sharing the stories of interconnection
Walking in a small protected forest, I constantly plunge into the dizzying effects of a landscape given freedom. There is so much to see on a small scale and so much to see looking up. So much to hear in the silence.
In reality there are probably no truly ‘old growth’ habitats left, between man and the alien creatures who follow, the balance is constantly changing. None the less I am grateful to be here now, breathing the air with them.
A friend included her list of books, which she is reading, in a letter at my request. In response, I provided a list of what captures me. Here is that excerpt, in case anything might please you too:
The way I read is perhaps odd; I tend to have a book pile and draw from it over many months. Much of it is non-fiction, so small bites work best. I usually read my fiction in gulps though. Often I hold onto them to look up bits I liked. One, that I read years ago, came to mind: Nekropolis, by Mauren F. McHugh. This is a science fiction set in a future Morroco where people bond themselves with bio/chem tech which causes them to love and obey. Very disturbing and interesting. I just read The Broken Earth series by a wonderful black woman author. She is found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._K._Jemisin. Well worth looking at; she is a well-educated woman who also writes engagingly. I love her, she includes geology in an interesting way! On my bookshelf/pile/kindle: NON-FICTION The Fruitful Dakness - Joan Halifax ;auto-bio, buddhist/ tribal/ travel. wise, mythic, insightful Art and Fear - Bayles & Orland: Observations on the perils and rewards of artmaking. The World Without Us - Alan Weisman: scientific imagery of the word recovering when man is gone. The Dream of the Earth - Thomas Berry: some marvelous insights into man vs earth on all levels; a Sierra Club book. Molded in the Image of ‘changing woman’; Navaho views on the human body and personhood - Maureen Trudelle Schwartz: an anthropologist that was adopted into a home and tribe, she provides exact quotes which challenge the reader to understand a culture so close, yet so different. Really good. From the Glittering World; A Navajo Story; Irvin Morris. This is mythology told by a contemporary Dine writer. The Hidden Life of Trees: what they feel, how they communicate - Peter Wohlleben, great stories about tree life. Fun. Becoming - Michelle Obama; revelations about herself and family. Just lovely. Educated - Tara Westover. escaping via education. worthy concept. POETRY/POETIC Dream Work by Mary Oliver: great poet, love her On the Loose by Jerry and Renny Russell: a fantastic journey in 1969, by these two young men. every Pacificas Crest hiker or wilderness lover should read it. Sierra Club. Nature - Emerson Walking - Thoreau Leaves of Grass- Whitman Letters to a Young Poet - Rilke View with a grain of sand - Wislawa Szymborska; great poems, nobel prize winner SPIRIT The Authentic Life - Bayda: Zen, 'Skillful Means’ with the saving grace of staying with the real issue: enlightenment. Emptiness - Guy Armstrong Heartwood of the Bodhi Tree; Voidness - Buddhadasa Bhikku I AM - Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj Centering in Pottery, Poetry, and the Person - M.C. Richards FICTION The Overstory : Richard Powers. Coalescing short stories with a tree. Very nice. You would like it. Terry Prachett, Neil Gaiman: basically anything they write. I like the humor and the view. Hillerman: Leaphorn and Chee series: detectives in Navajo Land. Fun. Any Medieval ‘who dunit’ (you can google this!) The Broken Earth series by N.K. Jemisin: Science Fiction well done.
The Myth of Trees 