Spirit of Place

By Dakota Earth Cloud Walker

In 1997 my beloved Grandma, Isabelle, passed away. All my life she had been a rock for me. I had decided to take some of her ashes back to the place of her ancestors, Calder Castle in Inverness, Scotland – in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. She had never been there, nor had I, but her family history was flavored by many stories of castles, kings and queens, and all sorts of things. I will never forget the journey nor will I ever forget how the spirit of Scotland’s landscape made me feel.  There have been four times in my life when I could feel the energy of the land so strongly that I knew beyond any doubt that I had arrived “home” – where I currently live, crossing into Arizona, Ireland, and Scotland. I could feel the spirits of the land, the ancient feeling of having been there before, and the clean, clear sense that each stone, tree, and field of grass was speaking to me.

There is one common denominator about all the places I felt drawn to and that is the stones. In Scotland, it was Callanish and all the standing stones in which I became mesmerized. In Arizona, it was the beautiful, feminine, red sandstone cliffs that I hiked through. In Ireland, it was the countless fields with stone fences and all the many stone circles I found. And here, in North Carolina, we are sitting on the bedrock of the oldest mountain in the world. Why does this mean anything for learning the spirit of a place? Because the Stone People are the record keepers of the Earth. They contain the history of everything that has ever happened and teach us everything we need to know about the planet and its children. The primary mission for all Stones is simply to hold the energy. The rocks can carry the electromagnetic energy of Mother Earth to the surface for us to feel and be healed by.

Stones and minerals have long served as a great healing tool among all Medicine People. The Native Americans use clear quartz crystals for focus and clarity. Some tribes carve stones into fetishes and talisman as a source of power and protection. Clear quartz also allows us to see beyond our physical illusion and magnify our wisdom.

The Stone People who come to the surface of Mother Earth are our record holders. Erosion will ultimately turn these stones into the soil to feed the earth once again. These Stone People are wise beyond our knowing and they speak to us if only we listen. Every marking on a rock has meanings and many times if you use your intuition you can distinguish the markings of a face, human or animal, on the surface of the stone. These faces are the connections that stone has to the Children of the Earth. Stones with natural holes in them are known to have special protective powers.

When you are in nature, however, it is helpful to connect with all the spirits and feel the energy emanating from everything. Each being, whether it is the Stone People, the Tree People, the Plant Devas – all carry a message and a vibration. They tell a story both individually and as a collective whole. We are a part of that story in some way and they each are here to teach us and give us the space to live in a more heart-centered way.

However you interact with nature, do so mindfully and consciously. It has much to teach us and it is a tremendous ally.

Spirit of Place

Guided Shamanic Meditation

Length: 24:59

Spirit of Place – A Guided Meditation takes us to a place of creativity and reconnect to nature, the part of us that connects us to everything that is. The part of us that connects us to everything that is. We go where the spirit of the place has called us in and we feel and connect to the energy of this place.