An Introduction to Sacred Nature

by Holly Wilmeth

My name is Holly Wilmeth. My father is a farmer and my mother a teacher, and I spent half my time in the city and the rest of my childhood in the dense jungles and agricultural landscapes of Guatemala, where I was born and raised. This is where my journey in photography began, documenting the culture both in the streets and in people's relation to their land.

For the last decade, I have been creating images that embody elements of nature, mysticism, and spirituality. Drawing inspiration from ancient mythologies, symbolism, diverse cultures, and a spiritual practice, my images are a personal interpretation of my life’s sacred dance. I live in the small colonial town of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, with my husband,son, and dog.

The project was birthed out of a curiosity and desire to teach my son about the plant life he was seeing all around him—and from his curiosity came a gift for me to share with others. Sacred Nature Oracle is a personal interpretation of the connection between the nature surrounding us and our human nature. The images serve as aninvitation to awaken to a place of sacred sanctuary. The harmony of the natural world is available to us in our own backyard through the powerful healing energy of traditional plant wisdom.

I didn’t go out of my way to discover or come across any of the plants, trees, and flowers in this project. On the contrary, all of them are very common and can be found in our gardens, on walks, on the side of roads, in empty lots, etc. I began photographing in the Mexican desert, then in tropical climates, and then moved to more forested northern climates of the Pacific Northwest in the USA.

My hope is that the images can serve as a reminder that the magic and meaning of our lives can be found in the smallest of things: our sacred connection with nature.