Inspired by a ‘Shamanic Journey’ into the Dordogne Caves of France to respectfully view the 30,000 year-old prehistoric art, paintings and etchings buried beneath mud, perhaps from a landslide, for 18,000 years.
This might be used in an Eco-spirituality service, inviting participants to reflect on their experiences of God through/in nature and history.
The animal renderings spring to life,
one deer licking another,
a horse’s ears flicking,
so present,
energetic,
palpable.
Deep in Grotte de Bernifal,
we form a circle,
chant in the darkness.
A singing bowl reverberates throughout the cave.
We descend into silence
sensing the profound presence of the ancients.
Leaving the cave,
touching an ancient tree, a shot of energy shakes my body,
a ripple spreads through me.
I feel an awe-filled sense of peace, of stillness,
being held by the earth and the forest,
a thick, welcoming silence of love.
Alive, everything is richly, vibrantly alive.
I feel welcomed home by the forest.
Questions to ponder:
Where have you experienced a ‘thin place’?
Where have you walked on the path ‘of the ancients’?
When have you experienced a profound connection to nature?
Photo: New Zealand caves, taken by Ana Gobledale
