All posts tagged: nymph

We need holy places

In July we need plants, plants, plants, trees, bushes, healing shadows. Thank the Greek Gods, in Rhodes we are still nurtured by huge beautiful trees and shrubs. They do not only provide shade on the hottest summer days – this is their visible gift. They also provide a sense of calmness and greater/different perspectives for the human psyche. Trees create resonant spaces that can effect our consciousness. Why do you think it is a much different experience to sit under an old tree than under a parasol? It is neither an accident that traditional Greek circle dances (which are community rituals) are danced under enormous old trees – you can find them by each little church and community square (platia). Through a natural landscape and plants the world speaks to us. That’s what makes a place a holy space. It speaks to us. And because ancient Greeks heard and understood this language, they named the certain entities inhabited in nature: they were different kinds of Nymphs, the protectors of trees, waters, plants, mountains, caves, bees, …