Late Summer Stick (and Puppy!) Magic Hello Reader Whoa! Well, it's been a few weeks. An interruption longer than I'd anticipated. But, for good cause. We've added a puppy to our home, which involved travel and "puppy magic fog." And, I was in Maine for a week to complete my certification process with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. How about you? As the last days of summer wash over us, what are you hoping to enjoy, and how are you resting in the bounty of summer? On the...
8 days ago • 4 min read
Sunflower Komorebi Hello Reader On the cusp of August, and back from a week at summer camp, I find myself in that calm-state-before-autumn. I glance at the calendar, and I do see how few weeks remain. Yet somehow rather than feel frenzied about the pace of it all, I surrender to a deep enjoyment about how much I just won't get done this summer. If you're able to indulge it, it's a form of giving up I highly recommend. But that could be me being on the verge of 54, where none of the categories...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Call & Response With Nature Eastern Oregon cloud magic show Hello Reader You may have notice in the summer I enjoy a different cadence with these inbox offerings--every other week is about what feels right. The energy and pace of summer season can feel big, and fast. So I'm trying to build in slowness, and letting go. How about you? How do you like to make adjustments in the summer? Below I'll suggest a few ways you can play with the summer rhythm that feels right for you. Cheers, Jennifer...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Get Simpler, Get Wilder old growth tree elder/eldress Hello Reader I'm settling back into shrub-steppe desert life after a wondrous week near Mt. Rainier for my ordination process with Seminary of the Wild. (Photo proof from our outdoor ceremony below!) Being in the forest for five days really makes an impact on the body, the psyche, and the heart. I'm still processing the experience, and feel a renewed moxie about being of service to people who want to deepen their relationship with the...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Summer Motion, Summer Rest the tree that started it all Hello Reader I'm sending out a little pre-Summer Solstice greeting and nature touchpoint for you before I head to the mountains this week. Most of you may not know this, so I'll share here: I have my "ordination" this week for Seminary of the Wild, a two-year process I've been engaged in to become an eco-spiritual director/mentor. ["Director" is the classical term, but we often use "mentor" because director sounds a bit imperious.] If...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Landscape. Love. And You. Hello Reader How do specific places, and landscapes, form who we are? As in: How might our lives--our very bodies!---be mutually implicated in theirs? How might the places and lands we love show us how to love in the rest of life? As in: How do we move beyond beholding landscape, and visiting it, to receive how specific places can alter our actions within the lesser seen wrinkles of daily life? I've been thinking about these questions for a long time, and today I...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Be Befriended, Tree Edition Hello Reader As we head towards a long weekend, here in the U.S., this week's Ground Notes offers some reflection on nature companions, and a new mini-practice to try out. Plus: If you could check out my new video, and give it a viewing nudge, that would be great. Even if YouTube isn't your thing, I'm trying to develop introductions to nature exploration that I can share with partner organizations. It's an easy way to support my work, and, nature opportunities for...
4 months ago • 2 min read
What Delight Clears Your Mind? powerline peonies Hello Reader Here in the northern hemisphere we're in the heady apex of spring, that's cusping into early summer. If you can remedy for the pollen and wind, it's a stunning time of year to be alive. Let's explore the power and variety of nature delight this week, shall we? Cheers, Jennifer Founder, Ordinary Nature TABLE OF CONTENTS Weekly Reflection 🌱 Weekly Practice ✨ Upcoming Free Walks 👟🌿 Little Tender Things 🌸💚 Video Resources 🎥 ✨ tulip...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Emerge At The Pace of Nature poppy on the verge Hello Reader Welcome to new readers and nature explorers, many of whom I met this last weekend at a local event here in the Tri Cities. If you're new to my orientation to the world, welcome, and in case you haven't been told this recently: Rich silence and slow motion are great treasures to savor. Especially amidst the bustle and buzz of spring. Read on for our weekly reflection, practice, and tiny tender being. Cheers, Jennifer Founder,...
4 months ago • 2 min read
One Being Is Enough Hello Reader Wow, how is it May? Happy Beltane, a.k.a. May Day! A major Gaelic festival, Beltane signals the beginning of summer or the mid-point between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. We may think of the maypole dance as the quintessential symbol of May Day. But let's not forget the bonfire! Fire--as purifying and protective--is the element no Beltane celebration can do without. For myself, I've been feeling an ebb in my inner fire, after a couple weeks of colds, a...
4 months ago • 1 min read