Joining with Gaia A Journey in Nature

Know what it is to be a child?…It is to believe in love, to believe in loveliness, to believe in belief; it is to be so little that the elves can reach to whisper in your ear, it is to turn pumpkins into coaches, and mice into horses, lowness into loftiness, and nothing into everything, for each child has its fairy godmother in its soul.
~Francis Thompson

There have been moments in my life that have been truly exceptional and magical moments. During my early childhood I would go out searching for faeries. This naturally allowed my senses to develop. I believe I was born with an awareness or perhaps a wildness within me that connected to nature. I recall spending many moments hidden in trees or bushes watching the birds or butterflies. Anything that moved really. One time I remember going into this particular willow type of bush that had a

sweet cubby shelter in the center of it. I remember the feeling that something magical was about to happen and felt a sense of love surrounding me. When I looked there were hundreds upon hundreds of ladybugs on the branches and they were all different colors. Red with black dots, oranges, yellows and black with red dots. A feeling of wonder was born inside me that day that stayed with me for the entirety of my life. I felt a connection and I felt that the Earth Mother and the faeries were sending me something to learn from. I do not think there was ever a time when I did not look at the environment and all beings that shared the planet as anything other then living breathing beings just like myself. I always felt compassion for an injured wild animal and had no fear of coming home with a squirrel or bird and dropping it off at a veterinarian. I have not changed. I stop for wildlife. Later on in my years and throughout my life, I devoted to understanding more about the living beings around me. I became a Federally licenced Raptor Rehabilitator and bird communicator. I also was able to breed birds in captivity that were otherwise thought of as difficult. I raised baby skunks and successfully released them into the wild and I helped a wild starving female deer through one winter. We named her “Clara-Belle. Once she healed she returned to the wild and then gave birth. That spring she waited for me outside with her new “ few days old” baby! I did video tape this momentous occasion. I have had dogs who were lost follow my car to my house, feral wild cats become my greatest teachers and friends. I have untangled Swans from fishing line and even carried a baby swan home who was starving, exhausted and overheated. The birds and squirrels, when ill, come to me because they were not feeling well. My recent catch was a female cardinal not two weeks ago in my yard. Something told me not to let the dog out and to go out and see where she was. Many wind up at the Hampton Wildlife Hospital and Rescue Center or a wild life rehabber.

“When we let go of believing we are superior,
we open ourselves to the experience of living in the community of Nature.“
– Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm

I always felt different. I always felt that there was something so much more then what I learned growing up. I was raised in a Catholic environment, went to Catholic School. I did not fit in. I always heard the call of something else and what that something else was I could not identify. It was so much stronger then anything else in my life. I bought books on witchcraft or aka the “occult” and was accused of doing black magic:( Back then it was not popular and there was no internet and lack of understanding what a Pagan was.) So I remained hidden on the inside and silently connected with wildlife and nature in a way that nourished my spirit. I have never intended harm to anyone. Later on I did begin to read books and I was so glad that more information was coming into the light. One day, before the movie Avatar, I got it into my head that I was not only having a relationship with my fellow beings but one with the Earth Mother. I felt that she was alive had a consciousness and was guiding me on my way.

“Call upon the Goddess and God to protect you and teach you the secrets of magic.
Ask stones and plants to reveal their powers — and listen.” Scott Cunningham — American author on Wicca and Pagan rituals

There were days that I was sad or lonely and a butterfly would land on my shoulder or grace the top of my head with it’s wings. Other times I would be standing in the sunshine and my Downy woodpecker friend would land on the front porch post 6 inches next to me and sun himself too. I have had bumblebees sit in my lap, wasps land on my shoulder and wild blue jays trusting me with their fledglings. I also became aware of situations that were out of the norm, for example, knowing that butterflies were released near my house by a person as opposed to them “naturally” arriving. Intuition. The numbers of experiences I have had with nature stopped me from questioning “is this real” and I began listening and honing my awareness. The timing of things is really what drew my attention. I began communicating silently to Gaia. Keeping myself open to the experience. I learned from the plants and what they had to say, who likes the sun, who likes part sun. I do not always follow the directions but take into consideration what the plants have to say. For example, my four year old Citronella geranium sheds her summer leaves which have become used to full sun to growing new leaves that accommodate her being inside now. When summer comes and I put her outside all these leaves will be discarded and new leaves will grow in.

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” ~Albert Einstein

From Nature I have learned about my own authentic nature. I have learned from plants and animals that they are self aware, they are aware and sensitive of their environment. They are even more aware of us and who we are to them, then we humans realize and this too goes back to Gaia. The wildlife learn about us. They know who is their friend, who they can turn to when injured or hurt, who is non-threatening, who is there during times of vulnerability. I had a hive of wild bees move into the top of the tree and because I spend so much time in my garden, they are aware of this, built their hive far enough away to be comfortable, but close enough to be by the flowers. I learned that wild animals can shift their perspective of seeing us as predators to viewing us as friends simply by our actions. Awareness. There have been moments where I felt a whisper in my soul “Liza go get your camera I have something for you.”

Every time I heed this inner call something wonderful happens.

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ~Kahlil Gibran

Now for the question how is this “Green Witchery”? In my heart what is being said is this. To effectively heal, connect and become a healer each experience is a connection in some way. It is the wild self that truly grasps what is going on in the environment. It is nature reaching out to me personally. The senses are so important and in today’s modern society so much of the senses have become lost and forgotten and so too the connection to nature is lost and her ability to teach us effectively on a personal level. I live a life of intention with actions. Nature “does” and that is her way of speaking. To lovingly tend my garden and prepare it to yield fruit, vegetables, flowers or herbs is the beginning of the connection. It is the essence of wellness and connection that is magic and it will speak to you. To harvest and be grateful and appreciative of what yield is taken and leave some for the wildlife. (One for the Rook and one for the Crow, one to die and one to grow:) Each gesture and action is a sacred act to me. I feel this way about creating my artwork and the inspiration that is brought to me by my muse. In my heart this is the beginning and end of green witchery. It is a loving circle. It is not just about the healing I receive from the plants, my love of wildlife, the art I create or the photography I do, but the spiritual and emotional nourishment I gain by this connection and by doing.
On this journey with nature I discovered so many beautiful things, one of them being my wild self. Who was always there since childhood. I have always been sensitive to the vibrations of living things. It’s a swiftness that whispers to the soul, yet too there is an inner stillness. There is also an intuitiveness with this path and through nature I have learned to develop it. I am still learning and listening. She is my greatest teacher and the most loving one I have ever known. I see and feel Gaia’s intentions and I am grateful. Gaia whispered into my soul “Daughter come home.”

Nature never did betray the heart that loved her.
– William Wordsworth

Blessed Be!
Liza Lambertini
Artwork Celebrating the Feminine Divne, Children, nature and faeries by Liza at http://www.lizalambertini.com

Nature Photography by Liza at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizalambertini

Liza’s Etsy shop of hand sculpted ooak fairy miniatures http://www.etsy.com/shop/LizasWhimsicalArt