Tag Archives: nature
The Earth That We Knew Is Gone II
I knew I should have waited on that post; there was more to say on the subject, in fact, a whole different approach to take. Sure enough, the next morning, I awakened with the thought, “the earth that we knew — the only earth that we ever knew — is gone… just as it has […]
A Visit to the High Country
Now, now that I am here in the splendor, the words drop away in favor of the curved baby pine with the white trunk there with its sisters, gazing stoutly and freshly at the magnificence. Or is the magnificence there for it, holding it so dearly in the earth-wind-water-sky-rock cathedral, its own sacred heart, worshiping […]
The Earth That We Knew Is Gone
I have been waiting for the grief to come, and today, reading Bill McKibben’s eaarth, my grief was set loose when I read his summary of the de facto changes that have beset our lovely jewel planet. After chronicling the reasons our dear Gaia cannot recover in any recognizable way from the devastation that has already taken place, […]
Earth Practice: Re-Integrating
This is a perfect 5-minute practice for a break at work, for awakening to the beginning of your day or your weekend or as a precursor to meditation. Sit or stand comfortably outdoors where non-human elements are present: a park, backyard, garden, courtyard, or undeveloped space. It does not have to be a wilderness area, […]
Release of the Peace Lily
Today, planting a peace lily turned into an unexpected ritual of forgiveness and blessing. Several years ago, my husband took a small peace lily to work, planted in a professional-looking gray plastic pot. He enjoyed and nurtured the plant to the point of flourishing and then, over time, collapse. It was severely root bound, many leaves […]
As a bird in the redwoods
As the day closes, turns dim in the forest, my soul wells up into a chitter of praise. I offer a song of the magnificence of life, of this day, of this blessed moment — this elongated blink between day and night. Let me hold on, hold out for the great sun that brightened and […]
Letter to Pope Francis
Most Holy Father, Thank you for saying NO to power and YES to love in so many beautiful and radical ways. As a non-practicing Catholic, your example has stirred my hope for the future of the church and the world. I am writing with a simple and humble appeal as you research and write the […]
Presence in the Wild
How to love and defend the earth? I recently spent two weeks exploring my connection with wilderness in Kings Canyon National Park in the Sierra mountains. My companions? Thomas Berry and The Great Work, natural history guide books, land/earth, air/wind, water/river/creek, and a multitude of beings who surrounded me with their integrity, purpose, and presence. Before […]
luminous immensity 