Nature is a grave. That is an important point of Christianity, but not of the intermontane cultures of the North American West. What is in the grave is another matter. That is […]
What is Nature?
Stein am Rhein It is not to be confused with the Earth or the biosphere. That is to continue the white shaming of the earth that plagues North America. Sometimes “nature” is […]
Open and Closed Air in Indigenous Switzerland

In Zurich, this is nature. A sobering thought. Or, rather, it is a school sports field. Note the tree. It is placed where there is room. Note as well the aesthetic, architectural […]
When Celts Become Christians

Beauty happens. Stein am Rhein, Switzerland
The Ripeness of Colour
The emotional colourings of trees and the balance between these colourings can be very beautiful. This form of art is as much a garden harvest as any other. In this case, the […]
Whose Land is This Anyway?
No-one’s. The question is absurd. It’s not land. It’s earth. One can ask for room, not ownership. You can’t own Earth. She gives everyone room. A request for land is a request […]
A Short History of Whiteness in Cascadia
It’s not a physical thing. Apricot in Her White Gown White is a tricky, racial word. Here’s a small piece of a meditation on it from my book in progress, Commonage: The […]
We Are Not At War
When you live on the earth, in the earth and with the earth, culture is shared between creatures, their spirits and their energies, in a relationship built of balancing energy flows, always […]
The Snail Whisperer

An old farmer in Germany demonstrates how to sing snails out of their shells. All appear thrilled.
A Summer Home for the Family, On Earth and in the Sky

Here we are in a community garden in Stein am Rhein, Switzerland, an old roman fortress, and before that a 4000-year-old settlement where Lake Constance becomes the Rhine. A shaded picnic bench […]