Rest and Recovery

Ghost Ranch, New Mexico

At this time when we are "plugged in" and expected to be connected 24/7, "rest and recovery" is essential to every one of us humans inhabiting Mother Earth. I was reminded, when reading Lynette Sheppard's latest blog post, how much benefit is reaped when one rests. She mentions a book, Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest by Wayne Muller. Both Dwight and I read this book when it first came out and it was one of the books culled from our library when we uprooted and rerooted. Since I have been experiencing exhaustion and mild symptoms similar to those of my midlife, I decided to check the book out of our local library. 

In gratitude, Lynette, for your poignant post updating your Sabbatical journey.

Since our relocation I have found myself using my old patten of "adrenalin junky" to complete the myriad of "nesting" tasks I think are so important. Even as I have now spent 75 years on this planet, I often lose sight of the essential-ness of "rest and recovery." I practice meditating and qi gong some three hours each morning. This is grounding and provides time and space for connection with my luminous Self. However, with filling up almost every other minute of the day with hurriedness to accomplish tasks, this connection is difficult to maintain or is actually ruptured.

I believe my pushing myself way beyond reasonableness is in direct correlation to my awareness of the effects of the self centeredness, aka entitlement, of humans. In my lucid moments I feel enormous grief of all that is being destroyed. And I find it difficult to bring into focus the remaining beauty, especially here in the High Desert, where the starkness is evident. But the beauty is here as shown in the picture below of a blooming Hedgehog cactus thriving in a large boulder's small indentation. 

This off kilterness brought on by busyness blocks access to stillness and BEing.  When engulfed in panic about the reality that the brink of The Sixth Extinction is rapidly approaching, finding a path to "right action" can be discovered with rest and recovery. Stopping constant frenetic behavior affords great relief and opens so many possibilities as the movie Tomorrow shows. 

Pam Huston, in her most recent book Deep Creek, which I highly recommend, addresses this:

"For the rest of my own life,

I want to live simultaneously inside the wonder

and the grief without having 

to diminish one to accommodate the other.

I want to be honest with myself about the condition,

but also

to love the damaged world

and do what I can to help it thrive."

She also writes about her realization that each of us humans, individually and collectively, have brought about the rapidly approaching apocalyptic event. We humans have about 20 years to radically change our human way of life here on Mother Earth as Greta Thunberg, the sixteen year old Swedish activist, so clearly and eloquently states. She has been admonished for her statement: 

"I don't want your hope. I want you to panic."

Acting out the panic with busyness does not eliminate the panic about the state on Mother Earth nor the grief about the enormous loss of species other than the human animal. This busyness only leads to physical exhaustion which can lead to just plain giving up, a state that some choose to just check out either by "self medicating" or even suicide. However, resting to access ones essential Self where Tao, or for others the Divine, resides can provide the strength to live in this chaos we humans have created.  In the stillness of resting, buoyancy is felt in every cell of one's physical body AND throughout one's etheric field as well.

I also find that my panic and grief are discharged with a good belly

Balance and Beltane

Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)
thriving here at  6790' MuRefuge

EarthSpirit Community marks Beltane as a "Solar Holiday" occurring at 3:02 p.m. on May 5.


Beltane is most commonly held on May first or about halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. 

In Celtic tradition Beltane, also called May Day, was celebrated on May 1. It makes the zenith of Spring and the beginning of Summer. At this time Mother Earth's energy is strongest and most active. Thus, Beltane was viewed as a Fire Festival as the word 'Beltane' originates from the Celtic God 'Bel', meaning 'the bright one' and the Gaelic word 'teine' meaning fire. Bonfires were traditional and were lit to honor the Sun whose light supported future crops and the harvest as well as being viewed to protect the community.

Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
also thriving here at  6790' MuRefuge

On Beltane with an enormous burst of energy available to each of us, balance is a challenge. If we are awake then we are able to celebrate yang qi, abundant and so readily available presently, and draw upon yin qi deep within to BE in balance. 

“BEing, not doing, is my first job.”

by Theodore Roethke

The figure below perfectly depicts this awakened state of BEing often hidden but available to each of us if we are able to step out of our habitual, aka asleep, way.

The above sculpture is Rose B. Simpsons creation.
She was born in 1983 and raised in 
an Arts and Permaculture environment 
at Santa Clara Pueblo, NM.
She currently has a year long installation at

Wheelwright Museum Santa Fe, NM.
which I highly recommend.

As each of us celebrate and balance, may we also

Outing

Recently on a sunny, warm and not windy Spring morning we had an outing to Cerrillos Hills State Park. We learned about the history of this place. And we read on infomative boards about the 1950's drought that plagued this area. Huge Pinon Pine skeltons remain for viewing as remnants of no water. The information related the depth of the roots of the Pinion Pine (Pinus edulis), markedly shallower by a 100' or more than the One Seed Juniper (Juniperus monosperma). The two trees used to compose the backbone of the area.  Now however, there are mostly only juniper trees.

The park much like all the surrounding area is a One Seed Juniper-Pinon Pine forest. However in select areas Scrub Live Oak thrive as well. We found that these oaks were just beginning to leaf out as shown in the picture below. 

With all the rains this Winter (the drought has been pretty much eradicated in most of New Mexico now) we were treated to a number of early Spring flowers. Most of these are new to us. Below are some of the pictures for your enjoyment.

Sierra Blance Bladderpod (Lesquerella pinetorum)

Beakpod or Specklepod Milkvetch (Astragalus lentiginosus)

Foothills Paintbrush (Castilleja integra)

Yellow Blanket Flower (Gaillardia pinnatifida)

Silky or Nuttall's Sophora (Sophora nuttalliana)

Prickly Pear have been one of my favorite plants every since I saw my first one when I moved to El Paso, Texas, in the mid1960's. I planted several at MuRefuge and they grew to be humongous. They outgrew their space and all were removed. Here in the high desert Prickly Pear are much more modest in size but with much longer spines as the picture below illustrates.

Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia phaeacantha) with Grama Grass

As we ate our picnic lunch beneath the shade of a small grove of nonnative Siberian Elm trees we enjoyed a