Collecting Sand in the Yew Forest
Yesterday Michael invited me to a little retreat.
He sent me to Peterzell,
home to the largest surviving yew forest in Europe.
One of the lessons I learned was, that when I really open up,
my teacher is always with me.
In the yew forest, it was easy for me to open up.
I was immersed in an atmosphere that was so primal,
mysterious, magical, and above all, quiet.
I associate all of that with Michael as well.
I collected sand from three spots.
The forest is very damp and crisscrossed by streams.
The calcareous tufa crumbled into sand just from
being rubbed lightly between my hands.
I couldn’t resist taking off my shoes and wandering
barefoot through the forest for a bit—to feel even more a part of nature.
I know that yew is poisonous in all its parts, and that caution is advised
in the presence of such a dense concentration of these spirit-like trees.
But… in the end, I couldn’t even resist taking a small sip from the streams.
I have to admit that I can’t fully understand what
Michael associates with collecting sand.
But when I look at his collection, the essence
of the nature it represents is very much present.
All the places he’s traveled to, contained in a beautiful drawer box.
And I know only a tiny fraction of the stories behind them.
All the more reason for me to hope
that I’ve contributed a worthy story to it.
For me, it was a mix of joy and learning.
Thank you
Christine
I will put some pictures of the yew trees on my profile
