November/December Nature Musings 2024

Hi everyone,

The last 2 months of the year started with the official start of the New Year for me on 1st November.  The Celtic Wheel of the Year ends at Samhain on 31st October and the new cycle of life starts on 1st November.  A time, as the wheel turns towards winter, to go more within, as nature is holding and nurturing those seeds placed down during the autumn.  It is also a chance too for us to be more reflective and find that deep calm and quiet to think and just 'be'.

There has been so much more to see out in nature these last 2 months, much more than I can put into here.  With the trees showing their bare bones, a fantastic world of lichen and moss is unveiled that you simply just want to absorb yourself into (at times I have literally sunk my face into the moss it has been so inviting!).  A world full of magic and awe inspiring gifts each and every time you venture outside.

Mistletoe in abundance too, with those vibrant green balls of magic, hanging up in the trees, calling for us to look up and take note - bountiful here in Somerset.  A journey up through Somerset along the M5 at this time of year will show you just how bountiful Mistletoe is here.

Beautiful gatherings of friends too, to celebrate and mark the Winter Solstice with a tree being, the Holm Oak and the medicine it shared with us......wonderfully grounding and supportive.  

And of really feeling Bear medicine this year, to slowly retreat into hibernation and sleep...to find that quiet time to reflect, dream and recover.  

I hope you enjoy reading this journey of nature occurrences that have really stood out for me...........  

"Perhaps I am a bear, or some hibernating animal underneath, for the instinct to be half asleep all winter is so strong in me"  Anne Morrough Lindbergh

Once the leaves have fallen from the trees I get more curious....more observant of the beings living on the branches and trunks of the trees. 

Lichen, that wonderful organism, part fungi, part algae or cyanobacteria, they really do shine when the leaves fall.  And there are so many variants, ranging in size, shape and colours.  Some of the lichens found in the UK are important on an European and even global scale.

Lichens have been around for millions of years and are a sensitive indicator of air pollution - many species will only grow in clean air.

Each lichen is a partnership between at least 2 species, usually a fungus and an algae; where the fungus provides a protective home for the algae, and in return, the algae produce food for the fungi from sunshine, water and air.

Lichens add amazing colour and texture to many of our environments, from ancient oaks and high mountain rocks or on old walls and gravestones.  In fact my favourite place for photographing lichen are the wooded valleys in Exmoor and ancient graveyards across Somerset.   

But they grow very slowly, some less than 1mm per year, and can take many years to really establish in new locations.  They are also a protected species under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, so it is illegal to take lichen from its source - stick to photographing this species instead!

The greatest threat to this amazing biome is the continued threat to their natural environment through change in land-use by man, too much or too little woodland grazing (improper woodland management) and climate change.  

With regards to the energy and teachings from lichen one of the main 'doctrine of signatures' for me is the breath.....the photo taken of the lichen on Exmoor looks just like the brackets within the lungs, a strong element of air...the breath of life through all things....interconnectedness and grounding too!  Of being firmly rooted in one place.  The importance of collaboration and working together are all themes too with this species.  But for me it has to be its resilience and adaptability that really stands out.....one medicine that I can really take forward into this new year!

So go and visit your local graveyard and admire the lichen on the stones and trees as you walk around.  Notice the shapes and colours, and if you have a magnifying glass become lost in the vastness of the beauty of this wonderful species.

"Winter is the time of sacred balance and rejuvenation of life in preparation for the coming spring.  It represents abundance, teaching and gratitude."  Noelle Vignola

Holm Oak (Quercus ilex)

The Holm Oak for me represents and embodies both the Holly & Oak - with Holly like leaves and Oak like bark this tree started to really call out to us during the Autumn Well-being Programme, and it came as no surprise that it continued to call during the month of December.  That calling brought 4 of us together at the Winter Solstice to honour and co-create an essence with this amazing being.

With its evergreen holly-like leaves, it provides a bold splash of colour in the winter months.  Introduced into the UK in the 1500s, like our native oaks it supports a wide variety of wildlife.  

It is originally a native to the Eastern Mediterranean but has been naturalised in the UK.  It lends itself well to shaping and is found in many parks and gardens.   They are also resistant to salt-spray from the sea, and are often planted as a windbreak in coastal areas.  However, they can’t withstand freezing conditions and during severe winters they are prone to dying or losing their leaves, so are more common in the south of the UK.

A beautiful example of a Holm Oak can be found at Ashbrittle church, near Wellington.  Apart from the really old Yew tree, there is a mighty Holm Oak situated just behind the church, that most people ignore.  Its branches come down over you and can easily hold a community of people under its boughs.  

The essence that was co-created on the Winter Solstice energy really brought through the energy of this mighty being - of being deeply grounded, in fact we all held the water collecting the energetic vibration and were astounded at just how heavy the bowl of water felt after the co-creation.  Qualities too of both the Holly (protectiveness) and the Oak (strength and deep earth wisdom) came through whilst making this essence.  For me this tree captured both the energetic vibrations of the Oak King and the Holly King, the most powerful dual aspects of nature shown through one tree!  Another essence calls with this tree at the Summer Solstice too..... 

Mistletoe - All Heal, Devil's Fuge, Golden Bough, All Heal

A wonderful plant spirit ally that really stands out in winter in the trees throughout Somerset.  Balls of evergreen growth, high up on the branches of many different trees, showing its vibrancy and immortality, surviving the dead of winter.

In Pagan times, the mistletoe was considered a potent magical plant because it didn't grow from the earth, but on the branches of a tree in a 'place between places'.  

Pliny (Roman natural philosopher) said that the mistletoe was one of the most important magical plants of the Celts and served as a symbol for the winter solstice. He recorded that the druids called mistletoe by a name which meant ‘all healing’.  

It became demonised by the church as a plant of the witches, calling it hexennest (witch nest), or teulfelbesen (devil's broom).  

At midwinter when the berries are ripe, mistletoe can be cut from the tree (if you have permission from the tree and the mistletoe!).  Mistletoe berries are used at the midwinter solstice in rituals to give strength to the weakened sun.  Mistletoe is seen as a herb of fertility, and a symbol of rebirth.  

The berries of the mistletoe are toxic, but the leaves and stems have been used in herbal medicine - used to treat nervous disorders such as anxiety, depression and insomnia.  Science investigations have found that mistletoe contains eleven proteins and substances called lectins which are currently being investigated for anti-cancer effects....and with amazing results!! 

An old tradition that I adhere too is to hang mistletoe in the house at the Winter Solstice to represent a welcome to all who visit, all year round.  I then replace the mistletoe at the next Winter Solstice, burning the old piece to help burn away the old, and to welcome in the new.  

Its magical powers give protection, fertility and health.  When co-creating an essence last year with Mistletoe I also found this plant to be a very powerful Teacher ally - it allowed me to hold one foot in this dimension whilst exploring other dimensions...and the Mistle Thrush is the one bird that helps to spread this parasitic plant from one tree to another.

Much more than a free smooch..........  

Mycoremediation - Fungi that eat radiation!!!

Whilst doing some background research for one of the talks I did last well-being programme on 'Mycelium networks" I was completely absorbed by fungi that eat radiation!

A research paper published in 2020 had identified a fungus inside Chernobyl that was actually eating the radiation.  This form of radiotrophic fungi use ionising radiation as an energy source to drive metabolism….actively seeking out and benefitting from high levels of radiation......and the implications for this are huge!

Scientists have known about this fungus, and similar extremophile organisms that can thrive on radiation, since at least 2007.  The variety found in Chernobyl “can decompose radioactive material such as the hot graphite in the remains of the Chernobyl reactor,” Nature said in 2007. The fungus grows toward the hottest and most radioactive places, like phototropism (the orientation of an organism or plant in response to light) but for deadly toxins.

Many fungi have been isolated from the area around the destroyed Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, some of which have been observed directing their growth of hyphae toward radioactive graphite from the disaster, a phenomenon called “radiotropism”.  A study has ruled out the presence of carbon as the resource attracting the fungal colonies, and in fact concluded that some fungi will preferentially grow in the direction of the source of beta and gamma ionising radiation, but were not able to identify the biological mechanism behind this effect.   It has also been observed that other melanin-rich fungi were discovered in the cooling water from some other working nuclear reactors.  The light-absorbing compound in the fungus cell membranes had the effect of turning the water black.  While there are many cases of extremophiles (organisms that can live in severe conditions such as that of the radioactive power plant), a hypothetical radiotrophic fungus would grow because of the radiation, rather than in spite of it.

How can this fungus process radiation in this way? Because it has tons of very dark melanin pigment that absorbs radiation and processes it in a harmless way to produce energy. Scientists believe this mechanism could be used to make biomimicking substances that both block radiation from penetrating and turn it into a renewable energy source.  Scientists are looking more into this area for possible use onboard the International Space Station (problem of deadly amounts of cosmic radiation).  

Radiotrophic fungi are organisms that have adapted to use ionising radiation as an energy source, a process referred to as radiosynthesis.  This phenomenon was first observed in Chernobyl, where researchers identified Cladosporium sphaerospermum thriving in the reactor's remains.  This black fungus exhibits a unique ability to convert gamma radiation into chemical energy, similar to how plants utilise sunlight in photosynthesis. The presence of melanin, a pigment found in human skin, is crucial to this process. Melanin not only protects against ultraviolet radiation but also allows these fungi to harness radiation for growth. In laboratory studies, Cladosporium sphaerospermum demonstrated increased biomass when exposed to radiation levels significantly higher than normal, suggesting that it can effectively "feed" on radiation.

Melanins are an ancient family of dark-coloured, naturally occurring pigments with radiation-shielding properties. These pigments can absorb electromagnetic radiation due to their dark colour and high molecular weights; this quality suggests that melanin could help protect radiotropic fungi from ionizing radiation. Melanin production is also advantageous to the fungus in that it can aid survival in many extreme environments. Examples of these environments include the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the International Space Station, and the Transantarctic Mountains.  Melanin may also be able to help the fungus metabolise radiation, but more evidence and research is still needed...and it has me hooked!!

And just of interest, I found this picture of the 'mushroom-cloud' behind Chernobyl....when an atomic bomb goes off it produces a mushroom cloud……perhaps a call to mushrooms to come and get me????

“Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way."
John Muir

Khan the warrior falcon

Connections with the animals we weave our lives with are huge; they teach us about unconditional love in such a huge way, and teach us of the interconnection of everything around us.

This last month my beautiful Gyr/Saker falcon Khan, now 24 years old, started to show signs of illness.  When any bird of prey shows illness of any kind it is a sign they are close to death.  In fact I always remember a vet once telling me that a bird of prey showing illness is 85% dead.....they are very good at hiding any pain or illness that may be affecting them; after all weakness means you will be taken out by another predator.  His illness became visible not in his appearance but in the pellets he produced every morning - bones deposited in his mornings pellet was not a good sign.  In fact all birds of prey (expect owls) produce pellets with no bones - their digestive juices simply break down the bones!

So a trip to the vets to see if we could see what was going on via x-rays - all clear!  So medication given to help his metabolism digest the food and I moved him into the front room of the house - someone was very pleased with his new warm accommodation!!

BUT, medication and warmth weren't enough and he was slowly eating less and still bringing up bones in his pellets.  One week he'd put on weight, the next he'd go to a dangerously low weight (right on Christmas Day!).  In fact why is it animals always tend to go ill, in and around Christmas time, when you can't really get hold of vets?!  So Christmas Day we had a little heart-to-heart, me giving him permission to go, saying my good-byes, and getting him to realise that if it was his time it was okay to leave this physical body...........he kept going!  In fact the resilience of this bird to keep going from the brink is totally astounding. 

Our recent trip to the vets involved taking faecal samples for testing to rule out any bacterial/fungal infection that might be affecting his digestive system.  Collecting said faecal sample is interesting to say the least!!  So we are now awaiting results. 

Meanwhile I hold space as I have done for this little warrior each and every day, knowing that he will decide at some point whether to stay or go.  Emotionally and physically I feel turned inside out; like being on a rollercoaster.  BUT I also know that I may have to make that decision for him depending on the results.....

The other birds know something isn't quite right and are all silent, holding that space too.

Khan is my oldest rescue falcon, my favourite when it comes to showing off to the lure.  My favourite too when it comes to making me laugh when flying through the tree tops chasing out any corvid or pigeon that thinks it is safe.  He is a 'grandfather' energy to my clients, holding the space for them to feel safe and held......those of you that have met Khan know just how powerful this birds medicine really is.

Above all he is a warrior through and through...and I know at some point warriors too will die.....but his energy will continue in all that have met him.

"The warrior soul does not weaken. Long after the body has broken down, the soul stands tall" Jerry Boykin

Thank you for reading my nature musings for the last two months, the last of 2024.  I would love to hear your connection stories with the natural world, and the plants and animals that have helped you too - send me an email or respond via Facebook. 

Look out for the next Nature Musing Blog which will appear in your email boxes from end of February.  A list of what is going on re workshops, talks, etc., will appear as a separate 'newsletter' which should have flown into your email boxes.  

Enjoy your own nature musings throughout January and February........enjoy the first stirrings in nature, those first seeds starting to sprout up through the Earth, those buds starting to swell on the trees.....and how this all makes you feel at this time of year. 
 

Happy, Healthy & Magical Blessings for 2025
Karen x
 

P.S Please note new e-mail address so please update your contact details for me - drkarensteaddexter@fastmail.com