Earth Nourishment

“Air moves us, fire transforms us, water shapes us, earth heals us.”  Those are words from a chant sung at the memorial celebration for our friend Moher who died of breast cancer recently. I  attended the event yesterday instead of being at the Free Farm Stand.

 Before I left I dropped off some vegetables from the Free Farm (and surplus from the farmer’s markets).  I took a few photos of the lovely produce from our Free Farm before I left. I do believe our produce right out of the garden/farm  does heal us and that fresh  food and flowers are medicinal as well as nourishing.

Yellow Rocoto peppers and two mini okra grown in our hot house

3 kinds of basil, Sweet Basil, African Blue Basil, Sacred Basil (also known as Holy Basil or Tulsi)

Just researching this type of basil I have learned that it is very medicinal and that tulsi tea is a very popular drink.

we had a lot of zucchini and lettuce (some came from Alemany Farm)

Alana  and her friend from Italy Carlotta(?) in the pink blouse from Italy.

They WWOOFed on farm in Italy her country. I forgot to tell her the variety of zucchini

she is holding is called Costata Romanesco from Italy.

 Arizmendi Bakery has been donating its Saturday night leftover venan muffins and bread that have been popular.

Cristina handed out plants like comfrey, Sunchoke, and mint and ran our garden advice table

Here is a link to a beautiful project called the Generous Garden Project http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf-Ver7Gq7U. Someone posted a comment that says “This is a glimpse into what a free & voluntary world will look like…” These kind of projects make my heart sing happily.

I was very moved by the memorial I went to for my friend Moher. I knew her too briefly from working at Martin de Porres soup kitchen. She apparently had worked there with her husband Louie about as long as I have, over 20 years. I never met her nor Louie, because I never worked a weekday shift there, only on Sundays. It feels I knew Louie because his photo  hangs over the sink where I wash vegetables on Tuesdays. Moher was an extremely warm and generous person that I just barely got to know, and also a beautiful artist. When I knew her she was recovering from a stroke and I was amazed by her strength and energy as a human being and her upbeat spirit.  The event was inspiring for a number of reason. First because I learned about all the great  service work Moher had done in her life and her political activism. I also felt privledged to be in a space with all her many friends, family, and her large community.

 Once again I was reminded  of the importance of  creating  community and encircling ourselves with seekers on a similar spiritual path that we are on. I was especially impressed with the 6 women who were in a circle with her that were really close. Three of them who were at the celebration sang this song that totally shook me up inside and moved me to tears. Here is a version by Sweet Honey on the Rock and I have put the lyrics below.

(Chorus)

Listen more often, to things than to beings(2x)

Tis the ancestors words, when the fires voice is heard

Tis the ancestors words, in the voice of the water

aaaaahhhhhh, chhhhhhhhhh, aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh, chhhhhhhhhh

(1st verse)

Those who have died, have never never left

The Dead are not under the earth

They are in the rustling trees, they are in the groaning woods

They are in the crying grass, they are in the moaning rocks

The dead are not under the earth

(Chorus)

(2nd verse)

Those who have died, have never never left

The dead have a pact with the living

They are in the woman’s birth, they are in the waiting child

They are with us in tho home, they are with us in the crowd

The dead have a pact with the living

(Chorus)

Please check out the latest blog entry at the Free Farm http://thefreefarm.org/. There is a great video made by two students that accurately captures what we are all about.

Finally, right off the press, a link to a report from our friend Christy who is reporting on the Peoples Alternative Earth Summit in Rio Grassroots groups confront the mastermind of the green economy.  Her write up is the first thing I have read that really clearly explains what is going on there…”At the heart of the issue is the idea [what the UN is pushing] … that everything in nature must be assigned a monetary value—because that’s the only way we’ll take care of it.”

 

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