Spirit of the Land

Land ownership is exciting but being a part of the land, claimed by the land, opens a bond to all the people of the land. From ancient people to modern people land has fashioned an identity and bond between people who share common problems, troubles, joys and celebrations. It is as though people become connected through the ages.Our own stories are what tell about the connected lore. Lore is personal, but never private. Telling the lore, sharing the lore creates, and is created by, spirits mingling stories into a common humanity.Lore is humorous; lore is heartbreaking; serious and silly, but lore of identity is the backbone of culture. It is why we laugh together and why we cry together.My stories are not much different than the stories of all time. In this book some of the Spirits of the Land do their speaking through what I remember, through what I have learned about events, and through imagination. Childhood memories, significant times in life, historical understandings- these are the body of lore ready to be woven into our spirit as people.As I sought to understand all of this I was guided by a powerful voice. It was a mystical voice, a driving voice. I came to know the voice of the spirit world as a physical body, a face I could see, hear and talk to, in a small pool of water. The face and the voice came at her own will and sometimes overtook my will. The face and voice left my view when it willed me to act on my own strengths. But the voice of the face is never gone. The spirit is never gone. It is the Spirit of the Land.