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“Water is the driving force of all nature."
Leonardo da Vinci
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Hello dear one,
Welcome to my favorite season of the year. After answered prayers of rain poured over the land here in the PNW, I'm happily rejoicing at the appearance of these early fall days. The air feels a bit more crisp, but the sun continues to shine warm, golden rays down onto my skin. And I can't help but notice the shift in my overall mood, that the emotional water table tends to be higher with the emergence of fall.
In observance of the Celtic Wheel of the Year, which steers my own journey around the sun each cycle, autumn is associated with the element of water. Fall is a time for reflection as we prepare to move through the darkest time of the year, where we are likely to dance with our demons and face the theme of loss and letting go in some way, even if just by the watching of leaves fall to their death as they blanket the earth.
I will be designing my October offerings to support you through this transition into darkness, by working with the Water spirit as our guide.
Slow flowing streams, rushing rivers, expansive oceans, still lakes, swampy ponds, a fresh rainfall...the imagery and inspiration are pouring through me with great excitement, and I look forward to paddling along this unfolding waterway in our communal canoe.
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As my focus shifts from foundation to water in my Virtual Studio offerings, I feel compelled to share a documentary I discovered after attending an Oregon Wild virtual webinar about the negative impacts of the 4 damns along the lower Snake River. A Healing Journey is a poignant storytelling of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) tribe restoring their lost tradition of canoe carving.
Water flows from my body, taking shape in tears of grievance and celebration. The loss of ancestral land, swallowed up by a river that is kept from flowing freely and in turn, severely impacting the salmon population that is incredibly important as sustenance, both physically and spiritually, for the Nimiipuu people. To hear the stories of great loss, to see how traditional life ways have been immensely compromised, to know that this is all too common among Native American communities - my heart grieves. To hear the emotion of hope behind a voice, to see the hand carved canoes glide across the Snake River, to know that a tradition has been restored - my heart sings.
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For thousands of years, the Nimiipuu people piloted their canoes along the tumbling waters of the Snake River. But after dams were built and the river choked off, a tradition was lost for over 100 years. Until now…
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Water is healing; cleansing. The relationship between water and human is powerful. We must honor, protect, and hold sacred the waterways of our earth.
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May you wade deep into the healing waters of the fall season.
Luminous love,
Jessica
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