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Vancouverites connect with Mother Earth ferry first

Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal

Thousands of visitors come year round to partake in the wonderful experiences that Vancouver offers. What many of these visitors do not know is that while they are en route to here, thousands of Vancouverites leave town for their secret island getaways. They travel to their preferred islands for many unique reasons: retreat experiences at Rivendell and Xenia on Bowen Island, the Salt Spring farmers’ market, Hollyhock workshops on Cortes, gatherings like the Diversity Festival on Texada Island, and the many adventures that Vancouver Island offers.

The Sunshine Coast also counts as a destination getaway. People flock there to shop, eat, explore the wilds, attend events like the Faeries and Fools recent gathering, and stay at retreats like Halfmoon Haven. Many of the wealthy in Vancouver own a second home on their favourite island.

Vancouver city dwellers who do not travel to the islands travel to Vancouver’s mountains, beaches, seawalls, forests and gardens. This movement to the outdoors goes much deeper than just adventure, fun and play. It speaks to an intrinsic characteristic of our Canadian identity. We have a profound desire to maintain a connection with Mother Earth; often the wilder, the better.

 

                                   Earth element

Since time immemorial, the four elemental energies - earth, air, fire, and water - have drawn humans from all cultures into the circle of connection with nature, feeding a deep need within us all.

                                                                                                                                                         Fire element

The many dimensions of Mother Earth sustain and nourish us with an energetic life force that is as vital as food. As Canadians, we return again and again to the wild and the land to be replenished and renewed. This grounding to Mother Earth is also one way to connect with the sacred, the “all that is”, that runs through everything.

People have always gathered in circles to commune with the sacred in themselves, Mother Earth, and the universe. Only recently has this direct, sacred communing been mediated by institutionalized religion.

 

 

                                      Stone and tree circle

 What do we get from this connection? This contact gives Canadians a solidity and a centeredness that grounds us while expanding our sensibilities. It also brings us a peace and joy that helps us withstand the vagaries of our current reality. We return to our regular lives healed, cleansed, and deeply content, knowing that this sacred connection is always there for us. All Mother Earth asks for reciprocity is simple gratitude.

 

 

                         Air element

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