The Fetch of the Land with Elyse Welles

When we consider "nature spirits" in an occult or magical context, they can appear to be a clearly defined category of beings. In most books on Witchcraft or spirit work, they might be reduced to a chapter or even a paragraph. So what are we talking about when we refer to "nature spirits"? Are we talking about "elementals" a la Paracelsus or Madame Blavatsky? Or the pixies and sprites of Victorian nurseries? Are we referring to a spiritual presence in thunder or a gust of wind? Do we imagine the hermetic sympathies that we can draw from plants and trees? Or conspicuous animals arriving as omens? Or the vibes in an ancient ruin or battlefield? Are "nature spirits" the spirits of humans buried in nature? And what happens to these spirits when their valley, or coast, or hillside becomes a city?  It would appear that the deeper we look into this category of spirits, a clear definition isn't constellated; instead, a plurality or ecology begins to emerge. Thankfully, Elyse Welles has freed the spirits of the land from the confines of these reduced delineations and given them the space of a full book to be explored with the nuance and depth they deserve. What role does the egragore of a town or city play in our spiritual engagement with the land, and how to do reach beyond it? Can the animating forces of a bioregion call on animal emissaries to deliver messages? Where do land spirits end, and gods begin? Tune in to find out.   SHOW NOTES: Buy Elyse's Book: Sacred Wild Elyse's Website: Elysewelles.com Links to Elyse's Podcasts, Tours, and Beyond: LinkTree