Elder Muse/Day #1: Sha-con-o-hey

To see a world in a grain of sand,

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour.

~William Blake

As she walked through the trees filled with the leaves of summer, following the trail set out long ago by those who came before her, she could feel the ancients speaking to her in a language only those who had reached the elder stage of life could understand.

It was not in words we know, but instead in images and sensations that coursed through her body – a reminder of being vibrantly alive and an offering of presence – of breath filled with the tang of natures offerings.

Of a connection that had been forgotten and lost….but that now was birthing once again to remind humans what is vital for their continued presence on this Earth….

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Walking on the path of a Blue Ridge Mountain trail there is a feeling of intense grounding that is different from any experienced in other mountains…..and I have walked many trails in many mountain ranges over this seven decades of embodiment.

These mountains are ancient with an age of approximately 480 million years.

The Cherokee (also known as Keetoowah or Tsalagi) name for the Blue Ridge Mountains is Shaconage, meaning “the place of blue smoke,” and is pronounced Sha-con-o-hey. What a beautiful rhythmic sounding name. It makes me want to break out in song.

The Blue Ridge Mountains, named for their apparent color, are perceived as shades of blue due to a common chemical released by the native trees that scatters blue light from the sun. They are a sub-range of the larger Appalachian Mountain range and they are the second oldest range in the world.

This could be why I feel such a deep connection and belonging as I explore what it is to be, well not ancient, but of a certain age. Walk with me for while…..

“People in Appalachia insisted the mountains breathed, and it was true: the steep hollow behind the farmhouse took up one long, slow inhalation every morning and let it back down through their open windows and across the fields throughout the evening – just one full breath each day.”

~ From – “Prodigal Summer” by Barbara Kingslover

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Over the next 31 days you will receive a Daily Elder Muse blog post accessed from the unfolding of the day – not planned or scheduled. Yes, the Muse is back again during this powerful and challenging shift time on our planet.

I have no idea what will arise…..but then do we really know ahead of time what our moment to moment daily experience will be? We are only asked to pay attention. ~Gaye Abbott

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Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 04/15/24