All night I could not sleep because of the moonlight on my bed. I kept on hearing a voice calling: Out of Nowhere, Nothing answered "yes." ~attributed to the poetess Zi Ye sometime between 6th-3rd century BCE (transl. Arthur Waley) I will be offering a 2-year online Dharma program, starting in late April of this year--2019-2021. We will allow the teachings to emerge from the field of our practice, commitment, friendliness, and silence. Participants will take initiative

"Curls of Love and Interest," drawing by Jaya Wendell Berry grappling with ideas about food, sexuality, gender, community... decades ago through the Lindisfarme community. Thanks to Karen Tibboji for sending me the link to this treasure trove of audio, in response to my wondering aloud whether Berry knew how much his poetry resonates with Indian spiritual traditions. https://archive.org/details/WendellBerryG12 #WendellBerry #deepecology #ecology #Inspiringlinks #awakening

"A million invisible helping hands" Drawing by Jaya From Bilal Qureshi's story on National Public Radio in the US, about Guerra and Gallego's film Birds of Passage: Amidst huge changes freighting a culture never previously colonized in Colombia, South America... "...it is the women ... who sense that something is wrong. The Wayúu are a matrilineal society, and in dream sequences and natural omens, only the women foretell the impending chaos. "One of the key omens are the

Is it self-indulgent to commit to so-called inner work? Is it avoidance if we devote ourselves to so-called outer work? (Drawing by Jaya, Copyright Jaya Julienne Ashmore, 2019.) I've been hearing these questions frequently in recent weeks. In the face of ecological turbulence, for example, where do we reach for our response? What do we do and from where do we find a real willingness to be here and meet our situation fully? I'd like to share and get real with these and oth

"Community" Drawing by Jaya, February 2019 From the wonderful interview with Joanna Macy on the online "Power of Community" summit on through the eco-village network, the interviewer Kosha says~ "If I don't remember the 'original instructions,' and also my personal 'original instructions,' what am I here for at this time...? Community can be so helpful to remembering." You might still catch the chance to listen to the full interview for free today... https://summit.ecovill

Wendell Berry's words give us an understanding of why it is so hard to describe meditation ... "The mind that comes to rest is tended In some ways that it cannot intend Is born, preserved, and comprehended By what it cannot comprehend." ~ Wendell Berry, from 1979 in This Day The naturalness of deep rest meditation the deeper nature of resting. The resonance of generosity...the sheer ongoingness that giving is and does... Wendell Berry giving into his poems, along

"Many African-American midwives in rural southeastern US of the 20th-century were proud that they could'“plow like men, and pick cotton by moonlight.' They said they were uneducated but that midwifery put their 'big minds' to work." (pg. 63, Listen to Me Good, Margaret Charles Smith and Linda Holmes.) About 11 years ago, while pregnant, I wrote and article called "Call Me A Pregnant Woman" to bring up questions about midwifing big mind and birthing insight: "Gautama Buddha s

Trash dumpsters as planters that catch 2,000 gallons of runoff Micro-grids that are more resilient in emergencies--and maybe provide leadership away from making everything more and more big and centralized. Ecology, beauty, communication: life. Where a lot of people live. Healthy design trends that bring people-oriented "slow streets," relief from "sick building syndrome," "project sunroof," and "stairs of fabulousness." https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/urban-e

The last ice age lands 13 millimeters back...if the history of our earth is laid out along 100 meters. 1/5th of a millimeter "ago" we started burning coal. https://vimeo.com/236050600 #deepecology #nature