by Kayce Stevens Hughlett

One of the gorgeous things about getting older is loosening our grasp on what might be perceived “normal” or judgment worthy from others. In mid-August, I had the beautiful opportunity to go on retreat in the Pacific Northwest with Tarot maven, Joanna Powell Colbert (as well as Garden members, Lezli, Helen, & Petrina + a few other delightful women). Our topic was eldering and our time was spent in deep conversation, silence, and creativity.

One of the mornings we went to the Washington coast and ventured upon what Joanna called a Wild Wander. Personally, I’d call it a SoulStroll, but that’s just me ;) Our invitation was to enter a sacred time via a threshold of our choosing and carry in silence, (without food, cell phones, or human interaction) a question that we wanted nature, the Great Divine, Mama Ocean (you get the picture) to answer.

I carried with me the question: What does my inner elder want me to know? Today, I share her response … for as things like this go … methinks the message might not be for only me.

remember the young ones

remember the furry beasts 

remember the decay 

remember the old and knobbed, sharp and wise 

the hives, the tribes, the trees

remember to climb slow, to go, and even mow like the reaper 

remember to be, build, shield, and wield sun-filled magic

to plant and sew and know

look up! look up! look up! 

follow the channel

allow the stream 

dream 

remember the beauty in broken things

sometimes love is heavy 

remember buried treasure 

wolf claw, sea swirl, man’s imprint, ocean’s edge 

remember the black dog and the woman who weaves and tends the cauldron that is the ocean

frolic in the waves

laugh out loud 

don’t expect anyone else to clean up your sh*t 

flirt with the edges

WAIT 

turn 

allow the waves to wrap you in healing seaweed 

you come from ocean, dear one,

you crawl and swim and strip off your Selkie skin

always we begin again 

do no harm 

be curious and do no harm

reach, rest, see, be 

bundle it all up in gratitude and return it to me 

aho. amen. these are my words. 

Another task, along the way, was to gather treasure, make a bundle for Mama Ocean, and return it to her with the deepest prayer of our hearts. Done and done. Today, I offer her blessing to you with the deepest prayer that you, too, will have a delightful encounter with your wise inner elder. May you find time and space to go on your own wild wander.

pay attention

be astonished

tell about it

—Mary Oliver “Instructions for Living”

Namaste.