Sunday, July 26, 2009

He's a witch

Alan, from Roberts Roost, left a comment on a recent post in which he defined a witch as "someone who is connected to the spirit of a place. She uses that connection to aid and protect her community."

I was thinking about the spirit of a place this morning as I was hiking in Rock Canyon and collecting squawbush berries. (By the way, the squawbush berries are almost too ripe right now. I'm making squawbush berry soda and Rosi is adding the berries to her homemade feta cheese. Did you know there's an apple and a peach tree along the trail to the canyon gate? And that there are pincherries growing near The Devil's Kitchen climbing nook? And that alfalfa grows all along the trail? There's tons of rogue catmint growing in the canyon. Catmint tea is a calmative. But don't drink it with milk or it will taste like creamy broccoli water. )

I like Alan's definition, how about you? The spirit of a place...

This boy on my lap is a witch. He will ignore you if you tell him that boys are "wizards".
xo,
gp

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I LOVE the definition. Even though I don't have a burning desire to be or be called a witch, since I read this post last week, I have been looking around me closely, thinking about place and how to be connected to it--or rather, how to be more aware of my connection to it, and how to honor that connection. I've been looking at the weeds and wanting to know what grows so wildly in these parts.

GrittyPretty said...

Hi Anonymous,
I've been thinking about your well-written comment. I think I have enough photos of wild edibles from the Provo area to post soon.
Also about that pesky word "witch". I didn't know that it really DOES bother a lot of people (I've been asking). I think it doesn't bother me because I was raised by a non-native English speaker so words don't have the same weight. But then... The inquisition really bugs and I feel for all those women whose power to heal with herbs and other "old ways" were condemned by the paranoid catholic church. I wish there had been a way to implement all the cool old ways with any cool new ways instead of stomping them out. So for now I'm using the word "witch" out of honor and respect...but still investigating...
Good luck with all your connecting where you are and thanks for the comment. =)
XO!