Sante Fe Presentation: Messiaen’s Symphonic Work and the Land

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Hoodoos: Earth Changes at Bryce Canyon

Hoodoos: Earth Changes at Bryce Canyon

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 »

When did Farming become Political?

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It is so important we show up as often as possible at the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission meetings. Photo by Skip Shiel, 2016. teeksaphoto.org

When did Farming become Political? —When industries decided to redefine agriculture for financial reasons!  This is happening in many communities. When my husband and I visited his hometown of Plainfield, Illinois, he barely recognized the environment. The once small farm community with its rich topsoiled lands had been sold to developers, and housing tracks stretched as far… Read more »

Everyday Surprises

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Each year these mysteriously planted jonquils surprise me!

Each year these mysteriously planted jonquils surprise me!

Everyday Surprises Happening across the unexpected always stops me in my tracks. It feels like a message from the Lords and Ladies of Creation, as my spiritual teacher used to put it. Open your eyes! Look what’s here! Life is precious! One of those surprises happens each January when I enter the garden to find the yellow jonquils, which… Read more »

Change on the Ranch

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Tolerating the Mystery: Wesley and His Fairy House.

Tolerating the Mystery: Wesley and His Fairy House.

Change on the Ranch The meditation that I have been doing on Headspace these last days has been on Change. The concept is to allow space to not know, to tolerate uncertainty—mystery. In the meditation one is directed to witness shifts within the body and emotional self, realizing the connection. Focus is on the beginning and the end… Read more »

Initiatives and Oaks

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Puddle in interferred with oak savanna reflects valley oaks.

Puddle in interferred with oak savanna reflects valley oaks.

Initiatives and Oaks I continue to be shocked at how acrimonious things get when you get between a rich man and his oak! (see the comments on my Letter to the Editor, Napa Register, February 4, 2016) This so-called controversy is never more apparent than when the discussion turns to the importance of watersheds and what… Read more »

Celebrating George Wagner

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George Wagner, 1932-2015

George Wagner, 1932-2015

Celebrating George Wagner On Saturday I attended a celebration for the life of George W. Wagner (1932-2015). I first got to know George in 2010 when his wife Suzanne Wagner and I participated in an Extended Education Earth Day event at our Institute, Listening to the Psyche/ Listening to the Earth. The day, planned in… Read more »

Lavender Bone Broth and Health

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Bone Broth in Process

Bone Broth in Process

Years ago  Ramon told us that his grandfather in Mexico only drank broth, never the meat. “The broth will make you strong,” he said his grandfather told him. “The meat will weaken you.” Of course, we Americans do pretty much the opposite, eating primarily what we would call the choice parts of the meat. Recently a once-vegetarian… Read more »

When the Earth Turns to Water and Goats Die

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When the earth liquifies and the pond is the vineyard, and the vineyard, the pond.

When the earth liquifies and the pond is the vineyard, and the vineyard, the pond.

When the Earth Turns to Water and Goats Die Last week our goat Gaviota died. She had sustained a deep puncture wound in October that became infected with an antibiotic-resistant e-coli strain. We went through a regiment of cleansing and packing the wound with Manuka honey laced with lavender, cinnamon, and oregano essential oils, all which… Read more »

Crystallization Period and Spiritual Fruits

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Soil saturated by the recent rains.

Soil saturated by the recent rains.

Crystallization Period and Spiritual Fruits We are in the period of time that is called crystallization period, when the fallow earth is most receptive to the cosmic forces (January 15-February 15). The El Nino rains, which have already graced us with almost 8″ of rain this month, have brought inwardness and quiet for Donald and me— and yes, for the goats… Read more »

Meditation on Space: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

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Kondo's book among a future project.

Kondo's book among a future project.

Meditation on Space: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, by Marie Kondo (Ten Speed Press, 2014), is truly magical in its meditation on the space of your home. The tiny book can easily be held in your hand like a manual of… Read more »