Who What Where? Project Nuevo Mundo at Our Sacred Acres

 People, in Places, doing Projects

OSA { ~*~ Our Sacred Acres ~*~ } is a small slice of heaven on earth amidst the forested ridges of Snohomish, Washington.  This is about 30 miles South of Oso, where the landslide recently occurred, and it's one tiny little treasure amongst so many of our astonishingly beautiful, natural gifts here on this planet of which we are caretakers…  a far off star in a sparkling night sky. 

Louisa McCuskey, Creatrix of the
Sonosphere with Niayh & Spirit.

There are some amazing and awesomely alchemical architects and artisans at work here, across the continent, and around the globe.  We are drafting the new old ways to harmoniously tend common grounds such as these that I steward.  Elsewhere, others are consciously crafting the tools of the trades.. and still more all over are ready and willing to practice the arts of life together, in healthy and prosperous exchange.

WE are truly blessed to be one of the places for these projects to be seeded, cultivated, and harvested!  Tomorrow, we will be the stories of these transformational yesterdays.. We are, right now, writing the history of what happened at these places where our energies converged.

And I keep hearing the question.. What's YOUR story?

My story of this partnership being formed by Project Nuevo Mundo and Our Sacred Acres, linking so many people, places and projects, will have to first take you to a few other space-times that led to this particular here and now.  You can choose if they are past, future, or just a present. ;)

We are, after all, writing (righting?) the right (write!) now. 

Empowering the Voice of the Feminine

I mentioned Oso at the beginning of this blog, knowing it will be heard around the world just as the landslide now has been.  Robin Youngblood is the founder of Church of the Earth and a long-time member of the  Women of Wisdom foundation in Seattle, for whom I served several years on Council. She has been an esteemed elder and honored presenter at the annual WOW Conferences.  The landslide that took out 49 homes and the lives of at least 41 people occurred on May 22, 2014, just hours before a global, synchronized meditation took place, focusing prayerful energies on the waters of our planet for the wellbeing of our Pachamama, Mother Earth.  In the month leading up to this, we received 200% more rainfall than usual for that time period.   

Hear Robin's story here of survival -- digging out of the mud after her house was moved a quarter mile in seconds with her and her company in it -- and a call to action, that we may learn from this tragic event.  She also shares how you can offer support directly to  those affected.  

President Obama was here and said some beautiful things, too..

"…we've all [been] inspired by the incredible way that the community has come together and shown the love and support that they have for each other in ways large and small,” he said.

"This is family and these are folks that love this land and it’s easy to see why, because it’s gorgeous,” he said. “And there’s a way of life here that’s represented. And to see the strength in adversity of this community I think should inspire all of us because this is also what America is all about. When times get tough we look out for each other, we get each other’s backs and we recover and we build and we come back stronger and we’re always reminded that we’re greater together.”

Besides the specific family fundraisers, local charities, and endless volunteer shifts at various sites, there's this for the county; yet here is how that pans out for the people of Oso.

An awesome kin clan on Alberta Street in Portland threw down to raise funds and awareness for Oso the weekend we held the first DreamDance PDX  .. Looks like we'll be dancing in our dreams in FIVE cities now!

DreamGuiders from the founding crew in Seattle created the set and setting at the Red Rose Ballroom, and the artists of Monster Island let us make pretty in the street, too!

Our Sacred Acres, A Place..  For Holding Space

Tucked along a salmon stream running from the Cascades mountain snowmelt through three lakes (Storm Lake, Flowing Lake and Panther Lake), the waters that flow through this particular place meet the Pilchuck River then join the Snohomish to meander across the fertile farm valley to empty into the Puget Sound between Boeing and the Tulalip Tribal Lands.  

This is where Tom Robbins wrote of the hot dog sanctuary and performing flea stand on the side of a remote mountain highway in the Skagit Valley, or maybe it was a wild life circus and hot dog preserve...  Anyway, his books, beginning with Another Roadside Attraction, climaxed for me at Jitterbug Perfume then went on performing like that bangin' rabbit through each story, chapter, verse and delicately balanced run-on sentence that precariously dangled participles off the proverbial cliff.. >~_^<

The Puget Sound, in Cascadia's Salish Sea

The Sound is like a jagged edge..  It's where the Cascadian watershed meets the Salish Sea, a bountiful body of water between the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges. I've always found myself most at home on these geographic edges; this is where evolution, revolution, and transformation are in full riot..  Kind of like Detroit, at the nexus of the Great Lakes, when I was born there in 1969.

Some stuff to know about the Salish Sea:

• http://www.seadocsociety.org/salish-sea-facts/
• http://salishsea.org/
• http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2008857923_salishsea14m.html
• http://seattletimes.com/html/northwestvoices/2010193786_thesalishseanewofficialnameforpugetsound.html

I relate to this place on a level deeper than even I can ever understand.  Having spent 7 years here now, I know beyond all doubt that I was called to this land, by this land, for this land.  And not just for me - when I heard the name Sacred Acres arise in my heart I was swiftly corrected..

These are OUR Sacred Acres.  It's been a long road, to take the time of just sitting with a place, paying attention to the passing of the seasons, clarifying internally and  externally how to apply what's been learned.  

And yet, it gets more and more clear as more experiences are shared here (and elsewhere) to learn from and grow TOGETHER..  that it's the sharing of the stories we acquire and the skills we practice that creates collective wisdom.. community... tribe..  family <3

"Before I invited people to come and engage with the land I steward here at OSA, I first went and experienced what that would feel like, being a guest in service to a place that connects people and projects, and I volunteered at organizations that are wisdom carriers, skill sharers, tool sharpeners. "  From <https://www.facebook.com/Dani.Detroit>

The OSA MBA Program: Mutually Beneficial Allies of Our Sacred Acres

• It's all been coming together for 5 years now - The current Our Sacred Acres website was written then, when I first got to occupy and know the place, to envision the future of what would come into being here.  Since then, many collaborations with people of all walks, all ages, all diversities named and unnamed have come to pass through this port of unity.  One of these days I will get to the new website collaboration that has a comprehensive calendar for events and projects here and with our allies, too. >~_^<
• Shortly after acquiring responsibility for OSA I reached out to Therese & Tere at Sacred Groves on Bainbridge Island; attending Earth Mother circles and Red Cedar Circle gatherings to hear their learnings, share some skills, and dance in their meadow.  Many practices and processes at OSA were modeled from my experience with these delightful friends and the kindred connections of their place.  Through this and other synchronistic exchanges I found my way to the Women of Wisdom Foundation and served on the council, organizing their annual Conference and Summer Solstice Camp (coming up - register soon!)
• I resigned from the WOW Council to weave Evolver Everett/Seattle/Puget Sound/Cascadia into the regional web of networks.  Connecting young people (and MEN!! :) ) who are coming to recognize the balance within us each and all of Divine and Human, Masculine and Feminine, to the people, places and projects locally that are working together toward restoring that balance in our systems on this amazing planet.  Those edge realms are the specialty of The Evolver Network, which recently split from Evolver LLC, the parent organization of Reality Sandwich, and is forming a new decentralized non-profit organization.
• And then came Tribal Convergence...  and the blissful kindred connections that are spreading across the globe from the intentional gatherings of the West Coast.  Gracefully easing from my corporate job last May into facilitating a Guild at TCN's 2013 Leadership Gathering Awaken, a convergence that activated many of us into collaborative enterprises, I was launched into a year of activating my own genius gifts!  I am now humbled AND honored to be co-facilitating this Spring's inaugural Ambassador Training for TCN, right here at OSA!

  

David Casey and Jennifer Schmidt
Co-founders of Project Nuevo Mundo

A Mobile Village of Village Builders 

The partnerships in which I am now engaged, cooperatively launching a non-profit education program for regenerative living skills through shared learning experiences, is the fulfillment of a lives-long dream and not just mine..  So many people are holding this vision!  I've met them, volunteered at their sides, shared stories around the fire or other circle, and witnessed the manifestations that come from speaking (and dancing!) these dreamy intentions into grounded realities.  

Now, I'm bringing us together AND bringing it home, founding a non-profit that is based on growing alliances with organizations that link people to projects at places...  inviting the individuals that have the skills and experience AND are available and willing to play in the new, coherent agreement fields being collectively crafted.

In a previous blog I detailed my adventures as The Office Mystic, travelling to Guatemala to participate in the 

Earth Odyssey tour with Project Nuevo Mundo. 

Angie Gonzalez (Permaculture Yogi), Clayton Gaar (Tribal Council)
and Gabriel Sandoval (Spora BioArcitectura) with Shad at Atitlan Organics

Raising the Tipi for Cosmic Convergence on Lago Atitlan

 This was a huge leap for me.. totally trusting the universe and all the messages I received that here was an organization that fully aligned with my own purpose and skills, and here were the people that are out there DOING the thing!  Designing, building, collaborating, holding council, raising funds, COMPLETING PROJECTS THAT CONNECT PEOPLE TO PLACE, TOGETHER.   

Project Nuevo Mundo Permaculture Workshop at Our Sacred Acres with Angie Gonzalez

Applying the permaculture principles I learned through working with Project Nuevo Mundo to the development of Our Sacred Acres as an educational center has been enlightening in so many ways, especially by highlighting the areas that I require support.  It continually delights me to find that we already have ALL we need, we just need to get it together, when and where it's needed. 

Permaculture maps to social architecture maps to sustainability, regenerative livelihoods, and joyful work in the company of loved ones.  In order to fulfill our purposes we must learn to work cooperatively and collaboratively, first and foremost.

This is not a job for a superhero!  I've learned through many lessons these last years that it's better to stop a project that does not have its legs, and restart again later when pre-conditions are met, then to complete it at the expense of the team-building that grows our collaboration skills.

We've got our utility belts, our tools and practices, our teams and the land-based places to get together.

We've got awesome workshops, volunteer crew positions, music and art collaborations between all the organizations described in this blog and through my facebook pages..  

Stay tuned for more on when, where, why and how we are playing together..

Much Love to ALL of YOU, from ALL of ME.  >~_^<   Dani(B)elle