Birds, Flora, Musings
Into the Woods
Today I took a short video so you can see what the woods are looking like right now. At the end you can hear a plane flying low overhead, as the Sanctuary is not too far from Detroit Metro airport.
Our world is constantly becoming more and more developed even in areas that are zoned for agriculture. Farm fields across the road from the Sanctuary are currently being partitioned off and sold for new houses to be built on. A wooded tract of land was recently purchased in our township to be de-forested so that a storage unit facility can be built there.
A major goal of the nonprofit is to keep our land from development and to be in relationship with it in creating conditions for regenerating.
Removing garbage from the woods, rebuilding fertility on intensively farmed fields so that there is abundance for both humans and wildlife, and creating spaces for people to be in reciprocity with the land and each other are all part of our mission. Each year more and more diversity is seen at Crossing Hedgerows. It is becoming a little paradise which no video can do justice.
sycamore and dead tree in the woods
This is what we are here for as humans. To be able to receive the gifts that God offers freely and reciprocate in turn in ways that feel good to us. When we do that, life will thrive, and our spirits will thrive.
That is perhaps the deepest spiritual practice of all.
Bright Blessings,
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.
