Creating A New Story Reflecting A Spirit of Connection---Smelt Fishing in Cow River

This Island you see
is more than a place
it's an act of imagination
a story
a song
deep yearning expressed
in a work
of ongoing creation
You see...the Island is in RED

David Weale...RED magazine

Environmentally, economically, socially, Islanders and people the world over are in desperate need of a new story, a story in which spirit infuses the choices we make. Island historian, gatherer of tales, editor of RED magazine, storyteller David Weale has said this a thousand times in a thousand different ways, but I think he said it best in his book Chasing the Shore.

  "we need to bring forth from deep within ourselves, a new, or greatly revised, mythology, that transcends tribal consciousness; one that honors the entire earth and expands the concept of holy land in such a way that every square foot of landscape, every drop in the ocean, and every creature (including ourselves) is regarded as sacred - something to be treated gently and reverently, and experienced as a source of wisdom and communion. That is our challenge."

Chasing The Shore: Little Stories About Spirit And Landscape   by David Weale

Disconnected from our natural sources of wisdom (nature and each other) we have become a culture of consumers and perpetrators of a story that leaves us feeling dis-enfranchised, alienated, and wondering where to turn and how to make choices that will stem the tide that's drowning us in toxic inaction.

Re- igniting within ourselves a renewed sense of connection with all and re-establishing a sense of place and history can be a deeply rewarding experience. Entering into a relationship with the natural world on a sensory level is a fantastic way of deepening our sense of reverence for and connection with the natural world and each other.

Fostering a deep love of nature in our youth is a wonderful place to start. Allowing their natural curiosity and enthusiasms for the outdoors to re-establish itself necessitates re-envisioning the natural world as classroom and the whole child as intrinsically connected to the world they inhabit.

Thanks in no small part to my nature-loving parents, I was raised with a love of the woods, the fields, the capes and shores of our fair Isle. My husband and I have tried to keep our three kids innate connection to nature intact. We are grateful to all in our lives who help foster the natural enthusiasms of our children.

Smelt Fishing in Cow River

Thanks to a willing and enthusiastic  young aunt (my dear youngest sister Janeen) the past two weekends our two older children had the fantastic experience of going smelt fishing in the very Northside river that their great- grandfather smelted in. In fact, that river has been smelted in for several hundred years by people of the  community. Much and not much has changed over the course of time in that river. Sure, my kids had battery operated flash lights instead of cattail torches or the kerosene lanterns of days gone by, and the rubber boots may be of a better quality, but they still stood in the river under the darkened night sky, and dipped their bare hands into the cool, rushing waters in attempts to capture the fleeting silvery flashes as the smelts made their way upstream. And as we discussed before they left, this was done with a spirit of reverence for the life giving qualities of the fish they were attempting to catch (along with a spirit of wildness...another very wonderful spirit to retain connection with!!)

Tired, cold and wet but highly enthused, the three of them along with other family and friends who were out in the river, made their way back to my beloved Uncle Gerald's old Northside house to further the tradition of "having a feed" of the newly caught fish accompanied by some storytelling and imbibing on the part of some. As Gerald said to my guys, well after midnight and just as they headed off for the hour long trip back to town..."Let's make this an annual tradition for you two kids!!"

It's that spirit of history and deep connection with the natural world which fuels us to create a new story reflecting a spirit of connection with Earth. A new (and not so new) story which demonstrates respect and caring for the natural world and re-acquaints us with our sense of wonder in nature.

Jill

Images--wikipedia