Heart/ Sevilleta NR, New Mexico 2015  6x6
Daisy/ Sevilleta NR, New Mexico 2015  4x4
Deer / Sevilleta NR, New Mexico 2015  4x4

Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM

There are two wildlife refuges South of Albuquerque, NM. One is better known, Bosque del Apache, where white cranes winter over, and that is where is was heading towards until I passed Sevilleta NWR. At first glance, the landscape was dry, barren, rocky, and hot.  But the Land called me to it and decided to do for a short walk to say Hello.  After walking and opening my heart to the Land- hummingbirds, cactus, jack rabbits started to share their world with me. I kept walking towards a big heart in the rock-face. Yes, it was a heart on the side of the mountain, lovely! My short walk ended up being a two-hour hike.

This Land was shy, or I was too wound up. Both and. I had to slow down my pace and slowly extend my energy as I talked to the Land so it may get to know me better. I offered the Land corn meal as an offering of gratitude.  It loved the cornmeal, the more I offered, the more I could feel the Land softening to me. My sense is that it had been a long time sine anyone gave an offering to this Land.

After my hike, I sat in the shade and asked Land to share with me what it wanted to itself with color, shape, and form. Unlike other drawings I have down, these seemed more representation, more of what I saw.

That night I had a dream- where I asked again what the Land wanted to share with me. “We are the Guardians of this Land; It has been so long since someone opened their heart to us. We hold the magic close at hand. We hold our hand out to you. Take our blessings. Look into our eyes.” In the dream I do, I see galaxies as I stepped behind the veil of the ‘normal’ to the ‘real.' The Land continued, “Breathe with Us, Be with Us. We extend our love to each person that reaches out to Us. This is how WE all will survive, how WE become whole.”  In my dream, I WAS Tree, Rock, Jackrabbit. A pale blue star appeared on my forehead, and the Guardians of the Land smiled. I woke up.