from the Ninth Wave Arts caretakers

The energy of Beltane (“bright fire”) is welcomed here, as the fertility of the land and the strengthening sun are celebrated.

Green things are bursting forth. Water is moving in unexpected places. The air carries the fragrance of worms and rain, and the critters are busy with the season. There is a waiting for the grand blossoming—though it may have already arrived by the time this writing reaches this blog

The journey of the past month has carried us through a brief return of winter, the eclipse, and the arrival of ducks. Most recently, a pair has taken up residence in the old pond, likely drawn by the lack of early vernal pools in the fields this year, given the dryness. They are settling in alongside the snapping turtles.

The pair moves together like an old married couple, wandering the field and paths, staking out places to rest and be.

There is a relaxed, conversational quality to their presence. A wild turkey pair moves in much the same way. At times, their paths cross—ducks to turkeys, turkeys to ducks—a quiet nod between neighbours out and about.

Spring mushrooms commune with old tree stumps. Poplar buds meet the breeze with their fragrance. Last year’s dried leaves give way to new green shoots. Ants begin their careful formations in the soil, and chipmunks claim the stone piles as their spring castles.

Relations feel central in this time.

Not long ago, a deer moved gently through the trees, pausing to lower her head and greet the roots with a soft nuzzle—a moment of reverence before reaching up to take in the fresh growth of the lower branches. A bear passed through as well, acknowledging a tree stump with a quiet sniff and a breath to the air before gently taking mushrooms from its surface. A raven was watched walking the full perimeter of the parking lot, tending the edges with something unseen—as if holding a boundary, keeping the cars contained and the grasses free to grow.

Each being, in its own way, demonstrated an awareness of the others—critter, tree, plant, elemental, and beyond—moving in balance through right relation.

This is the season of planting seeds. May the seeds planted here carry that same balance forward for all beings.