Reconnect to the wisdom of the land, animals and the moon, and be inspired to find your power and freedom in this poetic memoir. Do you long to be amongst nature, in the wild, remote, untouched places, where the moon nears full, and the energy is visible and present? Do you feel as if you don’t really belong, and that there is something missing in your life? Full of incredible and transformative stories of a life with her flock, and wolf companion, ancient craft techniques, animal messengers, sacred places and Indigenous wisdom, Elizabeth Iekawehatie Kneafsey tells the story of how she found her place in the world, and how you can find your unique path, too. From her childhood in a Nottinghamshire pit village, to creating a new life in harmony with nature and rediscovering the wild woman within, this book will show you that it is possible to live a different way – one where you are deeply connected to the earth, animals, and your powerful feminine wisdom.
The inspirational memoir of a shepherdess and practitioner of ancient crafts, who walks the path of the medicine women of her ancestry and is a passionate advocate for Mother Earth. Reconnect to the wisdom of the land, animals and the moon, and be inspired to find your power and freedom in this poetic memoir. ‘What I long for is to be amongst nature, wild, remote, untouched places, when the moon nears full, and the energy is visible and present.’ From the Introduction Do you feel this urge too, in your bones? Do you feel as if you don’t really belong, and that there is something missing in your life? In this book, Elizabeth Kneafsey tells the story of how she found her place in this world as a Shepherdess, and how you can find your own unique path too. Full of incredible and transformative stories of ancient crafts, sacred stones, Indigenous wisdom, menstrual rituals and a wolf companion, The Wild Wool Shepherdess will show you that it is possible to live a different way – one where women are deeply connected to the land and their own innate power. ‘There is a path for women, calling us home. Back to our Mother, Earth.’ Will you answer the call?
Join beloved Bible teacher Margaret Feinberg as you learn how to move from simply reading Scripture to entering stories that can be touched, tasted, smelled, and savored. The Bible is full of clever plots and compelling stories, laced with historic insights and literary beauty. But despite its richness and depth, many of us struggle to close the gap between the ancient world and our own. What does it mean to know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd when the only place you've encountered sheep is at a petting zoo? How can you understand the promise of a land overflowing with honey when you buy yours in a bear-shaped bottle? Can you truly grasp the urgency of Jesus' invitation to abide in the vine when you shop for grapes at a local grocery store? In Scouting the Divine, Margaret invites you to accompany her on the adventure of a lifetime across the nation to herd sheep in Oregon, harvest fields with a Nebraska farmer, prune vines in California, and explore hives with a veteran beekeeper in Colorado. Along the way, you'll explore how ancient livelihoods illuminate meaningful truths that apply to life today. With Margaret's trademark humor and vulnerability, you'll: Learn the secret of how to live like you have a shepherd Unlock the sweetest promises of God Discover the gift of divine timing Scouting the Divine will revolutionize the way you understand the Bible--and leave you wonderstruck by the magnificence of God.
The tales included here represent all of Yunnan Province’s officially designated ethnic minorities, and include creation myths, romances, historical legends, tales explaining natural phenomena, ghost stories, and festival tales. The tales are peopled by memorable characters, such as the Tibetan mother who, reborn as a cow, comforts and helps her daughter into her harsh life as a slave girl; the two Kucong sisters who marry snakes; and the bodiless Lahu “head-baby” who grows up to win one of the earth-god Poyana’s daughters in marriage. Chosen for their representativeness, aesthetic appeal, and variety, the stories provide rich examples of the folk traditions of Southwest China. South of the Clouds includes introductions and an appendix which describe the places and people of Yunnan, analyzethe literary and psychological characteristics of their stories, give the sources of the tales, and explain the methodolgy of collecting folk literature in China.
This book explores the place of the body and embodied practices in the production and experience of grace in order to generate transformative futures. The authors offer a range of phenomenologies in order to move the philosophical anchoring of phenomenology from an abstracted European tradition into more open and complex experiential sets of understandings. Grace is a sticky word with many layers to it, and the authors explore this complexity through a range of traditions, practices, and autobiographical accounts. The goal is to open a grace-space for reflection and action that is both futures-oriented and enlivening.
Grazing management might seem simple: just put livestock in a pasture and let them eat their fill. However, as Sarah Flack explains in The Art and Science of Grazing, the pasture/livestock relationship is incredibly complex. If a farmer doesn't pay close attention to how the animals are grazing, the resulting poorly managed grazing system can be harmful to the health of the livestock, pasture plants, and soils. Well-managed pastures can instead create healthier animals, a diverse and resilient pasture ecosystem, and other benefits. Flack delves deeply below the surface of "let the cows eat grass," demonstrating that grazing management is a sophisticated science that requires mastery of plant and animal physiology, animal behavior, and ecology. She also shows readers that applying grazing management science on a working farm is an art form that calls on grass farmers to be careful observers, excellent planners and record-keepers, skillful interpreters of their observations, and creative troubleshooters. The Art and Science of Grazing will allow farmers to gain a solid understanding of the key principles of grazing management so they can both design and manage successful grazing systems. The book's unique approach presents information first from the perspective of pasture plants, and then from the livestock perspective--helping farmers understand both plant and animal needs before setting up a grazing system. This book is an essential guide for ruminant farmers who want to be able to create grazing systems that meet the needs of their livestock, pasture plants, soils, and the larger ecosystem. The book discusses all the practical details that are critical for sustained success: how to set up a new system or improve existing systems; acreage calculations; paddock layout; fence and drinking water access; lanes and other grazing infrastructure; managing livestock movement and flow; soil fertility; seeding and reseeding pastures; and more. The author includes descriptions of real grazing systems working well on dairy, beef, goat, and sheep farms in different regions of North America. The book covers pasture requirements specific to organic farming, but will be of use to both organic and non-organic farms.
"Not too long ago, handwork skills such as sewing a quilt, crocheting a washcloth, or embroidering a pillowcase were handed down from one generation to the next. Candle- and soap-making, blacksmithing, basket weaving, natural yarn dying, and repurposing were all time-honored traditional skills that were essential to the farm's microeconomy and long-term success. While many of these traditional skills have been lost to the convenience of today's modern economy, they are still alive and thriving among America's farmers. The FarmMade Craft Book showcases fifty traditional crafts from farms all over the country. Hailing from New England, the Deep South, the Midwest, Southwest, and Northwest, each authentic farm-made project represents its region's unique array of raw materials and end products. Revive valuable lost skills and pave the way for a more independent, sustainable future with The FarmMade Craft Book."--Amazon.com.
Chronicling the practices, legends, and wisdom of the vanishing traditions of the upper Amazon, this book reveals the area's indigenous peoples' approach to living in harmony with the natural world. Rainforest Medicine features in-depth essays on plant-based medicine and indigenous science from four distinct Amazonian societies: deep forest and urban, lowland rainforest and mountain. The book is illustrated with unique botanical and cultural drawings by Secoya elder and traditional healer Agustin Payaguaje and horticulturalist Thomas Y. Wang as well as by the author himself. Payaguaje shares his sincere imaginal view into the spiritual life of the Secoya; plates of petroglyphs from the sacred valley of Cotundo relate to an ancient language, and other illustrations show traditional Secoya ayahuasca symbols and indigenous origin myths. Two color sections showcase photos of the plants and people of the region, and include plates of previously unpublished full-color paintings by Pablo Cesar Amaringo (1938-2009), an acclaimed Peruvian artist renowned for his intricate, colorful depictions of his visions from drinking the entheogenic plant brew, ayahuasca ("vine of the soul" in Quechua languages). Today the once-dense mysterious rainforest realms are under assault as the indiscriminate colonial frontier of resource extraction moves across the region; as the forest disappears, the traditional human legacy of sustainable utilization of this rich ecosystem is also being buried under modern realities. With over 20 years experience of ground-level environmental and cultural conservation, author Jonathon Miller Weisberger's commitment to preserving the fascinating, unfathomably precious relics of the indigenous legacy shines through. Chief among these treasures is the "shimmering" "golden" plant-medicine science of ayahuasca or yajé, a rainforest vine that was popularized in the 1950s by Western travelers such as William Burroughs and Alan Ginsberg. It has been sampled, reviled, and celebrated by outsiders ever since. Currently sought after by many in the industrialized West for its powerful psychotropic and life-transforming effects, this sacred brew is often imbibed by visitors to the upper Amazon and curious seekers in faraway venues, sometimes with little to no working knowledge of its principles and precepts. Perceiving that there is an evident need for in-depth information on ayahuasca if it is to be used beyond its traditional context for healing and spiritual illumination in the future, Miller Weisberger focuses on the fundamental knowledge and practices that guide the use of ayahuasca in indigenous cultures. Weaving first-person narrative with anthropological and ethnobotanical information, Rainforest Medicine aims to preserve both the record and ongoing reality of ayahuasca's unique tradition and, of course, the priceless forest that gave birth to these sacred vines. Featuring words from Amazonian shamans--the living torchbearers of these sophisticated spiritual practices--the book stands as testimony to this sacred plant medicine's power in shaping and healing individuals, communities, and nature alike.
A knitting sourcebook full of patterns and techniques for making shawls and wraps with ease Kate Atherley and Kim McBrien Evans aim to equip adventurous knitters with the skills to knit and create shawls and wraps of all shapes and sizes and to help them forge their own shawl-knitting paths. Tips and tutorials address the technical aspects of shawl knitting, from shaping to adapting stitch patterns to making color and fabric choices. A gallery of patterns using a variety of yarns both mainstream and indie provides knitters with inspiration for customizing and creating their own designs. More than a dozen patterns illustrate the featured knitting techniques. One-third of the patterns are aimed at beginning knitters, one-third teach intermediate knitters new skills for intriguing results, and one-third offer creative instruction in customizing. The featured yarns are a mix: some luxury fibers, some classics. Together, Atherley and McBrien Evans provide a 360-degree view of the shawl-creation process from designing to knitting
