as the darkness grows, remember those wise Ones who have returned to dust
When the first frost comes, and the trees shed their leaves, the last of the flowers wither, black bears retreat to winter homes, harvester ants cease activity and move underground, and Earth dresses Her Northern Self in darkness, I remember those wise Beings who have, like the leaves, fallen and returned to the dust of the Earth.
Remembrance of those who’ve gone before was observed by people around the world through many forms and expressions this past weekend. My husband and I shared stories about past family members, and we imagined what it would be like if all our loved ones joined us for a reunion. Through each shared story, their life’s wisdom came alive, and it felt as though we were sitting at the feet of a wise council of kin.
But this time of remembrance extends far beyond the human family. As Earth dresses Her Northern Self in darkness, I join Her in remembering Grandmother Eastern Cougar, Grandfather Merriam’s Elk, Sister Mexican Grizzly Bear, Brother Tacoma Pocket Gopher, Auntie Smith Island Cottontail, Uncle Cascade Mountain Wolf, Cousin Southern Rocky Mountain Wolf, Cousin New Mexico Sharp-tailed Grouse, Sister Socorro Elf Owl, Brother Imperial Woodpecker, Auntie Indigo-capped Hummingbird, Uncle Navassa Island Iguana, Sister Navassa Island Dwarfed Boa, Brother Golden Toad, Sister Rabb’s Fringe-limbed Treefrog, Brother Ainsworth’s Salamander… and painfully many more wise Beings. Forever lost because of our belief that we are somehow separate from the rest of life on Earth.
When our kin fall away and return to the dust of the Earth, we lose their unique wisdom of how to live here, together, on our shared home. What if we believed all Life was our kin and extended our practice of remembrance to those who have gone extinct? What if we shared their stories and sat at their feet and believed them to be the teachers who guide us in Earthen life? As the darkness grows, I mourn and remember. May all my beloved kin rest in peace and in power.
Living Memory, may they be remembered
Living Memory
Who remembers all Your beloveds
may those who now rest in You
find their stories live on
through the lips of their kin
may those who now rest in You
find their wisdom embodied
in the life of their kin
may those who now rest in You
find comfort and peace
in Your warm embrace
