Bones of the Mother

The horizon promised forever, with the land in between rich with life and beauty. The Divine Mother was present everywhere in those fertile fields, hills, and mountains. The endurance of the land and the creatures and spirits who dwell there filled me with awe.

Seeing the World Upside Down

The Hanged Man tarot card encourages observation and taking the role of non-action. We surrender our need to do something in favor of waiting to see what happens. We look at the world from a non-traditional stance: hanging upside down, which clears our vision and allows us to find a solution from the forest that surrounds us rather than the trees that are too numerous to count.

The Offer Stone

This is the first time I cross path with what Finns call a hiidenkivi (“cult stone”) and the Swedes a jättekast (“giant’s throw”), and for a little while longer my mind meanders, thinking about the ancient stories that were more than likely told about this place in ages past.

Bright Forest Longing

The woods around my home in Arctic Norway were few and far between, mostly small birches barely taller than your average adult. Here in Åland, I met with real woods: tall bone-white birches, spruce, thick pines, bushy walnut groves. This vibrant life was everywhere, and all the while I was searching for graves.

Putting Down Roots, Digging a Grave, Saying Goodbye

One day this August I picked up my phone and called Jens-Roger. “You know I told you the other week that I and my family were moving out?” “Yes, I remember.” “Well, I was thinking that before we leave for good, we should bury our daughter’s placenta. And we all really enjoy your place. Could we find a spot somewhere there?”