Widening Circles

Where does your connection to the natural world come from?

 

Twenty two years ago, when I started graduate school in environmental studies, my supervisor (Dan Longboat) asked me where my connection to the natural world came from. I didn't have a very good answer back then. I probably said something about going to summer camp and our annual family hiking trip in Vermont. The truth was, I didn’t really have much of a relationship with the natural world, certainly not an intimate one. I was in grad school because I wanted to protect the Earth from people, to learn how to develop environmental policies and laws. I hadn’t given much thought to what a beneficial relationship between humans and the earth might look like and it wasn’t until many years later when I became a parent that I truly understood his question.
 

I am looking to bring together a group of ten people from around the world who are interested in deepening their connection with themselves, the place where they live and each other. 

 

We will gather for a whole season, beginning on the Winter Solstice to expand our circle of care. You will choose three beings that you would like to get to know a little better. This could be an plant, animal, mountain, lake, river, the sky, moon, sun, wind, rain, snow, etc. You will focus on each being for an entire month and engage in a variety of creative practices to deepen your connection with them.  Some of the practices include writing, mixed media art, painting, clay, weaving, drawing, photography , land art and visual journaling.  We will gather once a month over zoom to share our process and creations. 

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Thich Nhat Han invives us to Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.. What would that look and feel like? 

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“Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond.”

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- Robin Wall Kimmerer

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants