Nature as Mother

Nature’s Wisdom

Last night a boisterous thunderstorm roared and flashed outside. This morning my tulips blossomed. (Release, new growth, seasons)

For the first time in two years, a bush in my yard is growing leaves. The year prior it was covered in vines that I removed at the end of summer. (right timing, resilience, mutual support)

A turtle swam along the edge of a pond, moving under and around rocks and tree branches blocking its path - I watched from the shore. (finding your way)

I stood at the edge of a pond and spoke from my heart hoping to be witnessed by the trees, water, and birds. Then a strong breeze came across the water face on in my direction. I felt as though the wind was giving me the message – let it go. (release, mutual support)

Nature and Motherhood

Earlier this week I went to Rani Ban’s book release event for “This Is Terrible, This Is Wonderful: Dispatches from the postpartum universe,” at Rough Draft. I enjoyed her recounting a version of the seal skin tale in Women Who Run With The Wolves. I appreciated her raw vulnerability. I was reminded of the guttural truth that two things can be true.

Motherhood can bring you through the depths of your being in the best of ways and the most challenging of ways. It can bring mortality, liminality, and magic to the forefront. When it all feels overwhelming or feels like no other human can understand what you are carrying or sitting with, nature can can speak to it all. The complexities of human life are mirrored in the complexities of nature.

Nature’s seasons, creatures, plants, and elements are constantly in cycles of birth, expansion, depletion, death, rebirth. Just like the moon cycles. Just like the birthing body’s menstrual cycles. Just like our life cycles.

There is such beauty, strength, fierceness, softness and so much more in nature. I find myself tapping into it when I can’t resource it from within myself.