Winter Apple by David Whyte
Cultivating Wabi Sabi- A Nature Practice
Start by taking a long walk in nature where you can be mostly undisturbed. Refrain from talking to people and using your phone. Pay attention to all examples of wabi sabi that you are encountering. Can you see that a tree, among many other trees in the forest, does not judge itself, compare itself, blame itself? Can you see its beauty despite the fact that it may be twisted, decaying, broken, unbalanced or otherwise imperfect? Can you see how it still provides value for the forest ecosystem just by being there, despite (or may be because of) its imperfections?
When you are ready, sit down for a meditation. Take a few deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. Gently close your eyes and turn your awareness to your breath. Once you feel settled and present, slowly reflect on a part of yourself that you may not have been fully accepting. How can you use the concept of wabi sabi to look at things differently? Can you see the beauty in this physical or character flaw? Bringing back to mind one example of wabi sabi that you encountered during your walk, remember how beautiful in and of itself it was, no matter its imperfections. Can you feel the same about yourself?
Now reflect on the fact that you are original in this world. Can you see how -your mind, heart and body- are completely unique? Can you see that you too, like every thing else in this world, has value and worth simply by existing?
When you are ready to end this practice, gently open your eyes and stretch.
Tipping Toward Life and Love- My Climate Journey in Verse
Always We Begin Again
The Center of Your Being by Lao Tzu
Allegiance to Gratitude
Allegiance to Gratitude is the title of a chapter in the widely discussed book by Robin Wall Kimmerer Braiding Sweetgrass- Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. In that chapter, Kimmerer, a mother, botanist, professor of Environmental Biology at SYNU and a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation introduces the Thanksgiving Address used by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy,
Country Overshoot Days 2020
Environmental Impact of Food
Autumn by Monza Noff
Turning Climate Anxiety Into Action
The first thing that hits you is the air…., the air is hot, heavy and depending on the day, clogged with particulate pollution. Your eyes often water. Your cough never disappears… You often wear a mask to protect yourself from air pollution. You can no longer simply walk out of your front door and breathe fresh air: there might not be any. Instead, before opening doors or windows in the morning, you check your phone to see what the air quality may be… When storms and heat waves overlap and cluster, the air pollution and intensified surface ozone levels can make it dangerous to go outside…even indoors the air can taste slightly acidic, sometimes making you feel nauseated.
