I had a chance to be part of a creative return to earth based wisdom in Judaism last week. Wilderness Torah, who’s mission is to Awaken and celebrate the earth-based traditions of Judaism to nourish the connections between self, community, earth, and Spirit, invited me to consult as a Cultural Mentor. The process of Culture Repair requires two key elements: the first being a return to Deep Nature Connection at all levels of culture and the second being Depth Mentoring. Depth Mentoring is a dedicated role that pulls the learner into new learning edges over and over again, deepening relationships to all manner of creation.

Here is a talk I gave about my journey to becoming a Depth Mentor in Culture Repair and the essential elements of Deep Nature Connection and Deep Cultural Elements (Tree Trunk !)

This is the second part of the Community Address

When I talk about the possibility of leaving the earth better than I found it, I find myself eventually in front of a choice. Do I take the risk to do something different, and what is the cost if I don’t ? Take a look and give me some feedback in the comments section.

I was in St. Croix in February facilitating an Art of Mentoring (Vermont, Scotland, Ontario, California, Washington) with Jon Young and Evan McGown, at VISFI. I was so inspired by the stories and spirit of these women that I felt that there was a message to bring back with me to the mainland.

Here it is:

Here is talk I gave in Huntsville Ontario. This is probably one of the better talks that I have given. Something about the people in the room that day and the need for this particular talk to go well. There is a saying: The greater the need the greater the result.

Take a look and let me know what you think:

Here is a talk that I gave on Thursday at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. 100 people were there and the energy was really great. The Ontario Art of Mentoring Team held the evening really well and even covered for me when my flight was delayed.

here is a talk I gave last night in Athens Georgia. My good friend and adopted younger brother, Evan McGown has begun a Nature Community project called Institute for Wild Intelligence. This talk has a strong theme of what does it take to have resilient community and what does deep nature connection have to do with it.

Writing our own songs from the land, this is the high bar. This song was written in the UK during the first UK Art of Mentoring, July 2010 and performed by the first Ontario Art of Mentoring, August 2010.

White Horse Bridge

This is the land of the long setting sun
connecting my people as tribes, has begun
Come together as One

Dream our life that’s awaiting
Dream now awake
See skylarks and white horses rising
Calling our Name

Wheels within wheels we spiral around
soaring through sky and rooting in ground
Come together as One

Go to the hedgerows and hillsides
Elders rattle the bones
Peacemaking ‘wakes in the children
Calling our Name

“Now here’s a sad song for ya, it brings a tear to me glass eye”  quips Uncle Gerry,

“It’s so sad even the cross-eyed had tears runnin’ down the back o’ their necks…”

Gerry Brady is a trick a minute.  “I’m the only leprechaun in captivity” .

There’s a lot to be said about the joy this man brought to myself and the UK Art of Mentoring.

But one moment in particular has meant a lot to me.  I was giving him the lay of the land about

how Nature is the source of Culture.  That our mission is to regenerate resilient culture again by

immersing the people in nature, mentoring them to connect to the depths.  He got it.

I told him that I personally wanted to see the artists, musicians and visionaries celebrated and in the

center of culture again.  He said, “You have to learn this song, Come by the Hills”.

He sang it to me, taught me the chords and blessed me with this gift to take home with me as a poetic

expression of the power of my mission.  A beautiful elder moment.

Well Gerry, I learned it.  And I shared it with Maine Fiddle Camp this summer, a music culture camp,

regenerating new england musicians.  It was a fitting message for them.  Take a look:

(Come by the Hills: words by William Gordon Smith, to the tune of “Boys of Ireland ”
(Musicians: Left to Right, Owen Marshall, Ellen Gawler, Mark Morey, Molly Gawler)
(Filmed by: Lucia Rose Morey, 10 )