Archive for September, 2007
September 26, 2007 at 9:08 am · Filed under ,
Seven things you might do tonight, in honor of the first full moon of fall:
- Go for a walk at sunset. Head east to the moonrise.
- Wave to the Jade Rabbit.
- Host a feast.
- Chase moonbeams.
- Eat mooncakes.
- Make chai (much better when brewed on the full moon, or so I hear from Kara, who used to be a chai witch for Morning Glory Chai. Optimal brewing also requires dancing around the kitchen.).
- Become a werewolf (not recommended).
I’m planning on 1, 2, and 6. And 3 tomorrow night.
Bonus link — full moon painting with owls!
September 13, 2007 at 3:12 pm · Filed under ,
Last year Ben and I loved getting our weekly box of produce from Willie Green’s Organic Farm. It pushed us to eat healthier and inspired me to experiment with vegetables I’d never cooked before.
But then the farm got hit by floods and had to cancel subscriptions and regroup. After almost a year of dillydallying, I finally got around to researching and joining another local CSA. I just picked up our first box from Full Circle Farm. Isn’t it beautiful?
I actually got a brochure in the mail from Willie Green’s the very day after I sent in my check to Full Circle. They’ve renewed their program. I feel kind of bad that I didn’t wait a little longer, even though I couldn’t have known. Still my pick-up location for Full Circle couldn’t be better and the small box has an awful lot in it for a very reasonable price. We’ll see how it goes. Yay for supporting local organic farmers and having fresh seasonal yumminess delivered right to my neighborhood!
September 11, 2007 at 8:22 pm · Filed under
Having blogged about burningman, shambhala, meadowfab, and the moonlodge, I would be remiss to leave out another great episode of my summer. Don’t miss the recent flickrization of our visit from beth! It was so wonderful to have her here. I love it so much when my Virginia people come to visit. And we finally got around to doing the Underground Tour. Not as cool as I’d hoped to be honest, but still worth doing.
gratuitous pear shot courtesy of yelahneb
September 11, 2007 at 7:51 pm · Filed under ,
When I arrived at Sacred Groves on Friday some part of me felt a little bit like the crumpled leaf in this image. The sweet cedar balm of my weekend at the Moonlodge was exactly what I needed - beautiful, peaceful time and space to let all the many happenings of the last few years settle and rearrange themselves within me. As much as that’s possible in 36 hours.
Actually, it seems to be quite a bit more possible than I would have guessed. Me and my journal worked some stuff out, and simply getting away from the computer, the phone, and all those daily human struggles of duty versus desire versus distraction created an opening for healing.*
With a little nudge from Ariel, I even created a Yelp account so I could jump on the Sacred Groves bandwagon. If you’re in the Seattle area and the following circumstances apply, you may be in need of a weekend at the Moonlodge.
- You’re a woman. (Sorry boys, no sleeping in the Moonlodge, but you can still enjoy Sacred Groves.)
- You’re stressed out and/or soul depleted.
- You dig the idea of stoking a fire, heating your own hot tub, and melting into it.
- You have friends you can relax with in a quiet forest. Or you need some time for you.
- You’re not terrified of spiders, frogs, or slugs.
* Yup, I’m completely hippied out now. Side note: I learned this evening that I was once obliquely referred to as a “gypsy whipsy type”. I’m fascinated by the implications.
September 6, 2007 at 7:56 pm · Filed under ,
I’ve been in a bit of a funk these first couple days back home. It’s really just a more acute form of a malaise I’ve been struggling with for quite a while. I would say it’s both banal and universal, a “what exactly am I doing with my life?” sort of thing. I’m feeling off balance. I’ve made a lot of transitions these last couple years, and I haven’t taken the time to slow down and figure out where I really am personally and spiritually.
So I’m putting my inner house in order. I’m going off by myself to stay at the Sacred Groves Moonlodge for the weekend. I’m taking my journal, my yoga mat, some smudge sticks, and a lot of tea. I hope to be much more centered and focused when I return Sunday.
After that I intend to stay close to home for the next month or two - with the vital exception of my planned visit to Virginia October 12-21. Here’s hoping the leaves are in full turn by then. I need my autumnal fix!
September 6, 2007 at 1:14 pm · Filed under ,
the pictures are up!
I also posted a few videos on YouTube. I tried to embed a couple here, but the code kept going wonky and I don’t have time to deal with it right now. They’re very short and silly, but fun to watch.
September 4, 2007 at 4:38 pm · Filed under , ,
We’re back from Burning Man.
Overall it was as exhilarating as it was challenging. It was a week of beauty and adventure and art spread across a minefield of drama and angst. We survived and we had much fun, as you will see when Ben finishes editing and posting all the pictures.
Sadly, there are no pictures of the most lovely thing we saw, an enormous double rainbow spread all across the playa over the man. Oh wait, correction, duh, we have no pictures but there are plenty out there. (Bonus: here’s a gorgeous one that includes one of Gwen’s lanterns!)
On a less enthusiastic note, the Green Man theme was extremely perplexing. I seriously doubt that the fiery explosion of a giant oil derrick using 900 gallons of jet fuel and 2,000 gallons of liquid propane taught anybody anything about our deeply problematic dependence on oil. How exactly is blowing things up educational?
Since all 45,000+ Burning Man attendees travel to the barren playa via car or plane with only what they need to survive for the week, the burn is obviously not a sustainable event. I do think that most burners are pretty conscious about the environment, and it’s my understanding that there were some great permaculture and green living exhibits in the pavilion around the man before the arson/prank/earlyburn debacle. But for the most part, the green theme was overshadowed by the profusion of RVs, beer cans, and cigarette butts.
Still, I’m very glad I went. It was a spiritual journey and an experience I’ll be processing for quite some time. I feel like a burner, for whatever that’s worth, and I could see myself going again. In the end though, it’s mostly just a big wild free-for-all party that gains credibility and intensity from the crazy heat and dust storms and necessities of survival.
Thus my summer of festivals comes to its close. I’m regrouping, decompressing, getting back to work and trying to prioritize various goals and schemes. See you soon!
