02/24/2026
As I have done for three decades, I was recently walking around Wisteria here at the tail-end of winter.
We still have some last gasps to breathe through but the signs are clear — spring is about to bust out in all her flowery, noisy beauty. Once again, the earth renews and in turn, we renew.
It’s always a delight to hear the changing birdsong this time of year. The birds have changed from their winter dirge of “where is some food, I’m about to freeze” to more cheery songs like “I’m thinking about building a nest and laying some eggs.”
It’s said that hope is a feathered thing so all this recent excitement tracks with the swelling buds and shoots peeking out of the ground.
During my walking meditation, I was thinking about the cycles of time as they mark the turning of the seasons. Wisteria will be 30 years old this coming October! Where does the time go?
Along with you (our extended community), we’re crossing this milestone in 2026. Our birthdate (incorporation date) is October 4,1996.
During the three events we sponsor (Summer Solstice, Autumn Fires, and Herbfest), we are planning various activities that will celebrate and remember things we've done together in this remarkable journey.
If you haven’t made it here in a while, this is a good year to come visit as we call in community members we’ve known at different times since the mid-90s.
Some of you were here at the beginning. Others have joined along the way as we walk each other through our lives. If we haven't seen you in awhile, welcome to the reunion.
Don’t get me wrong — growing this place hasn't always been blooms and apples. I’ve gone through bitter winters of the soul trudging through briar patches that tore my skin and left me bleeding. I’ve had my share of nights curled up in a ball crying and wondering why it’s so bafflingly difficult to build a better world.
Oh, but the magic and healing that pour forth like freshwater when we’re in the good flow together! So special and too rare. We all know that this land is magical and healing and has touched many, many lives.
The transformations on the land continue to ripple out through our lives and other lives we touch.
Sometimes the healing is easy like laying on warm grass in summer and watching the breeze through the leaves. Other times, it’s more like needed surgery cutting out the hard edges between us and our bliss.
I call Wisteria a spiritual boot camp when it is exhausting and infuriating. I also know all the fiery experiences anneal me into a better and more grateful person.
Just like our beautiful planet, our lives here have seasons. All seasons have their challenges and all have their enduring beauties. Lucky us, we're here together at the start of another splendid spring.
We simply wouldn’t be here without the support of you, our extended community. Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times and more.
Together, we have raised a sacred place where the mundane becomes magical and work becomes play. So much love, so much amazement I feel for all of us. We People of the Earth really care about the world and each other.
This end of the latest winter, I have an ask of you: Please start gathering your memories and stories and photos to share publicly.
Stories only live if they are told. Astonishing and life-changing things have happened among us for thirty years so let us start the story circle. I'm looking forward to making a virtual scrapbook together.
You can start dropping stories and pics here or send to [email protected]. Please add descriptions and photo credits if you have them.
Here’s some photos around the land from the past week, this liminal space between seasons. Oh, to be fearless as a daffodil.
