Events & Celebrations

Family Mystery School Update 🌻

By Published On: January 31st, 2026Categories: Events & Celebrations270 words1.8 min read0 Comments on Family Mystery School Update 🌻

Hi everyone!

Our last Mystery School meetup was once again a wonderful time! We had so much fun making the corn dolls, playing Nature Bingo, and harvesting tomatoes and spice bush berries. We had a snack of salsa (made from the tomatoes) and chips, and spice bush berries were sent home for drying (to later grind as a spice like peppercorns).

 

Corn Doll Making

 

Corn Doll Making

 

Corn Doll Making

 

Corn Doll Making

 

Corn Doll Making

 

Corn Doll Making

 

Finished Dolls made by the children

 

Harvesting tomatoes in the hoophouse

 

 

Harvesting tomatoes in the hoophouse

 

The Tuesday meetup is especially nice for homeschoolers since we are meeting during the normal school hours. If you know anyone who is looking for a homeschool group or a forest school please send them my direction!

We also read the book Eleanor the Elephant about an elephant who leaves the circus to become free. She learns how to survive in the wild, and we talked about how when we take care of nature and each other, then nature and other people also take care of us. Please enjoy this reading of Eleanor the Elephant by the author. He and his son who created the pictures for the book are fellow homeschoolers and dear friends of mine!

 

My work is truly a labor of love and cannot continue without the support of community. So I thank you for being here and helping to keep it going!

Love and blessings to each of you,

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.