Dùthchas: Branches, Sheep & Keeping Gifts Safe

 

Dùthchas celebrates and describes our deep Hebridean connection to the land where we grow through work and play. The rolling crofts and rocky, heather hills where I live are family - to learn from, love and care for. A natural part of love is also protection. 

It's February here in Lewis, and despite the re-appearing sun, the tree branches have sealed their leaves and flowers in tight. Unlike the daffodil, known for its 'courage' to risk a second snow, or an icy death if it emerges too soon, a tree's roots run deep. It knows it must trust, be certain of the Spring before it can chance its delicate flowers, its raw gifts with the world. And so, for now, all it displays is a hard, outer shell. Its budding flowers and soft leaves remain reserved inside until it can trust they can be shared and grow, flourish without harm or damage from wintery weather.

It is the same for the hens on the croft that do not lay eggs during the month of January, for their bodies instinctively know that their young cannot survive in a hostile environment. Even the sheep do not give birth until late in March here, the lambs developing a thick coat quickly.

As humans, we need to take heed of Winter's lessons too: the most delicate, precious parts of yourself are not for everyone; they should only be shared with those few you trust. Healthy growth begins in a warm and welcoming environment, in safety. Yes, we need a resilient bark to survive a greedy world, but the parts of us that are sacred, our hopes, our happiness, our intimate dreams, should be protected until we know the weather will nurture and care for them. This is the Hebridean reserve. These small leaves of ourselves are the gifts we pass on. Like the Willow here on the croft: wait to trust. Wait for the Sun before sharing. Protect the colourful parts you most believe in as a human being; this way, when you do open yourself to a world you trust, you are sure to thrive.

Dùthchas: the Three Veg Sisters

 

[painting: Moses Ludham]

Dùthchas: the Three Veg Sisters 

In this entry of Dùthchas: Learning from the Land, I draw from the lessons of the Anishinaabe, and 'The Three Sisters', in Canada where I was visiting over Hogmanay. Winter is a time when I am planning, or dreaming about, my garden for the Spring: thinking of better weather, which seeds to order, and where to plant which vegetables for an Autumn harvest.

This is something we have all been doing a lot more of recently since the Pandemic, and with fluctuating global food security. In Canada, the three traditional vegetables used to sustain life are known as, 'The Three Sisters'. They are: Corn, Squash, and Beans - all full of both proteins and carbohydrates for energy and survival.

Corn, Squash and Beans are known as 'sisters' because, grown together, they enjoy a healthy, symbiotic relationship - each supporting and nurturing the other with their unique gifts. Corn, for example, grows tall and straight, providing a pole or support structure for Beans to twist around and wind up to the sun. Beans, while growing, replace nutrients into the soil and roots for the Corn; and Squash (or sometimes Pumpkin) uses its broad leaves to provide a living mulch for the other two, preventing the growth of weeds, and sustaining the moisture in the soil to keep the three safe. 

Individually, it would be difficult for any one of the sisters to live alone. Together, they combine their gifts to survive and thrive. In our jobs, or at work, the same is true. If we are always hiring the same type of person, never seeking out the opposite of our own gifts, we will not truly flourish. We need people who are organised, linear thinkers; good with forward planning and growth to support the structure. We also need creative vines of thought, ones that bend and flow with small seeds of nutrients and ideas, capable of taking different directions around the structure. And we need those that will protect our roots from invaders - colleagues, or a sister, that will spread her leaves so that the family or organisation feels safe.

Look for the symbiotic sisters in your own life: Who acts as the support structure for your growth? Who is the creative vine of ideas and dreams in your life? And who would lay out her leaves to protect your roots, be your base so that you feel safe to grow? Which sister are you?

These are the relationships that enrich and challenge our own growth as humans. Want to evolve? Look to your sisters.