Recently, I have been stopping quite a lot on my walks. It has nothing to do with my fitness levels, rather, it’s because the land has been singing to me. In Ireland, the month of May is a month of full bloom. The hawthorn, the cow parsley, the bluebells and even the wild roses have been dripping from the hedgerows, edging us deeper and closer to the warmth of summer. Now that we have come to June, we are starting to see a bit more colour: foxgloves, honeysuckle, buttercups and clover. My walks are becoming a call to presence. I might even say a holy communion of sorts. And it’s through this communion that I truly feel a sense of belonging.
This question of belonging has been rolling around my mind for what feels like an eternity. I am a Canadian who has been living in Ireland for the past 26 years. What’s more is that I have been splitting my time between two landscapes: the Canadian Boreal forest and the verdant hills of Ireland. There has been what feels like a geographical gulf in my mind when the question of belonging surfaces. However, it has been through listening to each land’s song that I am starting to see that this is a false dichotomy. Instead of feeling like belonging only arrives with one place, I am starting to see that belonging is often layered, rather than exclusive. The pine forests of Canada might have different scents and sounds than the woods of Wicklow, but they both welcome and hold me if I choose to stop and take part in their music.
In many ways, this stopping part is the deepening of relationship. It moves me beyond visitor into engaged citizen. It also creates, cultivates and even sustains connection. This is where we start to see real, tangible benefits. Connection is a basic human need that supports our mental and physical health. When we feel connected, we experience a reduction in stress, are able to regulate our emotions more easily and feel less isolated and more safe. Of course there are a number of ways that we might feel this sense of connection or belonging, whether that be through close family bonds, our personal relationships or being involved in community. However, when we don’t have access to these things, we have the possibility of connection through nature.
For me, with my family spread around the world, it has been nature, whether it is Canadian or Irish, which has most consistently facilitated this deep bond of belonging. My (whole) family live over 1000 miles away from me. What’s more, my children are on adventures in far off lands. It is marvelous to think that they are making their own way, but this also means that I have to really touch in with belonging wherever I can find it.
This has been the gift of the land. Through stopping, noticing and being a steward of my small little patch, I can hear the land sing and I am learning its songs. These songs soften the edges of separation. They are also the songs that have already been sung and will continue to be sung in the ears of those who have come before me and those who will come after. We just need to use our ears to listen and our hearts to relate.
If you would like some connection this Tuesday morning, I invite you to take a walk in your favourite nature space. Makes sure to stop, notice and be a part of the web of life that surrounds you. Get to know its song…. Or, if you would like some human connection, why not join me at the Sanctuary’s online community meditation at 10 am. I would love to see you there.
-Jane
Brand new Nature and Healing course starting in September, 2026… click here for more details.
To listen to and practice a meditation on belonging through the breath click below:
My Silent Place 
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