Santa Clara Pueblo sculptor Roxanne Swentzell with one of her creations.

MUSIC

Mogli - Earth

Multi-talented Neurodivergent artist of Indigenous ancestry, Mogli weaves together her etheric voice with electronic heartbeats.

Mogli is a singer, songwriter, actress, producer, filmmaker, model, designer and art director. Find more about Mogli’s projects here.

LOCAL ART

Roxanne Swentzell’s Tower Gallery

Roxanne Swentzell, Athena Steen’s sister (from the films below), is internationally known for her clay sculptures and limited bronze editions. Her work is extensively exhibited in museums and galleries around the world. In August, 2006, after years of exhibiting her work elsewhere, she opened her own gallery at the Poeh Center of Pojoaque Pueblo, New Mexico (eight miles north of Santa Fe).

The gallery, a three story adobe tower, was built in the early 1990s, but the interior was never finished.  Roxanne and her husband Tim Star converted it into Roxanne’s gallery utilizing a labor force of the extended family that included four generations, ages one to seventy five.

Over a period of two months, June and July of 2006, The Canelo Project led a plastering effort to finish the interior adobe walls of the gallery.  The plasters were mixed from local clays with the exception of a lime plastered panel to be used as a projection screen. Tiny children played in the sand piles, those who didn’t want or know how to plaster, mixed.  All the plastering and mixing was done by hand.  Young teenagers carried heavy buckets of mix while others did the plastering.

In the end, the simplicity and magic of clay gave life to a forgotten place while simultaneously expanding, touching and connecting the lives of family members, friends and interns whose paths may never have crossed.

BOUND BY EARTH AND BLOOD

Raised From Earth

Under the gaze of southern Arizona’s cinnamon-hued Canelo Hills, a mother shares ancient building traditions with her three sons. In Puebloan creation stories, adobe structures, like people, emerge from the earth and return to the earth. For Athena Steen, it’s the family memories, skills, knowledge, love, laughter—and the clay itself—that endure.

See the film on YouTube or via the Patagonia website.

See more brilliant work from the brothers at Nito Project.

ASMR

Pueblo Pottery Technique Sculpted on Wall with Athena Steen

This outdoor wall art is all made using dirt--clay and sand in different ratios. The colors of the design are comprised of various natural materials, such as clay and pigments. Athena mixes and applies the materials in layers. Lastly, she carves the piece to reveal her design. Athena Steen and her husband Bill Steen have a long history of teaching courses on how to work with natural materials to create wall finishes such as the one in this video, as well as how to build straw bale houses. Find out more at www.caneloproject.com

NATURE, CULTURE & ART

The Visionary

Sculptor Michael Naranjo (Uncle of artists Athena and Roxanne featured above) never gets to see the beauty of his own work. Blind since a war injury in Vietnam, he sculpts purely from feel, and from memory. The wildlife and the Native American dancers of his childhood take shape in clay with the fluid motion of his hands, one of them also badly injured in the war. The artist's New Mexico True Story is inspiring, as he delights the eyes of others with his work.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

OJO CALIENTE MUD THERAPY

Steeped in history and tradition, Ojo Caliente is one of America’s oldest health spas and sits on a site that has been used for centuries by indigenous people for its healing properties.

Tucked between the rugged desert cliffs and cottonwood-lined bosque, their hot mineral waters await soakers seeking healing and respite.

The mud in the mud baths is a blend of mineral-rich clay, thermal water, and essential oils. It is believed to have therapeutic benefits for the skin, including detoxification, exfoliation, and hydration. The mud is applied to the body in a private outdoor pool, which is filled with warm, mineral-rich water.

After soaking in the mud, guests can rinse off in a nearby shower before continuing with the hot spring soaking and other spa treatments. The hot springs at Ojo Caliente are known for their high mineral content, which is said to have numerous health benefits, such as soothing sore muscles, reducing stress, and promoting relaxation.

EXPLORE

“Holy Dirt” of El Santuario de Chimayo

Nestled in the village of Chimayo along the High Road to Taos sits a national historic landmark, El Santuario de Chimayo. The sanctuary is well known for the unusual legend of its creation and as a present-day pilgrimage site. It receives almost 300,000 visitors per year and has been called "no doubt the most important Catholic pilgrimage center in the United States.” It is also often called the “Lourdes of America” for it’s magical healing soil. In the small prayer room next to the sanctuary is a round hole filled with this soil. In fact, many come to the church in pursuit of this soil, hoping to find a cure for their afflictions.

“Holy Dirt” may be acquired by donation here.

CREATION WISDOM & LORE

THE HISTORY OF HUMANS CREATED FROM MUD AND CLAY

Many ancient historians, the Bible,  Koran (Quran), Greek myths, and even Chinese legends have claimed for thousands of years that all life came from the earth forming from the dust, mud, or clay…

All cultures and histories list the woman or mother as the source of fertility and all life symbolizing the earth. This knowledge gives rise to the myths and stories of the deification of the earth with the various Gods and Goddesses who are also deities connected to the underworld such as the Earth Mother, Mother Nature, or Mother Earth who is the divine source of terrestrial life…

In Arabic, Môt is written as madat, maddat, or madah, which means ‘matter’. From the word Môt, we get the English words mother (moth-er), mom, and ma.

Read full article here.

LOYAL COMPANIONS

Mr. Enki

I couldn’t resist including my beloved boy, Enki, as his name has such relevance to this week’s topic and ties in with creation mythology at the heart of all our local and global traditions.

In the ancient Sumerian story of human creation, the god Enki is considered the creator or conceiver of man (he apparently collaborated with his sister in the actual process of creating the first humans). Enki is considered the god of art, wisdom, mischief, magic, healing and craftsmanship. He is also said to possess a playfully “crafty” and often defiant trickster nature (much like my furry Mr. Enki).

The name “Enki” has been translated to “Lord of Earth” meaning not just the planet but the very soil. Ea is an alternate name for Enki which is our root word for Earth. Enki is often depicted with flowing water as he is considered the ruler of the “Abzu” or deep underground freshwater source of all wells, spring, rivers, streams and lakes. Earth + Water = Clay. It is said that Enki formed the first man of clay and the blood of a slain god.

Though the first humans were originally conceived to perform a purely functional task in service to the gods, their creator Enki so loved his creation that he defied the consensus determination by the other gods to completely eliminate mankind. Enki interceded on behalf of the humans when his brother Enlil unleashed a great flood to wipe out the annoying race that was multiplying out of control. After the flood, Enlil is enraged to discover that humans have survived due to Enki's intervention. Enki then successfully argues for humanity's continued existence, proposing measures to control their population, such as shortened lifespans and reduced fertility. What a tail!

WELCOME NEIGHBOR!

I was thrilled to recently meet a new Greater World neighbor, Kathryn Bredderman. She kindly offered a short Q&A between her recent purchase of 3 Lemuria, doing a bit of quick move-in then dashing off to enjoy a family holiday before getting back to her “real world” obligations elsewhere (which she hopes will be temporary until she can find work that will allow her to live here full-time). Kathryn is a lovely human as you can see and I’m so glad to welcome her to our community!

Where do you hail from, Kathryn?

I am originally from Upstate NY but have lived in Dallas, TX for the past 20+ years.  I work in the IT industry as a Data Engineer for USAA, and cannot fully relocate to Taos until I can find remote work (just throwing that out there in case ;-)...i cannot WAIT to move to Taos!!! 

Most of my family is still in NY, so I still do visit there frequently.  In fact, headed camping in Lake George this week to meet up with family and my sister and niece coming in from California!  I'm hoping this background means I can bare the winters in the high desert!!

What brings you to Taos? Any new discoveries you’re excited about since being here?

Earthships!  But seriously, I had NO IDEA how amazing Taos is on every level!  I am so excited about the art scene.  I visited the local galleries near Taos Plaza (only a small portion so far as there are so many!).  My cousin and I were also especially blown away by the Arroyo Seco area.

What drew you to Earthships and/or this place in particular?

I have been obsessed with off-grid / simple living for the past 15+ years.  Earthships naturally catch anyone’s eye and attention.  I instantly loved the rebellion and "outside-the-box" thinking in concept and design...and the whimsy!  When I saw one for sale in my price range (sortof 🤔), I had to jump at the opportunity.  I will admit, I was drawn to the exceptionally huge windows since my form of artistic expression is stained glass and particularly glass-on-glass mosaic.  I chose the Greater World Community b/c that is where it all began and one visit out here told me I had found my mothership.

You mentioned you felt a bit homesick—what’s your favorite thing about home?

I have a wonderful group of friends!  We are almost all transplants to the Dallas area from a variety of places.  My best friend is actually from Las Cruces.  I have also made my rather generic condo into quite the sanctuary.  I look forward to pouring some love and creativity into this little Earthship and making it equally warm and welcoming.

What makes your heart soar?

I love art, music and seeing people feeling free to express themselves.  My heart soars when experiencing new cultures, surroundings and being in nature.  I heard the advice once to “Be in AWE of something every day.”  Being around the mountains and landscapes here in Taos has that effect on me. 

Anything else you’d like your new neighbors to know about you—pets, special interests, preferred name you go by…?

I invariable end up with a nick-name, but Kat is an easy shorthand version if that works for people. 

I am really looking forward to connecting with the community.   I would love to one day host some Artist’s workshops at 3 Lemuria (to be named “Casa Mesa”).  I have a ton of ideas (and supplies) from soap, candle, and goat-cheese making to sewing, pottery (looking for someone who does Raku firing), glass and tile work.  I could even fly an actual stained glass artist I know from Dallas in to teach a class.

The property has beautiful spacious areas and a yard that would be perfect for community gatherings, yard sales or other projects and activities (volleyball anyone?).  I also plan to attend the Earthship Biotecture class in September and learn more about the inner workings of Earthships...count me in to ram tires any time (once my busted wrist heals)!!! No pets yet, but would love to have a dog now that I have a yard and would someday love to have chickens.  I have to remind myself one creature at a time!  

All that said, I would like to get to know everyone else’s vision for the GWCC and participate at whatever level I am invited to!   Feel free to stop by any time to say 'Hi'.  I am currently back in Dallas for work, but will return around August 1st.  In the meantime, my cousin, Marie is at the spot and would definitely be open to visitors as we are both excited to learn more about the area!