Ritva Torikka

Skyfixer Ritva Torikka

After being diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety related to my service in Viet Nam, I found a healer who read my poetry and described my writings as nature-based. Knowing that I was interested in learning more about my Sámi heritage, he suggestedI explore my ancestors' indigenous spiritual practices as a way to begin healing from the war. This collection of poetry is a record of that exploration. I have always found peace in nature, but on this healing path I have also found my voice, my heart and my soul. My search has taken me from connections locked in my DNA to soaring journeys with my spiritual guides. I have found the roots of my family in the far north of Scandinavia and a deeper appreciation of those closer to home. I am fond of saying that I am filling my soul with places-places that have their own language and spirits. I was raised in rural Southwest Washington and have added the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Finland, Norway and Sweden to my nature. It's important for me to share these poems with family and friends, those I know and those I've yet to meet. With that in mind, a number of poems in this collection have been translated into Northern Sámi, Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian. I embrace the translations and consider them a collaboration and enhancement of the art of poetry. The collaboration may produce alternate meanings and nuance which I welcome. I, alone, take responsibility for any differences in description and meaning-I consider all as synchronicity.