouds chasing each other in the wind. There is no road noise here; the only sounds are the birds and the rustling of leaves, overlaid by the muted conversation of the men. I close my eyes and begin the fourfold breathing as I have been taught. My body relaxes and I sink into the landscape.

In my mind I see the circle as a great chalice. It is empty save for its memories, yet I feel it was meant to be full of Light, a beacon for the soul. An empty vessel fulfils no purpose. The chalice is a vessel which gives form to that with which it is filled.

From the centre of the circle I renew my pledge of service. Around me I feel the wind spiralling into a great silver vortex, carrying me skywards on the wings of faith, yet the Earth is steady and solid beneath me and the grass tickles my feet in the slight breeze. Reality contradicts itself and I let it carry me with it, humbled and awed.

The vortex climbs through the azure haze, upwards, outwards, expanding and encompassing, the rhythm a great heartbeat as a counterpoint to my own, carrying reflected Light back to the heavens. The spiralling slows, stops climbing and rests, perfectly balanced on the point of the vortex in the circle where I sit. Then I am falling, in decreasing circles as it winds down and down, until the wind rushes through the Earth, in a subterranean vortex of white fire, funnelled from on high. The afternoon sun is warm on my upturned face as I swirl ever faster in the rushing fire. I can feel a pressure mounting. Suddenly, the fire spreads through the stones and out across the landscape. I can see it among the stars, a vast net of pure white force, veins of lambent silver spreading out across the land, carrying Light like blood.

One of the men laughs softly and that seems to fit. Joy is allowed. I open my eyes and smile, a smile shared by the men. Inside I feel different, a golden serenity which carries me home to my hearth.

Later, leafing through a book while I wait to kidnap the bathroom from my hoard of teenagers, I read the author’s words on how to honour the ancient places and smile. Perhaps those who work still at Roll Right have kept it alive. It is I who was honoured today. Call it imagination or daydream if you will. I only know how it has made me feel and that today was a day of unforgettable beauty.

By: Sue Vincent

SCRIPT FOR THE GUIDE: (To be read in a gentle trance-inducing voice). Make yourself comfortable and close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths to help you relax. Feel the tension disappear stage by stage from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. Let your surroundings fade away as you gradually sink backwards through time and actuality and pass through the gateway of this reality into the dreamtime. (When the participants are fully relaxed, begin the next stage).

You find yourself standing in the open air, in the countryside, a place you know well, a place that you have visited many times before, either in your everyday life or in your dreams. You look for an opening into the earth – maybe a rabbit warren, maybe a cave, maybe a hole in the ground – and you find one. You find one that feels just right for you. And from there you start to lower yourself down, lower and lower you go, out of the darkness and into the light, until eventually you feel the solid ground under your feet once again. At first the light blinds you after the darkness, but gradually you get accustomed to it. Look around you. What do you see, what do you hear, what do you taste on your lips, what do you smell, and what you feel? Take a minute of clock time, equal to all the time you need, to explore this special place, this place of power for you …

And now, coming towards you, you see a figure, not a human one. What kind of creature is it? This creature is your friend and is coming both to support you and give you guidance. Take a minute of clock time, equal to all the time you need, to get to know each other, and find out what special qualities your Helper has to offer…..

And now perhaps you have a question you’d like to ask, either a personal; question, or a question of global concern. Take a minute of clock time, equal to all the time you need, to ask, and listen to the advice your new friend has to give. Before you leave, make sure you thank your Helper, promise to honour the advice you’ve been given, and also that you’ll return again. And now that the purpose of your journey has been accomplished, now that you have been given the support and encouragement that only your Helper can give you, the time has come to make your way back home. Higher and higher up to your everyday world you climb, higher and higher until you reach the surface once again, and back to the place you started from.

Take a deep breath, let it all out slowly, open your eyes, and smile at the first person you see. Stretch your arms, stretch your legs, stamp your feet on the ground, and make sure you’re really back, back in …, back where you started from. Welcome home!

Now take a few minutes in silence to make some notes on the experiences you had on your journeys, which you can then share with the rest of the group.

Now take a few minutes in silence to make some notes on the experiences you had on your journeys, which you can then make a note of in your dream journal.

And now you might like to turn to the person sitting next to you and share some of the experiences you had on your journeys

By: Michael Berman

Bibliography

Ford, J. (2008) Never Point at a Rainbow, Newtown, Powys: Superscript Books.

King, C. (2008) The Ghost of Freedom, New York: Oxford University Press Inc.

Wardrop, M. (1894) Georgian Folk Tales, London: David Nutt

Michael Berman BA, MPhil, PhD (Alternative Medicines) works as a teacher and a writer. Publications include A Multiple Intelligences Road to an ELT Classroom and The Power of Metaphor for Crown House, The Nature of Shamanism and the Shamanic Story for Cambridge Scholars Publishing, and Tell Us A Story (a resource book for teachers on storytelling) for Brain Friendly Publications. Shamanic Journeys through Daghestan and Shamanic Journeys through the Caucasus are both due to be published in paperback by O-Books in 2009. Michael has been involved in teaching and teacher training for over thirty years, has given presentations at Conferences in more than twenty countries, and hopes to have the opportunity to visit many more yet.

Although Michael originally trained as a Core Shamanic Counsellor with the Scandinavian Centre for Shamanic Studies under Jonathan Horwitz, these days his focus is more on the academic side of shamanism, with a particular interest in the folktales with shamanic themes told by and collected from the peoples of the Caucasus. For more information, please visit www.Thestoryteller.org.uk

If you have enjoyed this article or any of Michael’s articles please check out his books (covers below) on Amazon.

Varying from tropical climates at the foot of the mountains, to an environment of clay and marsh, then to desolate, Snowy Mountain peaks, all areas of the Himalayas provide sustenance for a multitude of communities, the many shadows and changing landscapes of life are represented within their physical makeup.

In fact; many faiths right across the religious spectrum consider the Himalayan Mountains to be an epicentre of spirituality, and by visiting their glorious peaks, find spiritual guidance and divine inspiration.

The multimillion year old Himalayan Mountains are located right across five nations, spanning across India, Pakistan, China, Bhutan and Nepal; perhaps a reflection of their wide ranging influence on world religion and spirituality, with many pilgrimages taking place every year. There are several aspects of the Himalayan scope and the culture of the Himalayas which are considered some of the most spiritually enlightening in the world.

Mount Kailash rises predominant and strong amongst the Gangdise mountain range, Tibet, which is part of the Himalayas. It appears like a huge grey diamond, its concaves and chiseled face reminiscent of a precious stone, the snow which drips over the sides of the jewel shaped landmass allowing it to sparkle gently in the Himalayan sunshine. The landmass is decadently contrasted with the deep blue sky that frames it, making it striking to the eye.

In the Hindu faith, Shiva is the god responsible for destroying evil and sorrow, and it is here in the peak of Mount Kailash, that Shiva is said to reside with Parvati, his wife, who is daughter of the Himalayas. For many Hindus then, Mount Kailash is considered to be of great spiritual importance. In fact, in the Vishnu Purana, a Hindu religious text, Mount Kalilash is suggested to be a world pillar, or a center of the world, each of its sides made up of ruby, gold, crystal and lapis.

The mountain is universally known as an axis mundi, a spiritually sacred point in the world at which North, East, South and West meet, opening up a portal of communication between higher and lower realms. This means that communication between our realm and the higher realm is clear, and that communication from the higher realm can be easily passed on to all directions of the compass from this point, meaning meditation and prayer for all faiths at Mount Kailash is pure and sacred- which can only emphasis the abundance of pure, unadulterated spiritual guidance available at the Himalayan mountains.

In Buddhist faith, there is a mystical city hidden deep within the Himalayas called Shambhala, which has never been seen by any living person.  Some say Shambhala is not a physical entity which can be visited with human body, but can only be reached through mental realms- its existence is mentioned in several ancient Buddhist scriptures, but it remains geographically obscure.  Only those with sufficient good karma are said to be able to reach it within their mental state. Shambhala is said to be made up of a sacred civilization of people who are enlightened- it is considered a Pure Land in our physical realm. Shambhala is said to be ruled by Kalki Kings, who utilise the Kalachakra tantra- the spiritual tradition which represents time and encompasses time as a concept of many cycles. According to the Kalachakra prophecy, when the world becomes a pitfall of conflict and self-gratification to the point of no return, the 25^th Kalki King will appear from Shambhala, along with a Shambhala army, in order to combat the world’s wrong-doings and to bring to the world a Golden Age- a utopian period of harmony and stability. As we can see, the world at the moment is slipping further and further into what can only be described as depression. People all over the world are losing faith, but could this be winging us every closer towards the revelation of the Shamhala Kali King’s revolution? Only the Himalayas hold the truth.

Even for people who are not of a religious faith, the Himalayas are a humbling experience. To witness these great landmasses, so unmovable and irreversible, can only make us question our true powers as the human race, and our tiny place within the universe. The silence the mountains bring is impenetrable, a far cry from the man made sounds of the city. Indeed, for many people, when they visit the Himalayas, what they find is a physical embodiment of their spiritual faith- able to walk over the mountains and experience their solidarity, their beauty, and their fine detail. For any spiritual belief, the calming, atmospheric surroundings of the Himalayas empty the mind, and allow their thoughts to creep across their multitude of planes.

By: Lisa Davies

Faeries can be split up into four main categories that represent our elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. In each of their elements they are called; Gnomes, Sylphs, Salamanders and Undines respectively. Although there are thousands of types of faeries vary between countries and cultures they always correspond with the four elements. Let’s look at these now;

Gnomes

The Gnomes are the Earth elementals that look after our gardens, gems, crystals, rocks, the sandy beaches and can help us in our material life with our foundations. We each have a household gnome works with us whilst doing daily chores, and home improvements. This is why some things tend to go wrong as the brownies, pixies or goblins like to be slightly mischievous but generally mean no harm. If things go missing, chances are your household gnome moved them. So ask for them back. To connect with your gnome, you could dedicate a small area such as a shelf on a bookcase as an altar. It will preferably be a small space in the kitchen. On here place fallen leaves, a vase of flowers, conkers, pictures of woodlands, trees and perhaps a garden statue of a squirrel and gnome. Write a request to your household gnome for any help you may need for example; help paying your bills, help to locate a missing item, to help you keep on top of the housework, or perhaps to just say thank you for all their help and support. To say thank you place a small gift such as honey, cream, milk, butter or cake. You can be sure that he’ll find it when he does a spiritual tidy up

The Gnomes are the Earth elementals that look after our gardens, gems, crystals, rocks, the sandy beaches and can help us in our material life with our foundations. We each have a household gnome works with us whilst doing daily chores, and home improvements. This is why some things tend to go wrong as the brownies, pixies or goblins like to be slightly mischievous but generally mean no harm. If things go missing, chances are your household gnome moved them. So ask for them back. To connect with your gnome, you could dedicate a small area such as a shelf on a bookcase as an altar. It will preferably be a small space in the kitchen. On here place fallen leaves, a vase of flowers, conkers, pictures of woodlands, trees and perhaps a garden statue of a squirrel and gnome. Write a request to your household gnome for any help you may need for example; help paying your bills, help to locate a missing item, to help you keep on top of the housework, or perhaps to just say thank you for all their help and support. To say thank you place a small gift such as honey, cream, milk, butter or cake. You can be sure that he’ll find it when he does a spiritual tidy up

Sylphs

The air elements look after our atmosphere and encourage our intellect and ideas. When the wind blows through your hair, it is accompanied by the sylphs. We each have a sylph guardian that encourages us to get more fresh air, to change yourself or environment you reside in. They bring you ideas to inspire you in the magickal breeze.

To connect more with these air faeries perhaps place a couple of wind chimes in your window or in places throughout your home in which they can catch the breeze. When they chime, it’s the air elementals way of saying ‘hello, we’re here’. And don’t forget the garden. Place wind chimes and anything to represent air there such as a weather vane, windmill and figurines of birds. Also, feed the birds by hanging a couple of bird feeders around the garden.

Salamanders

The fire faeries remind us of how important it is to cleanse regularly, and devote time to our passions. They are the folk that keep us warm in the cold evenings when we’re cosy by the fire; they are the warm in the sunshine that shines down upon us.

To connect with the salamanders light a candle (remember to be safe) and talk to the spirit within the flame. Write a request for help within areas in your life you need help cleansing. For example; finances, family trouble, career worries etc, and place underneath the candle knowing they will help if they can. To ignite the fire of passion, stare deeply into the flame of the candle and visualise the passion you have deep in your heart (dreams you wish to come true, creativity you wish to express) of being true and present in your life.

Undines

The water elementals, also known as mermaids or mer-faeries are connected with rain, our bathrooms and our emotions. They are the beings that bless us with the privilege to be able to drink fresh clean water daily, and to be able to feed our plants and trees. Undines are depicted as goddess type beings with long flowing hair and fish tails. They inspire us to take a long hot soak, and to beautify ourselves.

To connect to the mermaids, place pictures of them in your bathroom, seashells on the window sill, wear sea shells as jewellery. Talk to them in your mind as you bathe, feel them massaging your aching body and soothing your cares away. You can also have a water feature in your garden or a fish pond.

There are of course some faerie basics;

Feed the birds and stray animals

Never mow the grass until you ask for permission (faeries live in the grass you know!)

Never drop litter

Leave gifts of milk, butter, honey or cake for them as a thank you.

Keep your environment tidy

Always have fun daily

And never step inside a faerie ring

I would love to hear about your experiences with the faeries

By AURORA BRIERLEY the “ANGELIC FAERIE WHISPERER”  © Copyright

http://www.auroraangelicascension.webs.com

Rites of Passage are taken when someone feels they are ready to pass into a new phase in their life.

Many years ago, I was drawn to form a women’s Shamanic journeying group; a community of women that would come together, bond and support each other, and where in a safe and nurturing environment, we could help to heal ourselves and each other. It would be a place where we could sing, chant, laugh, cry and drum and celebrate being women, as well as being held in the loving arms of Mother Earth, our ancestors, and all the women from our bloodline and spiritual heritage.

So, once a month a group of women meet in Heron’s House, which has grown and flourished in to a loving and working community. The Heron who sits and watches all, who circles low and whose wings are wide and graceful as she soars into the sky, inspired the name. Her skull and feathers hang from the shield that together we crafted; her energy walks with us. The women of the house have been part of many wonderful rites. All participate in whatever rite we are performing. They are all held in reverence, with pure intent, and are always full of fun, happiness and laughter. We held a croning rite where some thirty women gathered- the energy was amazing. We have had baby welcoming and baby naming ceremonies, and last summer saw the most beautiful re-dedication of love, and more.

So many beautiful reasons we have in this journey we walk to celebrate turning points in our lives. I celebrated the birth of my first granddaughter with a croning ceremony. I embraced this new phase and it was with great celebration that I did so. When we look back at special times in our lives, it is so nice to remember them with joy. One of the most beautiful and, I believe, the most important celebration, is a girl’s first blood rite. I would like to share one with you.

One of our women, Lisa, a dedicated and active member of Heron’s House, approached me to tell me that her daughter Charlotte wanted to ask me something special. Charlotte then went on to ask if we would share her joy, as she had just started her first bleed. At the age of thirteen she has been to many of our gatherings, and I felt so honoured that she wanted to share this transition from one life stage to another with us.

Now we share it with you…

First Blood Rite
The day was dry and there was a chill in the air. The women of the House of Heron waited for the girl child and her mother to join them. They chanted, their voices rising in harmony. The energy began to weave the magic that was about to unfold. The crone waited by the doorway as the girl, dressed in white and with a garland of white flowers upon her head, approached on the arm of her mother. ‘What is your business here today?’ the crone asked. The mother replied “I have come here with my child to lead her with honour into the face of her womanhood.’ To the child the crone spoke, ‘Are you ready to embrace the beauty of your blood flow and the sacredness of your womb; to embrace the passing of your childhood into your maidenhood?’ The child replied that she was ready and with grace and ease, mother and child entered the House of Heron where the women of the clan waited.

Chanting, and with beautiful grace, the women sprinkled the girl with red and white petals as she was gently laid upon the white furs. The women gathered around and decorated her young body with art and spirals; patterns emerged as the voices sang out in joyous celebration.

The child was sat up and the crone spoke to her of the beauty of her sacredness, of her ability as a woman to bring forth life from within her womb if it was a part of her journey in this lifetime. Crone offered her a silver spoonful of honey and told the child of the sweetness of life, and what it can bring. Crone then gave her a slice of sour apple and spoke of the bitterness of life that she would taste.
The girl was then walked to the four quarters where she was questioned about her intentions; she was given a blessing as the spirits of Earth, Air, Fire and Water welcomed her. More chants were heard as the women sang their joy of the girl child who had become a woman.

Gifts were exchanged, and laughter and happiness filled the air. The mother had given her daughter a white necklace as a gift before the rite and now she stood before her daughter and took the white necklace away, replacing it with a tiny red stone, as a mark of recognition of her first blood flow. The women gathered around the girl to encase her once more within a womb. They chanted a birthing chant and with grace and ease the mother’s legs parted, and her child was born a woman.

The crone’s hands delivered her to her mother and her words were ‘Hold your woman daughter and embrace her as you did at her birth, as she was born to you from your sacred womb years ago’.
As the mother held her daughter, a red cord was placed around her waist. She was instructed to tie a knot in the cord each day until her next flow. Her white headdress was removed, and in it’s place a red garland was placed. The girl later made an offering of her white headdress to the Goddess who sits in the corner by the altar in the women’s house.
Great joy and stories were shared. Bread and mead were blessed and shared in celebration. Their rite of passage was made complete with the presence, love and blessings of the ancestral women of this land who walked here before us.

A truly beautiful day of great celebration. The girl child had walked into the arms of her womanhood, blessed by the spirits of her bloodline and spiritual heritage, blessed by her family and her community.

Charlottes Mother spoke these words: “How perfectly wonderful, just the thought of a rite purely to celebrate our daughter’s first blood. We felt that there could not be a better or more fitting way, for Charlotte to embrace such a fundamental change in her father’s mind, or mine, that she would be given an informed and educated choice to partake in such celebration. The day was a blessing for us all. As for Charlotte, she seemed to change from that day; she became more confident and self-assured with a sense of belonging that helped her step into her womanhood with ease. All young women should have the opportunity to experience a rite like this, which was so profound and enjoyable’.

Charlotte then commented: ‘Before my rite, I participated in the woman’s group and ceremonies when I could. Basically I was part of my mother’s group (or at least that’s how I saw it. Then, after my blood rite, when I attended I was there for me, and as me. I came because I wanted to, and felt that I belonged. The day was so special and I felt special. I was showered with beautiful gifts that I keep in my wooden chest; not just conventional ones, but ones that I would keep for life with a memory, and a sense of acceptance as me and who I had become. At first, I felt a little awkward celebrating something my school friends had told me was a burden, something horrible you have to deal with. But I will never forget that day, how special it was, and how life changing it was for me.”
Heron’s House, the heart of our centre, Caer Corhrain, stands in the magic of the marshlands in Kent, where now we have a men’s journeying group, the Men of Heron, run by Martyn Yates.
We feel the need for these rites to be more active in today’s society; they help with these stages in life that can frighten and bewilder us. They also give loved ones an opportunity to celebrate a part of ones journey. For me, I find it a great honour to facilitate a ceremony for someone and to be a part of a special transition in his or her life.

If this story has moved you and you feel drawn to perform your own rite for a small or a large group, or for your own daughter, then find the courage to do so and all will unfold with grace and ease. Trust your own intuition. You can go to books for ideas, although I prefer not to and I like to formulate my own. You too can do this for yourself. Books can give you a structure if you feel you need some help and somewhere to start.
I suggest you do as I do, and just let your heart be your guide. No two people are the same. The energy is never the same, so don’t be rigid in your approach to any rite or ceremony you wish to perform. Think about the person or persons you are performing the rite for, talk to them, and the ideas will start to fill you with excitement. This way, your rite will always be fresh and exciting, never boring.
Everything around us is changing. Today is different from yesterday, and tomorrow will be different from today. This moment has just passed, never to be repeated. So: be bold, be brave, and form and work your own rite or ceremony in your own way. Do what feels right in your heart. It’s fun, and it makes it even more special if it’s never been done that way before. Be always truthful, honest and have the right pure intent, and all will flow…with grace and ease.

Blessed Be
Written by Lynn Gosney – 07 01 2006 (copyright)

www.touchtearth.co.uk

Looking up, those who have made the spiritual pilgrimage to experience this magical wonder, bare witness to the old, familiar sky, morphing before their very eyes into something seen only in fairytales. The sky becomes awash with serpentine ribbons of green, curtains of blue and glowing sheets of red, intertwining in an elegant wave of colour, shimmering like sunlight, delicately reflected in a dancing river of darkness.  The glowing streams of bright lights settle like mist over a meadow, halting for a moment, allowing their onlookers to take in the breathtaking abnormality of the event, before casually waltzing once more between the stars, still twinkling, visible amongst the entanglement of ghostly lights. Red shots of lightening shoot across the atmosphere and up beyond the sky, seeming to return home, back to the ethereal land they emerged from.  Then, without warning, the lights fade. Darkness pervades,  and the show is over until next time. Without a doubt, the Northern Lights are a feast for the eyes, for the mind, and for the spirit.

Although the experience of seeing the Northern Lights can equate, for some people, to a spiritual experience,  the Northern Lights, otherwise known as Aurora Borealis, (or Aurora Australis in their southern counterpart) can be explained by scientific principle. Scientists believe that the phenomenon is caused by charged particles from the sun, carried by a solar wind, entering into the Earth’s magnetic field. The particles then collide together, causing solar storms. In turn, the storms create what is known as auroras, which appear in our atmosphere, the night sky, as huge beams of light.

In this age of science and technology, scientists claim that they have many of the answers to questions that once burned unanswered in the hearts of people all over the world. We no longer live in a world where myths and historical tales rein true in our everyday understanding of the world around us. Rather, we depend on thoroughly thought out hypothesis and tried and tested methodology to bring us conclusive results, definite answers, which then shape how we each experience and perceive the world around us. Of course, with scientific breakthrough arrives the opportunity for us to take control of situations and manipulate what we are faced with. We only have to look around at all the modern science surrounding us each day to realise that we have became extremely dependent on the world of science and technology and its power to conquer circumstance. Without scientific conclusions, there would be no proven medical advancements, computers, cars, or indeed any logical basis for the majority of things we experience daily.

I can’t help feeling, though, that our advancements are breeding a kind of arrogance amongst humans, who were once mere cavemen, intuitively rubbing sticks together to make fires. We are continuously learning factually, in place of this intuition, taking new things on board with not a glimpse of doubt. Mankind craves the power to manipulate fate. Look at global warming as an example; all this time we have been coming up with fantastic solutions to our everyday dilemmas, making faster cars, cheaper flights, more factories, constantly generating more power to mankind, but at the same time, naively destroying our Earth, our only home.

We have forgotten how it feels to be human, beneath the ego of our advancements. We have neglected the simplicity of our existence. Amongst all the laws of legislation, rules for all manner of things which we have enforced upon each other, lies a power which has always been, and always will be transcendent in a way we can never be- the wild, unpredictable forces of nature.

If I stand in an open field, alone, my long hair allowed to rest upon my shoulders, it will begin to move in the breeze. If I decide that it is making me cold, cover my head and put on a hat and scarf, the wind will quiver the material. The wind exists as a separate entity to me. I cannot capture it in my hands, I cannot roll it up and hold it, I cannot manipulate my vision see it, and I cannot cower away from it, and that is what makes me feel human. I co-exist with nature, in beautiful simplicity.

The Northern Lights are a natural occurrence, incapable of being induced. We cannot predict when they appear, or how long they will last- we must wait for them.  They serve as a reminder that we can’t control everything with science and technology- there is more to life than what we have created. Like a mighty goddess in the sky above us, the Northern Lights force us humans to fall back into our places when we wait at her beck and call to witness her transcendent natural beauty, at her discretion. Experiences like seeing the Northern Lights are not always merely scientific- they allow us to feel human once more. We can connect with what it means to be at risk, to be vulnerable to the universe, to be spiritual, intuitive beings who cannot always pioneer their own fate with their own intelligence.

By Lisa Davies