Musings
Creating Abundance
Part of the mission of Crossing Hedgerows Farm and Sanctuary is to create abundance for our community through earth care – learning together the skills of regenerative agriculture and permaculture. Permaculture is a design system which incorporates people care, earth care, and return of surplus (giving back).
We have, little by little, been planting and trying out various growing techniques to gain the skills needed to design the larger space of the Sanctuary as we are able. This morning I said a blessing on some paw paw seeds I received from Nature and Nurture Seeds of Dexter, MI before heading out to put them in the ground.
We currently have one large paw paw that we planted about 5 years ago which is doing great and has blossomed the last couple of years. It’s in a nice wet spot and very happy, but it needs another one to cross-pollinate and bear fruit. We also have a few others which we planted at the same time but are growing exceedingly slowly because they are in an area that is too dry for them. I moved one earlier this summer to a wetter area, but it didn’t make it. So rather than try to transplant the others, I decided to get some seeds to start some new ones.
If you check out the pictures, you will see the big one next to the house, the next biggest one that is significantly smaller, and the spot where I planted one of the seeds. So now it will be fun to see which blossoms first – the ones in the dry area, growing slowly, or the seeds I just planted.
In any case, planting seeds is always an act of hope.
May all the seeds of hope you are nurturing in your life be blessed,
Jean
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Written by : Jean Cavanaugh
Jean Cavanaugh is the founder and steward of Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary, established in 2019 as a living, learning community devoted to reconnecting people with the wisdom of nature, the sacred order of creation, and the presence of Christ within all life. Her work brings together spiritual formation, ecological stewardship, ancestral wisdom, and hands-on community practice.
Through years of practical work on the land, study of the Mysteries, and the healing of her own severe health challenges through natural methods, Jean has come to recognize God’s hand at work throughout creation. Her teachings, rooted in the Mystery School tradition and Christian gnosis, explore how the patterns of heaven, earth, and the human body reveal the way back to divine presence, peace, and inner strength.
Jean leads with honesty, integrity, and a deeply welcoming spirit, inviting others to let go of inherited assumptions and rediscover truth through lived experience and embodied understanding. She works with all ages—from preschoolers to elders—offering programs and celebrations that emphasize direct engagement with nature, music, story, homesteading skills, and in-person community.
She and her family live at the 21-acre Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary, where daily life reflects a commitment to simplicity, beauty, and harmony with the land. The sanctuary includes gardens, woodland trails, a seasonal creek, gathering circles, and spaces designed to nourish both people and wildlife. Jean is especially passionate about creating environments that are grounding, beautiful, and spiritually restorative.
Through her writing and teaching, Jean encourages others to know themselves, know creation, and recognize Christ as the living truth present within and around us—always inviting a return to love, beauty, and the sacred order of life.
