Dear Friend, We share with you here some moving art and writing from the 6-week virtual fall gathering of the nature-inspired writing program, Remembering Our Place in the Sacred Circle of Life. Participants came together from New York, Georgia, Colorado, Oregon, and California. Of the many gifts from these gatherings, what seemed to surface time and again was the realization that time spent in the natural world was good for us! These quiet precious moments with trees, parks, moss, boulders, spiders, and much more, often revealed important messages, creative inspiration, and healing. Enjoy the inspired art and writings. From my heart to yours, Christina Burress Board Member, OMEC When I discovered that the artist who created those beautiful patterns on the maple leaves was a tar fungus, I tried speaking with it. Here is what Tar Fungus told me: Your enlargements bring people face to face with the Fungal Presence. We are here and should no longer be ignored. The more you know about us, the greater your chances of survival. We have ready technology to solve many of humankind’s difficulties. If scientists will work directly and collaboratively with us, giving us intention and purpose while engaging their human will, we can get to work quickly to avoid catastrophe. There is so much in this short passage that speaks to the potential of interspecies collaboration. As humans, our gifts are free will and the ability to hold a vision. If only we could learn to give intention and purpose to our Nature Elders! P.C.Turczyn "The Fungal Presence," 2'H x 3'W, Gouache, printing ink and composition gold leaf on Japanese mulberry paper, 2023 All Are Welcome by Linda S. The morning ritual begins As I fill the empty bird feeder once again, Saying hello to the herbs still growing in a nearby container. The sunflowers already smiling with their faces lifted to the light. I make sure to cast handfuls of sunflower seeds for grey squirrel Who will come down from the oak tree as soon as the coast is clear. And from my kitchen window, I watch the magic unfold As these nature beings come to the table I have prepared for them A gift of gratitude for their presence As they remind me that life is an ongoing banquet And all are welcome. Togethering: We are... by Stuart Garber Breath of Life singing through me, I tune my Self to You. Heart, lungs billowing with the fullness that You bring. Being with You in this way, there is no place You are not. I see and feel You everywhere. The boundary between what’s inside me… “here”… and all else that's here with me softens and blurs as I breathe this breath with You. We are the breeze. We are the ocean’s flow. We are the warmth of sunlight. We are the nourishing earth. Togethering. As Humans, We Listen by Victoria Derr Valencia If fire could speak It would tell us stories of strength Of communities created Hearts gathered Prayers petitioned Worries burned away If water could speak It would be light laughter Like the gentle caress of a river's bend Sometimes a roar Like the ocean at high tide against a cliff side If air could speak It would do so in a low whisper Telling us stories traveled far Across landscape carved by time If earth could speak It would tell stories of our ancestors The ones whose bodies Returned to the central heartbeat As humans, we listen For the sacred wisdom found In the multiple expressions of Our elemental kin In the multiple expressions of Our own divine radiance within Old Man Acorn’s Tale by Jennifer Templeton Whispered wind, Weaves his tale Laughing dappled light. Here I breathe. Held, seen, & heard Familiar his story & song of the bird Lulled in comfort My cosmic hammock I sway Deeply rooted ancestor long standing bold Though so quiet His story always told. Voices in chorus, loud in my bones, chanting unseen This Earth is not my home. My veins starry paths, A muscled underwater galaxy, Neural brilliant sparks Brightening the mystery Low chuckle ripples, Radiant gurgle of sap… Know the me sister, you’ve always seen. & I sing the you. you’ve always been. Few find truth That we are, and will be again. Celebrate this That you know. Smile your seeds to and fro. Trust the truth Others traverse Mostly blind Walk your path Of no other kind Listen deeply now my dear. Shine without worry & I will always sing. My tale never ends, & Acorn always grows to sway new friends. |
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