“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived”. Thoreau
I believe there has been a popular story and video documenting the life of an old woman who lived alone in the mountains of Transalvania. This triggered some memories of a life I lived in the Urals.
You may well ask how a woman living alone, with no income, manages alongside wild animals. Believe me when I say that there is nothing new about people choosing to live alone in environments many would consider unsafe. The literary world is literally awash with the narratives of men like Thoreau and plenty women who have chosen to gone off to live in the woods and distance themselves from society.
Being disgruntled or forced to flee a society is not a modern ailment. Thousands of old believers like me were imprisoned, exiled, killed and subjected to unspeakable tortures. Others were burned at the stake or burned themselves to death in mass suicide rather than make the sign of the cross with three fingers. It is natural to flee such terror.
My spirit has survived many different, challenging lives so I was equipped with the skills required to live alone. When I chose to live alone, I didn’t see myself as a recluse or a hermit and unlike those survivalists who appear on the television series Alone there was no way of ‘tapping out’. Given that my refusal to adhere to more contemporary Greek Orthodoxy had been noted, and I needed to escape a violent marriage, I was drawn to Mount Iremel.
Mount Iremel is a very special, sacred place of power. Centuries-old trees solemnly rise along the rocky banks covered with moss, the turbulent waters of the mountain rivers flow with a gentle roar. Looking back I realise that it was like living in a fairytale when I lived alongside flying squirrels, elk, brown bear, fox, wolf, wolverines, bears, river otters, black stork, white and grey partridge and so many others.
I was perfectly content to live a self-sufficient lifestyle, sheltered from human predators, in a cabin in a remote birch forest beyond the village of Tyulyuk. I grew my own potatoes and other vegetables in a garden plot, gathered medicinal herbs, raised a few animals, made fires with flint and wore clothes woven from homegrown hemp. The simple lifestyle suited me.
Mount Iremel has been revered as a place where, in ancient times, the Gods lived. The mountain has a very strong energy, is a place where you can release sacred wishes and realise your dreams. To fully appreciate this place all you need to do is climb to the mountain tundra and learn from the dwarf birches that survive in this cold desert or connect with the golden root which provides potent medicinal powers.
Aside from the land itself, a land known to give people personal strength, one reliable ally was my High Priestess, Cora, my beloved, faithful Raven companion. Before I came the Raven Queen had sent this keeper of secrets and mysteries to guide me to the right place and watch over me.
There are many who banish and fear ravens because they have been associated with death, especially on battle fields, and are considered to be the bearer of bad omens.
Cora, like her kin, was a master of synchronicity. She had an amazing capacity to bend time and space. Somehow she knew the right time and place for everything, so when she sensed that I needed to be more aware she helped me untangle old knots. This helped me reveal truths about my inner self, some of which I was not proud of.
She gave me sight. Her eyes held a mirror that reflected the soul of people in particular. I could look into her eyes and know if a seemingly innocent traveller, who had somehow found their way to my door, came with good intentions.
Wild Mother Calling 