Goddesses and gods. Fairies and ghosts. Magic spells and hexes. Dragons and griffons and mermaids. Epic. Mythic. Heroic. Awesome. Well of course they are. We are story-telling creatures, and who doesn’t love a good story? If these were pedestrian tales, and boring, why would we listen to them? Why would we long for them to … Continue reading Settling for the Awesome Universe
Read moreConfessions of an Obligate Psychonaut
I’m a psychedelic survivor. No, wait. I said that incorrectly. I have survived because of psychedelics. There, that’s better. Now, people have varying opinions about this class of drug…and all drugs which are used by some for fun and recreation. This is a big subject, and I hope to unpack it, but let me disclose … Continue reading Confessions of an Obligate Psychonaut
Read moreWhat if..?
What if we lived in a world that respected knowledge and expertise? That embraced kindness and compassion as the most important human qualities? The culture of which ensured that every mouthful of food, every day of living was acknowledged as a gift of the Sacred Earth? That saw poetry, art, music, rituals, happiness as every … Continue reading What if..?
Read moreEarth Day, and Happy Silence
Since the beginning of the shelter-in-place order in response to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been utterly gorgeous here. The skies are clear and the green mountains stand out crisply. The mustard is golden in the vineyards, and the forests are growing bright new leaves. The silence broken only by birds’ calls, the scant traffic … Continue reading Earth Day, and Happy Silence
Read moreBeyond the Walls: Reflections
So it’s been a month now since the shelter-in-place orders and the dawning realization of just how serious this pandemic really is. I feel grateful that this disease hasn’t touched my life yet. But I recognize that it is only a matter of time. I’m starting to see signs of real cabin fever in friends’ … Continue reading Beyond the Walls: Reflections
Read moreMostly Russian River
What I am made of lifted as fog from redwood trees to drip across bay leaves down to Lake Sonoma. It seeped through oaks’ roots and fossil limestone and chanterelle mycelia and vernal wetlands to creeks where egrets and ospreys hunt, where steelhead and coho salmon struggle their way to spawn, and bears yet roam. … Continue reading Mostly Russian River
Read moreThe Secrets, Pt. II: Ritual and Observance
I’ve been thinking more about the idea behind this post. Had a good comment exchange with Yvonne Aburrow about the concept of a day when we can share our deepest and most shameful secrets. She agrees that it could be really beneficial for many; an opportunity for the kind of “absolution” that Catholics, for example, … Continue reading The Secrets, Pt. II: Ritual and Observance
Read moreThe Secrets
What if we could speak the unspeakable, shameful secrets, just for one day? What if we could say, I have come to hate my child, or I make my money illegally, or I like rough sex, or I am impotent or I am using heroin or I am a compulsive shoplifter or once, I hit … Continue reading The Secrets
Read moreAt the Mercy of the Elements
So here it is again: evacuation in the face of wind-driven wildfires. Second time in two years. Climate change is real, y’all. More severe winds, higher temperatures leading to lower humidity: boom. Fire. It disturbs me how little the subject comes up as the whole community freaks out over the fires. This is not a … Continue reading At the Mercy of the Elements
Read moreThings End
I’m in an odd space right now. On the one hand, excitement about The Book and the newness of all the Author Stuff like promoting it, doing interviews, etc. is really thrilling. But on the other, beloved things are coming to an end, and I’m sad about that. Pantheacon, which has been the largest gathering … Continue reading Things End
Read more