Reflections... In the Playscape

Wildflowers, Wild Playscapes

A few years back my 5 year old daughter called this time of year the Wildflower Moon. We were creating a story and painting pictures every full moon which spoke of what we were observing in nature. A few cycles on, we are seeing the wildflower moon through whole new eyes again. The wildflowers have returned, spring has sprung one could say.

The rhythm and cycles of the year are beginning to be embedded into her everyday life. Turning eight her relationship with the wildflowers is changing. How she chooses to interact with them has evolved from sensorial wonderment and exploration through them (when you are 3 or 4 most of them are well taller than you) to interactive and creative discovery, making herbal creams, drying them for potions, healing her pets, and bouquets of beauty for the house.
No matter what age we are, we are rhythmically building a deeper relationship and connection to the beauty of this earth layer upon layer. The same element is present - magic.

My magical relationship with wildflowers is the signal they send that summer is just around the corner. I spoke to a friend the other week saying 'I smell summer today'. The response was a curious' how do you smell that?'
Was it the seed heads developing on the long grass? Was it the drying of the earth or the early morning due drops present as the new day dawns? Was it the return of the wildflowers, dandelion, plantain, carrot weed and clover?

How do we know spring has sprung, and it smells like summer? It is our subtle senses that signal to us these subtle shifts. It is these same senses that if given the opportunity to develop give us the acute ability to register the subtle energies in all of our life in the future. To be able to remain vigilant and alert to dangers, 'to smell a rat' in situations that just don't stack up, and as I said the other day, 'that one was written in the wind, I saw it coming.' The same senses that if we fully develop them assist us to navigate through life and 'read the signs', make decisions when we are at crossroads, and to trust our instincts.

It is within the early years of life much of the foundation for our subtle senses is developing. Most of us have not developed them, been shown how to trust them and utilise them to their fullest potential. We are multi-sensory beings (that means we have physical and metaphysical senses, like what is often termed intuition) and it is through our ongoing relationship with nature we are able to develop them to their fullest.

How does your playscape signal to the senses it is changing and shifting?
This subtle change is occurring every day. Have you ever gone away from home and come back home days later and the garden is overgrown, yet if you lived there for those 5 days you would not see it over grow. A broccoli can emerge from nothing to something spectacular. The grass can go from mown to up around your ankles.

Ask yourself how does your childs / children's playscape reflect spring? What treasures from nature are present to assist them to unfold there subtle senses as they go about their day of play? What magic have they been exploring and discovering about spring?
If they are in their 1st , 3rd or 7th or 12th cycle of life, how are they experiencing the rhythms, cycles and patterns of spring?

Wild places reflect the seasons powerfully. One way to bring the wild back is to let the wild flowers grow. To let the wild flowers grow you may need to consider a wild space in your playscape. Depending on your relationship with nature wild flowers are essentially weeds to many, highly medicinal to others, flowers to some, a home to other (ask the cricket what he thinks). My children pick seed heads of these wild plants and display them in small vases. Plantain, dandelion, carrot weed, self heal, clover, chamomile and fennel are what grows wild at our place. You can buy road side blends from Kings Seeds for the ultimate flower display too.

What's important is that there is a wild place to let them grow and in so doing allowing that wild place within us to grow.