Big Heart Circle

The Power of Place

Posted by in Inspiration, Nature Awareness, On Earth, Sit Spot Practice, Spring 2015 Newsletter

Envision a quiet pond. On a morning so still that the surroundings are reflected perfectly in its surface. Surely there are many names for this state but let’s assign one to it and call it baseline – i.e – everything in the vicinity is relaxed and following its normal routine. A small stone thrown into the water causes an initial splash, followed by concentric rings of disturbance emanating outward, scattering what was a clear reflection on the surface. Notice how any object protruding from the surface of the pond becomes…read more

Commitment, Ceremony and Community

Posted by in On Earth, Prayers, Spring 2015 Newsletter

These three ‘C’ words are hopelessly intertwined.  Ya can’t have one without the other. As part of my ongoing commitment to ceremony and community, I made a New Year’s Resolution to do a ceremony with every full moon during 2015.  Part of the reason is to reconnect myself with the natural rhythms of our Earth Mother.  The tides, the animals and the plants all resonate with the cycles of our Grandmother Moon.  I want to bring myself into a deeper alignment with these beings.Thirteen moon​ cycles to a year.  I have been…read more

The New Homespun Era

Posted by in North East United States, November 2014, On Earth, Permaculture

An economic and cultural transition is taking place in towns and farmlands throughout much of New York’s Hudson Valley, particularly where I live in Ulster County, in the Rondout Valley. We’re experiencing a sharp turn toward localism, epitomized by the Local Economies Project (LEP), which is funded by The New World Foundation. The LEP has helped to establish a Farm Hub in the vicinity, along with various Food Hubs (such as Farm-to-Table Co-Packers in Kingston), farm-to-school projects, and a host of other efforts designed to strengthen local farms and communities….read more

Nature Awareness: Ashokan in November

Posted by in Nature Awareness, November 2014, On Earth

As many of us gather again next weekend on the beautiful land of Ashokan for our Thanksgiving Gathering, Lalania offers us a few glimpses into what we might notice stirring in nature.   YAY, it’s the middle of fall!!  Have you taken time today to look around? What does the air feel like, what trees still have leaves on them? Fall is a great time to sink deeply into what is going on around us in the natural world.  Things are slowing down and the piercing cold of winter is…read more