Three friends travelled to a Walpurgis festival in the Harz of Northern Germany. Walpurgis marks the height of spring, the coming of summer. Bonfires are lit and historically there is reference to the warding off of witches who gather on May Day eve. Like Halloween, people don their witches hats and at least for us it seemed to be more of a celebration of that ancient knowing of the ways of nature and our relationship to the earth… the wild wise women sometimes called witches. As we drove in, we passed hillside after hillside after hillside of dead trees. Heat and drought intensified by climate change has made the trees vulnerable to the bark beetle. The spruce trees of the Harz mountains are being absolutely devastated, with two thirds of the spruce trees in the area destroyed. You can learn more and see more photos here:  Bark beetles are eating through Germany’s Harz forest. Climate change is making matters worse.

During our Earth Exchange, we wandered through green and lush forests and made our way to a hillside where we could see the horizon consuming landscape of dead trees. In this moment, 2 endangered butterflies greeted us. This seemed to be the right spot to share our stories, listen with the earth, and bring acts of beauty and love.  There was a feeling that this is a spot where both life and vitality come together with devastation and loss. In thinking about how trees communicate, there was a wondering of what messages the healthier forests were receiving and if they could find a way to protect themselves. This place turned out to also be a camp for youth to connect to nature, and gratitude was spoken to the forest for playing with and teaching the children—with prayers that this may continue in some form.  When making the bird, one participant placed a long stem in the bird’s mouth, like the olive branch of peace. The butterflies continued to visit during our time….. endangered like the forests. We thanked them for finding sanctuary here with us on this special day.  Maybe it’s time to bring back the witches, those who know the ways of the forests, and herbs, and animals and can dance in greater harmony with our fellow beings…that seems to be true and good magic and medicine.