Shamanism and the Medicine Wheel is all about Nature. I try my best to live in harmony with the Natural world around me. In our yard, there were two anthills. I would mow around them, even warned them when I was about to mow the lawn. I believed that they had as much right to live as I did. I made an agreement with them. I would leave them alone if they left me alone (did not come in the house). As crazy as some people may think this sounds, it actually worked. It even worked with the wasps that made a nest just above the garage door. I lived in harmony with these so called nasty creatures for many years.
Then the time came to sell the house. I had to "get rid" of these pests because no one wants to buy a house with ants and wasps in the yard. I refused to use harmful pesticides or chemicals of any kind. But the alternative was just as cruel and vicious. We poured hot boiling water on them. The wasps had nested under the sidewalk by then and we sealed up the crack. Two of them came home and were confused as they tried to gain entry into their underground nest.
The ants were a different story. This is what amazed and intrigued me.... all of a sudden there were now red ants milling about. We had dug out most of the ant hill and carried the remains of the hill to the country. But many survived, perhaps because they were away or were under a portion of the sidewalk and were protected by it.
It was a mystery as to how these red ants suddenly appeared when there had been none before. Did they turn red? Maybe the villager ants call in the warrior ants when there is a crisis of this kind. "You really can't fight nature", I thought. They are amazing survivors and worthy of great respect. They are smarter, stronger, faster, and more selfless than most humans.
Watching these ants over the years, I also saw how incredibly communal they are. When we tried to destroy them, they ran and tried to save the eggs, dragging them to escape. It was heart wretching for me to watch.
Then the queens came running out. I know that they were the Queen ants because a friend of mine recently had a mysterious invasion of them in her house. They look like pointy flies, but do not fly, they crawl.
I am not proud of doing what I did, but after seeing what happened to my friend, I realized that sometimes we do have to take drastic measures. She had huge anthills in her yard and it seems that they just keep growing and multiplying if you let them. How do we live in harmony with nature when we have taken over so much of the land that there is no more room for other life forms to exist? I heard that in the end, pests would rule the world. After this experience, I believe it is possible. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday, July 31, 2009
Well, I had another surprise today! I went back to look at the remains of the destruction and to convert it into a flowerbed, a sort of grave site for the ant colony. And there was not one single ant to be seen at either of the ant mounds. I dug into it, stirred it around and nothing!!!!!! I guess the Army ants came to evacuate the village. I pray that they find a new home somewhere that they can live in harmony and peace. Every creature on this planet deserves to have a safe place to live.
Then the time came to sell the house. I had to "get rid" of these pests because no one wants to buy a house with ants and wasps in the yard. I refused to use harmful pesticides or chemicals of any kind. But the alternative was just as cruel and vicious. We poured hot boiling water on them. The wasps had nested under the sidewalk by then and we sealed up the crack. Two of them came home and were confused as they tried to gain entry into their underground nest.
The ants were a different story. This is what amazed and intrigued me.... all of a sudden there were now red ants milling about. We had dug out most of the ant hill and carried the remains of the hill to the country. But many survived, perhaps because they were away or were under a portion of the sidewalk and were protected by it.
It was a mystery as to how these red ants suddenly appeared when there had been none before. Did they turn red? Maybe the villager ants call in the warrior ants when there is a crisis of this kind. "You really can't fight nature", I thought. They are amazing survivors and worthy of great respect. They are smarter, stronger, faster, and more selfless than most humans.
Watching these ants over the years, I also saw how incredibly communal they are. When we tried to destroy them, they ran and tried to save the eggs, dragging them to escape. It was heart wretching for me to watch.
Then the queens came running out. I know that they were the Queen ants because a friend of mine recently had a mysterious invasion of them in her house. They look like pointy flies, but do not fly, they crawl.
I am not proud of doing what I did, but after seeing what happened to my friend, I realized that sometimes we do have to take drastic measures. She had huge anthills in her yard and it seems that they just keep growing and multiplying if you let them. How do we live in harmony with nature when we have taken over so much of the land that there is no more room for other life forms to exist? I heard that in the end, pests would rule the world. After this experience, I believe it is possible. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday, July 31, 2009
Well, I had another surprise today! I went back to look at the remains of the destruction and to convert it into a flowerbed, a sort of grave site for the ant colony. And there was not one single ant to be seen at either of the ant mounds. I dug into it, stirred it around and nothing!!!!!! I guess the Army ants came to evacuate the village. I pray that they find a new home somewhere that they can live in harmony and peace. Every creature on this planet deserves to have a safe place to live.
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