Land Use and Spirit When was it that we stopped considering Spirit of Place first, and use of the land only in concert with Spirit? My family came from Ireland and Wales a couple of generations back, and land was and continues to be a presence that endures, like a good mother. Everything stems from her and through… Read more »

Another First: May Day-ed! I was napping in the back room when a loud rapping came at the closed door. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! It was hot and we had been out to the Napa Home and Garden Show, so I was pretty out of it when this rapping occurred. Knowing my young grandsons were… Read more »

Earth Jurisprudence: UN Harmony with Nature Project Starting Earth Day, April 22, 2016, I am participating in a two month Virtual Dialogue on Earth Jurisprudence with the UN Harmony with Nature project.  Those of us participating are from various disciplines: Earth-centered Law; Ecological Economics; Education; Holistic Science; Philosophy/Ethics; the Arts, Media, Design and Architecture; and Theology/Spirituality.  My own discipline… Read more »

Private Property Rights and the Commons, Ego and Self Earth Day, April 22, 2016 Recently I became editor of Eyes on Napa, the newsletter for Napa Vision 2050. This citizen watchdog group is composed of representatives of 14 different citizen groups who are concerned about what is going on in their neighborhoods. My own group, Dry Creek… Read more »

Snake Mind: The Serpent and the Ally Yesterday a beautiful garter snake stretched herself between two awakening lavender plants. She was quiet, absorbing the April sun and preparing to shed her skin. Although I stood within a foot of her, she did not move. April is the month snakes return from their winter haunts in… Read more »

Ag or Business Community? The following is a Letter to the Editor of the Napa Register posted this last week about the sold-out April 1, 2016, Forum on a Tourist Economy. What is interesting to me are the negative comments (comment section of online newspaper) that come when you question capitalistic agendas. It is time that we… Read more »

Seeking Common Ground Okay, I will be be honest. The blog denigrating me and my most recent Letter to the Editor in the Napa Register impacted me more than I wanted it to. I know character assignation is a way to diminish an opponent’s position, and I (smuggly!) console myself: I must have hit the mark. But… Read more »

Elizabeth Herron: The War On Trees Finally, watersheds have advocates!  Workers are getting signatures to put the Water, Forest and Oak Woodland Protection Initiative on the November ballot. The Initiative will give enhanced protection to our watersheds,  forests, and oak woodlands.The wine industry is poised to stop the initiative  before it gets before voters. Consider donating even a small… Read more »

Retirement: Eulogy for a Beloved Professional Life After 40 years in private psychotherapy practice, today is my last day. I am retiring from doing analysis and analytic psychotherapy. It’s not an easy thing, for sure, taking down the shingle that I worked so hard to establish. It brings memories of that first “client”, a family that a… Read more »

Sante Fe Presentation: Messiaen’s Symphonic Work and the Land On Tuesday, June 28, Photographer Deborah O’Grady and I will be presenting our work on Messiaen’s piece, From the Canyons to the Stars at the 2016 Jung Society for Scholarly Studies Conference, Earth/Psyche: Foregrounding Earth’s Relations to Psyche (Sunday evening, June 26-Wednesday evening, June 29, 2016). Deborah was commissioned… Read more »