There is something romantic and melancholy about the Earth Mother closing out the heat of summer and preparing herself for the cold winter’s embrace. We instinctively feel the shift and are compelled to engage with the natural world, seeking to bask in the cascades of warm yellows, reds, and oranges in the trees and almost methodically find our way to apple orchards, pumpkin patches, and forests to take in the beauty and bounty of the season.
Posts filed under Nature
Leonids: Worth a Look
Last April’s total eclipse had many of us looking to the southern sky at that rare astronomical phenomenon. The following month, some of us in Southeast Michigan were out on our porches or in our yards late at night looking in the opposite direction, hoping to get a rare glimpse of the Northern Lights. This fall, we may have another opportunity to witness a celestial display—the Leonids. Each November, the night sky lights up with a meteor shower as the earth passes close to the Tempel-Tuttle comet’s orbit.
Handcrafting~ Autumn Wild Crafting
Autumn is the season of bounty, and it’s so easy to end up coming home after a wander into the natural spaces around us with pocket loads of natural treasures. Why not engage in some creative crafting with your harvest? Here are a few of my favorite autumn wild crafts to make the most of your gathering.
Goddess of Borderland, Mistress of Crossroads--Pokeweed-Hekate
Having watched the moon set with the sun’s rising, the ancient lunar goddess Hekate is on my mind. And near the Huron river path this morning, a pokeweed plant reaches upward offering a message and posing a hieroglyphic sign as she raises her arms in slender scarlet sleeves. Fresh green pendants nestle beside fully ripe ink-purple fruit on her supple limbs where she drapes luxurious flowing tresses, trailing glossy clusters from slender stems. Wildly flowering, the goddess and plant step from forest edge as one to emerge into the waking world. Hekate dances within her chosen ally pokeweed, just as ancient Greeks thought nymphs ensouled their trees in mutual lifelong union.
Kids in the Community: Science for Kids
Imagine a world where your children are captivated by bubbling potions, erupting volcanoes, and soaring rockets. In this magical realm, adventure awaits. From makeshift kitchen laboratories and hands-on classes to information-packed books, parents can ignite the spark or fuel the burning passion for science with various engaging and immersive activities—some at home, some in person. Unlocking the magic of science begins with nurturing your child’s natural curiosity. Observe what they're interested in and use it to pave the way for exciting career paths in the future.
Holler Fest: A Happy, Hoppin' Place
Ann Arbor does summer well. This town comes alive with outdoor music from June to September, but each summer the local musicians and music lovers know that to wind-up the summer, Holler Fest is the place to be.
Weedy Wisdom for the Curious Forager: Common Wild Plants to Nourish Your Body & Soul by Rebecca Randall Gilbert
Weedy Wisdom for the Curious Forager is a delightful exploration into the world of foraging, offering readers a unique and insightful perspective on the often-overlooked treasures found in nature’s backyard. Authored by Rebecca Randall Gilbert, the book is a comprehensive guide that helps beginner and advanced foragers embrace the bounty of wild plants and discover the hidden gems under their noses.
Sustainable Health-- Take a Mindful Hike
Are you looking for easy ways to unwind and relax even the middle of your busy days? Do you find yourself feeling worried about yet another disheartening news cycle or overwhelmed with work or personal stress, and yet uncertain about how you will find the peace and calm you long for?
A Lament for Winter
On a recent morning, the sun rose just above the horizon, shooting spires of light through the trees and tinting the snow-covered ground orange. My exhalations froze in plumes as I walked our dog—or he walked me—amid the trees that cover most of our backyard.
The Quartz Crystals in Our Lives — Necessity, Healing, and Magic
For as long as I can remember I have had a fascination with quartz crystals. They call to my heart and sing to my soul. I have them in most every room of my home. As a spiritual person, I believe in the metaphysical and healing use of crystals of all varieties. My favorite crystal is clear quartz. I love the beauty and clarity of these faceted wonders of nature.
Astrologically Speaking-- Our Luminaries: The Sun & The Moon
Of all the lights in the sky, there are two that shine brightest—the sun and the moon. These two “luminaries” as they are called, illuminate our world more than any other celestial body, both literally and personally. Astrologically, they are also the two biggest influences.
Know the World, Know Thy Self: Art Reveals All
Benjamin Joseph Suydam isn’t the typical hawker, wheeler and dealer. At festivals, he hangs back unobtrusively — approaching only when the looker is intrigued with a specific work. (Having seen his booth at various fairs, I can attest that something inevitably catches the eye and draws you in for a closer look. It’s then you find your spirit subconsciously crooning in recognition of kinship to a particular print or painting’s motif.)
Hedgewitching
In high school, I’d been set free to take French classes at the university. Waiting in the library to be picked up, I wandered and read. On a physical level I was hungry for more than stories. I didn’t eat much breakfast and found the atmosphere at school non-conducive to lunch. Like many students locked into what seemed an alien rhythm, I existed in a tattered state.
Quietly Noticing
I stood about twenty feet away from my two-year-old waiting to push her on a swing or do a count down while she hyped herself up to glide down a slide. I had just gotten done with a three-mile run with her in a stroller at the loop at Hudson Mills. The only way we get through these runs is a lot of snacks and the promise of playground time, and I was ready for the playground time. To me, playground time is a time that I don’t have to keep my brain on high alert. Rinoa would play and I would catch my breath and not have to figure out how to run, push, grab, and unwrap a snack all at once as I had been doing for thirty minutes prior.
A Walk in North Bay Park in Ypsilanti
I stood near the entrance to a boardwalk watching an egret do very little. It was nearly motionless amid a cluster of pond lilies that covered the water’s surface. Its shape—long, slender neck, bulbous body—reminded me of the glass beakers we used to mix potions in high school chemistry, it’s white plumage radiant in the afternoon sun.
Gateway Farm: Growing with Permaculture
The mid-January day I visited Gateway Farm in Plymouth was breezy, and the temperature was in the low thirties with faint flurries falling. At the farm’s small, dirt parking lot off Joy Road, I met Bridget O’Brien who, along with her husband Dr. Charlie Brennan, is the farm’s co-director. After we greeted each other, I said, “Not the best time of the year for me to see the farm, I guess.” “It’ll be okay,” she replied cheerfully. “We’ll be able to see everything because there’s no snow on the ground. Plus,” she added, “The sorrel is still green.”
Tying the Knot in Nature
Infusing a wedding with nature adds a sense of lighthearted whimsy and charm through elements such as fresh air, natural lighting, vibrant flowers, and wildlife. Several local venues bring the ceremony to nature's doorstep by offering outdoor ceremony sites, while others bring nature indoors. Some Crazy Wisdom favorites include botanical gardens, riverside views, sprawling fields, and vineyards. Each of the following venues is unique, but all of them offer nature's aesthetic beauty and are perfect options for a nature-inspired wedding.
Learning From Our Year Round Birds
Whether you enjoy watching birds flit about casually, are a dedicated birder, or keep a bird feeder going, it is likely some of our beautiful year-round birds have caught your eye on more than one occasion. For centuries, humans have observed birds for signs and omens (called augury or ornithomancy) as well as told stories illuminating the lessons birds carry. Birds have a wealth of wisdom to share with us, and this article highlights several of our year-round winged teachers who can be called on at any time in our hearts and, with some bribing, in our yards. These Michigan loyalists are the Black-Capped Chickadee, the Blue Jay, and the Northern Cardinal.
Peace, Love, and Cows
There is a feeling of peace in the cowbarns at Goloka Eco Experience in Maybee, Michigan. The farm air feels crisp as it enters the lungs—unequivocally more clear than city air. In this moment, the gentle thud of a heartbeat or thwap of a tail against the ground is one’s only soundtrack against the world. Soft, big brown eyes peer out from underneath impossibly-long eyelashes, begging for pats on the head or scratches at the nape of the neck. Goloka Eco hosts an experience one simply cannot find among the hustle and bustle of regular everyday life--an invitation to be present. To come sit. To forget about time for a while. To cuddle a cow, as volunteer Karunasindhu Nitai Gaura Dasa says, is to form a “meaningful relationship.”
A Good Crop of Mental Health: A Conversation about Animal Assisted Therapy with Laura Sanders
Laura Sanders, LMSW, ACSW, has been practicing in the Ann Arbor area for 34 years and has been teaching as an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work for 26 years. Her approach to therapy utilizes a wide variety of evidence-based and creative therapies, including trauma recovery methods, art and play therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and relational approaches through Animal Assisted Therapy.
