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Magic in Everyday Nature
A few months ago, when packing up books in preparation for a big move, I stumbled upon one of my favorite childhood reads, Brian Jacques’ 1988 Mossflower, part of his long-running fantasy series, Redwall. I turned randomly to one of the yellowed pages in the middle and read: “Early morning was enveloped in white mist. It clung to tree and bush like a gossamer shawl, sparkling with dewdrops in the promise of a hot sunny day ahead.”
Well, that was enough of a hook for me, so I turned back to page one.
There’s something evocative about Jacques’ brand of nature writing. Yes, Mossflower is a children’s fantasy — with personified mice and ferrets, medieval battle scenes between good and evil, and a hero’s journey — but, to me at least, the magic in Mossflower Wood isn’t the talking animals but its everyday nature, the magic of the place itself. The River Moss flows with life through the silent and tangled forest canopy. Dewdrops sparkle through the mist. Woodland inhabitants feast together in their arboreal great halls — their primary connection to one another is the landscape they all call home. As a kid, and still today, these scenes helped me recognize the kind of person I wanted to be and the kind of life I wanted to experience.
The good news is that this magic of everyday nature doesn’t exist in fantasy literature alone. Five weeks ago, my wife and I planted a garden at our home in Canada’s Northwest Territories. I didn’t expect to be harvesting so soon in the season, but I underestimated the miracle of 20-hour sunlight. (The kale runneth over! What am I to do with all this chard?) Earlier this week, we sat spellbound by Alexandra Falls on the Hay River, which boomed like the thunderstorm that greeted us when we arrived home later, and sent shivers down our spines.
Everyday nature, whether in the garden or in the wilderness, is a magic that’s very real. Literature is a great place to help us notice it and be enchanted by it. Now it’s time to cherish it, and even fight for it, not unlike those woodland creatures in Mossflower Wood. Enchantment may prove essential in overcoming the ecological crises we face.
Austin Price
Contributing Editor, Earth Island Journal
