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Nov 20
in Arctic

Walking the tundra, riverbeds and rocks…

I was conscious of not walking ahead of our guide, but enjoyed taking steps alongside; often quietly without words. I felt like an explorer. I loved every step of the tundra across the rocky, spongy, icy terrain. I dreamed as a child that I would walk across the tundra, and after my first hikes in Greenland, something sparked within me a yearning to continue taking steps across this frozen landscape.

 

I loved meandering along the trenches of the watercourses and wished the day and the gullies just kept going. I quickly found a rhythm of walking without actually looking directly down to where I stepped – even with my knee not completely strong again I felt a comfort in my stride.

 

I was able to casually scan as I walked and so many fascinating things intrigued me; the geology, plants, animal remains, historical archaeological artifacts, the snow, the ice, the waves, the light. Everywhere I looked was interesting.

 

Walking the land helped me to construct in my thoughts the environment and circumstances early explorers and settlers had to contend with, in the times of early exploration; with those times but a speck on the timeline of Svalbard’s history.

 

I was able to hold stones in my hand, perhaps from the Permian age, which were fossils from a time I just can’t wrap my head around. Svalbard was once situated near the South Pole, around 600 million years ago, and it felt like the places I walked have remnants of the geological history of the earth taunting further exploration.

 

Seams of coral fossils; stacks of layered rubble and boulders of scattered rock .. I wanted to explore them all and find out more. I wanted to ask Frigga (our fabulous guide expert in Geology), so many questions about the rocks and landscape….and the history of Svalbard… but there just wasn’t time. I was captivated by the geology of this incredibly diverse landscape.

 

Stones cracked under my boots as the water crinkled with ice or the waves swooshed along the stony shore.

 

In the snow dusted spaces gouged out by glaciers from a different time, I felt a sense of spaciousness and a remarkable sense of calm after Michele guided us to experience the Arctic silence for 5 minutes. There was no wind. No sound. Even my breath sounded noisy after a couple of minutes; so I slowed it too – so that I could experience the expansiveness of this cold silence even more deeply.

 

Walking in the snow was such fun. I loved the feeling of my boots sinking into the soft powder. Stepping and sinking. Stepping and sinking. I laughed to myself nearly every step as I felt the joy of trudging through the snow.

 

Walking the landscape enabled me to feel as if I was part of it, rather than a voyeur from a ship in the distance. I wanted to experience myself being in this extreme cold environment and feel what it was like to expose myself to the elements. On one of our hikes I was privileged to be able to do that and whisked my clothes off and truly felt what it was like to be part of the landscape. I recognised I needed to protect myself by wearing my boots.. and accept that now perhaps I need some support and kept my walking pole… but could feel what it was like to feel the elements in this raw and extreme frozen world. It was exhilarating!… and so very, very cold at -8 degrees with wind and snow!

 

I would love to go back to Svalbard and feel the rhythm of walking the land again.. and to feel excited by not only the geology and history of the land there… but to just feel what it is like to walk in this extreme raw environment.














 

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About the Author: Julie
I am a Journeywoman. I live my life as an explorer. An adventurer. An Observer. An Artist. There is no differentiation between how I live my life and the art that is an expression of it. It is through my experience adventuring the unknown, that I learn more about myself. My aim through this connection is to live where my expression is fully in alignment with the essence of who I am. “In the field of Fine-Art Photography, Julie stands apart from others with the way she sees the world and expresses her connection within it. Julie Stephenson’s photographs are sublime. Her work is an expression of her deep connection; and a gift to the world.”

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skeinydipping

I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have t I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have touched; have loved; have created; have worked; have nurtured. My hands.   

I looked down and saw on my wrist and fingers items from around the world which have so many stories; items which have all been created from the heart and made by the hands of others. 

I looked down and saw beautiful yarn. Yarn which has been handled carefully through shearing, dyeing, skeining, balling; and now being knit in my beautiful hands. 

My hands are one of my gifts. This year I’ve really missed the touch of another with my hands, to feel the heart of another through my fingertips; but so grateful and love my hands which touch and feel; work and play!

What do you see when you look at your hands?

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Knitting a fabulous  #slipstravaganzamkal by @westknits .
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#gratitudeattitude #westknitsarethebestknits #westknitsmkal2020 #knittersofinstagram #knittersoftheworld #knittersofaustralia #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #handmade #handmadejewellery #fromtheheart #createeveryday #livetotravel #healing #healinghands #creativehands
My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories. I’ve had adventures on all continents. Slept being rocked by the sea; felt the ice on my skin in both polar regions, and felt the silence of the deserts. I’ve walked stone steps in monasteries at altitudes where each step I’ve taken consciously and mindfully; focussing on treasuring every molecule of oxygen in the rarefied atmosphere. 

COVID has paused those adventures, but I draw upon my experiences as I navigate adventuring my days in a different way, on our ‘home range’. 

I recall my steps in Tibet as I walk through our bushland. I am mindful and conscious of my surroundings. I listen. I feel. I feel happy here. I am content.

My new stories may not hold the same experiences of connection with others; and may not be of extreme challenges or crazy things  (which I am rather prone to doing! 🙂 ) but they are not less wondrous… as I smell the warm eucalyptus waft from under my feet. 

I weave my stories, and this story is of my personal journey on my daily walk through our bushland. 
You can see some of my other woven stories on my website - link in profile. 

How do you express your life’s stories?
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#weaversofinstagram #indiedyedyarn #indiedyed #rigidheddleloomweaving #ashford #inspiredbynature #contentcreator #emotionalbalance #homedeco #handcrafted #makersmovement #creativelifehappylife #wellbeing #travellerlife #journeywoman #weavingaustralia
“....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those “....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those times in your life when you need a meditative and healing knit. Assookinakii (ass-s-oo-kin-uh-k-EE) means ‘healer’ in the Blackfeet language, thank you to Cut Woods School in Browning, MT for the tradish language support”. –  Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers 

Knitting this beautiful cowl by Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers for @sistersunitedmt ; WAS healing. 

As my hands gently formed the repetitive stitches I reflected on the word ‘Assookinakii ‘ - healer. I am a healer. I don’t understand it. It’s something unseen. Something within me which has been recognised by Ngangkari and ‘clever men’ here in Australia; and shaman and healers around the world as we travel. This recognition always has caught me by surprise; as I seem to walk a line between two worlds. 

As the stitches slipped from one needle to another and the beautiful colours of @spincycle_yarns revealed themselves; in the pauses between the stitches I heard a voice whispering to continue to seek connection with the natural world and listen deeply. 

What has been healing for you this year?
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#healingjourney #meditationpractice #dyedinthewool #assookinakii_cowl #knittersofinstagram #knittingaddict #livinglifetothefullest #happydays #shaman #healer #healersofinstagram #listentoyourheart #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #knittersgonnaknit #knittersoftheworld
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2017 All photographs created by and property of Julie Stephenson.