We are as much a part of nature as a Ponderosa pine tree. There are times in each of our lives when we find ourselves standing in the West. Now, at this time in history, an entire culture stands in the West on the black quadrant of the Sacred Circle. If we are wise, we can face the grief and the tragedy of the burn -- the words we used without understanding their meaning, the things we've done without realizing what the consequences would be -- and we can let the old ways die. We can stop, reflect, and germinate the seeds of wisdom that lie dormant within us. Then in the fullness of time and the Circle, we can give birth to a culture as new and as beautiful as a bright-feathered young Firebird.
Or we can miss this chance for rebirth forever -- for the forests, for the Land, for this culture, for ourselves. If we do, the story will come to an end for us all. For make no mistake: the Land is burning because it can no longer live as it is.
Firefighters put out the fire that burned Sowbelly in 2006. But the Land is still burning, underground -- in Sowbelly Canyon and all over the world. The trees hold hands through their roots in the darkness of Earth that is deeper than soil, deeper than human culture, old enough to be thick with dust but every bit as young and as hot as red-streaming lava. And the fires burn from one place to the other, tree to tree, stone to stone through the dark there. For Creation's living spirit burns in the roots of the very Land itself in these times, through its seas and its rivers, through the living and connected roots of its creatures -- plant, animal, micro-organism, and fungus -- and through the hearts and souls of the Indigenous Peoples who have never abandoned it.
NOTE: Dr. Adrian's continuing work concerning the wildfire in Sowbelly Canyon is made possible by generous donations from supporters like you. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today so that Tapestry can continue its important work of reconnecting people with nature. Thank you for your support!
