issue 4: Kinship with Nature

“Reflections on Stillwater” image by B. Monique

issue 4: Kinship with Nature

In this issue we explore just a few ways humans can and are working with Nature in creative, collaborative and mutually beneficial ways.

To more fully comprehend the impact we have on each other’s lives, we must first acknowledge the profound intelligence inherent within all of Creation. With that great and creative intelligence comes a deep interest and care for all children of Creation, particularly calling to us “Younger Brother" prodigal sons who’ve strayed.

And what does that look like exactly? A call can be a persistent issue, a tugging or a vision that occupies our attention; a cry can be far bigger to get our attention, like a massive natural disaster; while offerings of gifts and guidance are most often so quiet and subtle as to be overlooked if we’re not paying attention. The communication is both magical and mundane. Perhaps you’ve noticed a sudden sprouting up of a certain plant around your home. Isn’t it curious, you might wonder, how my yard should suddenly be filled with Milk Thistle never intentionally seeded while all surrounding properties are not. That is Nature acting as physician and pharmacist, offering medicine you probably didn’t even know you needed. But how would the plants know? Our modern western science has now satisfactorily shown that plants possess and utilize not only our basic 5 senses, but 15 more! Just think of the implications of this next time you hug a tree or hack at your garden. Plants feel us, perceive us and can read us more deeply than we do them, or our fellow humans for that matter!

Also recently ‘discovered’ in the world of science is the astounding level of interconnectedness within the plant world among itself. For example, trees across tremendous swathes of land are dialed in to their own “Wood Wide Web” of communication facilitated by vast underground networks of mycelium. They use this “web” of communication to warn relatives miles away of incoming danger and also provide them with chemical codes they’ve developed in response, special VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) formulations their kin can replicate and emit to help avert damage or attract other organisms that are antagonistic to their invaders. What sort of intelligence has the ability to work with others to develop such a technology, and so far in advance of our own equivalent? If this new understanding is not a bit humbling, I’m not sure what is.

While mycelium may represent the ethernet connection among trees, we also have access to a kind of global wi-fi connection via the Schumann resonances or “heartbeat of the Earth” which connects all beings via the electromagnetic portal of the heart. We can practice this connection in deeper states of meditation and in connection with Nature. I find that if I ask a sincere question to a body of water, the great open sky or the natural world at large while focused from my heart center, I am consistently shown a metaphorical demonstration or confirmation of the answer I’m seeking. If not immediately and directly in front of me, I find that my attention will be inexplicably drawn to notice something very specific at just the right moment which I receive on a feeling level as a clear response. This is not just e-mail, this is em (electromagnetic)-mail.

Nature subtly communicates with us in metaphorical and archetypal ways, but also in some profoundly obvious ways as demonstrated by a group of wild South African rescue elephants that traveled 12 hours from various parts of a large sanctuary when their rescuer and dear friend suddenly died of a heart-attack. They had not been to that particular compound nor visited their friend at all since he’d moved there though they somehow found their way from separate locations and remained at the residence with his family for a two-day vigil before parting ways. All this makes me wonder just how expansive and interpenetrating this capacity for awareness and communication between us really is. The only way to truly know is to tap in and try it for ourselves.

Our kinship with the natural world goes beyond communication and collaboration with animals and plants. We can also work in collaboration with the elements Earth, Wind, Fire and Water (not the band, but… what ever happened to their water BTW?). As we are now in fire season, and the issues of massively destructive super fires increasingly affect our western region and beyond, it is very much worth considering how indigenous peoples can assist with this ever-growing destruction pattern (which leads to other problems such as mass displacement, loss of life, habitat destruction, land erosion and flooding not to mention the economical toll). By utilizing their preserved (though long suppressed) traditional wisdom acquired through their close relationship with the nature world around them, indigenous Fire Lighters can not only mitigate larger fires through managing their fuel source, they help to foster conditions in which a greater diversity of plant and animal species can flourish. Working with the elements is a fundamental part of every earth-based culture though few have been able to preserve wisdom specific to their particular land region which is key to its greatest effectiveness as more localized solutions. That said, we must all pay respect to and draw from the wisdom that has been passed down while working to reconnect in order to reacquire the knowledge and wisdom Nature has to offer us.

The examples I point to here are just a small few. I hope you’ll follow these threads to discover many more examples of our kinship with nature on your own, and try for yourself even simple acts of connecting with the natural world in more meaningful ways with the assumption of a sentient intelligence that pervades all of Creation.

If you’re old enough to have experienced a world pre-internet, you know the difference between our world prior to global human connectedness and after. For better and for worse, it’s about greater interconnectedness, accessibility to more ideas and information and to like minds for greater facilitation of shared aims. We must rise to a higher level of maturity as a humanity to utilize our more expanded connectedness for better. Now, imagine a world of total global connectedness with all intelligences, fostering creative collaborations with so many more beings of our natural world—what an experience of expanded possibilities that will be!

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

✺This newsletter is intended to be a collaborative project so if you would like to make a contribution to any upcoming newsletters, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

CREATIVE COLLABORATION

Plant Music in Nature - White Pine

We set out to explore Mer Bleue Bog, a 7,700 year old habitat filled with rare plants, birds and other wildlife. We came across a beautiful white pine that had fallen down during a violent wind storm last spring. The derecho that tore through Ontario and Quebec in May 2022 knocked over thousands of trees in forests like the one at Mer Bleue.

The white pine is known by the Haudenosaunee confederacy as the Great Tree of Peace. It is also Ontario’s provincial tree, and they’re some of the tallest trees in eastern North America. Pine needle tea is filled with vitamin C and can help with coughs, colds and flu. The inner bark is edible, and heated resin can help to heal the skin.

“White Pine” is a semi-generative live performance where the plant’s bio-electricity triggers and modulates various sounds and parameters on the system, such as the synth pads, vocal and orchestral textures along with various other filter and modulation parameters on the bass and other modules in the patch. I introduce the groove in the the performance and play along with the plant. This project is the culmination of my passion for music, nature and energy. I hope that, in some small way, this project helps make the world a kinder and more respectful place towards nature, ourselves and one another.

EXPANDING AWARENESS

Eye-To-Eye Animal Encounters

There's a certain a kind of visual encounter that can be life changing: A cross-species gaze. The experience of looking directly into the eyes of an animal in the wild, and seeing it look back. It happens more often than you’d think and it can be so profound, there’s a name for it: eye-to-eye epiphany. So what happens when someone with feathers or fur and claws looks back? How does it change people, and what can it teach us?

AN URGENT CALL

Kogi people’s message to “Little Brother”

The core message of ALUNA (a highly impactful film created as a dire message to the Western world) is that the Kogi understand – as we do not – that there are critical interconnections within the natural world. It is a subtle and hidden network, and interfering in one part has a major impact on other specific parts. The words of the message are “protect the rivers” but the question is how? The answer is to draw on indigenous understanding of environmental impacts, and the obvious follow-on is to engage indigenous expertise in environmental impact assessments.

Watch the full film (now in 15 languages) here.

HELPING ONE ANOTHER

Wild Horse Fire Brigade

Wild Horse Fire Brigade helps saves native species American wild horses by rewilding them from government holding facilities, and/or relocating them away from areas of contention with livestock production, and humanely placing them as family units into carefully selected designated wilderness areas that are economically and ecologically appropriate… more about the WHFB here. Enjoy this beautiful 8 minute film here.

BEAUTY OF HUMANITY

Dance With Life: Unlocking Your Deep Connection to everything

“It is time to walk a different path. This path is not about accumulating stuff. It’s not about money and power. It’s not about dominating other living beings. And it has nothing to do with anger and hate. No, walking this path is simply about living, experiencing, and caring about this precious life and this abundant world. It is a holistic experience for the body, mind and spirit. It is about recognizing, sensing, and exchanging energy with the natural world around us and feeling that energy reciprocated.” - Aaron Hoopes

Even if you can't or don't want to leave your comfortable urban life, get out there and be wild every now and then. By regularly doing that, you will be reminded of how much nature means to us, how much solace it can bring, how much joy and peace and hope. You will be reminded of how deeply we are connected to all living things. Dance with life!

Filmed in Hermanus, South Africa. Featuring Sue Swain.

CONTEMPLATE

Dadirri- Deep Listening

"Dadirri" - means Inner Deep Listening and Quiet Still Awareness The word, concept and spiritual practice that is dadirri (da-did-ee) is from the Ngan'gikurunggurr and Ngen'giwumirri languages of the Aboriginal peoples of the Daly River region (Northern Territory, Australia).

A reflection by Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr. Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr (AO) is an Aboriginal elder from Nauiyu (Daly River), where she served for many years as the principal of the local Catholic primary school. She is a renowned artist, activist, writer and public speaker. Music: The Spirit of Uluru - by D.R. - Aboriginal Spiritual Music, Vol. II Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu - Wiyathul Photo: Finke River, South Australia - Ken Duncan For further information on Dadirri and Aboriginal Culture please see: www.miriamrosefoundation.org.au

SCIENCE MEETS LIFE

Can Trees Talk, Think and Heal?

Pioneering scientists Brian Pickles and (the always engaging) Monica Gagliano explore the fascinating hidden world of tree communication, plant cognition and the healing powers of forest bathing. Gagliano’s research has uncovered ‘thinking plants’ while Pickles’ work surrounding mycelium communication networks, dubbed the ‘Wood Wide Web’, has exposed a world where plants and trees share, trade, care for family, display altruism and even wage war.

LOCAL MOOVEMENTS

Prescribed Grazing for Wildfire Mitigation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On September 24, 2024, the House passed U.S. Representatives Gabe Vasquez (D-NM-02) and Doug LaMalfa’s (R-CA-01) bill, the bipartisan Utilizing Grazing for Wildfire Risk Reduction Act, to help prevent wildfires through proactive grazing. The bill passed as part of the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act. Prior to passage, Vasquez spoke on the House Floor about the importance of his bill to New Mexico.

In extra local news: The cattle recently grazing on the Torres property east of us are currently in the mountains near Angelfire enjoying cooler temps while doing their part in the fire mitigation effort. Working with the animals in this way creates mutually beneficial solutions all around while helping to reduce the factors (namely accumulated fuel sources) that lead to unmanageable wildfires. See more in this research article: Cattle grazing reduces fuel and leads to more manageable fire behavior

Ivan’s cattle will return at the end of the Summer season to again resume grazing as our lovely neighbors.

REIGNITING ANCIENT WAYS

Fire Lighters : fire is medicine

Indigenous people have deep knowledge of the art of using fire. Follow the work of women leaders from the Yurok and Karuk Tribes who are building resources to share indigenous practices and create policies to take back indigenous burning rights. By Sande Zeig.

Further research:

How fire and floods are related, and how cultural burning can prevent both

Good Fire Bad Fire

This California tribe is fighting wildfires with fire

Cultural Fire — Association for Fire Ecology

NATURAL ALLIANCES

Winning friends, not battles.

Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation (MTBC) was founded by Dr. Merlin Tuttle. He has studied and photographed bats worldwide for more than 60 years. Merlin’s unique photography and communication first led to global appreciation of bats as safe, invaluable, even cute, and likable. No one has better demonstrated the power of combining captivating photos with sound science to win friends instead of battles for bats. Nor has anyone better demonstrated how conservation can benefit humans. Merlin’s legendary photos and experience provide invaluable guidance and inspiration that must be preserved and shared for future generations. He founded and led Bat Conservation International (BCI) for 30 years, then left BCI in 2009 and founded MTBC. MTBC is now Merlin’s sole source of support, both for his ongoing conservation efforts and for preservation of his priceless photo collection and legacy resources.

Merlin shares some impressive facts with Joe Rogan

How this relates to us: During monsoon season, various spots throughout our neighborhood accumulate a lot of standing water unnaturally. It’s nice having little ponds about—frog songs and visiting ducks are a delight—though, in the absence of a natural ecosystem that would otherwise keep the proliferation of mosquitos in check, we end up with not only a major nuisance preventing us from enjoying our celestial canopy outdoors, we’re exposed to a plethora of mosquito-borne diseases. But we have friends. Friends that pose the biggest threat to “the deadliest animal on earth”. A single bat can eat at least 6,000 - 8,000 bugs per night making them a perfect ally in our defense against mosquitos. And they are super cute!

To support bats in our area, this page provides a resource for which types of bat homes are best, where to place them and how to support the integration of more bats into our environment. Assuming standing water will continue to be an issue here, I propose we utilize community funds to install bat houses in strategic locations to mitigate the problem. Anyone keen to help organize and support this project, please reach out via email.

FLORA & FAUNA

Peregrine Falcon

The sky’s most formidable flyers, fastest aerial flights on record (up to 240 mph in a dive!), so impressive the B-2 Bomber fighter aircraft design was directly inspired by their stealthy form! The Peregrine falcon not only dominates the sky, they raise their young with a most impressive level of dedication and care.

Hike the Slide trail between 7 and 9 am and you’re sure to at least hear the screeches of a hungry Peregrine brood from a cliff face just a few yards from the base on the right. If you watch closely, you’ll see mom and dad shuttling food to their young with an organized stealth. One parent hunts then hands off food to the other who takes it back to the nest. As they’re able to start testing their own skills of flight, parents will practice food transfers with their young showing great precision and care as you see in this amazing footage.

For more impressive Peregrine moves:

Peregrine parents feeding round the clock

Three little cotton balls and their mom

Peregrine vs Red-Tail Hawk

HUMOUR/FASHION

Frills of St. John Summer Collection

Speaking of 🔥, Kenneth is back in this season’s hottest duds for hot dudes!