Late Spring 2026: Being part of the web

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Hello and greetings of high Spring from the Northern Hemisphere! How are you connecting with the season as we move through its height and into the next?

I have been distracted by the fullness of Spring here where I live—the blossoms, the birds, the colors, the yard work. I attempted to take a contemplative walk on May 1, listening for messages or guidance, but the beings of the forest, starting with the ferns, told me the best way I could celebrate Beltane was simply to enjoy being in their company. We have so many different fern species here in the forests, and each has an energy that vibrates a little differently from the other. 

There’s a fern that grows often in the middle or at the edge of trails that has a tall, thin stalk, and fronds that unfurl with the grace of a dancer. I’m always delighted when I come upon them, especially in early May when the shape of their unfurling seems like an opening hand. I’ve noticed other beings making themselves known, like miniature star-shaped, white flowers growing from a patch of moss on a half-dead alder tree; tall Douglas firs leaning in, creaking in the light breeze; a pileated woodpecker calling, seeming to want to transport us all to a jungle landscape before looking for a good place to eat. I’ve been snacking on fir tips and making a wide berth around wren and swallow nests at my home. Spending so much time immersed in the energy of the season, I’ve begun to realize the deeper relationship that has been forming.

When I take walks in the woods, at the beach, or even along a neighborhood street, I try to greet the other-than-human beings around me. The birds, the kelp, the flowers, the trees, the grasses, the salal, the slugs. I greet them with respect and gratitude, knowing that I am in their realm in that moment. This respectful approach is aligned with animism, which is defined by the author and scholar Graham Harvey as a recognition that all beings are “persons.”  (Here’s more on animism, and specifically Graham Harvey’s definition.) But lately I’ve realized that we can go even deeper than simple respect in our relationships with other beings of nature. 

I realized that, despite my humble, respectful approach to these beings, I was still carrying a subtle energy of superiority. As I was leaving the forest one day, I recognized the control I’d claimed in being able to come and go from their realm, whereas they, especially the plant species, were rooted to their place, to their home, and could only travel as seeds giving new life. I could go to these rooted beings at times when I felt in need of support or simply in need of time in the present moment, and I could leave their realm when I wanted to.

Often in shamanic circles, one will go out in nature and receive messages from what one notices. This is a wonderful practice that can be very helpful for receiving guidance or inspiration, yet it can also create a foundation of imbalance with nature beings, so that we are automatically looking to them for help, a message, a direction, or even healing. Offerings from the heart can help to mitigate this imbalance, but they don’t change our impulse or reasons for engaging. But what if we approached our relationship with these other-than-human beings as an actual friendship?

In true friendship there is give and take, respect and love, and mutual support on multiple levels, rather than a relationship where there is imbalance through a subtle superiority or a need for answers. As far as I know, there is no “right way" to create this friendship with the other-than-human persons. (I’m still figuring out how it takes shape for myself.) In relationship, more often than not we need to yield to nature to help guide its development. But we must take the first step. Once we do, it is difficult to feel alone in the world. 

Recently, a friend told me that the Māori people have no word in their vocabulary that would translate as “lonely.” The way they understand our relationship with the greater world, we are surrounded by beings and never alone. We are one part of the vast web of life that constantly connects us to all that is. When we begin to come into friendship with these nature beings, I believe that the web and our part in it only strengthen.

Blessings to you all as you transition through the season with the rhythm of the flora, fauna, and elements wherever you are.

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