Desert Druidry

[AbhainnLee]

This summer my husband and I will be moving to El Paso, Texas. While there are "green areas" in the city, it's basically scrub desert (complete with various cacti). I'm looking forward to getting to know the new landscape and climate, learning to develop a connection. I was wondering if anyone has any experience in desert druidry.

Abhainn

[wyeuro]

a picture tells a thousand words
wyeuro is officially in semi-arid or marginal pastoral land, not quite desert. we get 10" of rain annually, mostly in winter and the summers are hot and dry. we get a flush of green every late-winter and spring, but it is hayed off by october and if too lush becomes a fire-hazard through the summer. the wild-life is fantastic - especially large marsupials, birds and reptiles.

view of wyeuro

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wyverne /|\

[Huathe]

This post makes me think of Mark ( Wolf560). He lives in Arizona and in posts on NOD and here on OBOD I hear a lot about his desert druidry. I am surprised he has not found this post.

[wolf560]

Hello,

I live in Phoenix AZ and have lived for a short while in El Paso while at Fort Bliss.
The area there is much like it is here in Phoenix, AZ with one exception; how close the Mexican border is.

If you have even connected to a land rich with trees and soil and grass growing....
....then you will find this to be anything but this...

Connecting to a desert landscape is much different and gave me headaches at first.
The way in which I connect now is different, but it is just as fulfilling in every way
But the land is beautiful and can be very inspiring especially when a desert sunset comes.

El Paso pix




My Desert Altar in my desert landscaped backyard

[Huathe]

Mark,

I would certainly feel depressed here until I learned how to tune in to the areas energies, there being so much less than here in NC. I would really miss the trees!

[wolf560]

That was the first thing I missed years ago when I first went to the desert...the trees.
The vegetation was sparse and hostile.... the ground would not be wet for long in any rainstorm...

But after awhile I began to appreciate that what I had connected to before was only a part of the landscape.
I had missed out on other things that existed in NC as well...the rest of the Land.

As you walk among the trees; stop and take the time to look for the things that are probably not going to make it...
Smaller shrubs and lesser trees all grasping at the sunlight that the larger trees have grown tall and dominated.
Some of these smaller things will not survive because the larger trees want the same thing; life-giving sunlight...

Out here it is the lesser trees and shrubberies that dominate because there is not enough water for the larger trees.
It is the smaller trees and bushes with the widest possible root patterns that survive

Same with the animals; it is the smaller and more easily adaptable that survive not the larger heavier species...

After you connect with the differences, it all begins to make sense ...

[AbhainnLee]

I appreciate everyone's advice. I've started looking into native plants, etc. I'm particularly excited about planting some lavender, even if it's in a pot.

[wolf560]

We planted Aloe and Habaneros...!!! (LOL)

A little bit of "Healing followed by more Heat"..!!!

[Huathe]

You could plant agave and make tequila!!