Elemental Living

At Terrapin Hollow we embrace concepts of Permaculture. We strive to live in balance with the Earth. One way to consider the degree of balance and connection with Earth is to notice and honor the four elements: earth, wind, fire, and water. All life requires some form of all four, in fact, you could argue that there is nothing but these four elements and that all of creation is some mixture of the four.

Water
We harvest our rain water. We can store up to 1750 gallons at a time. The water is collected from the roof of our house and then funneled into an underground cistern. Then we pump the water through the house. There's nothing like the smell of rain in your shower!

Wind
Over the summer we installed a wind generator. My dad built the generator in his garage in Florida and then he and my husband spent the summer clearning trees, building the tower and guide wires, and installing the new electrical system. We chose to remain grid tied because the grid is a billion dollar infastructure through which many people can share clean energy. If you're going with renewable resources I encourage you to stay grid tied so we can diversify the nodes of production.

Fire
We heat our home with a wood stove. Cutting back small diameter trees for fire wood also benefits the forest and wildlife. In fact, the forests in most of the US are not all that healthy due to years of total fire suppression. We understand that fire has a natural role in the ecosystem and that is why Terrapin Hollow is enrolled in the Wildlife Habitat Improvement Project sponsored by the Natural Resource and Soil Conservation agency of the US Department of Agriculture. We received funding to doze a fire break around our land. Over the next 10 years our 40 acres will receive three prescribed burns. We also planted fruiting shrubs for deer and bunch grasses to create bobwhite quail habitat.

Earth
My husband is crazy about using rocks and dirt to make stuff. All our garden beds are raised beds made of stacked rocks. He's building a green house out of cob (dirt, straw, and sand mixture). Our next home will be a straw bale and cob mixture. When you use local resources you save loads of money and petroleum. We compost all our table scraps, news papers, ash, cardboard, and even some of the junk mail. It all turns into rich dirt to feed our organic garden.

The more you realize Gaia Consciousness, the more elemental your life will become.

International Peace Day

Today is International Peace Day. In honor of the event I invite you to consider peace and what it means to you. Do you think of inner peace? Do you think of the end of war? Do you think of happy and whole children surrounded by healthy balanced adults?

Peace may exist on many levels. I challenge you to examine your perceptions of world peace. Do you think it is possible that we could live 1000 years with no war, terrorists, or heavily armed conflicts? If you don't think it is possible, what stands in the way? Can you list all the changes which would be needed to end war? And are those changes possible? Do any of those needed changes belong to you?

We cannot change the world, we may only change our own SELF. Here are a list of some of the attributes of someone who embraces and creates peace on every level.

1. In every moment, in every way, choose love over fear.
2. View all individuals, nations, and organizations with trust and respect.
3. Be honest, authentic,and transparent in all that you do.
4. Take time to balance and de-stress your body on a regular basis.
5. Be the change you want to see in the world.
6. Never fear for lack of abundance.
7. Never deny a human who asks you for help, food, shelter, clothing.
8. Notice how you spend your time, money, energy, and attention. Be intentional and strategic.

What would you add to this list? And to which of these items are you most resistant? The one which seems the most impossible to you is probably a great place for you to direct your attention for an hour.

Terrapin Hollow

Terrapin Hollow is a 40 acre nature preserve in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. The land is mostly forested and is surrounded by thousands of acres of forests and meadows. Home to kids, chickens, dogs, cats, bear, birds, turkey, and deer; Terrapin Hollow is a wild green curve of land embraced by the Little Red River. Walk leisurely along a trail through the ancient bolder strewn hillsides as you ponder your connection to Gaia.

At Terrapin Hollow we harvest rain water for household use as well as to water the organic garden. The 102 foot tall wind generator provides all our power. We will soon start construction on a cob/strawbale home. When that project is complete the home we are in now will become a guest house, at that time we'll begin hosting retreats and workshops.

If you are interested in short term work in the areas of gardening, renewable energy, or green building techniques, please contact me. We'll provide room, board, and a wage in exchange for your contribution to Terrapin Hollow.

Inner Ecology

Gaia Theory has been embraced by a number of people, especially those passionate about sustainability, the environment, and earth based spirituality. I first encountered the idea in college in the early 1990s. I began as a chemistry major with a minor in environmental studies, but in the environmental studies courses I quickly learned about the global problems which we had created by using pesticides like DDT. I switched my major within days of reading Silent Spring by Rachel Carson.

Over the years I've explored Gaia and my relationship to her in many ways. I worked in National Parks, National Forests, and National Wildlife Refuges as a service to the Goddess. I picked up millions of cigarette buts, talked to countless tourists, and spent as much time in Nature as possible. In this blog as well as in study circle I'll share various excerpts from my life, but for now I want to focus on the concept of Inner Ecology.

Gaia is a super-organism, all the living and non-living aspects of the planet Earth together comprise Gaia. There are many many scales upon which to examine the interconnectedness of all life. A few years ago I realized I was very unhealthy, physically. I was having a string of problems which all seemed to stem from my gut. Through a 2-3 year process I worked to find some sort of healing. I read many books, visited many doctors, and reconfigured my diet several different times. What finally allowed me to transform the situation was recognizing that my intestines are an ecosystem.

An entire world of microscopic organisms inhabit the intestines of every human. Over time I came to appreciate that the tiny little critters in there were not good nor bad, but grossly out of balance. Every ecosystem has a dynamic variation, homeostasis doesn't mean that everything stays exactly the same, but rather that the variations stay within a certain range known as dynamic equilibrium.

The dynamic equilibrium in my guts was way out of whack due to a number of life style choices. It seemed impossible to know for sure what I could eat or drink to improve the situation. So I learned to engage in dialogue with my body by using kinesiology. For a period of about a year I trusted the wisdom of my body and didn't put anything into it without first asking. In learning to create a dialogue with my body I discovered a new perspective on the beings living within my body. There are millions of millions of organisms who call your body home. How often do you think about them? Do you notice when your being a good neighbor/host?

Along the way, with the help of a really good Chiropractor (Dr. Ned in Ft. Myers, FL) I found a number of probiotic products that I could take to help re-establish the balance. Then August of 2008, I discovered my best friend, Kombucha. I was walking through a natural food store in Boulder Creek, California and I was looking through the cold beverages for something, other than water, with little to no suger. I saw a bottle of Synergy brand Kombucha and recalled that a friend of mine a few years ago had sworn by it as a probiotic. I touched it and quietly asked my body if I could drink it. I swear to you that I heard what sounded like a chorus of a thousand voices gleefully cheering "YES!".

I bought a bottle and drank it under a Giant Sequoia tree. Before I'd even finished the bottle I was feeling GREAT! I found myself craving it after that and bought it a couple of times in August and September of 2008, but only while traveling for business because they didn't carry it in my local stores. In my heart I wished for a way to drink it daily. Then on the Autumn Equinox my beautiful neighbor, the acupuncturist, was chatting with my husband at a Mabon party we were having and she mentioned that she'd gotten a kombucha culture. My husband hollered at me and said, isn't that the stuff you're so crazy about? Eureka!

For the past year I've been brewing my own Kombucha at home. Our family of 4 drinks about 5 gallons a week... but probably I'm drinking 4 gallons by myself! When I go out of town I have to find a source and I've schlepped around countless cities trying to find the stuff.

Anyway, I'm probably digressing from the original point. Kombucha is microcolony of about 2 billion organisms that now live inside my intestine. They like living in me and I LOVE having them. With their help I have a very healthy digestive system, lots of energy, and a healthy immune system. My allergies have almost completely disappeared, and I can now eat things in moderation which were absolute no-nos before. All hail Kombucha! :-)

My reason for sharing this is this:

Awakening to Gaia Consciousness is not only about being part of a larger organism, but also about recognizing and appreciating the smaller organisms which comprise your body. You are not alone in your body... this brings a whole new dimension to the Wiccan Rede: An it harm none, do what thou wilt.

Bringing More Grace into Your Day

Simply having the intention, even intellectually, to increase your connection to the divine will raise your vibration. Begin by thinking the word Grace.

When you wake up in the morning, take your shower with Grace. Eat breakfast with Grace, drive to the office with Grace. Notice the Grace around you. The more often you think about Grace and notice Love, the lighter you will feel.

You are part of the divine creation that is ever unfolding. You are love and light.

Release

Release
by Tina Maher, 2007

afraid to move forward
hesitating in indecisiveness
back and forth
back and forth

until one morning
she wrapped herself
in purple silk
put roses in her hair
and shouted, "YES!"
to the sky

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

I am called to teach, share, lead, love, support, and heal. But I can't do anything for anyone unless they ask me first. The Council of Light has an edict that they will not heal or transform anything in an individuals life unless that person is first willing to talk about it and ask for healing.

One of my Wisest Sisters recently shared with me that she waits for a potential student to ask to be taught three times before she takes them as a student. That makes sense to me, and I'm shifting that ever so slightly for Gaia Rising.

If you want to attend any publicly advertised events, simply show up. If you want to join the study circle, simply show up. If you want to join the coven you must ask each member of the coven one time. Just asking doesn't mean you are in, you'll have to let us consider your request. If you want some deeper kind of spiritual healing, guidance, relationship with me, etc, please ask three times and be prepared to be completely open and honest.

In Love and Light, with prayers for the Greatest and Highest Good,
Tree

The Coven of Gaia Rising

Our Coven, Gaia Rising, has been together for 1.25 turns of the wheel. We're initiating our newest member on Samhain (closed ritual). We are going to host a Merry Meet sometime in the next 2 months for anyone in the Northern Arkansas area who would like to come and have a potluck and swap stories.

Our coven is a teaching/learning coven. We're starting a study circle and it is not necessary to be a member of the coven to come to the monthly study circle. There are a number of topics which could be studied by the group and it really depends on who joins and what they would like to learn or teach. The first couple of meetings the teaching will be handled by the Coven, after that anyone in the circle may volunteer to host/teach a circle. We all have many gifts to bring, no one voice is more important than any other.

In addition to face to face study circles I'm considering doing distance teaching. If there is an interest I will use virtual meeting tools to engage with groups or individuals.

I feel called to begin the study circle by leading a self-healing journey. I will write more about the self healing journey on this site so that you can understand what you'd be getting by joining the study circle.

In love and light!
Tree

What is Interfaith Wicca?

Wicca is an earth based spirituallity. To me it's more of a spiritual practice than a religion. Wicca, also known as witch craft, falls into the category of Pagan or Neo-Pagan. The word Pagan has two primary definitions: 1. country dweller or farmer, and 2: one who worships many dieties. Wiccan practitioners usually refer to themselves as witches. Wicca and Paganism in general are very loosely organized and individuals usually practice in solitary or in a coven. Each witch has his or her own unique paradigm and rituals, however there are common threads found among all witches and Pagans.

Interfaith is simply the honoring and acceptance of all religious and spiritual traditions. Perhaps the best known Interfaith organization is the Unitarian Universalist Church. There are a number of Ecclectic Witches/Wiccans in the Pagan community. Ecclectic refers to the practice of blending mythologies, for example, honoring dieties from ancient Greece, Egypt, India, and Northern Europe. Interfaith Wicca differs from Ecclectic Wicca in one major way - Interfaith Wicca embraces Christianity as well as all other religions, mythologies, spiritualities, etc.

Why would I single out honoring Christianity as a primary difference between Interfaith Wicca and Ecclectic Wicca? To many new Wiccans and Pagans, Christianity is taboo and even the brunt of negativity and hatred. Many of the Wiccans and Pagans in Northern America and Northern Europe who chose Wicca/Paganism as adults were raised as Christians. As individuals, in our quest to find ourselves and to heal and recover from our original wounds, we often rebel against the systems and doctrine which represent the status quo. In many cases finding wholeness and health also requires differentiation from long held family beliefs. During this differentiation and rebellion many individuals develop a strong negative charge against that which they are rebelling from.

Energetically it is a natural phase in self discovery to feel hostile toward your original religious system and doctrine. Indoctrination and socialization permeate our lives. Our families and churches posess a type of gravity which pulls us into making choices which are appropriate based on that culture. When an individual chooses to differentiate from the systems in which he/she has been raised it becomes apparent how deeply pervasive that socialization was. It takes a great deal of courage and strength to break from tradition and strike out into the world to create a new identity. That energy is often experienced as a dynamic tension between the individual and the tradition, church, and or family. It is quite easy to see why, for a period of time, it would be natural to experience negative emotions such as anger, frustration, and even hatred against the old system of beliefs, against the old culture.

I believe this is why it is common that peaceful, loving Wiccans and Pagans are sometimes heard telling Christian bashing jokes. I think it is in our cultural blind spot as Pagans to accept and join in to this activity. But if we are not still in the differentiation phase of creating our own spiritual path then I think it's detrimental to our spiritual growth to be hateful toward any person, religion, dogma, etc.

God is Love. Goddess is Love. The Great Spirit is Love. The Universe is Love. Allah is Love. Buddha is Love. Interfaith Wicca, then, is the celebration and integration of any and all spiritual and religious traditions. Interfaith Wiccans honor ALL beings regardless of their beliefs, practices, creeds, genders, sexual preference, culture, etc. Interfaith Wiccans practice LOVE above all else.

Gaia

Gaia Theory
In the 1960s, British scientist James Lovelock postulated that the entire planet earth was a living system not unlike a single organism. He chose the name Gaia based on the mythological Greek earth goddess of the same name. Every aspect of the planet, both living and non-living, together comprises Gaia.

Greek Goddess Gaia
To ancient Greeks, the land was a living feminine entity known as Gaia. This sentiment prevails throughout the world and a number of cultures and traditions view Nature as a feminine force.

Gaia Movements
There are spiritual, environmental, and personal growth groups around the planet which use the name Gaia in their titles and missions. There's a great list here.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary
Full of Grace
The Lord is with Thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners now
and at the hour of death.

An Ojibway Prayer

Teach Us Love, Compassion, Honor

Grandfather,
Look at our brokenness,
We know that in all creation
Only the human family
Has strayed from the Sacred Way.

We know that we are the ones
Who are divided
And the ones who must come back together
To walk in the Sacred Way.

Grandfather,
Sacred One,
Teach us Love.