A Forest of Burns and Beauty
Map
Map
Story & Experience
We are all members of a year-long book group called The Living Earth Book Club. The first book we read this year was Radical Joy for Hard Times. We have just finished To Speak for the Trees by Diana Beresford-Kroeger. For our day walk, we decided to combine it with the Earth Exchange and spend time listening to the trees and land, to witness both the death and the regeneration of a forest after fire, and to deeply listen stories of the place. We wanted to give back to this land as well. Ravens flew over us, and a deer and fawns were spotted. It was such a delight to see how they have returned! We all went out for 3 hours of solo time to be with the land, and then all of the women brought back things with which we co-created the Rad Joy bird.
We are all members of a year-long book group called The Living Earth Book Club. The first book we read this year was Radical Joy for Hard Times. We have just finished To Speak for the Trees by Diana Beresford-Kroeger. For our day walk, we decided to combine it with the Earth Exchange and spend time listening to the trees and land, to witness both the death and the regeneration of a forest after fire, and to deeply listen stories of the place. We wanted to give back to this land as well. Ravens flew over us, and a deer and fawns were spotted. It was such a delight to see how they have returned! We all went out for 3 hours of solo time to be with the land, and then all of the women brought back things with which we co-created the Rad Joy bird.
Why this Place?
Healdsburg CA
Our friend Jean lost her family’s home and had much of her 55 acres of beautiful forest burn in the 2019 Wallbridge Fire in Sonoma County, CA. We asked if we could come there for Radical Joy.
Act of Beauty
We all gathered materials from a 3 hour solo time wandering the hills of this forest. We created an “artist’s palette” of materials, and also included burned items salvaged from Jean’s home. Like telling a story, one by one, we each chose something and added it to the bird, until we all felt it was complete. As women came back from being on the land, each told a story about their time and experience, and one used song to share her feelings of both grief and joy for all she had experienced that day.
Additional Photos
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