Croft Adventures
with Gorse, Nettle, Willow and Bramble …
While I’ve been staying on the croft, the longest time I’ve ever slept overnight here, my work with restoring the Kinship with the Elemental Kingdoms is becoming clearer. It’s over 8 months now since I consciously handed over this land to them. Visiting after a longer than usual absence I noticed young trees peeking through the long grasses and it made me laugh as a few years previously I had started tree planting which I never finished ! My message from Grandmother Willow had been to let the land Run Wild, so I did and now I understood.
And while I have been here the elementals and land have been generous. Everything I need for my various projects has easily come to hand, while guidance is continually flowing through about future projects.
Within the croft I have a designated living area, the rest is for them. I have long known the magic that is woven here and it is a blessing to be in reciprocity with them. Though my focus has been on refitting my camper, preparing my small van for sale, repurposing the shepherds hut from storage after my move into a medicine space, as well as reorganising the shipping container … the guidance has been flowing.
There is an abundance of Gorse, Willow, Nettles, Sycamores, brambles and ground elder here and all are valuable resources. As I’ve gathered firewood from previous tree work, I’ve been shown how to use the gorse, willow and sycamore in a kind of loose coppicing system for future use. Using the various flowers, leaves, roots and seeds for teas, ground elder as a vegetable and for seasoning … and there is more to come, such as gorse cordial and nettle rope! And there is much more magic to weave like a few years ago when I ran a retreat with Grandmother Willow - The Way of the Willow - who is the heart of this land and my constant here
This is a time of living closely with the land and her multiple realm occupants, in a kind of deconstructed living space, and listening deeply.
The bees have been busy too and I am listening to them waiting to discover where to place the Warre red cedarwood beehives - which I will leave for them to populate when I do. There are a few other such small building projects to be done … and so much clearing up to do … I am excited and happy to be living in this space, this way - learning to utilise the abundant available resources, rather than reaching for something else easier to obtain, while learning to receive and accept what is being gifted.
And so my life is following a pattern of ‘chop wood, carry water’ … there is no on tap water here and restoring the wells - there are two wells here - one with white water, one with red water - are part of the future projects …
While I was writing the notes for this post I finished my journal and the new I bought while travelling back from Hawaii states “And so the Adventure Begins” !
Let it !
With much love
from my Heart to yours,
Tania Aurora White Crow