Cody’s Column: What do I do?

First, the world is a shit show or a paradise… all at once without stopping,..  It has been…since a long time ago…

This article will be about practical solutions for when the “shit storm” comes your way.

 

What do I do as a Pagan when there is a shit-storm?

 

Answers from Nature: Mushrooms, Rivers, and Beaver

 

Mushrooms have been around, quite possibly the longest alongside microbes.  They function by creating networks, sharing resources, fruiting only on the edge of their domain, quietly making advances on the forest floor.  Mushrooms do seem to share a quality of locating themselves in habitats where there is decay, usually from plant matter.  They have a unique ability to break down wood, a cosmically rare material, and turn the lignin in it into components for their own growth, something microbes haven’t been able to do.  This action fuels the nutrient cycle allowing forests to survive and outlast kingdoms, dynasties, and cataclysm.  They are resilient but also great contributors, even powerful medicines for those who are aware.  Mushrooms do have their secrets, but their mystery is what has captured human curiosity since stories were told.  The mushrooms have seen species rise and fall, Ice ages come and go, as well as people creating the Anthropocene Era.  Here is just the surface of what they have to teach us during our time here…

Create networks.

Share resources.

Dance when there is uncertainty and fruit on the edge of your comfort zone.

Turn decay into life.

Promote the growth of others.

Create new cycles.

Be resilient.

Rivers have swept through the land and carried mushroom spores farther than they could have gone on their own since time immemorial.  Water flows over solid rock and possesses the power to change rock over time, even though water is soft.  Water is a common source of life for many living beings.  Cool temperatures turn water crystalline and warm temperatures return water to its liquid form although hot temperatures turn water into a gas.  The essential components of water are also what largely fuel the great stars we see at night.  Water is a shapeshifter, a changemaker, and essential life force.  Rivers are shapeshifters as well, shaping land and life wherever they flow.  Myths and legends tell of dragons inhabiting them, spirits moving within their banks.  The Goddess of Egypt resided in the river Nile and she blessed the land with fertility.  In Ancient Greece the river Styx created boundaries between the living and dead.  In the Pacific Northwest where I live, rivers form complex inlets, highways, and spawning beds for Salmon People to complete their life cycle.  Rivers are the source of life for all living things where I come from.  Here are just a few of the skills rivers teach…

Be an agent of change.

Learn how to shapeshift while maintaining your truth.

Remember your power, it’s the same as the stars.

Know the Myths of your land.

Join two sides together to increase life, not decrease life.

Allow others to complete their life cycle and form partnerships of love and respect.

 

Beavers swim up the river and find a valley to build their home.  In doing so they change the whole valley and create a habitat that invites more life.  They are life enhancers if ever you meet one along a river stop and observe.  They don’t look the fiercest, strongest, most beautiful, or even the smartest but for those who have been aware, Beaver teaches togetherness is strength, security and protection through peace.  They have partnered with the Land and the River in a most intimate way as to love it and have the Land and the River show their love in return.  They are also vulnerable.  Hunted nearly to extinction in order to make some rich humans a hat!  Even then, they gave their bodies in exchange that humans might someday take up their cause and do their work on the Land and Rivers, create families and once again learn harmony.  Here are just a few of the lessons Beaver teaches us…

Start learning how to build.

Enhance your surroundings.

Togetherness is strength.

You can achieve security and protection through peace.

Partner with the Land and the Rivers.

Remember you are vulnerable.

Nature has always inspired us, mostly through teaching us awareness.  Her lessons are sometimes difficult, but she has always been there for us and made her teaching accessible…

Go for a walk in the forest, along a river, or on the beach.

Breathe in the smells of rain on dry soil.

Observe the land changing with the seasons.

Listen to a birdsong.

These are the beginning teachings that calm our nervous system and allow us to begin deep thinking.  Once calmed, we begin to perceive the Mystical lessons of what to do in a shit-storm.  I will share lessons from 5 rocks that guide can us through the mystical nature of our time here on Mother Earth.

Dragonstone:  This stone is a mix of passion and the strength to achieve one’s desires through granting yourself the ability to undergo transformation.  Its swirling green and red color reminds us to have courage through our transformation.

Lava stone:  “Strengthen our connection to Earth.”  Tested by heat and stress, this stone teaches us how to be calm, stable, and self-confident when under great pressure.

Hematite:  Stability, protection, and balance.  All three of these attributes are in this magnificent stone!  It is magnetic and shiny when polished!  Bolster your inner strength when holding this stone.

Labradorite: “The Stone of Transformation” its mystical sheen guides us into growth, intuition, and higher consciousness.

Carnelian: “The Stone of Action” Be Creative. Do something with your passion.  Boost vitality.

I wear these stones around my neck each day as I connect people with books, resources, and skills at the Library.  I visit schools and teach children they can be anything they want to be, they just have to be curious about new skills, respectful of their resources, and interested in books.  We learn lessons from Salmon in our rivers, how to adventure from the characters in our books, or how to be artistic with just a few materials.  We learn how to cooperate and create something beautiful together everyday.  We find deep meaning in doing so and I wonder if this community somehow protects us?

Practice skills to be a part of the paradise we live in and help those who are suffering.

 

I am a husband, father, farmer, and friend. I live on the banks of the Magic Skagit River, ancestral lands of the Upper Skagit people. I practice rune reading, tarot, land magic, and work with many spirit guides. My life began Pagan but I veered off into the Christian church in college. I found my way back to my Pagan and ancestral roots in 2005 and have journeyed along this path since then.