Thursday, August 29, 2013

Ruahine

Gravel roads and rattled bones
Fish-tail turns round blind corners
Arriving at the Beginning
Parked; dogs barking
Geared-up for farmland slogging
Opening gates: one, two three
Up the fenceline pointed skywards
500 metres gained through Achilles strain
To where forest girds property
Ceding ownership to the old Gods
Tane-mahuta, Tawhirimatea, Hine-nui-te-po
Entering a palace of beech, trimmed with moss
And studded with fern, horopito
A verdant hall within the clouds
Shrouding all connection with humanity below
As we continue to rise

Two pilgrims following hallowed steps
Towards a wild, ancient shrine
Penance upon ridgelines
Rain soaking, chilling skin; wind shattering thoughts
Sacrificing and surrendering
But still onwards, one foot and the next
Communing with those nameless, formless ones
Those that be
Without passion or anger
From these unchanging entities
We achieve renewal, rebirth
Naked of discriminating mind

Cleansed
The blessing of the mountain
Follow us downwards
Descending back to the common realm
After one solitary night
Where the fires of Purity burned hot
In the chambers of the sky
Destroying to restore
Bearing with us the good news
To all who will listen
And heed Ruahine's call.

Friday, August 2, 2013

A Few Glimmers of Hope

Here are a few inspiring examples of the transformative powers of nature. Long clips I know, but well worth a watch. Have you ever seen such complete restoration of ecological activity from marginal or degraded scraps of land? Because I haven't.