After the Lord Mayor's Show

...or rather, after the Listening to the Land day. I was a volunteer at the event and in the afternoon, it was my job to stand outside the doors and try to police people. My inner officiousness had its time in the sun.

The day was wonderful: the talks were all about people's connection to the earth. There were speakers from the America, Africa and New Zealand as well as various parts of the British Isles. The Welsh and the Irish seem to have maintained their indigenous connection to the land far better than us English.

There was a lot of music: Charlotte Church (amazing!), Ted Waters (sublime), Lyla June (just so powerful), Sam Lee (always a joy) and Carolyn Hillyer (from Dartmoor... and so special) - and how could I forget the Taiko Drummers??

In the opening ceremony, I was up in the gallery and I could feel the trees "leaning in". It was a profound sensation. I knew they felt that there was integrity here... There was a talk later about finding song and many of the speakers talked on the voices of the ancestors. I put my hand up in the Q&A and, embarrassed, and denying it while I said it, told them about the trees leaning in. I also asked if non-human songs ask to be sung, among them, those of the aurochs and the others no longer here in the UK. Lyla June said yes - her tradition has songs of the Buffalo and so on. Sam Lee said the aurochs are still with us - held in the memory of the land and "remembered" by the ancient trees who were alive when those creatures were still here.

Monica Gagliano spoke on zoom and Rupert Sheldrake was there. Also Satish Kumar, an incredible person.

I met some great folks among the volunteers and those selling things. It was a lovely day.

And today, I went to the Reserve, cold and damp. But I was happy to see Kairos.