Assistant Instructor Sena

A few months ago, Sena was invited to be part of the staff at her Karate school. She very happily accepted, and has been teaching as an assistant instructor. She loves it (and it suits her personality, especially the being in control part). Recently, the karate school put up her profile on their website. Check it out here.

end of summer drawing near

home, at dusk

our field in Willington, a few days ago

peace

Lighter

Let the earth catch your tears,
Let the sky see you-
They will not judge.

Let yourself be,
Like a tree that stands, or an animal,
Just as it is, no need to hide anything,
Always showing its true nature, and thus,
Beautiful,
Through all seasons and ages.

They say that when we let go,
of things that we don't need,
like anger, resentment, fear, negativity,
When we let go of the pain we've accumulated,
The earth will take them,
and through the great conversion,
Will turn them into good, again -
Nourishment for new life.

Lie down on the earth,
Look up at the sky,
Feel the wind,
Let the rain wash you, and the fire cleanse you.
Let them know you,
Troubled as you are.

And give back thanks, respect.
And walk away,
perhaps-
a little lighter than before.





(This painting is Susan Seddon Boulet's. I love her art.)
Peace

how i am moved

"I have learned that the point of life's walk is not where or how far I move my feet but how I am moved in my heart". Anasazi Foundation

Here are some of the things that move my heart:
Children

Animals (that's Mama Opal and I)

The earth's abundance and generosity, freely giving us nourishment, beauty, and so much more

Time for work/action balanced with time for connection/reflection. Feeling held and part of something great.

Peace

Audacious action

i love that term "audacious action". i will think of it when i am afraid.




and speaking of action, i was happy to read the article below. as you can imagine, i am not in favor of projects like pipelines and such, having to do with fossil fuels. ed thinks we should stop subsidizing fossil fuels, and pour those subsidies instead into renewable energy; and we should tax carbon heavily. i fully agree, and i think that those two measures alone would have a big impact on what kind and how much energy we use and for what purpose.
good job, North Dakota! keep it up.
Construction halted after more than 1,000 people swarm to protest the Dakota Access pipeline they believe threatens the Missouri River.

wait

if you feel lost, or confused,
if you feel like life has no meaning,
if you're stuck in a rut, and have no real friend,
if you're sick of wearing your mask everyday,
and of not ever being seen for who you are,
sit and wait in silence,
cry, laugh, rage, whatever you need
so that you can feel again,
the tenderness that is inside you,
your best friend and teacher,
shut out for so long.
it will whisper to you first,
and if you give it time,
its voice will grow loder,
its advice unmistakable, and you will learn to trust it
again
and you won't need all of what they've told you,
their cheap medicines and trinkets
you'll learn to be content, at peace,
following your own path in your own way

Don't buy the ticket!

Thinking of taking the kids to Sea World this summer? Or some other aquarium? Don't do it! Don't buy the ticket! Katie Emmons shows you why not. Watch this 36 min documentary and be inspired by the amazing work of this teenage girl trying to make a positive difference for her generation and for all of us.
Thank you Katie Emmons, and thank you to everyone working to make things better for us, for all of our relations, be they plant or animal, and for the earth.

Down home

Me and my garlic

Sena and Aiyana

 Karate girl practicing on top of a pile of wood chips

Mama Jasmine with her calf Jupi, 2-months-old now, (looking at us) and Opal's calf, Oblio, 1-month-old (looking away)

Our little herd (minus the two calves, which are in for the night)

Cheeses made from Jasmine and Opal's milk, drying out before they go in the cave for aging

Farmhouse kitchen

Peace

don't know who the author of this is...

but i do know that it is true:

Earth my body,

Water my blood,

Air my breath, and

Fire my spirit

peace

i like this and it feels very appropriate right now

now that shundahai is on facebook, i come across these things, and share them here for my parents and other people who may not be on facebook.

this is from soul discovery:

''The wisest among us know how to face the darkness without being intimidated or enchanted by it. The darkness in us holds great power: it can be used to solicit comfort and sympathy from others, or as an excuse for bad behaviour, or to feed the ego when one uses their sad story as a means to identify and separate themselves. Similarly, relentless positivity and optimism can be a crutch used to avoid and escape from what is perceived as negative emotion. There is a wide range of human emotion, none of which is the basis of who we are. At some point you have to learn to let the river of emotions flow, face them all, express each one in a productive manner, and let them pass. Remaining addicted to any particular set of emotions keeps us imprisoned by them. To find peace, we have to let go of our stories, our negativity, our optimism, our excuses, and our reasons and learn to sit quietly in our neutrality and watch our thoughts and feelings pass without obstructing or judging them.''

~ Unknown

what a generous gift, this truth, from an unknown person.
peace

how would this change things?

how would it be if we, as a society, guided ourselves not only by economic gain and economic growth, but also by this principle? how much would that change things? a lot, i believe.

as individuals, when we buy things, it is tempting to want to get them for the cheapest price; it is tempting to want to get more stuff: the stuff that everyone else has, that's in fashion, that the advertising industry tells us we need, always more and more; but maybe we can take a moment and look beyond that temptation; maybe we can think about this little piece of advice below and what it might actually mean for us and our families.

Nature is ancient, but surprises us all

Here's another article that reminds me of the famous lyrics from Bjork:
"Nature is ancient, but surprises us all"

Here's an excerpt and a link to a BBC article about how trees and other plants communicate with each other through an underground fungal network akin to our internet (and probably much more refined and sophisticated).

As a result of this growing body of evidence, many biologists have started using the term "wood wide web" to describe the communications services that fungi provide to plants and other organisms.
"These fungal networks make communication between plants, including those of different species, faster, and more effective," says Morris. "We don't think about it because we can usually only see what is above ground. But most of the plants you can see are connected below ground, not directly through their roots but via their mycelial connections."
The fungal internet exemplifies one of the great lessons of ecology: seemingly separate organisms are often connected, and may depend on each other. "Ecologists have known for some time that organisms are more interconnected and interdependent," says Boddy. The wood wide web seems to be a crucial part of how these connections form.

On our farm, we always inoculate seeds and seedlings with mychorhizal fungi, knowing that this will help them absorb nutrients from the soil, and stay healthy in general. It may seem a lot easier to spray a pesticide when you have problems with your plants, but in the long run, that pesticide will disrupt or destroy much more than your intended target, and as such weaken your entire growing environment. Eventually, your environment will lose its resilience and you will have no choice but to rely on pesticide. Which, may be good for the pesticide manufacturer, but not for you. So if you grow food, or garden, or grow flowers, or even a lawn, take care of your soil and all its unseen life. It will take care of you in the long run. Don't kill or weaken it with toxins and poisons. Because, eventually, what you do to the soil, what you do to the water, and the air, you do to yourself. 

Peace

i love this..

i love the voice, the words, the meaning, the images in this poem:
Rewild by weeearthlings

In the quiet we hear our Mother's
voice like a dream, she say

Break through the concrete
escape those bleak streets
finally feel the soft soil
beneath your feet

Expose my living skin
To the sun and air

Be prepared
Great change is coming soon

With your touch
I can heal my wounds
If you just allow me to breathe
We will weave with this greenness
The great blanket of peace

Break through the asphalt
encasing your heart
embark on the path of courage
nothin' going stop you

Be bold, for all
that you hold dear.
No fear, let go
Rewild your soul

All you need is around you
in abundance, of love
You are blessed beyond measure
From below and above just

Follow the map
Writ new in every leaf
See we steam from each other
My friend you complete me

Work isn't work with your hands in the earth
Rest is so sweet when you bring life to birth
Chase the flight of a floating weed seed
Hum along to the song of a bumble bee

Follow the branches
that ground the light
Nourishing the dirt though
they point to the sky

Gaze at the clouds as they drift by
Tumble with the tide
Like you are baptised
Be reminded that you are a wild child

So, dance with the shadows
Of the swaying trees
Fall with the rain
Roll with the waves
BELIEVE

Pause to reflect
On the stillness of a lake
Every ripple saying
'We are one and the same'

Trace your fingers
Along the veins of a leaf
You a branch of this family
A most incredible creature

Close your eyes
Find your path
Know that life is a cycle
Every ending a fresh start

As the seasons shift
and the colors change
Die to the past
Embrace each new day

Listen to me
Listen to me with your heart

Embark on the path of courage
Nothings gonna stop you

Listen to me
Listen to me with your heart
Be bold for all that you hold dear
No fear

Let me breath if you love me
let me breathe, let me breath

You are blessed beyond measure
from below and above

Let me breathe if you love me
let me breathe, let me breath
Let go
rewild your soul

Protect me as your kin
See, hear, feel
You know where to begin again

Allow me to recover and thrive
Revive the tribe

And we can move into
the future as One
My daughters my sons

She say
Every other species is doing its part
And you came here
to shine a way through the darkness

She says our freedom is assured...
And we're the ones that we're waiting for

So I take flight
See the cage left open
Make a break for it
Reject slavery
Turn away from hatred

Maybe we were chained
Gain strength from our mistakes
Move beyond civilisation
with all life at stake

Won't simply sink back
Watch the planet ravaged man
Drowning in the city
Still clinging to my baggage

I can't be weighted down
I release my regret
Move with the moment
As living spirit
Fused with flesh

If not you who?
If not now when?
You've been bashed bruised and broken
Ain't beaten yet
My friend

So be bold for all that i hold dear
No fear
Then let go
Rewild your soul

peace

Cut it!

When I read an article like this one from NPR, I try to think about what I can do to help. Otherwise, I get engulfed bu negativity. In this case, I think that as consumers we can do a lot by taking responsibility for our consumption and minimizing it.
In regards to mining, I read somewhere that for certain metals, there is more of them in landfills than there is left in the earth, due to low recycling rates. So recycling is important. But to me, lowering consumption upfront is even more important, not only with metals, but with plastic, paper, fiber, everything. If we minimize the amount we mine or produce in the first place, that is better than recycling, which requires energy. I know that in our culture, the mantra is that the economy must grow at any price, so the suggestion of cutting consumption may not be very popular. But look at that dirty, toxic water in the picture, and think about the dirty air some people have to breathe, or the contaminated soil full of toxic substances that eventually end up in your food, and ask yourself if a growing economy is worth all that. So instead of buying and throwing away, buyinh and throwing away, or even buying and recycling, go out to a park, take a hike, go swim in a lake, take your kids out into fresh air and clean water and enjoy that.

some unusual reasons why i will continue to farm and work for myself:

because...

• i can go barefoot everyday
• i can wear what i want no matter how "out of style", how many holes it has or how many days in a row i wore it
• i don't have to look any certain way - my plants and animals accept me no matter what;
•  i can can sing as loud as i want and as off key as i want and not feel self conscious. actually i believe my plants grow better when i sing to them.
• i can blast ABBA and move the way i want to and sing along, like i did this morning when i was preparing an order for delivery 
• i can lie down on the ground whenever i want to, smell the sweet smell of the earth, feel supported and re-energized
• i can see the truth and beauty of the natural world every day around me, and be sustained and inspired by it.

peace

What do you see?

Whale watches last weekend

Last weekend, Sena was invited to go be part of the education team on a boat taking people out on whale watches in Cape Ann, Massachussets. She loved it: saw lots of whales and had a great experience teaching people. She is actually writing a summary about her experience, and I will post it as soon as she has it. I won't say anything else here, except that Ed (who went with her) said that several people asked which college she is going to and were very surprised when she told them that she's not in college because she's only 12.

Peace