On This Miraculous Planet, On Real Food, On Union with all that is
“Momma, why can’t I write a summary of How to Train Your Dragon?”
“Because being an educated person in our culture means having a common vocabulary of books that everyone learns in school. Wind in the Willows is one of them.”
“But I want to read my books!”
I can’t believe I am curtailing her reading excitement to reinforce this paradigm.
Read More“We didn’t make a fire in the rain. We just carried up the fire that Dan had already made.”
“What do you mean you carried up the fire?”
“We carried up the fire and started the new fire with the old fire.”
“What did you use to carry up the fire?”
“A mushroom.”
Read MoreDearest Beloveds,
I am so grateful to Conscious Discipline for teaching me the nomenclature around using one’s Big Voice. Our family has been steeped in this soup since Bean was a baby. According to the Conscious Discipline website, “Shubert’s Big Voice teaches the Skill of Assertiveness…and helps with Conflict Resolution, Self-regulation, Active Calming, Self-Control, Emotional Intelligence, Social Emotional Learning, and the School Family.”
Wow, all of those terms arising from the simple teaching of, “I don’t like it when you do XX, please do XX.”
Read MoreDearest Beloveds,
According to Oak Meadow, the Hopi Creation story involves a Spider Woman who sings the Song of Creation to bring forth all life. She also puts a soft spot on the top of people’s heads so that they might be able to listen to the Creator. Eventually, people forget the Creator anyway and a great flood is sent to punish the wicked and start over. The few people who are saved in reed boats (thanks to Spider Woman) are brought back to a world where “there are now hardships so people will never forget their dependence on the Divine.”
For the two of you, that is this week’s story. A story we recalled as you two bounced around the room. A story to imagine as we painted onto dripping paper in yellows and blues and reds. A story the Bean summarized into her Main Lesson Book in her cursive. For your mother, it has pierced my soul.
Read MoreFrom Kundalini, I have been taught that trauma lives in the body. That is why certain poses can be so confronting - emotional upheaval leaving the body is as uncomfortable as emotional trauma/stress entering the body. I thought one needed to be screaming internally (our externally, the joys of Zoom muting) with one’s arms/legs shaking in order to reach that level of emotional emancipation - turns out I can get that from steaming my genitals.*
Read MoreI was feeling nervous about teaching both children. How to juggle, how to manage, how to not lose my mind. We seem to be getting into a routine that is allowing everyone to have their own space.
Read More“I am sorry my beloved, but I can’t play with you, I need to get this done.”
“But WHY?!! I don’t want to do this anymore! This machine is too loud.”
“My dearest Dragon, winter is coming* and we have no choice. We need this wood to stay warm when it gets cold.”
Winter is coming and, like the ant, we must prepare.
Read MoreDearest Beloveds,
The time feels right to write down certain words that I say - often.
“No, we don’t need to buy a new stuffy/dress/bike/toy/book/candy/shoes/shirt/pen. I understand you might want X, but you do not need X.”
“But Momma! Why?!”
Read MoreDearest Beloveds,
In so many ways is life both AND. Your Momma is a rebel AND she is scared by not following the rules - especially medical rules and expectations. Both And.
The first time I did not do what was expected of me from the Western Medical Model was when I choose to go to Mexico for treatment.* 15 years ago I spent weeks feeling nauseous and untethered about making the decision.
Read MoreHomesteading in the beginning is a lot of planting sticks in sawdust, building chicken coops, watering seedlings, navigating bee swarms, spraying growing fruit trees with neem oil, on and on.
We are slowly moving into the harvesting part of this cycle where the efforts of earlier years are bearing fruit. In this case, our first honey harvest - 30 months after introducing the girls to their new home by the comfrey.
Here is what I learned from the process.
Read MoreDearest Beloveds,
A recent evening after saying goodnight to the two of you, I staggered to my own bed. We had swam earlier that day, the sheets were clean, and The New Yorker beckoned. It was 7:36 pm and your father was on call. I was looking forward to passing out obscenely early and not waking up groggy at 5:20 for my morning sadhana.
Then the peregrinations started.
Read MoreIn late March 2019, we planted a grove of locust sticks for our coppicing woodlot. The sticks were as tall as my knee. Three years later some are 15 feet tall, 8 inches around, and we are in full coppice mode. This is what we have learned so far.
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My life vision is to love, be curious, identify my Cranky Monster, and be brave enough to speak from and for The Good.
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