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Spring, The Awakening Mural by the Essencia Art Collective, ArtWorxTO, Caledonia Road and 1265 Lawrence Avenue West, North York, Toronto, ON

Excerpt from webapp.driftscape.com/map/c1f3d4de-f6a8-11eb-8000-bc1c5a8...:

 

Spring

 

Further down south, spring has arrived and a brown bear comes out of hibernation, searching for food and water. Ecosystems abound, and as the bear paws around, she is surrounded by networks of underground mycorrhizae, who live in symbiosis with plants, insects, and bacteria. These under-soil mycorrhizae help to provide phosphorus and nitrogen to their soil-plant friends. And every once in a while, these mycorrhizae reproduce and send up fruiting bodies that produce spores, or as we know them, mushrooms, truffles and chanterelles.

 

Fresh water gives life to surrounding fauna, and with help from the sun, growth is restored. These ecosystems are a source of energy, a glowing nucleus pulsating life into centuries old forests. In these woodlands, a magical owl watches over the cycles of life that have sustained themselves since before humans arrived. Forests that thrived, where once prehistoric animals roamed, and where hybrid dinosaur creatures capture our imaginations. They come to remind us that the fossil fuels we excavate today - oil, gas and coal, come from these ancient forests, plants, algae and plankton. As we consume these decaying organic remains that are over millions of years old, we release carbon dioxide into our airs and consequently cause man made exponential global warming.

 

As spirits of these ancient plants are released into the skies, they take the form of carbon dioxide and populate the air like vagabonds far from their underground home. Upon their journey drifting through northern skies, they too are witness to the surreal beauty of Aurora Borealis. Northern lights - a sign that solar winds have paid us a visit and altered electrons and protons in Mother Earth’s atmosphere. A reminder that our tiny earthly ecosystems are interconnected with far away giant stars and energies.

 

Down below, an elder shares the ways of times past when humans lived in harmony with nature, when we lived from earth, with earth, and we would make sure to replenish and respect all living beings. We treated Mother Nature for the grand spirit that she is, abundant, inspiring, magical, and strong. Humans were not above nature but part of her great and wise ecosystems.

 

The big blue moon overhears these tales and whispers her song down to the waters, making the tides dance to her melody, as the fisherman paddles through the currents and is guided by her nightly sky map. She sings to the fox and the farmer, and all of the villagers below, telling them when to plant their crops in harmony with her lunar cycles, reminding them to cultivate sustainable lands and to respect the wisdom of ancient seeds. The farmer listens intently, casting her eyes up thanking the moon for its song, and grateful for her crop. The farmer’s friend, a Praying Mantis, known as a master predator of arthropods, sits guarding her crop of corn. Corn is a staple food and cultural symbol of Indigenous Peoples across the Americas for over 10,000 years. After Indigenous peoples taught European settlers to grow the indigenous grain, it was introduced around the world. Considered a sacred plant, Maize shapes daily meals, and influences spiritual, physical and economic systems.

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Uploaded on February 24, 2024
Taken on February 19, 2024