South Altar on the Land
2014-12-17
Last year on the Winter Solstice we were battered by an intense ice storm, and many many trees and branches came crashing down covered with up to 3cm of ice. Since then, we have been working at creating order out of the randomness of wood. Inspired be Andy Goldsworthy's twig landscape sculptures, a series of pathways suggested by drifts of twigs and branches have appeared.
I have spent time on the land, listening to how the land would like the paths to appear, and then using the generous gifts from the maples, beeches, black cherrys, hickorys and hemlocks. A few days before the South Medicine Wheel, the land suggested for me to make four altars, one for each direction, using wood that was appropriate for each altar, and showing where each altar should go. Quite a download! After the altar came together, the South Allyu dedicated this space with ceremony.
South is fire, and the tree is black cherry...beautiful red wood, and a red sandstone base and Grey County limestone cap for the altar. The tree that anchors the space is tangled with branches, the complexity of our stories. A neighbouring dead tree sheds its bark as Satchamama sheds her skin. Today the slight snowfall made some beautiful moments.
