Good Morning, Earthlings! It’s a shiny, sunny morning here at Sanctuary in Westminster West, Vermont. Stunningly beautiful snowfall has left its bright signature on the morning. Gotta love it. Ponder, if you will, these words by the poet and nature mystic, Fred LaMotte, which he put out to Facebook this morning along with the wonderful photo by William Neill: Fred LaMotte The old problem-solving model was to work from the analytic mind (manas), assembling the parts piece by piece until you achieved the Whole. The new way, which is really the most ancient way, is to work from the intuition (buddhi), seeing and grokking the Whole all at once and feeling it as complete, so that from the subtlest level of your feeling, which is very near the source of creation's energy, the Whole attracts the parts and completes itself. This is working with least effort for maximum achievement. But do we ever see this principle operating in nature? Yes, all the time. We just don't recognize it. The forms of matter are in the vacuum as waves of pure mathematical probability before manifesting as photons and neutrinos.The entire oak tree is in the acorn before it sprouts. The sparrow's heart sings in darkness, then there is dawn. Love the woods before you use the trees. (Emphasis added) I was really struck by LaMotte’s message of sensing into innate wholeness instead of working from lack to gather pieces. I am taking that to heart, and passing it along as my Solstice Message to YOU! If you live in Westminster, WE NEED YOUR HELP to locate beaver activity. Michael Daley of the LEAG core group writes: Help Us Take A Beaver Census The Living Earth Action Group is beginning a process to acquire funds to help the Town and its Citizens to live in harmony with our current Beaver residents (and future migrants). As a first step we would like to identify areas of Beaver activity and pinpoint Situations where Intervention might be necessary to maintain cordial relations. Please share your knowledge, observations, comments, experience and wisdom with Michael Daley by emailing mjdaley@sover.net. One of the most powerful tools available for beneficial co-existence is the Beaver Deceiver. These flow control marvels allow us to regulate the impacts from Beaver activity. They are not cheap. Once we identify the needs, LEAG will seek funds so that the Town and private landowners can install these devices free of charge. An excellent example of a Beaver Deceiver is already in place across the street from the West West School in East Putney Brook, preventing local flat tails from damming the culvert yet maintaining sufficient water levels to keep them happy. LEAG also plans in the coming new year to sponsor community circle education events so that we and our neighbors can better understand the many reasons why co-existence with our Beaver natives is desirable.
Check out this article from The New York Times. Because I'm a subscriber, you can read it through this gift link without a subscription. "They Fought the Lawn. And the Lawn Lost". After their homeowner association ordered them to replace their wildlife-friendly plants with turf grass, a Maryland couple sued. They ended up changing state law. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/14/climate/native-plants-lawns-homeowners.html?unlocked_article_code=VVLGkCzYynLMS5PfmdREt3Moaej55TEgPNwZTcuY_X-iKRAZ7iI3mcW0OR8Ro8Nmtq3cdW-DOz6trgn9LG-lCVRTlKQsIe0jLM04r7pq_hySPbrGUKgvywcpkrW8HRGb3SKA7X3jG7PUkiLixl_7LPdm3Q_9o79pUAfEJRMo5aOofQqRY8mr2Rhn1GPKzsDVaN5cs3jVFMSZ0si0ZmLRqndeVvpEeNXir6Hp9VrPbA5QFBdM83pWb55nIHYhxId3FLQQ_bPbGgSYPVIfEcjDS4jGsl26EFiVZl8d08dPeJDqbfcJNaO1rqAGhgDs3vUtT68f0SIbtSviBmRqRuUoTfFx2jO0Dhja&smid=em-share Here is the Winter Solstice Poem, thanks to Robbin Phelps: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice By Stephanie Noble Do not be afraid of the darkness. Dark is the rich fertile earth that cradles the seed, nourishing growth. Dark is the soft night that cradles us to rest. Only in darkness can stars shine across the vastness of space. Only in darkness is the moon's dance so clear. There is mystery woven in the dark quiet hours. There is magic in the darkness. Do not be afraid. We are born of this magic. It fills our dreams that root, unravel and reweave themselves in the shelter of the deep dark night. The dark has its own hue, its own resonance, its own breath. It fills our soul, not with despair, but with promise. Dark is the gestation of our deep and knowing self. Dark is the cave where we rest and renew our soul. We are born of the darkness, and each night we return to the deep moist womb of our beginnings. Do not be afraid of the darkness, for in the depth of that very darkness comes a first glimpse of our own light, the pure inner light of love and knowing. As it glows and grows, the darkness recedes. As we shed our light, we shed our fear, and revel in the wonder of all that is revealed. So, do not rush the coming of the sun. Do not crave the lengthening of the day. Celebrate the darkness. Here and now. A time of richness. A time of joy. AND, have you ever been down to the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York? It is an extraordinary building that feels a whole lot like the cathedrals I’ve visited in France and England. Peter and I drove down in December of 2018 to participate in the magic of Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice Concert. He’s been giving them for over forty years! Here are a couple clearly non-professional photos from when we were there, and below that the link to this year’s offering on U-Tube. The recording, a collection of highlights from previous Solstice Concerts at the Cathedral, gives you a good sense of this really extraordinary event. I feel honored to have been able to attend, thanks to our friend Hasita.
Paul Winter's Solstice Saga - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pijziFxdLDU Thank you for reading this newsletter, and for loving our Mother Earth, in whom we live and breathe. May your holy-days be bright and enriching, filled with lights and love!!
LOVE Shining Forth
from All of Us at LEAG
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