Invitation to the Blessing of the Land, with Suzanne Arnold on equinox evening March 20th 2025. (Thank you to many others for these photographs)
It was a perfect day. The cold east wind had dropped, the sky clear and lapis blue, the air still, and the sun the warmest it had been this year. After a full Elders day (as scientists surveying the land and pond – toad, fish, frogs-spawn), after a swift turn around, Suzanne arrived. This was the first batton pass, as without a car, she was delivered by Jago, who was collecting Gina. She walked out onto the land. I saw her stop and breath. “My heart is cracking” she said as I joined her.
Forty souls arrived, and as the sun began to cast long shadows of the 5,000 green tree protectors (protecting tree saplings recently planted by men from Swaffham) and us, we followed Suzanne down the north ride to the circle of silver birches. Here we made our human circle, and Suzanne called the directions: east where the sun rises, the air, south the fire, west the water (which we need) and north the earth soil for the roots to go down into. She gave the land many blessings, reminding us that all land was ancient, and that we walked on our ancestors, ancestors of leaves, insects, dogs, cats, elephants, sea animals, dinosaurs and human animals. Joining our hands together we called out ‘HOPE’ to the sky.
Progressing south, passed the 1,000 trees many there had helped to plant we arrived at the community garden and forest garden. Here Marion gave us the rudiments of forest gardens (layers) and the reason for it, in the name of Jen Berry.
Unexpectedly, Aiden gifted us a Tibetan prayer, first in English then he chanted it in Tibetan, siting cross legged on the earth. The blessing of many Rinpoche’s arrived.
We created our own mandala, the beginning of the forest garden path, with the cords of wood we carried with us from Kaliwoods – encouraged by Rachel SL, who stopped me half way down to hear the song thrush call.
Some pealed off then to their cars, others returned to the wood, to enjoy some conversation, food and drink. I drank Birch sap for the first time in my life, collected that morning by Esther from birch trees in her garden. Jon and Lyn, Bob and Annie Jellicoe came to the wood for the first time.
Finally there was only Virigina and Emily, and then there was just my girlfriend from the 1980’s Sarah Touquet and I beside the fire, chewing the cud from our starter and autumn lives and looking up at the stars.
Kaliwood 