Ira grew up in a village – a river, the earth, nature as the backdrop of everyday life. When the war began, she moved from Dnipro first to the west, then to Kyiv, then to Pushcha Kyiv Region. Only then did she understand that nature was never just a backdrop. It is the only thing that brings her back to herself.
At first there were therapists – they gave her a foundation to survive. But then she wanted somewhere she could be replenished. And that turned out to be the earth.
“THERAPISTS ARE LIKE TEMPORARY BANDAGES. BUT THE EARTH – IT SIMPLY RESTORES. I WANT EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND THIS.”
She lies on her back directly on the ground – palms facing down, face open to the sky. When there is anxiety, when she can’t find an answer, when the inner dialogue won’t quiet – this is the only thing that helps. She feels the earth gathering her back together, micro-particle by micro-particle, slowly and without rushing.
On her bicycle she always stops at a spring – washing her face and asking the water to clear her mind. For her this is not a ritual. It is simply earth and water – nothing more, nothing extra.
She believes the earth connects people across distance. If you touch a tree with a clear intention and send a thought toward someone – within two or three days that person will reach out first. She has tested this. It works.
“Here we are all equal. No status, no money – none of it exists. You came from here and here you will return. The earth is the most primary source of everything.”
Project: Healing Land.Voices Voice: Ira Location: Pushcha, Kyiv Region, Ukraine
