One of my dear friend’s sent me this after my last newsletter
“Tenalach is an Irish word used to describe a relationship one has with the land, the air and the water. It’s a deep connection that allows one to literally hear the Earth sing”
There is debate online around the exact definition but I think many of us resonate with a deep want for that relationship. It reminds me of the reflection on language expressed in the wonderful book “Braiding Sweetgrass” and how differently we would perceive the world if our language was made up of verbs and not nouns, of essence and not objects. It also made me think about how specific language would have been to tribe and place when there were so many less people. We see the residual of this in the different languages there are in the world and the different accents across each land.
It is interesting to me as I study the process of counselling, for is it’s purpose trying to take us back to that? Where our language switches from the cold communication we are taught in school to the language of our feelings. Our own language for our own landscapes and a re-finding of a Tenalach relationship with ourselves.
I am fortunate to spend a lot of time in a place where I have a deep connection to the land, air and water. In that space I can appreciate that the purpose of living is for these moments, where I seem to exist comfortably in the world outside of myself and sit within all the interesting stuff going on. I notice the 200 sparrows chirping away in one tree, in community and sharing before they start their day. I notice the relationship between the wind and the ocean and how the waves change accordingly. I notice the palm trees and their crisp leaves gently scratching against each other as they wave in the gentle breeze. I notice the wonderful cloud formations and feel my breath naturally deepen within all that space.
But interestingly, as I sit and absorb all the goings on and thoughts and feelings arise within me, I notice myself, as a representative ‘human’, wanting to grab my phone and look up or jot down everything coming up for me! And there you have it. This wonderful Tenalach relationship is possible all the time- the world is full of opportunity to really connect with everything around us, our sense of belonging, our sense of place. But WE are the ones choosing (on autopilot) to disconnect from them. Why do I need to know what time my friend’s flight arrives right now? Why can’t I park that til another time when I am in ‘doing’ mode. When I dug deep to find an answer, ironically I realised I don’t trust myself to remember to do it later. I say ironic because at this time of life, the memory is definitely not so sharp- I forget names, I reach for words and know I won’t find them, my shot-term memory cannot be trusted and when I finish a book I rarely remember any details.
But here is the thing, I don’t practice using it. If I grab my phone to answer all my questions and jot my to-do-list, I never have to rely on my memory so it isn’t being used- no wonder it’s struggling. But on top of that I am removing my chances of cultivating that deep soulful connection with the air, land and sea, because I have brought it back to being all about me.
So as I consciously manage my twitchy fingers and say ‘no, attend to it later’ I hope to re-find my rightful relationship to land and space, between significance and insignificance and the deep joy in that.
Wishing you a lovely October, may the approach to Samhain bring you an honourable harvest and w e look forward to talking to you again in November.
Anne and Ric x