North of Ordinary

There are spirits woven through every part of the world around us image Wix AI Generated The Spirits of Place — and the Places That Shape Them Local spirits — the spirits of place — are bound to the land, the weather, the history, and even the inanimate objects that make a location what it is. Every environment has its own inhabitants: spirits of plants, trees, caves, stones, rivers, and forgotten corners.

I have five categories that shape the way I organize my work: Earthways, Sacred Passages, Interspecies Living, Cycles & Seasons and Soul Work. Most topics fall neatly into one or two of these. But land spirits — those subtle, place‑rooted presences — ask for something different. They ask for relationship.

A macramé of silk strung with shining globes, turning it into something sacred photo credit: Nathan Dumlao For weeks, the forecast has teased us. Clouds gathering offshore, radar swirls promising relief, only to skirt the coastline at the last moment — a kind of meteorological mirage. In this historic drought, anticipation has become its own ritual: we watch the sky, we hope, we brace, and then we swallow the familiar