Raccoon of Forgiveness
In about 1980, when I was working as a Naturalist/Ranger in the Greene County, Ohio park system, Indian Mound Reserve was the most abundant park in my care, and my favorite. The beautiful Massies Creek runs through it, creating rock formations and multiple habitats for animals and plants. The field around the mound, for which the park was named, was a favorite meditation area for me, and the mound itself gave me chills and other physical sensations whenever I was near it. It was said to be built along ley lines in the area, aligned with the magnetic flow there. I found it difficult to protect from cyclists and others who found it to be a fun hill, rather than a sacred spot. In my law enforcement capacity, I tried to use my ranger uniform more for education than scolding or punishment, which mostly worked. I found that if people understood the reason for a rule they were more likely to respect it; for example, to protect a slope from teenagers who used it as a slide to the water, I surprised them with a fact they found fascinating; there was a special lichen on that slope which takes fifty years to mature. Read more
Cedar Notes
I have always called the cedar tree (Thuja occidentalis) by the pronouns she and her. I don’t know why; it just felt right. She first brought me her magic when I really needed her during a time of spiritual and emotional crisis in 1985. I was alone at a writing retreat in the oak forests of central Missouri. It was deep winter and I was the only person on the writers’ colony land, where I rented a small house. Read more