From the Earth Etudes for Elul archive.
Wherever I sit or stand, it is sacred ground. Sometimes it is hard to believe this wisdom. But, if I can re-remember my roots and my strong belief that we are all a part of the ongoing cycles of creation and of unraveling, then I can wake up and realize the miracle of this moment.
One of my goals for this summer was to slow down and honor my desire for living closer to the land and water in my neighborhood. But in between watering and harvesting for a few backyards, I traveled all over New England. I went to a Slow Living Summit in Brattleboro, Vermont. I found and sold an antique (1740s) map in Hyannis, Massachusetts. I went to a social justice and storytelling gathering in New Hampshire, and I experienced the strong Earth energy at The Round House in Colrain, Massachusetts. We also celebrated the crossing over of two special elders who live with me in Wayland Housing. And I participated in Ma’yan Tikvah’s Shabbat in Nature retreat in mid-August. As Molly B. wrote, how does all this cook nutritious bread? This summer, I have experienced so many others working to make our world work for the present and for the future.
Maybe all religions foster a love and awe of the past, our roots. The exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Boston Museum of Science was a journey into the past. Two thousand years ago, our ancestors made pots, and ink, and parchment. They lived in uncertain times, but they left us with their seeds, the work of their hands, and their written instructions for meeting the end. The end of existence is what the scroll scribes predicted. They were getting ready for their last breaths.
What will we be getting ready for this year? We have the science, the evidence of global warming and the rise of the waters. We have people living under tyranny and those trying to take back their humanity. Our people are recovering from nearly losing our footing on Earth. I imagine that while I continue to struggle with budgets and making real food, hopeful, I will be thankful for these daily struggles and the awareness that I am standing or sitting on Sacred Ground.
Nyanna is a wandering Jewess seeking resonant and relational experiences. Born in Boston, MA, she has lived in West Concord, MA, since 2021 with her wellness partner Ziggy Dawg. Today Nyanna is anchored at Congregation Beth El in Sudbury, MA. A nonlinear thinker, Nyanna practices beginner’s mind, gifting, and oral traditions. She weaves string on hoops of flexible twigs, and after five decades, her simple gifts of sacred Hoops Of Hope are suspended in windows worldwide with the invitation to pass the gifts forward. Nyanna is a curious elder, interested in nurturing and witnessing transformation of the status quo into sustainable futures of unlimited possibilities.
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