Snake Medicine: An Animal Healing
It didn’t happen on a rocky outcrop after a long, dusty climb. We weren’t in the muck and ooze of a carboniferous swamp or in a cave following the sheen of a promise of water. I wasn’t a leader or … Continued
Garden Sanctuaries posts are dedicated to the process of making creative garden spaces in which to commune with nature, in which to experience the intertwining of nature and spirit. Our goals are to restore and enhance wildlife habitat while providing places for healing through sitting, walking, meditating, singing, dancing, and celebrating. There is a story about the creation of our Pollinator Garden and a photo gallery of the butterflies and skippers who have come to visit. There is a description of our Moss Garden Sanctuary and a gallery of images of this favorite contemplative space. In this section you will also find an Inventory of the native flora and fauna of our Forest Garden, which contains a lot of information about the plants and their pollinators. Our gardens are certified as wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, as native plant conservation gardens by the North Carolina Native Plant Society, and as Platinum Level Bird Friendly Habitat by Audubon. We host gatherings here in the garden sanctuaries to celebrate the changing seasons. The gardens are open, by appointment, for learning about native plants and enjoying the wildlife of the two small ponds.
It didn’t happen on a rocky outcrop after a long, dusty climb. We weren’t in the muck and ooze of a carboniferous swamp or in a cave following the sheen of a promise of water. I wasn’t a leader or … Continued
In our garden there is a medicine wheel where I do daily breath and elements practices. They keep me sane. But, missing something deeper, I had begun praying to broaden beyond these personal body/soul basics into connection with the soul … Continued
There are many possible sources of intimacy, and not all of them are with people! Many of us experience deep emotional relationships with plants. Here is a collection of plant love stories that tell some of the many ways people … Continued
It’s just past Summer Solstice. Amidst Covid-19, the only celebrations many of us got to experience this year were virtual. When I participated in a recent online solstice ceremony the presenter asked me how I, as a fellow ceremonialist, celebrate … Continued
Once upon a time, just past Spring Equinox, the people were struggling to cope with a new disease never seen before. As coffee houses, restaurants and gyms closed, the people began getting outside, into the woods to walk. They began … Continued
In the Stone Garden, poet and therapist Brian Stokes communes with dancing stones, exploring the delicate balance between living and not-living, while he lives, deeply, with cancer. In this interview Brian talks with me about the practices of Being, and … Continued
In this story a humble marigold brings an alchemical transformation, a flowering of consciousness, emotional healing, and a return to love (with a little help from a couple of small animal companions, that is). Dream: A woman leaves her little … Continued
Shhh, no, I can’t stay quiet: Meaning is getting made in the moss garden. When animals come to us from the wild it is often a very intimate experience and hard to talk about, especially when it is a synchronous … Continued
This Earth Day, to honor the Earth, I’m making a small ceremony to dedicate Temenos Garden. I am taking this opportunity to go out to the green and growing Spring and speak a promise aloud to the unfolding white atamasco … Continued