{"id":1935,"date":"2024-02-01T10:30:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T16:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/esasvalley\/?p=1935"},"modified":"2024-02-01T10:30:02","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T16:30:02","slug":"the-troll-in-the-backyard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/esasvalley\/2024\/02\/the-troll-in-the-backyard\/","title":{"rendered":"The Troll in the Backyard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

""<\/p>\n

This winter it has been a lot more active in the house. We generally have three Nisse<\/a>\u00a0 that are more present inside the house after harvest season is done. Then when spring starts to poke her head out, they go back out into our valley. They are generally low key and most of my family doesn\u2019t notice their presence much.<\/p>\n

This year has been different. First being, that there are several more that have come inside. That has been a bit of a challenge because it creates a different energy mix. They also generally save their amusing tricks for my Husband, moving and hiding his stuff. Not this year though! My kids, especially my son, has also been a target. The cats have been a little more amped up with the extra little energies floating around. My dachshund, who is generally very quiet has gone to barking at everything and nothing. Lastly, they have been making themselves known in certain instances that even the skeptics in the house can\u2019t explain away.<\/p>\n

We have had a lot of shifts in our little valley due to construction and tree felling happening on neighboring hills. It has created shifts in the nature animals, shifting them into our valley as a safe haven. New ones moving in, means adjustments by our normal herds and animal families. It isn\u2019t just the physical nature animals though\u2026 a small troll has moved into the backyard.<\/p>\n

The Encounter<\/h2>\n \ We live in the foothills of the Ozarks and our house sits on the side of one of the hills near the bottom, so our \u201cbackyard\u201d is a slopping hill. Off to the left is a small ravine that houses a natural spring that trickles down the hillside, through the valley, and flows down to the lake. It is a very energetic spot, but I have never encountered a spirit or unseen folk there before.<\/p>\n \ A few weeks ago I was standing on the back porch and I felt a distinct energy coming from the area. Something I had not felt before but it definitely caught my attention. So I started paying more attention to the area. Then I saw it. Just a glimpse, but it looked like a small rock like creature with long ears.<\/p>\n The first thought that popped into my head was \u201ctroll.\u201d I am not even sure why, because I have never had any interaction with those unseen. I don\u2019t know much about them beyond some general lore, and this didn\u2019t really match that. There were some aspects of Norwegian trolls<\/a>, look wise, that seem a little similar to what I glimpsed, but again I have never interacted with them before.<\/p>\n ""<\/p>\n

The Spring<\/h2>\n \ Being in the foothills, we have little underground springs all over the area and in our valley. This particular one behind the house though has always had a special feel to it, a connection for me. It is at the very back\/top of the ravine and cuts two separate paths through each side of it, and comes together into one as the ravine opens up onto the hillside.<\/p>\n \ There is a space with some flat rocks that remind me of an altar right above the spot they come together as one. If you sit in that space you can feel the energies shifting between the seen and unseen worlds. This isn\u2019t uncommon in my experience. Springs are the natural Wells \u2013 and Wells throughout history have been seen as gateways between the worlds.<\/p>\n \ It is one of the reasons I feel that sacred places such as pyramids were built on-top of caverns that held pools\/streams of water. This is still evident in pyramids found in the Americas. The power of water, the memories it contains, the conductor and holder of energies. They were always seen and held as the threshold between our world and Theirs. Building sacred sites on-top of these places was another way to harness that power and create a space where all sides could come and interact together. I will go deeper into that another day though.<\/p>\n \ Feeling My Way<\/h2>\n \ I had an idea, a feeling, but still not really knowing what this little being was. I could read all kinds of books and stories, but in the end they would not give me the answer I was seeking. This can only be accomplished by feeling my way through this and connecting to this new visitor.<\/p>\n \ I made a point to keep directing my attention that way. I talk out loud, telling it about the other spirits, animals, and the people in our valley. Hoping to make it more comfortable and also giving it a heads up on the lay of the land. As I said, our valley has been changing a lot and gathering all different kinds of new inhabitants.<\/p>\n \ What I am getting back is definitely something troll-like. Not the popular media trolls though. Pop culture either has a giant, ugly, stupid version of trolls or the other extreme of small glitter covered joyful creatures. It almost reminds me of some old stories I heard from my mother as a child. Small, rock like creatures, not made of rock but their skin blends into them. They were generally territorial though and not overly friendly. This one seems shy, perhaps even nervous, but I feel curiosity from it too.<\/p>\n \ I guess if I walked into this space I would feel the same. The more we consciously invite the unseen into a place and interact with them, the more \u201cactive\u201d a place becomes. There are also two specifically made \u201cbridges\u201d on the property for the express purpose of the unseen to come in. One is of my doing, linking an ancestral land to here, and another created by a Fae group. The latter stays very contained in its spot, and we don\u2019t mess with it.<\/p>\n \ Sanctuary<\/h2>\n \ This dynamic has really changed and shaped the entire valley over the last few years. Generally it flows smoothly, but it also takes work. Balancing all the different energies, seen and unseen, to create our unique little sanctuary.<\/p>\n \ It works though, in everyone\u2019s favor. We have had some really close calls with devastating weather events, and they have gone all around the outside of our valley, yet our valley remains unscathed. There are other things too, but they would seem more mundane luck to others. None the less, sanctuary was our goal, and it seems to be working well.<\/p>\n \ Our little troll is still shy and hiding out, but I feel him. His energy is distinct and new to me. I\u2019m going to keep talking and inching myself closer, little by little. There is a lesson in all this, as there always is. I think part has to do with learning about this little guy, but also a lesson in patience and approach.<\/p>\n \ For now, there is a troll in the backyard.<\/p>\n \ Will he be a permanent resident or just for awhile, I can not say. While he is here though he will be family just like all the rest.<\/p>\n \ I do not know has changed in the energies\/ world, but something has definitely been shifting. An increase in certain spirits is definitely being noted \u2013 new ones showing up that have never been here before. I am not the only one noticing or experiencing this though.<\/p>\n \ Are you experiencing any differences? \u2013 an increase? \u2013 new energies coming in?<\/strong><\/p>\n \ ""<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \ This winter it has been a lot more active in the house. We generally have three Nisse\u00a0 that are more present inside the house after harvest season is done. 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