Earth Path

Woodland Skipper sunning on my sage.

Starhawk in her book “The Earth Path”, says: "...we must learn to be present in and interact with the natural world that surrounds us, in the city as well as the country or wilderness. Instead of closing our eyes to meditate, we need to open our eyes and observe. Unless our spiritual practice is grounded in a real connection to the natural world, we run the risk of simply manipulating our own internal imagery and missing the real communication taking place all around us."

Like Starhawk, I advocate for including nature in your spiritual practices: If you meditate, or have a daily prayer practice, do it outdoors, with eyes open. If you are a church goer, find one that will let you worship outside at least once a month, or simply schedule one day a month to take yourself outside to worship on your own. Invite nature into your spiritual life in any way you can. 

I’m suggesting that we worship WITH nature: Open a door to deep awareness. Awareness of nature leads to wonder, the recovery of that childhood ability to be struck with awe at the simple and profound experience of being in relationship with nature. When we are aware, every visit from a butterfly becomes a joyful moment to pause and greet a special guest; walking under a giant Douglas Fir tree is a stop at a sacred place; the miracle of the sunrise and sunset connects us to the turning of the planet.

The wonder-kinship-bond is a culmination of the shift from being a human, living beside nature, to being joined in sister and brotherhood with all of life.

Agenda:

1. Spiritual growth goals

2. Renewal plans

3. Eco-spiritual practices

Autumn Nature-Culture

Nature-culture is my way to live as part of nature; sharing my resources with those who share theirs (the bees and the birds, etc.); becoming more aware of nature's needs so I can be a better neighbor; changing my habits so I can cause less harm.

My working definition of Nature-culture is "Humans living in unity with nature: acting in ways that create shared spaces that mimic the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems."

As we move into autumn, I've set myself some simple goals.

Agenda:

1. Stay in touch with my fall ecosystem

2. Wildlife garden tasks for autumn

3. Regenerative food garden tasks

4. Set some fall goals for causing less harm

5. Bee advocate preparations

Good Fortune for Nature

Fierce Chickadees

I'm working on a series called "Good Fortune for Nature", that visually articulates my deep yearnings for the earth, and for all of us.  

Wendell Berry said, "There is in fact no distinction between the fate of the land and the fate of the people. When one is abused the other suffers." 

My wishes for good fortune focus first on the smallest butterfly and bee, but spread to include us all: I hope that my grandsons will see butterflies in their gardens throughout their lives, and that bees will survive to pollinate their food.

Agenda:

1. Daily moment for Earth Unity

2. Read Nature's Best Hope

3. Set parameters

4. Write good fortunes

5. Creative visualization

Fifth Day of Christmas

This is the fifth day of the twelve-day festal tide - a sacred, festive season. I have a day to myself, but lots of activity on my schedule, followed by a train trip north, so I plan to be present in the moment and take it one thing at a time.

Agenda today:

1. Christmas retreat

2. Kwanzaa principles

3. Light a candle for unity with nature
4. Read "The Comfort of Crows"
5. Earth care goals

6. Make end-of-year donations

Advent Earth Care

My theme for this first week of Advent is "Cherish and care for the earth". I express my unity with nature at Advent in two main ways:

• by offering small gifts of love and attention in recognition of all I receive from the earth
• and by finding joy and fulfillment in simply being alive, instead of in an excess of buying, eating, using, and wasting.

Agenda Today:

1. Journal queries
2. Define my work for earth care
3. Make bird feeder pine cones

Unity Art for Pollinators, Part Two

I've been seeking unity with pollinators, and I'm ready now to take the next steps, which is to plant habitat. Fall is the best time to do that.

Native pollinators need appropriate native plants, those that are indigenous to our specific geographic area: Here in the Willamette Valley, we live in the Pacific Lowland Mixed Forest ecosystem (same as the Puget Sound Valley). Before cultivation, we had dense coniferous forests, prairies that supported open stands of oaks, and wetlands with swamp or bog communities. The original, natural vegetation provided continuous cover and adjacent feeding opportunities for wildlife, including pollinators.

We can no longer assume that nature "out there" somewhere is taking care of the wildlife. We need to turn our urban and suburban areas into habitat, starting with native pollinator gardens. Imagine a pollinator-friendly neighborhood, with native plants in bloom through as much of the growing season as possible, from one yard, patio, front porch to another! Imagine birds, bees, and butterflies welcomed back to our cities!

“What if each American landowner made it a goal to convert half of his or her lawn to productive native plant communities? Even moderate success could collectively restore some semblance of ecosystem function to more than twenty million acres of what is now ecological wasteland. ... we can create this country’s largest park system. It gives me the shivers just to write about it. Because so much of this park will be created at our homes, I suggest we call it Homegrown National Park.” 

― Douglas Tallamy, Nature's Best Hope

Agenda: 

1. Prepare to create pollinator habitat

2. Gather plants and seeds:

3. Start seeds and transplants

4. Planting milkweed and lupine

5. Butterfly craftivism

Unity Art for Pollinators

Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators are in dramatic decline. I want to support them, and find ways I can forge a stronger connection between us, so I've been applying my Unity Art practice to pollinators.

Unity Art is a process that opens the doors of creative healing to anyone, any age, any ability. My intention is to use my creative fire to forge a stronger connection between me and the pollinators.

Agenda:

1. Set pollinator intentions
2. Collect photos of pollinators

3. Mindful bee watching

4. Wild garden practices

Retreat for the Earth

Today is my new moon retreat day, a chance to spend time alone with my inner guide. 

A retreat (even a short one) needs some definition or it is just a vacation: I want to broaden my inner experience and gain clarity. I need open-mindedness and a little discipline in order to maximize my effort. The most important components to arrange are solitude, silence, and simplicity. I will do less talking, less business, and more personal thought and action. 

My theme today is Depth: What is my Truth, and what are my intentions? I'm seeking clarity for how to proceed on my Earth-Quaker path - what are my next steps? 

Agenda:

1. Root reading

2. Plant beets

3. Depth walk

4. A forest visit

5. Share an Earth circle and a land acknowledgement

Make My Dreams Reality

I have a dream of a world where people are an integral part of nature and we show our love and respect with our actions every day; a world where people have a growing awareness of how to change our habits to care for the earth, and a growing and expanding love, to shift us all towards life.

I read the phrase "transformative eco-justice" on a webpage a few months ago, and it has been hanging in my heart: My dream is to live that transformation, and teach about it. 

Agenda:

1. Read "How to Manifest"

2. Write an invocation

3. Starting

Full Strawberry Moon

Tonight is the full moon called anishnalya, the "camas ripe" moon by the Kalapuya of our area, and the Strawberry Moon by others.

We are now at the peak of the strong-energy yang phase of the waxing moon, and will soon begin the quiet-energy yin time of the waning moon. 

Agenda:

1. Take a vision walk

2. Celebrate synergy

3. Read Happier at Home

4. Synergy with my garden