newsletters

Hello Friends, Can you feel a tinge of autumn in the morning air? The tippy top leaves of the maple tree outside my house are beginning to show a bit of red. My garden, once bursting with color and fruit, begins a gentle exhale into the shift. The starlings are gathering in the huge oak tree behind my neighbor's house. As August wanes, summer’s morning light mellows into a softer glow through the east windows of my living room. Autumn beckons. Read more.. ...

Today I sat down in the garden and called my mom on my wind phone*. My mother passed away in 2020 at age 100. I miss her every day. I wanted to tell her that. I also wanted to ask her advice about something. We had a meaningful conversation — mostly me talking and her listening. I hung up and took a deep breath. I felt loved, supported, and clear on next steps. The wind phone is my way of accessing my mother’s elder wisdom out there in the spirit world. What I continue to learn from her is part of the wisdom I carry and pass on to my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Generational wealth. Read more here... ...

Hello Friends, It's early June and I’ve just returned from my 18th vision quest, a pilgrimage once again to the sacred Modoc land—a place that continues to offer me more than I ever expect. Each time I step onto that ancestral soil, I am reminded of the quiet wisdom and the immense holding that nature offers to us when we slow down enough to listen. This year, the land wrapped around me like a gentle embrace. The sun poured its golden warmth across the hills, and I felt myself soften in its light. I was not alone. Each day I shared space with hawks circling overhead, deer moving silently through the brush, and the rustle of unseen life all around. But one encounter in particular stirred something deep in me—a moment of pure joy and wonder. Read more... ...

Happy May Day and Beltane! May is here, and She’s softening the earth beneath our feet. Buds are opening wide, birds are singing louder, and there’s that subtle nudge in the air inviting us to stretch, shed, and bloom. At the Down to Earth Studio I am leaning into this fresh energy with gratitude and groundedness. This month is about reconnecting—with ourselves, each other, and the cycles that hold us steady. Read more  ...

April has arrived, and with it, the exciting and undeniable energy of renewal! Everywhere we look, nature is stretching awake—buds swelling on branches, birds singing their morning melodies, and the Earth herself softening with the warmth of longer days. It's a reminder that we, too, are part of this great cycle of growth. Just as the daffodils don't question their time to bloom, we can trust our own creative instincts to emerge, unfold, and take shape in ways we may not have expected. Read more... ...

As March unfolds, I find myself in a season of transition, a bridge between the quiet stillness of winter and the blossoming energy of spring. Outside my front window the camelia tree is covered with soft pink buds that appear ready, but also not quite ready, to burst forth. They wait patiently for the timing to be just right. The last two warm sunny days here in the Pacific Northwest have been a teaser for spring. More chilly rainy weather is in the forecast. And I wait not-so-patiently for the arrival of spring. Gaia has her own timing. Read more ...

One of my favorite chapters in my book, Solo Passage, is “Resurrecting Wildness”, the story of the vision quest that inspired three wild memories: the memory of the packrats stealing my friend Susanne’s glasses; the memory of looking eye to eye with a huge majestic buck deer during a hunting trip with my ex-husband; and the memory of the dead coyote draped over the fence. Here is a passage from that chapter that sums up my longing for wildness. Read more... ...

Happy New Year! I always love the fresh start feeling of a new year. As we step into January, I am inviting us to take a moment to embrace the beauty of setting heartfelt intentions instead of rigid resolutions. I believe that intentions are like seeds planted in the fertile soil of our creativity and personal growth. Rather than pressuring ourselves with strict goals, we can cultivate a nurturing environment where we explore our inner selves, allowing joy and inspiration to guide us. Read more... ...

As the days grow shorter and the chill deepens, the transition from autumn to winter extends an invitation we sometimes resist—a call to slow down, to grow quiet, and to look within. Winter is a season of dormancy, a time when life presses pause. At the Down to Earth Studio, we’re also embracing the perspective of winter as a season for healing, rest, and profound creativity, even in the midst of all the holiday hustle and bustle. Read more... ...

As the days shorten and become colder and darker, and the wind pulls the last red and gold leaves from the trees, we feel the mysterious unsettling of seasonal changes. Pumpkins, ghosts and goblins appear on porches. Themes of death and dying and liminality fill the air. Today is November 1st, Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, a vibrant and deeply spiritual tradition observed in Mexico and other Latin American cultures. This holiday blends Indigenous beliefs with Catholic influences to honor and celebrate the lives of loved ones who have passed on. It is a time when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is thought to be thin, allowing families to connect with departed ancestors in meaningful ways. Read more ...