Today saw the first praxis for the Magical Geography course currently underway for premium member's on Gordon White's excellent website Runesoup. You can find it here.
My own mission is to humbly do my bit to re-enchant the world. Gordon is developing a metaphysic to create epistemological models to carry this forward. His main one being what he calls 'Big Table Animism' or BTA for short.
He introduced a concept 'on country' to describe how the aboriginal players in his native Australia talk about their relationship with the inhabitants of place. As he points out land is too narrow country takes into account all relationships with human and also importantly with the 'more than human world' to be encountered there.
Our task for this praxis was to open up consciousness and acknowledge 'country' in our own location. Hence Coppett's wood.
Coppett's Wood is to be found along Colney Hatch and is that rare specimen a bit of the remaining forest that originally covered Finchley before it became a common and then the suburb that it now is.
I decided to start by making an offering to the wood which in this case was a dram of dark rum, a traditional spirit offering and one that I've used on many an occasion. This is, I feel, a most important ritual activity and all part of "getting their attention", that is of the spirit(s) of place. I stamped on the ground three times (a popular choice in magical lore!), and poured out the offering whilst at the same time calling out "I acknowledge country".
To help move things along it was suggested that we do some mindfulness exercises moving through the senses. Listening, looking, touching, tasting and smelling as well as noticing the arrangements upon the 'inner' or spirit landscape.
It was evident just how quickly a sort of dream state arose. Surfaces morphed into faces and bodies, what was evident was that nothing is hidden but more a case that the shift allows the eyes to see and the ears to hear. The sounds become meaningful as do the shapes.
There were certain points where I stopped because there was something about this or that particular spot. The first time was by a large ash tree and I felt an urge to communicate... but what to say? I don't have much experience of talking to trees so fell back on simply asking if it had anything to impart? I heard nothing on my inner ear. However, I was drawn to pluck and taste a haw berry from a nearby hawthorn. The leathery skin gave way to an avocado texture and momentary sharp taste. I cleaned the stone and sent it on its way spreading the genes on maybe to their next incarnation.
Moving on, and following a winding path around hedged in by the sounds of the nearby North Circular road, I began to have some paranoid thoughts. I thought someone was following me. Looking around I could not see anyone. I did pass a couple of dog walkers and again thoughts arose of danger but this time as if I was the one under suspicion?
I did wonder if this is just the residual split that Western humanity has in its relationship with the so-called natural world. We have 'othered' something out of ourselves and inevitably have to meet this prejudice if we are to integrate it once more.
Finally I made it up to the main path out of the wood's canopy. As I passed the final tall oak tree, a timely acorn fell landing behind me. I acknowledged the greetings and added my 'goodbye' for now.
On my way out I stopped to pick some dandelion leaves for tonight's meal as well as a few mugwort leaves for tea before sleep... perchance to dream!
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