issue 15: The Sovereign Power of Truth

Welcome to 2026. The future has arrived. According to various astrological references, this year will be a time of greater authenticity, integrity and a collective movement towards genuine service to others. We are likely to see increasing autonomy—both on the individual and collective level—through a rise in personal/group accountability and collaborative action. Soon we will be entering the Chinese New Year of the Fire Horse representing courageousness and passionate determination supporting actions guided by virtue and clear intentions. I get the sense we’ll be experiencing some profoundly positive shifts in the collective ethos as ever-increasing numbers of individuals and like-hearted groups get in touch with their our own authenticity and purpose. Could this lead to an increasing departure from centralized control in favor of more intentional communities and employee-owned organizations? I do hope so. Despite some of the more foreboding signs and dramas playing out on the world stage, we the people of the world can be the antidote to the chaos and hegemony. The future is now and we are the ones we’ve been waiting for!

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One of the lesser known new year traditions is the choosing of a WOTY or Word Of The Year. As an alternative to a list of specific intentions, a WOTY a single word that reflects specific traits or values we wish to embody rather than goals we wish to achieve and serves to guide our decisions and actions for the coming year. Have you chosen your WOTY?

Mine is Aletheia. It is a classic Greek word or embodiment of a concept that means Truth. More specifically, it is the Truth that arises through a process of ‘un-concealment’ or ‘disclosure’, of bringing to light as in light of conscious awareness. In Greek mythology, ‘Lethe’ is one of the rivers of Hades. It is the river of forgetting from which all souls must drink before reincarnating on Earth. ‘A’, in Greek, indicates the negation. So, Aletheia is not just a revealing, it is a process of unforgetting, a remembering of who we really are and why we are here. This is the main theme I’ve chosen to build this CG offering from. Truth goes hand-in-in with Sovereignty which I also hope to honor in this issue.

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As we are now on the other side of Winter Solstice, slowly making our way from darker toward more light-filled days, each issue of the Community Garden will bring us another step closer to the fuller revealing of the GWCC to include its origin story, how and why it was established back in ‘23, my original “Community Unity” proposal and “Blueprint for Community Renovation” which is a guide to transitioning from hierarchal structures and a community management template based on what I call a “Circles within Circles” approach. Because it is such a large and multilayered cake, I feel it’s best we take in on just a few bites at a time. Let's first get acquainted with the Why, Who and How of the proposal.

Why?… the GWCC was originally conceived as a way to foster a more amicable and constructive approach to sorting through the community’s trash pile so we could not only build something much better from it all, but multiply the benefits of our progress by sharing our journey and proven models for successful community management with others as an extended offering. After all, what could be more appropriate for a community of beautiful and functional homes that support greater autonomy and which happen to be built from refuse the world so abundantly provides us?

Who?… the basic structure and resources I’ve proposed are intended to support and invite all our diverse community members into collaborative participation, including part-time residents, tenants and those utilizing their properties as investment. With different areas of the websites available to 3 main access tiers, part of those resources (such as a publicly-facing web shop, local events or places to visit and emergency alerts) are completely available to anyone and would be a good resource for nightly visitors as no special access is required. Other access areas would be specifically for all property owning residents and another for project managers (team leads for specific “Circles”/committees) to organize, manage and make visible all progress and updates on specific projects.

How?… through the processes I suggest, we essentially transmute or ‘compost’ our issues into more ‘upleved’ solutions. It’s a process of acknowledging a problem, identifying the challenges, brainstorming creative solutions and exploring/testing the viability of those potential solutions in order to realize the original problem in its higher form (see Landfill Harmonic for a truly inspiring example). In essence, the approach is a form of community alchemy whereby a potentially worthless/toxic base material/situation is put through a specific process of breaking it down and reforming it to not only neutralize its ill effects but transmute it into something beautiful and incorruptible which, in alchemy, is symbolized by gold, the most incorruptible substance on earth. It’s based also on the Law of Conservation of Energy, a fundamental physics concept which states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, only transformed from one form into another. So, the question is not how to “get rid of” of someone or something deemed problematic but how we may work with the situations at hand to transform them for the better. Additionally, as the alchemist does the good work on the material, the good work is done on the alchemist. This is succinctly expressed on the main page of the GWCC website : “As each community member brings their unique skills, experience, talents, insights, interests and resources to the table, we’re not only upleveling our community, we’re upleveling ourselves in the process.“

Also expressed on the website is one of the GWCC’s core tenants: “present no problem without offering a potential solution”. The is meant to engage our capacity for creative and proactive thinking as a basic orientation when confronting any issue. I’ve had fun working with many of our community’s issues and have shared those solutions with others along the way. A “Proposals” section allows us to present issues and potential solutions in a basic template form that teams may then organize around and work on together. This is the first step to organizing a “Circle” of like-minded, like-hearted and interested community members, integral to the “Circles within Circles” approach. It utilizes a simple project management platform that may be fully or partially made visible to anyone on that team or all registered members of the GWCC, at the discretion of the team lead.

To fund the cost of these platforms and as many community improvement projects as possible, I suggest a two-pronged approach. Firstly, the immediate formation of a non-profit would help us to clearly define our purpose and allow us to begin seeking grants and other sources of funding. Donations may be accepted through the website without nonprofit status and all sales of goods and services (minus related service fees and administrative costs) will go straight into the Community Fund to augment basic dues. The full proposal includes multiple income-generating possibilities such as a potential electric vehicle charging station at a potential tea house/community meet and hangout space, an outward-facing web shop, a GW General Store for anything from community-made artisan goods such as soaps, candles, teas, stained glass and ceramics to repackaged bulk dry foods (nuts, beans, rice, pasta, oil, tinned foods…), eco-supplies and off-grid living products… all of which GW members can purchase at a significant discount. Features like “Yard Sale” is a community-only access web shop with other possible options such as special order (ie rocket stove) or service (ie cistern cleaning) for those within our community. The community webshop includes “Free Bin” where items can be posted with instructions for pickup or delivery. “Tool Shop” is another feature that would ideally rely on a functional community space, part of my Community Lands Proposal which details my recommendations and potential uses for the community land including my recommendations for best utilizing the significant land recess as water catchment to support a greenhouse above it, gathering our architects to draft a blueprint precisely laying out what the community wants so MR may fulfill his agreement regarding the Community Lands (as well as some other important legal considerations prior to accepting the transfer such as a $50/day fee for each day past the transfer date the agreement remains unfulfilled/incomplete with an alternative option to provide the community a lump sum or structured settlement so we may fund and manage the complete project on our own).

The “Community Garden” periodical (that you’re now reading) was established to cultivate more collaboration and creative engagement among community members through topics like earthship living tips, sky watch events, history/land appreciation, off-grid technologies, upcoming local events and whatever non-divisive topics community members felt inclined to share. The CG’s core intent was/is to generally uplift, encourage curiosity, stimulate awe & wonder and simply provide a little weekly reset for readers. As there was not much interest in collaborating on this particular project, I decided to have fun with it on my own through addressing more universal topics relevant to the broader CG readership beyond the GW community and others who may come upon it in the future. As for the Community Garden’s What, Why and How, the Community Garden Statement of Intent can be found here.

The more complete “Big Mama” proposal contains many facets and micro-details related more to the basic structures, processes, procedures… other tedium and fun asides. If there is interest among community members, I suggest we establish a basic structure and define basic values and a unifying purpose then get to the business of forming teams/”Circles” so we may further build as we go. The GWCC is a big picture proposal with great potential to expand and serve others of similar values, interests and goals beyond our local community.

To be clear, the formation of an auxiliary project management organization I’ve dubbed the GWCC (Greater World Community Collaborative) is not intended to challenge or overturn the current acting HOA but proposes a way to accomplish even more with a unified collective while fostering greater harmony among all our community stakeholders so we may also be shareholders. By working together in tandem as a governing structure (GW HOA) and a community-led management structure (GWCC), we not only work to support our HOA volunteers in their original intent, we give ourselves a chance to see how viable each organization truly is and if it may later make sense to incorporate both into a single nonprofit organization. Considerations for these options are included in my “Blueprint for Community Renovation” meant to empower not only the GW community but any small community that desires more autonomy and seeks to move from hierarchical structures (namely traditional HOA) towards a more organic structure based in core principles of Sociocracy. Sociocracy is applicable to all organizations and is not a strict template but a theoretical basis from which we can tailor fit and evolve our own structure of governance and complementary structure of community management to suit the wants and needs of the majority and participatory collective.

Lastly, the “Winding Road Journey” I refer to on the GWCC website was established as a chronicle of our progress on the path towards greater autonomy and empowerment as a small community. This ongoing blog section was originally made available to the initial GW members I had met with who appeared to share at least similar ultimate goals and also had far more experience and knowledge than myself as a relatively new resident. The blog space nor other site features I offered—such as polling, communication and post topic comments—had been utilized so, at this point it serves more as my own documentation of my independent exploration along with my personal journey privately inviting various community members into the project and details as to how that’s gone so far. The story of “The Winding Road Journey” is not over though, and it’s not my story alone. As members of the GW community, it’s your story as well. Having reference to verifiable facts, access to accurate historical information, relevant records and, of course, our own ability to consider it all with discernment is a most integral part of knowing where we stand today so we may proceed along our “Winding Road Journey” together with more clarity of intention and purpose. Whether in direct participation or not, we are all contributing to that story in some way. So, as we stand at the threshold of a new year, I wonder, what story will we be writing as we journey onward?

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

Find the full issue 15: The Sovereign Power of Truth newsletter here.

issue 14: A Light within the Darkest Night

Today we honor what may be the most ancient and culturally unifying tradition we share as a human collective. The Winter Solstice, often referred to as “the darkest day” or “longest night of the year”, is both a symbolic and literal meeting at the threshold where death and darkness gives way to the renewal of life and light. The myths and traditions around this time serve as a perennial reminder to us all that even in the darkest of days the seed of light is always with us and within us, always there waiting to reemerge though necessarily dormant for a time.

These longer, quieter and colder nights of Winter naturally invite us into a slowing down and a drawing inward. Retreat into darkness provides a supportive container for gestation and regeneration so we may emerge anew with each day, each new season and year and with each turning of a cycle within our individual lives. Surrendering to the natural impulse of this time allows us to receive the gifts being offered. The invitation may be for more quiet and introspection, less stimulation, less striving, more nourishing food and activities, perhaps some self-care indulgences, more kindness and gentleness with ourselves and others... Whatever you’re called to, the Winter Solstice is a good time to dial down and be more receptive to the wisdom of our inner knowing.

Winter Solstice Wisdom in Myth, Nature, Tradition and Biology…

Myth

In the myth of Persephone, the young Kore of Spring is abducted by Hades, King of the Underworld. Hades feeds her pomegranate seeds, the consuming of which both binds her to the underworld and symbolizes her transformation from innocent child to fertile young woman. According to the terms of her curse (as determined by Zeus), Persephone is allowed to spend half the year as the regenerative light on Earth alongside her devoted mother Demeter (goddess of agriculture, harvest, fertility and sacred law) while the other half is committed to her reign in the dark Underworld with Hades. Winter comes to Earth as a result of Demeter’s mourning the absence of her beloved daughter. As chthonic goddess, Persephone wields significant power over the dead—those who’ve “crossed over the threshold”—carrying out curses and compassionately protecting those souls she finds worthy. By the time of her rising and return to Earth in Spring, Persephone is a transformed and more evolved being. Having reconciled her purity and innocence as a virgin maiden with her darker side as Queen of the Underworld, Persephone has become something altogether other which grants her a special kind of influence as a bridge between worlds. Persephone’s dual nature and dynamic roles represents the transient threshold and liminal space between the contrasting though complementary worlds of light and dark, death and renewal.

Nature

In much the same way, Mama Bear represents the cycles of fertility, growth, harvest, retreat into darkness and ultimate renewal of life arising from that dark space. With the coming of Winter, the fertilized female bear secludes herself in a dark cave or den carrying within her the seeds of new life to come. Though bears mate in Spring, the embryos will not commit to implantation within the uterine wall until mama has enough of what she needs to support herself along with her cubs through hibernation season. Once what is needed is acquired through hyperphagia (mass consumption of food), the tiny embryos gestate within as her body goes into a sleep-like stasis or torpor. Within the safety of the cave (a kind of second womb) the tiny cubs are born. They begin nursing immediately and throughout the Winter months so when they finally emerge in Spring, the cubs are much stronger, more physically coordinated and already somewhat oriented with the world they now inhabit. Mama Bear’s journey represents an archetypal inner retreat from the world where the seeds of new life to come may have adequate time to gestate and be nourished in expectation of a greater emergence into the light of day when the conditions are right.

Tradition

At the heart of the Christmas tradition honored at this time of year, we find similar themes again with the virgin or divinely seeded mother giving birth to the savior son in a dark and rugged den-like setting on a cold Winter’s night. This son, as the symbolic sun, is destined to rise as “the light of the world”, redeemer or reviver of the human spirit. In this story we find the theme of birth, death and renewal many times over. Prior to emerging within the public realm with his rogue ministry at the age of 30, Yeshua spent many years in a kind of “dark” retreat of study and introspection. The symbolism of Yeshua’s journey appears to coincide with that of a personal spiritual awakening or enlightenment process whereby the dormant energy at the base of the spine rises up the spinal column (of 33 vertebra coinciding with the 33 years of Yeshua’s life) and culminates in a “sacred secretion” from the pineal gland within the center of the head also congruent with his crucifixion in Golgotha or “Place of the Skull” (skull of Adam, the original human). It is here that Yeshua dies to his former earthly self, merges with the god self then reemerges from his entombment cave as the luminous transfigured savior and redeemer of the true human spirit. The story of Yeshua beautifully illustrates the multi-layered themes and rich symbolism related to the time of Winter Solstice: quiet retreat into darkness, cave-like processing and incubation time, ascending from darkness with an ultimate resurrection event representing enlightenment or illumination and a literal transfiguration…

Biology

The pineal gland—residing in the fluid-filled cavern within each our brains—also represents a “seed of light” within the darkness. Often referred to as “the third eye” as it has its own capacity for “seeing” and is largely composed of photoreceptors (light sensitive “eye” cells), the pineal gland is associated with transcendent states of spiritual awareness, waking visions, NDEs (near death experiences) and vivid dreams whereby we may receive profoundly important insights (inner seeing) regarding our own deeper processes along our personal journeys.

René Descartes referred to the pineal gland as “the seat of the soul” as he determined it to be the physical point at which the non-physical mind (or soul) and the physical body interact to form our thoughts, emotions and consciousness. The many processes served by the pineal (ie sleep, physical regeneration and metacognition) are central to how our body, mind and higher awareness function in support of our total wellbeing. To effectively serve its purpose, the pineal gland does require sustained periods of total darkness. It is the absence of light that triggers the synthesis and release of melatonin, aka “the hormone of darkness”. This hormone is crucial to initiating a cascade of bodily processes which repair and renew our physical, mental and emotional bodies so we may resurrect, so to speak, from our nightly slumber and emerge from our dark cave each morning in a renewed form, ready for a new day. Alongside the powerful anti-inflammatory effects of melatonin, the pineal gland also produces N-acetylserotonin, a metabolite that has been shown to promote the growth of new neurons in the brain (neurogenesis) which itself is a kind of transfiguration. As for the more profoundly transcendent spiritual experiences activated within the pineal, a symbolic or literal death process of the body will trigger a flood release of endogenous DMT (N-Dimethyltryptamine) which many who’ve returned from their own death experience (NDE) describe, at least in part, as a divine union. Something similar to this level of experience can also be achieved through deep prayer or meditation, Holotropic Breathwork, kundalini activation, initiation rituals, plant medicine or light deprivation experiences.

How to Align

As creatures of this Earth, we must align ourselves with the natural Earth processes in order to best support our highest physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing which further supports our personal evolution. What Nature, myth, science and our most sacred traditions all tell us is to honor death and darkness as a most vital aspect of life and regeneration of life.

Though we still have easy access and may be habituated to many of the trappings and distractions of a modern life, we are situated quite well here in the Greater World to enjoy the basic conditions which allow us more darkness as well as spaces of retreat and quiet so as to be more in sync with the natural rhythms of life.

Supporting the Shift: How can we support ourselves and one another to make best use of this time of renewal and gestation?

• Swap blue light screen time and the more stimulating evening entertainment for star gazing, shared stories and conversations by a fire.

• Invest in near and far infrared lighting/devices to help with sleep cycles and greatly facilitate the body’s natural process of healing and renewal.

• Forgo artificial lighting for candles. Candlelight is warmer, more soothing and the flickering effect is helpful for altering brainwaves from active beta to calmer alpha and even theta which induce states of relaxation and focus.

• Keep your bedroom completely dark (to whatever extent possible) and/or use an eye covering to block out any trickle of light since even small amounts can compromise regenerative deep sleep.

• Sun gazing at dawn and enjoying the evening light at sunset is a form of light therapy which helps to support our circadian rhythms along with hormone balance and other bodily processes.

• Enjoy the cold with brisk early morning walks, cold plunges or just sitting in the cold river. Alternating with sauna, hot mineral baths or red light is all the more regenerative.

• Read, reflect, journal… make time and space to prioritize inwardness, court dreams, metabolize unresolved disturbances and see what arises.

We are collectively experiencing a natural cycle of darkness around the time of Winter Solstice and we are experiencing dark times as a human collective on this planet as we transition through a natural process of collapse and renewal on our way towards birthing a New Earth. However we can support our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of others is key to how we best emerge on the other side. Reminding ourselves and others that darkness does play a valuable role in our process while not overlooking more serious signs and symptoms of chronic apathy or deep despair is also important. If it appears that a friend or loved one may need some additional support, a simple act of compassionate outreach and a listening presence can make all the difference.

How we show up is everything. Whether you consider “community” to be your friends, family, coworkers, congregation, neighbors, the natural world around you or people you interact with at the grocery store… it is our quality of presence that makes these interactions truly valuable and nourishing. What we “seed” in the world is what will grow in our wake. What grows along the paths we leave may provide sustenance for those to come. Maintaining shared traditions around honoring of dark and light, death and rebirth cycles is a way of supporting one another while supporting the natural process.

May we all find deep renewal in this time and gestate good seeds to emerge in brighter days to come!

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

Find the full issue 14: A Light within the Darkest Night newsletter here.

issue 13: Shadowlands

As the light of day wanes and the veil between worlds grows sheer, we are invited to go more within and even dare to peer beyond that gauzy partition that keeps at bay our fears into… the Shadowlands… where death, darkness, “the devil”, lost souls and all manner of monsters reside… Shall we take a little ride?

Samhain, Halloween, Allhallowtide, All Saint’s Day, All Soul’s Day, Día de Muertos (rooted in the ancient Aztec Mihcailhuitl “festivals of the dead”), The Hungry Ghost Festivals of East Asia and Surva in Bulgaria… For many thousands of years and in all cultures around the world, connecting with the dead and contending with darkness is in our DNA. What I love most about these traditions and festivals is the playful and celebratory spirit with which all cultures have long confronted the darker side of life. As a humanity, we have always known darkness and we have always found a way to disarm it through basic acknowledgment, making light of it and partying alongside it in style.

Truth is, all those darker things we would rather avoid are alive and well just beneath the surface of our everyday lives. For those with a foot in two worlds, who perceive multiple layers beyond the façade, who’ve faced their own darkness and, through much toil and dedication, have earned their doctorate at the University of Hellenback… the Shadowlands are a familiar terrain and their inhabitants come to be regarded more friend than foe. The amicable acquaintanceship and good humor one necessarily cultivates when residing among these realms has a way of taming the dragons, befriending the devils, subduing the serpents, declawing the demons, defanging the vampires, turning werewolves into puppy dogs and generally neutralizing the spook factor of it all. Those who’ve been to the dark depths and returned empowered with greater wisdom, discernment and confidence make very good guides, a bit like Rick Steves of The Underworld. These are the shamans, mystics, sages and pioneers of the mind who’ve come to see and appreciate the deep and vast interrelatedness of all things.

Why, pray tell, would anyone want to explore the Shadowlands? When we are not facing our Shadow it is being projected before us from behind, appearing as other people and situations outside our locus of control. We end up engaged in endless shadow boxing matches to the point of mental and emotional exhaustion rather than using that valuable energy toward our own evolution, creative pursuits and the upliftment of others. To begin confronting the Shadow is to start claiming our sovereignty and free agency. When we better know ourselves within, we also become more discerning about the world without; the construct of consensus reality no longer has the same sway over us; no longer can narcissistic vampires drain us of our vital essence nor psychopath werewolves lure us into their dens of sadistic fantasy. To dance with our shadow, dine with devil, confront our carnal nature and ultimately prevail over our own baser instincts gives us access to higher realms of conscious awareness where we are endowed with greater sovereignty and greater access to a wellspring of creative energy.

Is there a map at least? Shaman psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung refers to the great adventure of deep introspection as the process of Individuation. It is a lifelong journey of becoming a whole and distinct individual by uniting the unconscious with the conscious self. The process involves confronting and integrating aspects of the personality such as the "Shadow" (repressed traits) and the "Anima/Animus" (contrasexual archetypes), and balancing the external "Persona" (social mask) with one's inner life to realize one's own unique purpose. The process aims not to achieve perfection but to realize a more complete and authentic self, one that is ever learning and discovering because of its imperfection.

How does this relate to community? In the Hero’s Journey (representing the basic map or template for Jung’s Individuation process), the hero must face a fearsome dragon that has been the source of torment and malignant darkness in the world. This formidable beast happens to also be hoarding and fiercely guarding piles of gold and a hostage maiden (the soul or ‘Anima’ in the male psyche, ‘Animus’ in female) in its dark lair. To liberate the maiden and retrieve the treasure, the dragon must be slayed or subdued. The great treasures are then taken back to the place of origin and shared among the community. The hero and maiden are married (integration of the Anima/Animus) and the community is enhanced by the great offering won through the hero’s steadfast commitment to his own courageous quest for wholeness. At least, this is the general idea. The greatest adventure of all is how we live our own stories of this process, both individually and collectively. What parts of us must we liberate and integrate, what dark caverns must we brave and what inner dragons must we conquer to gain the great treasures hidden within?

Now that we have a basic map in hand and our “why” compelling us from within, it’s time for a little adventure. With Jung as our guide, let’s go spelunking into the deep and expansive caverns of our own human psyche!

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

Brandy “The Vampire Slayer” Monique

Find the full issue 13: Shadowlands newsletter here.

issue 12: ‘Woo Woo’ New Mexico

As the veil grows thinner this time of year and talk of the anomalous interstellar object 3I/ATLAS continues to veer towards suspicions of being not a comet but a craft of an advanced species, I thought it would be fun to explore some of the Stranger Things of our region both past and present.

Angels and demons, witchcraft and miracles, cowboys and aliens, top secret military projects, subterranean bases, “skin walkers” and haunted lands… it’s the stuff of goosebumpy tales by a crackling campfire, but these tales are real and right here in our own back yard!

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

Find the full issue 12: ‘Woo Woo’ New Mexico newsletter here.

issue 11: Celestial Awe & Wonder

Awe is a powerful emotional experience evoked by a sense of vastness, beauty and wonder. The experience of awe, especially on a regular basis, has the power to heal, enhance and transform us on many levels both individually and collectively.

Some of the benefits of awe are: greater receptivity to new ideas and perspectives, increased resilience after stressful life events, desire to collaborate and seek out community, even reduced inflammation in the body and release of feel-good chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin. And, because awe makes us feel part of something larger than ourselves, it may be the antidote to the loneliness and isolation many feel in our increasingly polarized social climate.

When we orient ourselves towards perceiving and experiencing awe, it can be found virtually everywhere and in anything, large or small. The experience of awe need not bring us to our knees each time, it can be a subtle and fleeting sense of connection to something both wondrous and mysterious.

I feel especially blessed to live here in the Greater World as I find awe and wonder to be abundantly available within our community’s landscape and throughout the surrounding area, though especially in our nearly pristine nocturnal sky. It’s an added delight when it’s something we can share and connect through (like rocket ships, rainbows, frog songs, auroras and eclipses). With homes designed and oriented in such a way as to preserve our precious darkness, we may better lose our sense of self in the vastness of the celestial theatre.

In this Celestial Awe & Wonder issue, I invite us all to cultivate a greater sense of humbling wonder at the vast and Great Mystery through something I think we all can appreciate—our awe-inspiring celestial skies!

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

Find the full issue 11: Celestial Awe & Wonder newsletter here.

issue 10: To Walk in Beauty

It may evoke the image of a pleasant jaunt through a pastoral landscape though, in the traditional Diné (Navajo) teachings from where this expression comes to us, To Walk in Beauty is a commitment to personal integrity as one journeys through a vast terrain of lived experience both brutal and beautiful.

To Walk in Beauty, or Hózhó Naashá, is a concept central to the traditional worldview of the Diné. This worldview is spiritually-based though is not a religion but a holistic Science of Life within the Natural Order. The Beauty Way, or Yellow Corn Pollen Path, is accessed through the Path of the Rainbow which serves as the threshold to an initiatory journey. It represents one of two paths we can take in this life: one is a life-affirming path of truth, beauty and goodness based in personal integrity and oriented towards service to all; the other is a path of deception, delusion and wanton destruction oriented towards service to self. In the Beauty Way of the Yellow Corn Pollen Path, fundamental values are not subjective nor are the paths many. Should one go astray, it can be very difficult to return to the Beauty Way though, as that epic song goes, Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there's still time to change the road you're on. The way back to the path of integrity is through acknowledging where we went wrong and making our way back through a steadfast commitment to right action.

The Yellow Corn Pollen Path emphasizes the fertile, alive, regenerative and ever-evolving nature of life as represented by pollen. Pollen is absolutely everywhere in this world—the air, the water, the soil and in every living creature. As such, it represents an ever-present accessibility to an abundant aliveness within all things. In The Corn Pollen Prayer, a pinch of corn pollen is first sprinkled on the swirl of hair at the top of the head where the soul is said to enter the body reminding us that we are of another world, merely sojourners in this strange land. Then, placing a pinch on the tongue, we indicate our willingness to take in that fertile and regenerative aliveness all around us as nourishment. Sprinkling the last pinch before us to the east with the rising sun indicates our commitment to a new day dedicated to the good and right living way of The Yellow Corn Pollen Path.

Embarking on The Yellow Corn Pollen journey we will inevitably be met with great challenges that test our mettle and we will face difficult choices that test our discernment and commitment to truth. We can expect to encounter helpful friends and nasty foes, immense beauty and terrible ugliness. There will even be beneficent and maleficent “holy people” intervening on occasion to guide us toward or away from our right path. We may get confused along the way as to which direction will take us to where we ultimately wish to be. We may fall into a deep sleep as we draw nearer to our destination, be targeted by covetous witches and their flying monkeys or deceived by faux wizards…

I may have wandered just a bit from the corn pollen path, though this all sounds strangely familiar, does it not (even the part about arriving in this strange world via a spiraling vortex from above... )? As with all myths, the themes and characters represent archetypes that we live as and among in our own personal and shared myths of our lives. Whether we’re speaking of our journeys on the The Yellow Corn Pollen Path or the Yellow Brick Road or the Winding Road of the particular journey we find ourselves, these epic adventures all point to a process of personal and shared evolution. Like the Tin Man, we may be seeking the ability to give and receive more love and compassion… or like Scarecrow, greater discernment and mental aptitude for developing creative solutions… or, like the Cowardly Lion, we may huff and puff until we find ourselves in situations in which our true courage is called forth from within.

Of course, let us not forget our brilliant rainbow (pictured above) that comes to us as a blessing from the Holy People who are rooting for us from somewhere over that rainbow. They send us the rainbow as an open line of connection and a representation of all our hue-man colors joined together. It’s appearance in the east (as in The Corn Pollen Prayer) directs our attention towards a new journey based in the life-affirming Beauty Way to restore and maintain balance, harmony, order and beauty in all aspects of life both here and beyond.

The powerful symbolism of this brilliant full rainbow is a reminder that, even within the mundaneness and often harshness of this crazy trip we call life on earth, magic, awe and wonder abound. Hopefully we see also that our very willingness to travel the Beauty Way path can set us on the right course and our commitment to remain on that path as best we can, no matter how discouraging it may sometimes be, will ultimately bring us to that which we most long for, that which existed within us and was possible all along though had to be discovered and uncovered through our commitment to the right and honorable way of Beauty.

To Walk in Beauty is quite the epic adventure. It is fraught with challenges though the rewards are immense. Like Dorothy and friends, may we choose this path together, to lighten our shared burdens and lift one another up towards all our greater potentials along the way.

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

Find the full issue 10: To Walk in Beauty newsletter here.

issue 9: Embrace for Impact

“Embrace for Impact” implies both the seriousness of the situation we’re currently in as a humanity and the solution that can save us. “Brace for impact” is the instruction given at the final moment before impending catastrophe. Just as a skillful flight attendant will calmly explain the reality of the situation at hand to those in her care and provide instructions and assistance for best chances of survival, so too are wise women elders and traditional wisdom keepers readying us for best outcomes in the unavoidable situations we now face.

Embrace for Impact is Grandmother Wisdom for turbulent times. It is about facing reality with courage, dignity and open-heartedness. It is about extending peace, support and confidence to others as we work together in collaborative and inclusive rather than competitive and exclusive ways.

Embrace means to hold (someone) closely in one's arms, especially as a sign of affection; to accept (a belief, theory, or change) willingly and enthusiastically; to include or contain (something) as a constituent part.

Impact is a marked effect or influence.

What exactly must we embrace? Change, challenges, diverse styles and contributions, uncomfortable truths, new approaches and ideas, and one another other in the spirit of collaboration.

And to what effect? For evolution, revolution, innovation, greater balance, peace and harmony, and to have more fun while fostering a more sustainable culture based on a service-to-the-whole over service-to-self mindset.

Why is it so necessary for our current time? We are witnessing a pronounced degree of manufactured divisiveness in our world, of socially and politically sanctioned abuses directed not just at other people groups but at individuals within our own communities. The wars we tend to hear about are violent and overtly destructive though there are also plenty of social wars waged against innocent people that are covert in their tactics of subtle faction-forming and manipulation of minds through social propaganda.

All war—whether overt or covert—is fueled by a scarcity and competition-based world-view that is unsustainable and ultimately destructive. This discord-by-design and strategic targeting of select persons will not cease until we call them out for what they are and consciously choose to abide by higher values starting with our small communities. The choice is ours. If we are willing to course correct, we may avert greater destruction. If we are unwilling to course correct, the impending impact will be devastating.

No matter what we’re confronted with, if we are willing to embody the spirit and mindset of embracing—as opposed to pushing away, stuffing down, cutting down or fighting against—we’ll naturally attune ourselves to the opportunities inherent within every challenge. This does not mean we don’t call a thing what it is, it means that we choose to relate to it differently so it no longer represents a problem or threat. In this way, enemies become secret allies, obstacles become hidden opportunities and frustrations become whispered invitations into a new way of seeing and being.

May we embrace it all as conscious co-creators of a more ecologically and socially sustainable world.

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

Find the full issue 9: Embrace for Impact newsletter here.

issue 8: Mní wičhóni, Water is Life

She is mysterious and magical, powerful and paradoxical, she defies our understanding of what is possible, she has the power to heal and to harm, sustain and destroy life, smooth over jagged boulders or split them apart, raze or raise up whole communities and civilizations…

Water, in all she is capable of and in all she represents, is the very essence of life.

I refer to Water in the feminine because this is how I know her. To regard and relate to Water in this way acknowledges her beingness and expresses the qualities of her feminine essence which flows through all biological life regardless of gender. She is our first home, protector and sustainer of life throughout the term of our gestation. In this way, she is Mother to all. She is the lifeblood of Mother Earth and courses through all our Earthborn bodies in much the same way which makes her the Great Unifier among all humans along with a vastly diverse array of life forms we may refer to as “relatives” because of our common Mother.

From her integral role in all biological processes to her ability to heal (I personally experienced a miraculous healing in the sacred Taos Blue Lake “Ba Whyea” waters), communicate, “remember” and store information (Dr. Rustum Roy calls water “the world's most malleable computer”), Water seems to embody something far more mysterious and transcendent than we may ever know through our sciences alone. There is so much about Water that mystifies the logical mind and even challenges the laws of physics it would seem that Water, by her very nature, is much like the White Rabbit archetype inviting us to follow her into the Great Mystery beyond. As curious minds and open hearts dive deeper into the Great Mystery of Water and her role as the essence of Life itself, profound insights into the fuller nature of the phenomenal world we live in and ourselves as biological, emotional and spiritual beings are offered up from the abyss.

Mní wičhóni is a Lakota Sioux expression which literally translates to “Water is Life”. The phrase along with the fundamental ideas, principles and values behind it had become a unifying rally cry for a diverse community of water protectors and water rights defenders across tribal, national, political and cultural lines in the Standing Rock movement. While the fight over Water can divide, the fight for Water and those who depend upon her can be a most unifying force for community empowerment.

The Standing Rock* movement represents not only a coming together of fundamental values and concerns among a diverse peoples, it served also as a powerful demonstration of unification against a common threat. Many emboldened people across this continent and beyond chose to make the journey, put their lives on hold and even on the line to stand up to a fundamental threat to the fundamental rights of a people most had no personal ties to though felt bound to as fellow humans and called to defend.

What exactly is this common threat the people of Standing Rock peacefully though not passively faced down? This threat represents an all-too-long-enduring mentality in our world that has led to the destruction and degradation of many lands, communities, traditional cultures and human values everywhere. The insatiable monster that primarily serves the wants and agendas of the self and a few entitled individuals over the wellbeing of the collective is not just an isolated threat, of course. The very spirit of this threat is timeless and ever-looming, it relies on our passive complicity, our complacency, compassion fatigue and general ignorance—innocent or willful—to allow and support its aims. What the people of Standing Rock and what we all must join and stand firm in resisting is not just an isolated threat nor singular issue, but one that affects us all as the children of Water and will continue to do so until we say with our words and actions No more.

In this week’s issue I intend not only to convey the essence of Water—her intelligence, nurturing and healing capacities, her power to unite and transform…—I wish also to highlight the essence of the Standing Rock movement—what it stood for and against, how it was organized and executed, how it embraced diversity and confronted prejudice, how they navigated legalities and organized strategically…—as examples to appreciate, educate and emulate ourselves. By viewing both as teachers and receiving what both have to show us from a place of openness and respect, their wisdom may inform and support us here with our efforts in the Greater World in our defense of water rights and honoring of agreements.

On behalf of myself and Water, I hope you will accept the invitation to dive deep, discover the essence of what you most value and feel yourself emboldened to rise up in unification with others to defend and preserve that which we cherish and rely upon for life.

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

*Standing Rock is both the name of the movement and the name of the Lakota Sioux reservation. The lives and future lives of the people of Standing Rock were under threat and they, along with thousands more, responded by rising strong, firm and unified like a standing rock. Because I so appreciate the genius of Creator, I find this coincidence to be no accident. Along the same lines, I wonder often what the name of our own “Greater World” community is inviting us into here and in what ways we might rise to the occasion together?

Find the full issue 8: Mní wičhóni, Water is Life newsletter here.

issue 7: Neurodiversity is our Superpower 🌈

Knock, knock. Who’s there? Orange. Orange Hue? Noooo, Orange you glad we’re not all the same? 🤓

I couldn’t resist a bit of goofy neurodivergent humor to introduce this week’s topic of exploration. Neurodivergent humor expresses a particular style that reflects how the brain processes information and thus how the mind experiences and interprets the world. Appreciating our diverse humor styles can provide an entry point to better understanding the minds of those who may seem so different from the norm as to be undervalued and misunderstood. Most importantly, sharing a good laugh together can bring levity to any situation and humor is among the best medicines for easing the pain of simply being hue-man, whatever your cognitive color of the rainbow.

In addition to humor, there are many diverse forms of creative expression we (those of the “neurodivergent” ilk) use to bridge the chasms between the neurotypical and neurodivergent worlds while transmuting our very real struggles and challenges into gifts for all. While our ways of viewing and relating to the world may often seem ‘weird’, ‘off’, ‘intense’ or ‘crazy’ to the neurotypical way or perceiving, our different though equally valid perceptions and experiences of the world can serve to shake up the rigidity of a consensus reality which, sorry to break it to you, seems pretty darn crazy to us.

Part of what informs our unique perceptions is the tendency of the neurodivergent mind to occupy a liminal space between worlds. The capacity to act as a bridge of sorts can serve as an asset to communities and to the world at large. Just as traditional shaman would receive wisdom, knowledge and foresight through visions, dreams and “spiritual sight'“, many great minds in various fields of art, music, science, medicine and mathematics do the much the same. These abilities transcend the limits of the normal human sensory perception while indicating what any human mind is potentially capable of. In this way, the liminal mind brings not only gifts of special insight but helps to expand the awareness of those who’ve known only the confines of consensus reality.

In the exploration to follow I touch on various aspects and expressions of neurodivergence such as ADHD, autism, Tourette’s and schizophrenia. I’ve also scattered easter eggs about to demonstrate how a neurodivergent mind like my own makes seemingly disparate connections to tell a bigger and more interrelated story. See where you pick up on the interwoven connections for yourself!

This is the first of a series of posts I’m calling “All our Hue-man Colors” intended to express and invite appreciation for our diversity as well as honor the often marginalized and misjudged among us who are veritable treasure troves of insight, wisdom and creativity just waiting to be tapped. When a community actively fosters the unique contributions of a neurodiverse population—and our hue-man diversity in general—a great boon is assured, like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

P.S. This weeks newsletter is quite rich, a lot to take in, I know, though please don’t miss the neighbor interview at the end! Enjoy.

Find the full issue 7: Neurodiversity is our Superpower newsletter here.

issue 6: We Are Made of Earth

We are made of Earth. At least, this is what every creation story of every religious and philosophical tradition would suggest. Could it be so? It certainly compels many in the creative acts we carry forth as those beings “made in the image of god”.

Earth, deified as Mother Nature, is the physical embodiment of a feminine Creative Source we call “matter”. In Sanskrit (the oldest continuous language tradition that still survives), Mother Earth is represented as माता प्रकृति or mata prakruti. Again, the we find root form of “matter” in “mata”.

Or is it, we were made in earth? That is equally plausible and valid as researchers are now finding the conditions and minerals specific to clay play a crucial role in facilitating the formation of RNA which is foundational to the formation and maintenance of all biological life.

According to a short post in The Harvard Gazette, researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital showed that the presence of clay aids naturally occurring reactions that result in the formation of fatty sacks called vesicles, similar to what scientists expect the first living cells to have looked like. Further, the clay helps RNA form. The RNA can stick to the clay and move with it into the vesicles. This provides a method for RNA’s critical genetic information to move inside a primitive cell.

By all evidence, it would seem we really are made of and in Earth. Wow! Could it be that our ancient myths are just encrypted wisdom after all?

My exploration this week delves into the mythical, magical and miraculous relationship we have with our Earth as a source of life itself. Specifically, how does utilizing earth with water producing clay allow us to create as visionaries, inspire others through these works and also heal? I hope you enjoy this journey as much as I have!

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

P.S. Don’t miss the New Neighbor introduction at the end!

Find the full issue 6: We are made of Earth newsletter here.

issue 5: Revolution and Rebellion

In the spirit of our recent Independence Day celebration, I was inspired to highlight some stories of purposeful rebellion and revolution brought on by a minority few. These are stories about …

• the challenges of unifying different if not also combatting tribes or people of vastly diverse backgrounds against a common oppressor.

• common people assuming the mantle of warrior (often alongside their day jobs) to preserve their basic human right to freedom—for themselves, their communities and for those yet to come.

• the complexity of revolution and those who lead such acts of defiance.

• the very real torment (by their oppressors) and often abandonment (by their own people whom they’re trying to help) the few who do stand firmly in defiance against tyrants are likely to endure.

• embracing cultural traditions and the best of what came before within a community while also acting in defiance of outmoded and repressive ways to forge a much needed, healthy and lasting change moving forward.

• using music as medicine to mend the soul and give voice to the horrors witnessed by battle weary soldiers.

These are not just stories of bygone times and peoples far removed from us, these themes are equally present for us here and now. The issues of oppression and tyranny—though more often subtle and covert—are right at our doorstep. If we are willing to sincerely reflect on the stories of others triumphing over tyranny and oppression in such a way that we can see our own stories reflected back, we stand to learn a great deal about ourselves and how the roles we choose to play, especially at this very opportune time, will shape the future realities we and others to come will experience.

When we think of rebellion, resistance, defiance and what it means to be a warrior, these terms are often conflated with acts of aggression though that need not be and so rarely is the case. Our very community and the homes we live in were built on creative acts of rebellion, resistance, defiance and “earth warrior(ship)” in some form or another. Rather than rail against the failures of an established and inflexible system, Michael Reynolds chose to just do his own thing in accordance with his vision as it compelled him. What he created was eventually embraced by the very system that initially tried to thwart it. A legitimate value, practicality and beauty was eventually seen in Reynolds’s nutty vision of turning garbage into homes.

This is an apt reminder to us that we can do the same and particularly in situation in which we find ourselves not just personally compelled but morally obliged to respond. When any system proves to be corrupt or oppressive, fails to serve our needs for safety and autonomy, fails to act with integrity or fails to respect our basic human sovereignty, we are called to respond in creatively defiant ways as warriors not for our own personal agendas but for the highest values Truth, Beauty and Goodness. When I close my letters this way, it is not mere fluff but a warrior’s declaration of commitment.

And with that…

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

Find the full issue 5: Revolution and Rebellion newsletter here.

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 nagging issue, a subtle tugging or a persistent dream or vision that occupies our attention; a cry can be far bigger to get our attention, like a devastating 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

Find the full issue 4: Kinship with Nature newsletter here.

issue 3: Facing the Storm

We, as a humanity and planet, are currently experiencing quite a unique time in our collective story—one that is both frightening as it is hopeful. Joanna Macy and others have been calling this now very present shift The Great Turning.

I liken this time to a powerful maelstrom that sucks all within reach into its wide open spinning vortex. With nearly the entire world experiencing the effects of war, environmental, social, governmental and economic collapse… few if any of us are left untouched in some way. It may seem bleak from our limited vantage point, but what if that vortex we’re being pulled into, in a metaphorical sense, is a portal into a new future? It’s scary as hell feeling ourselves drawn into the wide gaping mouth of the unknown, though could there exist not a terrible fate but a truly wonderful world on the other side? A world in which all of our collective hopes, dreams and ideals along with hibernating technologies and great wisdom teachings of our past, like treasures buried long ago awaiting rediscovery, being held for us, quietly awaiting our much anticipated arrival.

In this issue, I want to acknowledge the very real changes and dangers at our doorstep while offering some traditional wisdom to help us navigate the maelstrom with a level head and some confidence that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak, a tranquil fresh calm and a luminous rainbow awaiting us in the wake of the storm and we do possess the wisdom and support of others to see our way through.

We might regard this wild time as a birthing process, the necessary squeezing and pressure we must experience as we enter the frightening and often painful journey through the birth canal. The water has broken, the old world we were accustomed to can no longer be sustained as it was and so now we must bravely enter the new world as a new kind of human.

Embracing this time of uncertainty as a great birthing process in which we are both being reborn and midwifing our rebirth together is most hopeful and inspiring to me. It’s with a curious mind, a courageous heart and adventurous spirit that I choose to proceed since I know and deeply feel what is at our doorstep as a humanity is an invitation into something far greater. It is an invitation to the collective and to each one of us as individuals, a cryptic mystery for us to unravel, a great treasure hunt calling us into the wild unknown, one more bold step into the greatest of all mysteries, the vast and all-encompassing Great Mystery—how exciting!

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

Find the full issue 3: Facing the Storm newsletter here.

issue 2: Wander, Wonderment and (re)Wilding

How do you refresh, replenish and reconnect with nature and your own true nature? For myself, I must have my early morning walk and talk with Spirit to feel myself on firm footing through the day. I hike a trail in the canyon or mountains nearby and have a soak in the living waters of the river or stream which have been immensely healing and renewing for me. This is my sacred daily medicine.

This morning while at the river I asked what Spirit would like to share with us all today in this week’s Community Garden offering. In immediate response, up popped a juvenile river otter, swirling, twirling and sort of bark/chirping right before me. The message was pretty clear that we could use his good medicine of uninhibited playfulness. He seemed to be inviting me into it with his beckoning barks. Otters are extremely intelligent, exceptionally curious, amazingly inventive, endlessly playful, highly adaptive and deeply community-oriented. They love to share and play with one another; there is no sense of competition between them; they hold hands when sleeping on the water to keep from drifting away; they navigate obstacles with a deft ease; they use sticks and stones as tools for hunting prey hiding amidst rocks and tools of grasses and shaped stones for their grooming; their sleek hybrid bodies with strong legs and webbed feet make them agile on both land and in water—a creature of two worlds.

So today, guided by Otter’s wisdom and good medicine, I offer a few pieces on self-care, therapeutic wandering, nature’s demonstrations of reciprocity as a model for us to follow and the power of rewilding both ourselves and our animal kin.

I invite us all to seek and make time for our own good medicine, whatever it is. We are humbly and magnificently human—a bit flawed, a bit complicate and worthy of adoration for simply being as we are. Acceptance comes from realigning with Nature, with our own true nature and reminding ourselves that we are creatures of this Great Earth. Our bodies, minds and spirits will always find healing, nurturing, renewal and good company with the Great Mother when we seek it.

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

Find the full issue 2: Wander, Wonderment and (re)Wilding newsletter here.

issue 1: Harmony

Welcome to the first issue of The Community Garden newsletter! The general theme for this week’s assortment is “Harmony”.

We experience musical harmony when different instruments play or different voices sing different notes simultaneously, but in a way that sounds both pleasing and integrated.

As a group of distinct individuals emitting different frequencies through our unique beingness, we can experience a kind of ‘pleasing integration of different notes’ or harmony in community. What we inevitably produce together, when relating to one another in harmonic resonance, is not only pleasing but powerful as we together become far greater than the sum of each part.

Harmony is based in unity and connectedness and is life-supporting in nature. In contrast, discord is destructive, corrosive and generally antithetical to life. Wherever we experience harmony and balance among a diverse array of elements—whether in nature, art or music—we experience an uplifting feeling from the quality of life infused within. Conversely, discordant sounds have a generally aggravating and life-depleting effect. In this way, we can sense how very connected we all are and how responsive we are—even if unconsciously—to the influences around us. There is no part of the whole that does not suffer for the suffering in the world or benefit from the goodness being offered.

We must remember that we are co-creators and collaborators in this magnificent Earth orchestra. If we are passive in our role, our vibration will adjust in sympathetic resonance to match the dominant vibration of any situation. When the dominant vibration of a situation is sliding more and more into the realm of discord and chaos, it is imperative that we consciously and actively resist the decline by engaging our ability to uplift and raise the frequency in ways that are true to our most authentic selves.

This is why I encourage all who are a part of our great community to make a contribution to the whole by offering your own unique piece, playing your own distinct and valuable part in the Greater World Harmonic. We, as the aptly named Greater World community, represent a microcosm of the greater world at large and, as such, I suspect whatever we do here to elevate our experience of connectedness is particularly felt in the world beyond our bubble. What we offer need not be demonstrative to be felt. Simply being and living from a higher frequency makes a valuable contribution to anchoring the light.

This newsletter is an invitation to actively engage in a positive, productive and collaborative way as you feel inspired. The intention behind this weekly ‘love letter to the community’ is to do my small part in raising the frequency of our Greater World Harmonic by infusing the culture of our community with a bit of inspiring and uplifting content for consideration, a sort of weekly recalibration or mindful fine tuning as it were.

May you feel uplifted and inspired today by the exquisite orchestra of sounds, breathtaking beauty and dance of diversity all around us, playing together in harmonic resonance.

In Truth, Beauty and Goodness,

B. Monique

Find the full issue 1: Harmony newsletter here.