ENTER THE SACRED BACKYARD
SACRED SOUL FAMILY
Dodee Schmitt
Dodee is a Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, Autonomic Response Testing Practitioner, and Biofield Science Educator with nearly two decades of experience in chronic illness recovery and integrative wellness. Dodhisattva.com, est. 2009
Dodhisattva's Sacred Backyard · Est. September 2009
Revive Your Soul
On returning to innocence, the magick of nature, and what it means to truly nourish the soul.
A note before we begin: This piece was first written in July 2014 on Dodhisattva's Sacred Backyard, the original WordPress blog founded in September 2009. Written from the soul with no SEO strategy and no AI, just truth pouring out. It became one of the most beloved posts on the site. I am sharing it here because the message is timeless. And because this is where it was always meant to live.
Some of the best times I remember growing up are the memories of my sister and I foraging for wild blackberries on a hot summer day in Western Pennsylvania. We would get dressed in long sleeves and pants to protect us from the thorns and bugs. Each of us carried a basket and would fill it affectionately with those berries. The big, plump, black ones that would whisper to us they were indeed ready for a cold soak in some raw cream delivered by the milk man.
Wild blackberry picking
Yes, we had a local milk man that delivered straight to the front door, and those berries got to swim in a bowl of fresh cream from a glass bottle. As we sat next to each other at the big wooden table we would count our blackberries one by one.
After a snack like that we would be back out on the land exploring the neighbor's blueberry patches, playing near the stream, or doing whatever our imaginations conjured up. Our imaginations were a part of what made our childhood the best one ever.
Mom would yell loud from the front stoop that it was time to come in for dinner and somehow we always heard her call from wherever we were.
Our days were filled with streams, rivers, walking next to the train tracks at Uncle Jeff's mountain home, chasing the river to the waterfall, playhouses, neighboring farms and soulful journeys.
"The innocence, sensitivity, beauty, enthusiasm, purity and playfulness the soul seeks gives deep nourishment to our lives. As adults it is what brings about the conscious return to innocence. We then complete our journey and seal the matrix."
What made you light up as a child?
A writer's inspiration
What is it you did as a child that made you light up? Bring that back to your reality however you can.
For me it is being with nature, the sounds of nature, the beauty of nature, the magick of nature. I find myself now living near a river, waterfall, train tracks and near some of the best spring water a girl could ask for. Living in a small town with big dreams is a joy for the soul and it offers so much. It allows us to see the small details of life yet accomplish our biggest dreams.
The stillness a small town offers lets us get into a feeling state to revive and nourish the soul. It draws in the most extraordinary and mundane of individuals, giving it character and grace. It is a writer's inspiration.
The train that rolls through allows for so many eccentric, transient individuals to pass through. One day two kids came through town with their instruments. They started playing out front of the old theater at 7 in the morning, rocking out and giving the town character. The conversations I had with them were inspirational and full of wonder.
Other days I hear live, soulful Jazz from the courtyard a block away. Time for a walk down to the free concert and a little dancing for the soul in us all. Oh the wonder of a small town.
There is a little cafe that sits across the street from my window. It is only open four days a week, maybe something more businesses could adopt to save their souls, but there is something about the days they are open that is fun to watch. Fresh greens and chanterelles are brought in from a local forager, the owner sharing his unique gifts to serve the community, trucks dropping off goods from around the area, travelers from all over the world making reservations to dine at this hidden gem.
My latest harvest of wild plums and blackberries
The soul is the guide
Whatever it is that nourishes your soul, go do that. Watch as it becomes supercharged, fulfilling its purpose and mission in life. Let your soul shine, for it is what requires the healing. The body always follows suit.
Activate your Super Senses. Let your soul be the guide.
Revive the Soul.
Wild waters
The story behind this post
Dodhisattva's Sacred Backyard was founded in September 2009, born from the same impulse this post describes. A deep knowing that the soul must be nourished first. That the body follows. That nature is the original healer.
By 2012, readers from around the world were calling it the best health and healing blog they had ever encountered. One reader wrote: "The title of this award comes nowhere near close to representing the gift and raw energy that you are sharing with us all. We should start a new award named the Cosmic Wonder and Light Being Award."
Fifteen years later, the mission remains unchanged. Soul first. Body follows. Nature leads.
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