Nature journal #4 : Iwihimnu

Yesterday I and my step-daughter hiked two miles to the top of Iwihimnu. This is truly a place of power. At 8,000 feet it's the highest point around. The Chumash hold their summer solstice rituals on this spot and have for thousands of years. It occurred to me recently, if Po-sun-co-la is the main feminine nature spirit of this area, then Iwihimnu would be the primary masculine spirit. The local king and queen of the sidhe as it were. So while at the summit over looking the valley below I chanted the charm of seeking welcome and left offerings of water and incense. I drew on Ogham to see if it was accepted. I got Straif. Straif is "sulfur" and as this is a very arrid and rocky region I took this as a "yes". I noticed other people had left offerings as well. In the crevice of rock we found a Tibetan prayer flag. My daughter and I sat for a while just soaking in the sun and feel of the place. Later we went to another look out point and sat in the shade of a Jeffry pine and enjoyed a nice lunch. Then it was a hike back to the car and home.