the grove

[deepwater]

do you mean gifts ,,offerings,,that sort of thing

[D'Arzhur]

Hello Deepwater I just realised that the answer I had prepared on the day I read you post never registered here I meant to say that maybe the place where you stand is not the right place to enter the Grove...mayber there is a more acceptable way...based on the thought that for example in the bardic grade we enter a circle from the west...and based on what you wrote...

[deepwater]

thank you ill see if its possible

[deepwater]

well i can see that entering through the west opening is OK if i don't trim out too much of the living wall,,it just feels wrong to remove anything,,i was inside once and it felt so good and now i am outside looking in again and the dreams i have are at home now not just at the grove,,in my dreams,,i see flickering fire lite and shapes and i know i smell smoke buts its deathly quiet no fire noise at all and ill i wake up covered in sweat like i had malaria again,,i am open for suggestions as long as it doesn't involve going directly into the grove

[deepwater]

do groves sleep or maybe lose their essence or do they shift in or out of being what they are,, do the have to power down ,,i don't know what I'm trying to ask or say,, but the grove feels like its asleep not dead just asleep,,could it be waiting for me to do something,,am i supposed to do something?,,i feel a loss of something in me not like a shoe or a book kinda loss but a physical part of me feels missing,, is this another test for me to solve,,i passed the first one not to enter until invited,,i sat all day on the second step yesterday and watched the grove and never cut a twig no changes,so i thought maybe I'm OK and allowed in ,,another test passed?? no changes ?,and now to day its ,,,nothing i feel nothing

[D'Arzhur]

I'm not very good at giving suggestions or so and of course you have all the right answers to your own questions but still I would say ...maybe you need to drop your expectations and just be there... thank you Deepwater for sharing your Grove with us

[deepwater]

after thinking this over for several days i thought why not make an offering to the grove and see where that leads ,,but what do i offer to something that commands all around her,,i have watched the grove off and on for several weeks now and i think i found what the grove would like,,,i had to wait until now because some of my gifts weren't ripe yet but i couldn't wait too long or i would loose the other gifts ,,,i gathered my honey packs and creamers,and made a cup of strong black tea,,on the way to the grove i picked the last of the red rasberries and the first black berries of the season and i added some blue berries ,,along the trail the lady slipper orchids had turned to seed so i picked 2 seed pods and i found some beautiful sulfur coral mushrooms and picked some for color,,if the grove is a she i wanted to appeal to all her sides,, sweet and tangy as well as color,,i pealed some birch bark to hold everything and made my offering entering from the west as best as i could,,i asked to be allowed to enter and i was ,,a small puff of wind like a sigh from behind me,,i placed the bark plate and berries on the first step and poured the honey and creamer on it and left the tea,,i asked if it would be allowed for me to trim some small weak branches and pick up the dead wood and i felt no resistance,, i moved around the grove slowly and tidied up and looked for a place to put my alter ,,everything i brought in was not in the grove and i think she like it

[D'Arzhur]

that's the way to approach a lady
beautiful offering... I am happy for you !

[deepwater]

i slept well last nite ,i think the rain helped that and knowing i had made some progress entering the grove,,we have heavy rain for most of this day so im stuck inside and watching the chat room

[deepwater]

not much to report lots of rain and getting to start working again,,the wife and i walked past the grove the other night with the dog and i felt the familiar tug at my being to come closer,,my wife knows i like that section of woods to run the dog the best and has seen the pics of the grove but still doesn't know the meaning of it all yet ,,i would like to make an alter for warmth and offerings to the grove and was wondering if anyone had a suggestion as to the types of materials i can present for acceptance or rejection by the grove,,i was thinking of doing it this weekend after weapons training so i could relax and meditate

[deepwater]

i have so many things happening now ,,for lack of a better word i have been having some very interesting dreams in the grove,, not sleeping dreams but eyes open dreams ,,i was in the chat room talking to Fae and Jingle,,Jingle and i figured out a couple of things ,, i want to share them in here but i want to work it out with the grove first

[deepwater]

i got up early today to ask the grove what would be allowed to be discussed in here,,i took some sweet Mullen tea and black berries with raw honey as an offering,,it was chilly and i wished for an alter fire and "yes that would be nice " is what i heard in my heart,, i put together 5 stones the size of grape fruits for the 5 elements and picked up lots of dead sticks and started my fire ,,i thanked the grove for the wood and stones and the fire i placed the berries and honey in the fire,,the question i asked ,,was can i share this grove with others that think as i do and bring someone else here and she said yes but i must bring a piece of clothing worn by them to her first and she would see ,, the grove said when we talk that if she said "this is a sacred word " than it must not be spoken outside of the grove or i would be banned and she would never talk to me again ,,she said we will start soon and not get in a hurry that i was the first in a very long time to come to her and she needs to know me in my heart and mind,,she said she will ask of me many questions and do several deeds for her and to bring her things and knowledges of now and this you in here may help me ,, i pored the tea on the fire and left

[deepwater]

After work tonight ( long day on the road) i walked out back and entered the grove ,,it was calm and no wind ,,patchy clouds and the crickets were all singing,the acorns were falling one at a time,lots of birds, i sat in my small area off to the side and calmed myself,as my mind opened up i heard a humming mixed in with the crickets and the tapping of the wood peckers,it was just one tone,the humming, very soft and kinda long but it kept repeating its self,,it wasn't long before i heard only the humm and than i saw a shimmer like heat waves on a hot road and than i heard "it time for you to go" so i got up and came home , 2 hours had passed as if only minutes, i have been thinking about this for several hours now and wonder is this way it starts ?? am i now a student ??,when the grove speaks to me its through my heart ,,my being ,,and its up to me to put it into words that i understand from what I'm feeling and seeing,, is someone else out there talking or sharing feeling with their grove as i do ,,what are the rules here ,,i know that the grove tells me but should i be prepared to do or say something when asked in a certain way

[deepwater]

my work has kept me from the grove for a week now and I'm not happy,, my obsession with her is becoming difficult to deal with on a reality plane,, my wants are hard to resist when it comes to her ,,im not sure how to control this part of me ,,i have to work but i need the time with her or us or we ,,what to do ,,

[deepwater]

hey everyone its been awhile for me to post but i have been out to the grove a few times ,,its still confusing to me with all the strange feeling talk and thinking with my eyes,, but its all me I'm the weak link i know this and its only going to take time ,,i don't have much to share but we are so close to connecting on a large scale ,,there are several sites in Maine the grove refers to that i need to find and bring back a word or a type of stone from each site ,,i don't know why but i will do it ,,and the grove and i have a small problem ,,,,,its my hunting ,, i wont give it up and she wont let me hunt near the grove ,,she is working out the area I'm to avoid,,she said she has no control over people that are blind but to those that wish to see she will decide when and how far the training will go,,she said she understands the hunt that all things hunt,,but she will set fair limits that i must follow ,, so for awhile I'm looking and hunting ,,if anyone has a suggestion ill try it or ask and let ya know how it went

[deepwater]

things are well in the grove but I'm still confused about the reasons for the night meetings ,,is there something that requires meeting only at night

[deepwater]

i have been going to the grove for awhile now and the singing is wonderful,,i never knew such peace of mind,,but i have to stop going for awhile because its hunting season and im hunting ,,the grove and i have decided that its a part of me through my grandfather and she recognizes him as my first teacher and will allow it but i must meditate naked as before and i may have a small fire at her alter for warmth,what do i do when its snowing ,,,so many things my grandfather told me are coming back,,the memories,, its so intense and i cant wait till spring when we start the seeding ,,i hope one day i can put it all together in a way the grove will allow and share it with you but she has instructed me not to talk about most of her world until i understand more and she is ready

[deepwater]

I got a call the night of the 12 this month,,a man that saved my life twice has passed on ,could i or should i ask to place a small bit of his ashes in the grove ,, she seems asleep now and i don't wish to awaken her or maybe ill wait till spring,,any ideas,,he would really love it in there and i would be able to see him as well

[Dryadia2]

...a man that saved my life twice has passed on ,could i or should i ask to place a small bit of his ashes in the grove...

I think that's a very thoughtful way to remember your friend, Deepwater.

Peace and Blessings,
/|\

[Zylah]

Dear Deepwater - first, I am sorry for the pain you must feel at this parting (temporary though it be). I had something else to say, not directly related to your last question, but I hope it will make sense:

From reading the thread, it seems to me that you have developed your own personal relationship with the grove Herself; my suggestion, in light of that, is that you know far better than any of us can what your She would or would not approve/welcome. It is not lack of interest that prevents us from giving input, so much as it is a lack of personal acquaintance.

But perhaps I should speak only for myself!

I have noticed that it is the way of my Goddesses to use the circumstances of my life as tools for teaching me the lessons they know I need to learn; one might argue that they orchestrate those circumstances for that specific purpose, but that's not my point here. My intent is to suggest that part of your purpose in this may be to learn some confidence in your own personal ability to understand and interact with the Entity you've been granted relationship with (to whatever degree or in whatever sense you perceive it). Nourish your roots in Her soil; She has chosen to reveal Herself to you - YOU. Trust that there is good reason for that.

It is good to have counsel and advice from others you trust and respect, don't get me wrong; but there are times when others, no matter how close to us or how well-meaning or how wise, will not be able to assist. Why? Because it is a thing meant specifically for the individual; it is for your own growth and strength.

In short, I humbly offer my opinion that your question whether to honor your friend in the way you describe, is best asked of the Grove Herself. Trust yourself to hear and understand the answer. Clearly She does, or you would not have been shown as much as you have.

My two cents!