Nature touches us... she waits for that odd moment when our thoughts are elsewhere, tucked in at the corners of a neat little life. Suddenly, she not only untucks those corners, but pulls on loose threads, unravelling all we thought was 'normal' in our world. Greenman, Jack in the Green, Cernunnos, Herne, John Barleycorn ...all reference the Magickal being who is the epitome of the God of Nature. His presence is revered in all things, all sentient beings and in the changing nature of the very seasons themselves as the native Spirit of the ancient Land of Albion. Who has not lain on their back, looking up through a canopy of leaves, to see faces show briefly before vanishing? A benign, foliate mask of leaves, his signature appearance. I have dreamed of him since childhood. He has been there for me in the tales of my lands and to me, his presence represents nature itself and its changing cycles. And so, Lady Nature and the Greenman come to play in my dreams and psyche, along with creatures who shapeshift and change. I give you, Scraps and Wild Gatherings, the tale that gave me the title, not only to the story, but the entire collection. | Scraps & Wild Gatherings by Penny Reilly, Paperback | Indigo Chapters