Living Narrow and Deep

I came to learn about this concept in 2015 when I first heard it mentioned by one of my teachers, Pixie Lighthorse. In fact, it is the main reason I chose to study with her when she was offering her many SouLodge programs and Earth Medicine School teachings.

I’d worked with various teachers over the years, some suggesting I (or anyone) needed no additional tools to accomplish my goals and others suggesting I needed a lot of tools that they or others sold to achieve want I wanted or the healing I sought.

That didn’t sit right with me anymore. The idea that the Earth can handle all this pillaging of her resources and the mountains of trash we were creating by our need for ‘abundance’ went against everything I’ve always felt since I was young.

That meant it was time to reevaluate what I needed, what was important to my path, how I could reduce my own waste and reuse or repurpose what I already had. It also meant gifting or bartering items and services with others.

So in 2015 I began the shift to hone in on what I would use on my spiritual path and become intimately acquainted with those items and interests. I no longer need to collect every stone in every shape or size! I have learned to sit more “IN” nature to glean the medicine than “OWN” pieces of nature. I’ve begun the process of moving on tools and plants and stones I rarely use to keep their energy and mojo in circulation instead of inside my boxes and cabinets.

The hardest challenge currently for me is my creative passions. I love to make jewelry for sacred adornment and intention, I am a photographer and like to use my and others images on my altars within my home along with the art I create as a Wordweaver and Bard. Storytelling is in my nature and as I move forward I seek ways to continue to share these passions and gifts whilst creating less waste or unnecessary packaging.

One thing I learned was to pick an item from three areas that were important to my healing path and study it/with it/within it for a year. One plant medicine, one animal medicine and one stone medicine. This approach has brought me tremendous joy and clarity around who my guides are and how they support and show up for me.

As a student of nature and earth practices, magick and Druidry, that approach has worked for me. For others it may be a certain scent, essential oil or perhaps one item such as working with candles or color therapy. Maybe one Oracle deck or Tarot deck. I know it is hard to not want everything in each category. So again I invite you to just get started. Mother Earth is really calling to us to lean in to more of what we have and less manufactured stuff.

We truly don’t need All the Things.

I also want you to consider supporting those individuals making the magicks you seek to work with – learn how to make the things you need using the resources you already have and hopefully diminish our overuse of the same items. For example, I no longer try and make my own potions/essential oil blends. I’ve found a handful of extremely talented and gifted women whose elixirs, potions and intentional scents work extremely well for me.

Getting Started

Here is a simple form you can download to make a list of what you wish to work with and what items you have that you may wish to swap with friends or donate or sell. I’ve found that the more I release from my home, the more energy I have to expand into with the items I really cherish and learn a great deal using regularly.

Action Step

Let’s start with the ‘deep’ part – what is one special item you own? A necklace you inherited from your grandmother? A book a friend or teacher gave you? A piece of animal or earth medicine that perhaps you’ve never sat with before today? Now before you go pick up that item, jot down a few notes about what it means to you. Then when you’re ready, pick it up and sit with it. Hold it to your heart. Listen to its story. The message or wisdom it wishes to share with you. Perhaps write that down too. Let the ‘deep’ or your items become your medicine. These wisdom keepers may find their way onto your various altars. Welcome them in.

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