Interview on Depth Insights Radio

The lovely Bonnie Bright interviewed me Saturday about my chapter in Rebearths as well as my involvement with the TerraPlaces project. It was my second-ever radio interview and it was great fun! Take a listen.

Speaking at CIIS

I'll be speaking as part of International Education Week at the California Institute of Integral Studies on November 15. I'm excited to have the opportunity to get the word out about the TerraPlaces project and meet several other like-minded souls!

Here's the info:

"TerraPlaces: Deep Communion with Nature"

Monday, November 15

11 a.m.

Room 607

California Institute for Integral Studies

1453 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

And here is the flier...if you can attend the entire day, I highly recommend it!

In other news, I attended the Earth Medicine Alliance conference this past weekend and found it a wonderful experience. The organizers are heart-centered, soulful people and I think you should check out their web site right now and consider becoming a member. They are doing important work in the world.

Harvest Moon and Equinox

For a personal fall equinox and harvest moon celebration, I decided to visit Lime Ridge Open Space this evening. It's nearby and there are many hills from which I could easily glimpse the moonrise.

As I walked up the first hill from the parking lot, I was stopped in my tracks by seeing a barn owl hovering over the field ahead of me. I watched it hover, fly forward a few feet, hover some more, and do this same pattern while making a circle over the field. Eventually it caught dinner and flew with it to a nearby tree. Seeing an owl within minutes of arriving was a beautiful sign.

I climbed a small hill to a bench and awaited the moon. The evening was warm and peaceful. A few other moon enthusiasts were out as well, including two women who found a spot and began doing yoga and a small ritual.

I watched white-tailed kites hover over the fields as well and saw one swoop down and catch it's dinner. I heard the squeak of the animal it caught. Witnessing this made me catch my breath in amazement. I saw a rabbit run across the trail a few feet ahead of me. And then, I saw the moon.

It rose majestically from behind the hills, tinged orange from the sun's last rays. I did a small ritual of my own, reading a list of things I am ready to let go of, and welcoming in whatever the universe has in store for me. I included some pretty big items on the list this time around; it's time for some major clearing in my life. I teared up while sharing the list with the moon. It felt like a benevolent and generous guide holding space for me.

I walked down the hill and was greeted by one more barn owl that flew right toward me and then veered off to my left over a hill. I could not have asked for a more magical evening. I came home feeling uplifted and relaxed.

You can see an entire set of photos of the evening on my Flickr page.

Fall TerraPlaces Project Launched

Autumn begins this week, we get to enjoy a gorgeous harvest full moon, and we also get to revel in the launch of the Fall TerraPlaces Project!

During this three-month phase we'll be exploring the connection between place and dreams. How do landscapes show up in our dreams? How does a deeper connection with the land affect our dreams? I'll be teaching you how to foster a more in-depth relationship with both the land and your dreams. We had a fantastic time during the last phase sharing our places with one another and I can feel the momentum growing already with this new phase. Come and join us!

Finding Our Place

I feel so much joy about how the TerraPlaces project is coming together. In just two weeks we've grown from six to 31 members and the numbers increase daily. We have participants from Australia, the UK, Europe, and the US. We all share a deep love of place and I can tell this from the responses people have shared about their experiences sitting with their special spot the last two weeks.

One member is sitting with an inviting strip of forest just outside Minneapolis. Another will commune with a lake in Maine. Still another will walk a path in Oakland, tending to the land by picking up the trash that daily accumulates there. We've talked about the Milky Way (something I've never seen) and people have guided me to local spots where I might catch a glimpse. We've shared how even our front porches, backyards, and decks provide us a link to the natural world. From cicadas to hummingbirds to deer, we're visited by our animal brothers and sisters and we revel in it.

Here are a few snippets from my journal entries:

August 4: "I immediately tried to find the redwood tree I'd had in my mind as 'the spot.' I couldn't find it. It's like it wasn't there, this amazing tree I'd created in my mind. I knew I'd visited a beautiful redwood there before, but 'the tree' hid from me this time. So instead I walked the concrete path, grumpy about how many people were there and angry I only had a little time to spend.

I ended up at a large pine tree with smooth bark that caught my attention. Lance pointed out that six crows sat in the tree. I looked up and had trouble seeing them at first, but they slowly appeared. Crows. I wasn't sure what to think about that. Lance sat down in the grass and I joined him, promptly putting my hand in bird shit. I felt defeated. A very emaciated woman walked by, telling her husband she was glad she'd be able to go to the doctor tomorrow. Seeing her felt right: I, too, was emaciated, but in an emotional sense. This divorce and the other circumstances surrounding it have left me exhausted, drained.

The next morning I returned, determined to have a better experience. A cold wind blew that made the park uninviting. I wandered to a stand of redwoods next to the outdoor pool. I saw several mushrooms blooming and felt uplifted: a sign of life. Then I noticed several Corona bottle caps as well. Light. Light in the darkness. I took a breath. I walked around a while longer and then left."


August 9: "It was much quieter at the park than during the day...there was no pool noise and fewer people overall so I thought I'd be more relaxed and happy. Soon, however, the highway noise overtook it all. After a while it was almost all I could hear, drowning out the sound of the wind and birds. I tried to allow it to be there but I found myself becoming more and more annoyed. I tried to focus on the beauty around me: the tree silhouettes darkening against a lavender sky, the feel of the redwood trunk behind me, the soft dirt under my hands. I breathed in the cool breeze. And still the cars and trucks haunted me.


I realized I must make room for the highway noise. The more we resist things, the more they push back. Somehow, I want to find a way to hold the reality of the highway and still enjoy the nature that surrounds me at the park. Somehow, I have to find a way to hold cities and nature. And here I am, setting up a duality. There must be a way to better integrate cities and nature so the flow is there, so it's not a this vs. that situation."

It's a learning process. I relish the idea of seeing where this practice takes all of us as we visit our places between now and December. 
 

TerraPlaces Project

I am so thrilled to announce that a project I cooked up is launching this Sunday, August 1!

It's called the TerraPlaces Project and it is all about connecting with nature. My goal is to gather people from around the world to participate in the project, which is a study to determine the effects of being in the presence of nature.

I'd love for you to join us! The only requirements: choosing an outdoor space to sit with and sharing your experiences on our web site. The benefits to you could include reduced stress, greater connection with your environment, and closer ties with family, friends, and the flora and fauna that inhabit your chosen place.

Have a favorite spot next to a tree or on a shoreline? Or wish you could spent more time outside? This is the perfect way to incorporate more nature into your life.

The first phase of the project begins August 1, so sign up soon!

And once you've joined us, visit our Facebook page.