Posted by Corinna Stevenson on Monday, December 10, 2018,
Each of us comes
to this world with a destiny. Along the way, fate intervenes, and we find
ourselves at a crossroads. During these times, it’s common to feel an urgency to
re-examine priorities and how we want to live the rest of our lives. The Vision
Quest is a ceremony of confirmation, initiation, and integration that serves as
a guide to remembering our true and essential nature.
It’s a time of
solitude, supported by appropriate ceremonies, dedicated to seeking a visio...
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An Ecological Ethic
Posted by Corinna Stevenson on Friday, July 6, 2018,
In this moment, I’m especially grateful for All My Relations who provide for me in many ways. I’m sitting at my beautiful cedar desk, made for me with love by my husband, and my belly is full of tasty food and warm tea. I feel loved and well nourished, none of which would be possible without having taken from other living things on this beautiful blue planet. My gratitude is only but a small token of my appreciation for what I receive and the understanding of my responsibility to give bac...
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I Go To The River To Pray
Posted by Corinna Stevenson on Wednesday, June 13, 2018,
Last year, I was taught oosimch, a sacred bathing ritual, by
Kauxaht (Daniel Blackstone) of the Saxoa and Mowachat/Muchalt People. Daniel generously gave me permission to teach it to others. The basic form is to go to
the river, remove clothes, and submerge 4 times, once in each direction, during
which prayers are made for men, for women, for our other than human relations, and for ourselves. After each dip, cedar is used as a brush off. One of things
Daniel said was that there can be no wron...
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Sit Spot Blues
Posted by Corinna Stevenson on Monday, September 30, 2013,
In contemplating what to post this week, my thoughts kept returning to a
conversation I recently had with a good friend of mine. It went something like
this:
Me: I went to my sit
spot tree this morning. It's been a couple of days. Since then, the raccoons
have turned it into their latrine and there's a dead Yellow Rumped Warbler. 6
piles of shit and a bird carcass at my sit spot... What does it mean!!!!!
(LOL). I will proceed cautiously with the rest of my day (anxiously giggling),
but first...
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Fall
Posted by Corinna Stevenson on Monday, September 16, 2013,
The Maples
are starting to show their colours, the geese are gathering, the air is cooler,
and the daylight shorter. I smell the odour of dying leaves and damp earth, and am
keenly aware of the transition in seasons; fall is here. Life is readying itself for the long winter, turning
inward, toward hibernation and self preservation.
Nature is a
powerful and ancient teacher. The more we look at nature the more we see our own
lives reflected back to us. In nature there are no straight lines, o...
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Bonding to Place
Posted by Corinna Stevenson on Monday, September 9, 2013,
Bonding To Place
My recent
move from Vancouver Island to Quebec has given me some interesting food for
thought. As someone who is bonded to the giant trees, grey ocean mists, and
wildness of the West Coast, coming home to the gentle slopes, hardwood forests,
and fields of the Eastern Townships of Quebec was disorienting. I felt lonely and missed my soul community of
humans and other-than human relations. I found myself wondering deeply about my
role in this new community and how to stay tru...
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Spring Equinox: Singing the Seeds Awake
Posted by Corinna Stevenson on Wednesday, March 20, 2013,
It has been a long, cold, grey winter.
Sometimes, it feels as if I am wading through a thick fog, unable to see the
horizon. In these moments, tending the fire takes on deeper meaning. Beyond
keeping me and my family physically comfortable, entering into relationship
with fire reminds me that with death there is rebirth. Fire is a transformer
and the spark of life. These teachings contain the wisdom that darkness is not a
permanent state and the fire of my heart is rekindled.
The seasons ar...
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Waste
Posted by Corinna Stevenson on Thursday, January 10, 2013,
Last week I had the delightful experience of helping my son prepare
for a science test on ecology. One of his tasks was to explain what composting
is. As he shared his theory with me, he reminded me of an important
lesson: There is no waste.
As I shared this thought with my son he agreed and then explained
that some things though, like plastic bags, take an awful
long time to compost. So, even though there is no waste, some things are harder
to break down – mostly the stuff that we humans...
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Change
Posted by Corinna Stevenson on Monday, September 24, 2012,
As part of the autumnal Equinox
Vision Quest, I facilitated a discussion on the Anishinabe teachings of the 4
Gifts of the Woman. As we sat beneath Grandmother Cedar, we discussed the light
and the shadow side of each gift and how the medicine that we carry is related
to life and to our responsibilities toward self, families, communities, and the
land. At the same time, in a different location, the men were discussing their
gifts. In the end we came together and talked about the importance of...
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Science and Spirit
Posted by Corinna Stevenson on Wednesday, August 1, 2012,
Yesterday I was forwarded a blog post by Hank Campbell in which he expressed concern regarding the watering down of rigorous scientific inquiry by fields like ecopsychology. The author slams ecopsychology labeling its practitioners as quacks. I hear his concerns and do not think that the world is well served by anyone claiming to deliver a cure. As far as our psychological healing goes, I do not believe there is a cure; only a healing journey. From my perspective the difficulty with Campbell...
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The Great Turning
Posted by Corinna Stevenson on Wednesday, July 18, 2012,
Greetings,
As I sit at my desk writing this entry I see and hear the wind in the trees. I am aware of the breeze on my skin and feel gratitude for her cleansing power. Her breathe lifts my spirits and reminds me of my strength. To the Four Winds I send my finest words of gratitude.
We are living in a time of great uncertainty. Every day we hear about environmental, social, political, and economic crises. Western civilization has created a reality where comfort, safety, and happiness are...
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biodiversity
Posted by Corinna Stevenson on Tuesday, July 10, 2012,
This morning I awoke to the sound of birds, one of which I hadn’t heard before. I send my finest words of gratitude to these winged ones. Their songs open my awareness and allow for a softening of my spirit to occur.
I am grateful to live in an area that is teeming with life. When I think of the ecological diversity that surrounds me, I see a system that is comprised of many different parts. There is a forest with various types of trees, plants, flowers, bushes, grasses, fungi, animals, bugs...
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