Whats happening to the Wild Life?
How The Nature Spirits React to Ritual
by Lori Donlea
Every time we have an ADF ritual at our home, things happen with the wild life around here. Good things happen. The energy we build through the ritual causes a energy change in the house, the yard, and whole neighborhood.
The area we live in was special when we found it and decided to buy. The energy here is really good and powerful. So, it makes sense that creating more energy would have its affect.
The first time we noticed the change in the wild life was at the Vernal Equinox ritual in the spring of 2003. We did our ritual indoors because the weather was still cold and rainy, as it was March. Afterward, the priestess took the offerings we had made out to the yard and poured them on the ground in front of a very large Blue Spruce, where Ester's hare lives. The rabbit came out and seemed calm enough. It didnt run. It looked at us in acknowledgment then left. We all thought that was very special, but had no idea it would happen again.
Later that year, we had our Lughnassadh ritual in the back yard. This time the outsiders, in the form of Blue Jays, harassed us with their noisy cries until we finished and left the yard.
For a few years I have had owls appearing in my dream and meditation. I didnt know why, and I spent some time trying to figure out why they keep showing up. I knew it was a message and because Llew is my husbands patron I concluded that it could be Bleodwyne, Llews wife. She may be hanging around because of Lugh. At Yule that year, I had decide to make an offering in the fireplace for Bleodwyne and ask her to please let me know if she was here. Three nights later, I was awakened by an owl hooting right outside my bedroom window. It was the first time I had ever heard an owl, let alone so close. I listened for 45 minutes to the hoots. When the sun started to rise, about 4:30 AM, the hooting stopped. Merlin has been my mentor for years and from the things I have read about Merlin, he also has an owl. Did Merlin come to me as an owl or was it Bleodwyne looking for Llew? Im still working on that one. I feel its possibly both.
In the summer of 2004, we had our Summer Solstice ritual. After the ritual the Cardinals became very excited to the point of pecking at the windows. After the Spring Equinox, we had a Coopers Hawk come live in the wood of our yard through summer. After Yule of 2004, a Doe and her yearling moved into the yard. There are deer in the area, but, in 11 years, we had never seen them. But for a month, this Doe and her daughter lived in our yard, nesting in the wood and feeding on bird seed.
As we were preparing for the Autumnal Equinox of 2005, we were visited again. The ritual was a special occasion because the Archdruid, Skip Ellison, was coming to consecrate Pat, my husband, as a Dedicant Priest. We had just walked out of the house about noon to go get a few things we needed for the ritual, when above us was a hawk and a falcon circling over the house and yard, and screeching. It was just our place, not the neighbors. They circled and screeched three times then left. Wow, what an omen. Three is a magical number representing perfect balance in mind, body and spirit. The hawk represents visionary, its messenger of spirit, and is a symbol of leadership.
That night, the owl came back, too. But not just one, there were two hooting, answering each other. The owl is a messenger of spirit and represents wisdom. These two omens told us we where doing the right thing.
We did our Samhain Ritual at the full moon on October 16, 2005. On the second day, in the early morning, just after sunrise, we had a group of 12 squirrels show up to indulge in the nature spirit offerings we left. They had been there the day before as well, but, what we didnt think of, and had never seen here before, was a red fox came to indulge on the squirrels. He didnt get one, but he was beautiful to see.
I have learned to listen to the wild life and now I am trying to learn how to interpret the omens that they bring. They are showing up in my dreams more, the owls specially. There is a reason why our Grove is the Ravenwood Grove. When we decided to start a grove, we looked out the front window one morning and there where 7 ravens (or seven extremely large crows) sitting on the hood of our truck. We live in a wooded area, so it seem like the logical name. How right we were.
