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What a beautiful essay, Gavin! You weave so many threads together on nature, geopolitics, homeopathy, color. I showed my kimchi-making daughter your garden kimchi and she said, ooooh! I also loved the spiderweb beginning in the leaf, the frozen rose, and the tree of life.

My oldest daughter is getting married in Nov and we're hoping the persimmon tree will blaze its best colors for decorations. One friend's gathering giant pine cones to line the burlap path on the covered bridge to the wedding arch. Another has dried strings of orange slices. And I already told you about the cider-making fiance. I'm going to send this to her with your phrase:

"Another lens through which I view this time of year is to see Autumn as a celebration of the marriage of the seasons. Mother Earth throws brightly colored confetti in the air to honor the sacred promise that autumn made to spring. Autumn gives all he has in an act of selflessness and love and spring trusts that the leaves will nourish the soils, protect the seeds and ensure that new life can spring forth once more when the time is right."

And thanks for reminding me how much I love James Corbett and Navdanya. And pounding holy basil with medicinal garlic and the treasure of pine nuts. And drying herbs and rubbing them through a mesh screen--olfactory heaven.

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Sep 21, 2022·edited Sep 22, 2022Author

Thank you Tereza. I had to write in a hurry (as this time of year I am going on all cylinders at work and preserving) so I hope the transitions between the different thoughts I had on autumn were not too abrupt (as I do tend to go on tangents sometimes!). :)

Your describing the leaves as a "spiderweb" reminded me how I often admire specific insects more than others during the autumn and so I updated the post above and added a few pics to reflect that. Thank you for the inspiration.

If you daughter is into making kimchi I will have recipes for several different kinds in my upcoming book. One of my favorites is a kimchi recipe I came up with that incorporates an abundance of anthycainin-rich garden crops (such as Pusa Jamuni carrots, Black Goji berries, Purple Cabbage, Buena Mulata peppers) which I call "Purple Dragon Chi'".

Here are links to a couple pics of our Purple Dragon Chi:

- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fbdj15PL80f5CWqftWHxWr3NsjosJ5TN/view?usp=sharing

- https://drive.google.com/file/d/13Asc8VTbedrpMzi3yk2jcCNmsOaCmnW-/view?usp=sharing

- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1scVK7vukWkck-_IjW103VBJSJk8DGhGI/view?usp=sharing

Your plan for the wedding venue for your oldest daughter sounds lovely. The autumn setting of the wedding made me think of a scene from a children's movie where some kids use leaves to make a magical place in the forest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuTJP22ZjUc I think it would be amazing to decorate part of the venue in a similar way if possible :) This also makes me think of an artist called Andy Goldsworthy which creates wonderous art using only natural materials he finds in the wild. Here is a glimpse of his autumn works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP_-P7ZcWZU and https://mossandfog.com/andy-goldsworthy-fall-leaves/

You are most welcome, I deeply admire Vandana Shiva's courageous work in protecting Mother Earth and heirloom seed. I also have a lot of respect for James Corbett and his tireless investigative works to shine light into the shadows and also provide actionable solutions.

Ahh yes, the precious rewards we are gifted when we work with our hands in reverence to co-create along side Mother Earth and preserve her sacred seeds.

Thank you again for reading my post and for the thoughtful comment. I am wishing you and your family many bountiful harvests of both nourishing foods for the body and the nourishment one receives for the soul when they stop to appreciate the moment and many blessings nature gifts us all.

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How are you not famous, Gavin? These photos, including the dewy web ones, are stunning. Was the monarch there before and I missed it? I have a story about watching Monarchs emerge from their chrysalis in my backyard during the final week of a 30-month divorce negotiation. I was too anxious to do anything else and had 40 blue-green chrysalis along the house, under the eaves, on the bill cap of a goofy bust my middle daughter did, and hanging as an earring on the Medusa bust by my youngest. All thanks to a milkweed thicket that seed-bombed the neighborhood.

Since then monarchs have been my totem and are the background of my phone. I'm still thinking to get my first tattoo at 65.

Cassandra loves the idea of the purple dragon chi and she says spill the recipe. I'll tell her she needs to plan ahead during the planting season.

The wedding venue and decorations are all credit due to Veronica and her fiance. They're both very crafty people. She sent pics of a leaf mobile she made to hang over the pie table (which they opted for instead of cake). I will definitely show her your pics and links--OMG, Andy Goldsworthy is breathtaking! There are so many I love but the one with the glowing tree roots is so magical!

If you have some processing time that doesn't require full attention, here's a video I did responding to Russell Brand's interview of Vandana Shiva. It's called Patriarchal Pyramid or Matriarchal Matrix? and ends with a dream of a Red King Kong and a Winged Green Dragon where they have tea and solve climate change ;-) It's pretty fun: https://youtu.be/dtID5Ho_OBY

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Sep 26, 2022·edited Sep 26, 2022Author

Self sabotage perhaps.. or maybe my proclivity to be too brutally honest for some and my refusing to accept and go along with degenerative socially accepted norms? It could also have something to do with my not being computer savvy enough to get my book self published in my original estimated time frame nor make good quality websites.

In any case, the universe has been aligning many opportunities for me to speak publicly recently (various officials from horticultural societies and natural medicine/food preservation clubs having reached out to ask if I would speak to their group) so perhaps the relative obscurity of my works will change soon.

Honestly, I do not really like the idea of being "famous". I do not really enjoy the spotlight, but I do feel like I was given certain gifts for a reason and if I want to honor those gifts, and if I want to honor Mother Earth, Creator and all future generations that will call this place home after I am gone, I will need to step outside my comfort zone and embrace the opportunities that are being presented to me. Opportunities through which I may be able to help others find a safe, healthful and hopeful path forward in these perilous times.

Thank you so much for your kind words about my photography, it was my first creative passion and something I look forward to focusing on more in future years. The monarch picture was added after the fact (thanks to your reminding me how cherished my interactions with certain insect beings are for me in the fall with your comment about the spider's web pattern).

One day I hope to offer a type of holistic alchemical expression of photography (that one might call "photographic spagyric alchemy") in which I collect some form of the essence of the poetry for the senses each wilderness location in which I take a photo offers. This would include objects, extracts or preserves with distinct aromas of the place, tastes, tactile sensations and sounds. It may be in the form of an essential oil I would extract from lets say a fir tree's needles in the area in which I took a picture infused into a capsule attached to the canvas print of the photo. Then it would also come with a nutritious and/or medicinal preserve made from herbs, berries or other foraged foods from near where the photo was taken, it would also include an object that conveys a distinct tactile experience from the place the image was captured and then an audio clip I recorded there of the sounds of that wilderness space (which would also be attached to the canvas print, so that one can experience yet another dimension of the holistic beauty of the place in the picture when they are appreciating it on their wall). Finally, the package would also include seeds to grow some plants/trees from that area (with instructions on how to cultivate them) and part of the cost of the package would be donated to projects aimed at protecting that ecosystem, so that the gifts Mother Earth shares with us can be gifted back to her in the reciprocal action of helping to regenerate her body. I very much look forward to creating offerings such as that once my book(s) are published (I sense that I will be called to write several others once this one I am working on is finally printed and out there).

Thank you for sharing that beautiful and inspiring story about your connection to the Monarchs, I am so glad to hear they have abundant food in your neighborhood :) Here at the southern tip of Canada we get to view a mass migration of monarchs where they will cover entire maple trees as they rest for the night before embarking across Lake Erie on their southward journey. I find them inspiring and heartening to watch and I am happy to say that quite a few monarch babies are born in our garden.

Well I am happy to share the recipe (as my intent on writing my book is not profit but rather helping people to reconnect with Mother Earth and plant the seeds for resilient communities to set down roots so we can weather the storm ahead) but as you alluded to with your thoughtful suggestion to "plan ahead during the planting season" the most important part of the recipe comes long before one even begins preparing the ingredients in the kitchen. The most profound nourishment that my recipes offer is found in the process to cultivating the ingredients, it is a nourishment one can access when they embrace the rhythmic cycle that begins from seed and goes to harvest.. then goes to the table and then back to seed again.. and last but not least, the cycle goes back to the soil. While the recipe for the kimchi nourishes the body and inspires the imagination, the recipe for how one obtains the ingredients (and what one gives in return for said ingredients) is the part that has the potential to nourish the soul. I will send the full recipe in a private message when I have some more time.

The glowing roots is my favorite one too! :) I also really love his work with stones (as I worked in stone masonry for many years so I know how much blood, sweat and tlc inevitably goes into some of his more ambitious stone creations).

I look forward to watching your video when I have time, thanks for the link. :)

May the sun always shine brightly for you… if it is raining may the rhythm sooth your mind and nourish your crops… if it is windy may you catch a whisper from the trees and may it lift the seeds of your hopes and dreams on the winds of change, to find a home in fertile soils.

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What a generous reply to send in the middle of harvest and preserving season! But having since subscribed to your YT (and thank you for subscribing to mine so I had your photo to reach yours), I realized you're already famous--over 2000 subs, congratulations!

I also watched your Recipes for Reciprocity video, what a fantastic name including two of my favorite things. I can't believe the similarity didn't occur to me before. So you don't need to send the recipe because I'll be buying the book as soon as I can figure out how to do that. If the seed offer is still part of that, it could make a fine wedding gift since Veronica's fiance is a side-hustle farmer and fermenter. One of his projects was a berry teepee and sitting under it with fruit within reach is his idea of heaven.

I love your holistic alchemical photography idea. Cassandra has just been building up her stash to make her own perfumes, and pine and bergamot are two of her favorites. In a way it's like my idea of edu-travel curricula in my Reinventing Education episode, except remote learning ;-) And I think I should consider all the microcultures within one country, like your own. You're in the Great Lakes area, is that what I heard?

And my friends Matthew and Astrid have the Living Seed Company. Do you know it? They used to be at Point Reyes Station in CA but now they have a farm in N carolina. I think you would like each other, from the bit I know of you.

Cheers! (what a beautiful closing you sent me, with which I won't try to compete ;-)

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Sep 29, 2022·edited Sep 29, 2022Author

Thank you for your kind and thoughtful reply.

I am striving to engage more fully with each interaction I choose to involve my self with on this Earth. Thus, if I am going to comment/respond to someone I endeavor to do so intentionally, mindfully and honestly (regardless of what ever other priorities I may have on my to do list at the time). Thank you for noticing and acknowledging my efforts to do so.

When I feel tempted to rush through doing something because I feel that I have something 'more important' to be doing, I often think of the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh. I think of how he gracefully articulated that each moment is an unreplaceable gift and in our choosing to engage with that gift with all that we are we honor that sacred gift (and increase our ability to perceive beauty, joy and experience fulfillment in life regardless of outward circumstances). I believe that this truth applies to the moment a vibrant autumn leaf is aligned with our path, commenting in response to a kindred spirit or even something as seemingly mundane as washing the dishes.

It is in the interest of honoring that truth, that I do my best to live from a mental/heart space which embodies the knowing that the impermanence of our individual lives on this Earth can be seen as a characteristic that imbues them with intrinsic beauty. This is something I wrote about in depth in my substack post titled “The Story of the Animati Astra Terram”. https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/the-story-of-the-animati-astra-terram (which is an excerpt from my book).

I think your pre-order of my book will be the last one that I can send seeds out with for now as it is the 200th preorder and that will exhaust the supply I had set aside for my book launch (until I can replenish via sorting more seeds this winter/next year and package more up). I will set aside the last set of seeds for you. If you would like to pre-order a copy for gifting to Veronica and her fiancé you can do so here: https://recipesforreciprocity.com/shop/preorder/

Thanks for checking out and subscribing to my (neglected) youtube channel. Most of those subscribers were accrued during the early years of that youtube channel when I was young and filming crazy stuff me and my buddies used to do in the wilderness of BC (cliff jumping etc) along with a few artistic nature videos. I do hope to revitalize that space once my book is published and perhaps do some recipe tutorials and garden DIY videos.

That is very cool that your daughter is gathering essences from the wild for creating perfumes.

Yes my wife and I are at the most southern extreme of Canada, on the shore of Lake Erie, just south of Detroit.

I was not familiar with the Living Seed Company until now. Wow! Thank you for bringing their company to my attention, I love their website and ethos. Perhaps I can find some way to symbiotically interface with them for future projects. I will certainly be adding their website to the list of regenerative resources and links at the end of my book. :)

Cheers! May the vibrancy of autumn envelope you and your daughter's wedding.. planting the seeds for cultivating moments worth cherishing that set down roots in your hearts and minds, growing to become enchanted memories.

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In order: Thich Nhat Hanh is my hero! I'm trying to slow down everything I do and remind myself that time exists to serve me, I don't exist to serve time.

Two of my daughters are Libras, Olivia who had a birthday yesterday and Cassandra two weeks from her. So I always read Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology that said this week: LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh was born under the sign of Libra. He said, "The root-word 'Buddha' means to wake up, to know, to understand; and he or she who wakes up and understands is called a Buddha." So according to him, the spiritual teacher Siddhartha Gautama who lived in ancient India was just one of many Buddhas. And by my astrological reckoning, you will have a much higher chance than usual to be like one of these Buddhas yourself in the coming weeks. Waking up will be your specialty. You will have an extraordinary capacity to burst free of dreamy illusions and murky misapprehensions. I hope you take full advantage. Deeper understandings are nigh.

https://newsletter.freewillastrology.com/p/liberate-yourself-from-unnecessary

I look forward to reading “The Story of the Animati Astra Terram” and preordered your book with the last set of seeds! I'm sure Veronica and James will make a good home for those.

My daughter's officiant, Dezmen, now lives in Detroit with his girlfriend Faith. A few months ago he sent me a text out of the blue wondering if I was in the East. It happened that I was in my Appalachian hometown where I go to work on my childhood home. So he stopped by on his drive from N Carolina back to Detroit and I got to show him the small town resurgence happening there. I'm hoping to visit him sometime in Detroit, which I write about in my book in a chapter called It Takes a Pillage. I hear good things are happening there too.

Ah, I thought you would find Matthew and Astrid kindred spirits. I met them at a Slow Money conference and wondered why this hip young couple chose to sit next to me, out of a room of hip young people. After I'd known them for awhile, Matthew told me that they were wondering why they were there when he heard a voice saying "Her. There. Sit." Somehow we discovered we were both serious students of A Course in Miracles. So we both know there are no accidents.

I love 'the vibrancy of autumn' and cherish your kind blessing on the wedding as memory seeds!

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I added that pic more recently (after that wind storm). For some reason that makes think of this song today https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqUsAHTUPTU So glad you liked the pics and caption. Hope you have a great day :)

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Sep 29, 2022·edited Sep 29, 2022Author

Greetings curious butterfly! :) I am very glad to make your acquaintance.

Ah interesting, you are not the first person to have 'crossed paths with me' via the Corbett Report network and then reached out here. I will have to thank James for aligning such interesting, insightful and creative people with my path through his website :) I have not been commenting as much as I would like to in the Corbett Report website threads recently as I have an intense work schedule this time of year.

Thank you for your kind words about my photos. The ones I shared on the post above are actually low resolution versions of the originals (which could be printed on a large canvas for hanging on the wall and would still be high def). You have inspired me to put together another post where I share some of my nature photos in the future :) Ahh yes the Romanesco broccoli is fantastic for that. Observing its fractal form always makes me think of the symmetry embodied in the alveoli in the human lungs and the structure of tree branches... mirror reflections of the same fractal genius.. giving and receiving from one another in perfect harmony.. exemplars of reciprocity in action. https://americasbestpics.com/picture/this-is-a-lung-this-is-a-tree-scienceoftheuniverse-we-N8lI0fS39

I used a Nikon d5100 (with a AF-S DX Micro-Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G lens) for some of those pics as well as old Nikon Coolpix P510 for some of the less close up ones.

Thank you very much for the thoughtful comment.

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Oct 3, 2022·edited Oct 3, 2022Author

Good Morning! :) That is so great to hear that James has been inspiring people to withdraw their support from the transgenic 'food' industry and eat more organic food for so many years. My path to learn about the detriments and dangers of transgenic crops and other products of gene splicing came about through direct personal experience (as my parents used some products of gene splicing on their farm when I was young and there was a "GMO" research lab not far from where we lived). Perhaps I will write a future blog post about that subject as well :). Though I stumbled across clips of James Corbett off and on through the years (especially through Catherine Austin Fitt's Solari Report community) I have only been actively engaging with his work and the community on his website in the last year or so. I feel like I have been missing out, as James is a great guy and the people that connect on his website often share insightful, informative and heartening comments/intel.

I am glad you enjoyed the pic showing the fractal symmetry of the tree and human lung geometry. I have uploaded a few more pics that similarly exemplify the ubiquitos fractal geometry present within all living systems on Earth (and beyond). Perhaps this shall be the focus of yet another future blog post! :) I will share links to where you can view them below.

- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lHhW44rH6pt457V1CsuEkQZ1vtNo2mme/view?usp=sharing

- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1veU--GhNu7K2-o_cbnRso-qbmlFGVT4_/view?usp=sharing

- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PlAKDTDJ7gXjxB3Y599_paPVVUZprdDI/view?usp=sharing

What a beautiful story about that turtle synchronicity you experienced and I find it interesting that you felt compelled to share that story with me as I rescued not one but two turtles this year. One was a baby snapping turtle and the other was a baby painted turtle. I scooped them both up from puddles I was about to drive through earlier this year. I felt guided to stop at the last second before going through the puddle, then when I stopped and looked more closely I found these little guys (or gals) swimming around in the puddle. How is your turtle doing now? Can you share a pic of him or her? I picked up and transported the turtles I rescued to a pond at the back of the nursery farm where I work and have checked to see if I can see them from time to time. I have spotted the snapping turtle swimming around on several occasions which was very heartening to see. Here are some pics of them:

- https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EDfwnFKVsu0pGnoUpWrjkrAmd3SYVfFn?usp=sharing

Your turtle story summons the Potawatomi Creation story of Turtle Island called "Sky Woman Falling" to my mind. Are you familiar with it? I read about it in a book called "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants" by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

I look forward to seeing your post about trees and look forward to hearing what you think of my future posts. :)

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The Creation Story of "Skywoman Falling"

"In the beginning there was the Skyworld.

She fell like a maple seed, pirouetting on an autumn breeze.* A column of light streamed from a hole in the Skyworld, marking her path where only darkness had been before. It took her a long time to fall. In fear, or maybe hope, she clutched a bundle tightly in her hand.

Hurtling downward, she saw only dark water below. But in that emptiness there were many eyes gazing up at the sudden shaft of light. They saw there a small object, a mere dust mote in the beam. As it grew closer, they could see that it was a woman, arms outstretched, long black hair billowing behind as she spiraled toward them.

The geese nodded at one another and rose together from the water in a wave of goose music. She felt the beat of their wings as they flew beneath to break her fall. Far from the only home she’d ever known, she caught her breath at the warm embrace of soft feathers as they gently carried her downward. And so it began.

The geese could not hold the woman above the water for much longer, so they called a council to decide what to do. Resting on their wings, she saw them all gather: loons, otters, swans, beavers, fish of all kinds. A great turtle floated in their midst and offered his back for her to rest upon. Gratefully, she stepped from the goose wings onto the dome of his shell. The others understood that she needed land for her home and discussed how they might serve her need. The deep divers among them had heard of mud at the bottom of the water and agreed to go find some.

Loon dove first, but the distance was too far and after a long while he surfaced with nothing to show for his efforts. One by one, the other animals offered to help—Otter, Beaver, Sturgeon—but the depth, the darkness, and the pressures were too great for even the strongest of swimmers. They returned gasping for air with their heads ringing. Some did not return at all. Soon only little Muskrat was left, the weakest diver of all. He volunteered to go while the others looked on doubt- fully. His small legs flailed as he worked his way downward and he was gone a very long time.

They waited and waited for him to return, fearing the worst for their relative, and, before long, a stream of bubbles rose with the small, limp body of the muskrat. He had given his life to aid this helpless human. But then the others noticed that his paw was tightly clenched and, when they opened it, there was a small handful of mud. Turtle said, “Here, put it on my back and I will hold it.”

Skywoman bent and spread the mud with her hands across the shell of the turtle. Moved by the extraordinary gifts of the animals, she sang in thanksgiving and then began to dance, her feet caressing the earth. The land grew and grew as she danced her thanks, from the dab of mud on Turtle’s back until the whole earth was made. Not by Skywoman alone, but from the alchemy of all the animals’ gifts coupled with her deep gratitude. Together they formed what we know today as Turtle Island, our home.

Like any good guest, Skywoman had not come empty-handed. The bundle was still clutched in her hand. When she toppled from the hole in the Skyworld she had reached out to grab onto the Tree of Life that grew there. In her grasp were branches—fruits and seeds of all kinds of plants. These she scattered onto the new ground and carefully tended each one until the world turned from brown to green. Sunlight streamed through the hole from the Skyworld, allowing the seeds to flourish. Wild grasses, flowers, trees, and medicines spread everywhere. And now that the animals, too, had plenty to eat, many came to live with her on Turtle Island.

Our stories say that of all the plants, wiingaashk, or sweetgrass, was the very first to grow on the earth, its fragrance a sweet memory of Skywoman’s hand. Accordingly, it is honored as one of the four sacred plants of my people. Breathe in its scent and you start to remember things you didn’t know you’d forgotten. Our elders say that ceremonies are the way we “remember to remember,” and so sweetgrass is a powerful ceremonial plant cherished by many indigenous nations. It is also used to make beautiful baskets. Both medicine and a relative, its value is both material and spiritual.

There is such tenderness in braiding the hair of someone you love. Kindness and something more flow between the braider and the braided, the two connected by the cord of the plait. Wiingaashk waves in strands, long and shining like a woman’s freshly washed hair. And so we say it is the flowing hair of Mother Earth. When we braid sweet-grass, we are braiding the hair of Mother Earth, showing her our loving attention, our care for her beauty and well-being, in gratitude for all she has given us. Children hearing the Skywoman story from birth know in their bones the responsibility that flows between humans and the earth.

The story of Skywoman’s journey is so rich and glittering it feels to me like a deep bowl of celestial blue from which I could drink again and again. It holds our beliefs, our history, our relationships. Looking into that starry bowl, I see images swirling so fluidly that the past and the present become as one. Images of Skywoman speak not just of where we came from, but also of how we can go forward."

-Robin Wall Kimmerer (Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants)

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Working close to nature all day I have trained my mind and my eyes to recognize these fractal patterns more and more now. Seeing them often offers me an epiphany in how some larger aspect of an ecosystem functions (after I extrapolate the function the geometrical configuration is serving in the case of lets say a leaf, and then apply that to an entire forest of trees connected by mycorrhizal fungi etc.) I look forward to exploring it further in an article in the future and hearing your thoughts :)

Oh I never thought to check if my painted turtle would be considered as "invasive". I know out west in BC where my parents had an orchard they were considered "endangered" and "protected" but perhaps that is different here in Ontario?

Thank you very much for the photos of your turtle friend, that is beautiful the way you two have enriched each other's lives.. what a wonderful expression of reciprocity and symbiosis in action :)

Excellent! I think the version I read in Braiding Sweetgrass was a little different but that one has similar themes. I am glad you were able to find that link. I will share the version I am familiar with (from Braiding Sweetgrass) in a comment below (and likely create a separate post about it in the future as well).

I am very much looking forward to hearing what you think of that article (Childhood End). I have occasionally contimplated about how Creation stories like Skywoman Falling might have had some origins in early humans interacting with more advanced cultures (and then recording such events in colorful stories that are painted through unique 'cultural lenses'..

Thank you for the thoughtful comment.

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