November 20, 2022 at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to share with you the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address which I first read in Robin Wall Kimmerer’s beloved book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants . Greetings to the Natural World The People Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in ...
Awaken to the mystery of being here and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence. Have joy and peace in the temple of your senses. Receive encouragement when new frontiers beckon. Respond to the call of your gift and the courage to follow its path... May your outer dignity mirror an inner dignity of soul. May you take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention... May you experience each day as a ...
I will be out of town for the next couple of weeks with my family, but before we go, I am very excited to share with you this drawing I received yesterday from Garden Juju Collective. It is the first draft of our land design for the front field area. Behind the county drain (blue line marked at the top), is about ten acres of woods with trails throughout that is not shown on the drawing. This ...
Members of Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary are always welcome to visit and make use of the various spaces we have available. Last week, we added the beginnings of a stone circle ritual space. Since it is my personal ritual space (which I would also like to share with you), I alone dedicated and consecrated it. It is located at the Cavanaugh homestead, and not on the part of the land that is specifically designated as sanctuary land. Once ...
A few recent pictures from around the Sanctuary... Warm wishes to each of you, Jean
(Aromatic Aster and Honeybee ~ October 2022) Last week, Dan, Brennah, and I met with Bridget and Charlie of Garden Juju Collective to receive an update on their progress with creating the design for the Sanctuary land. They are working on taking the plan that we have communicated to them and putting the design on paper using aerial photos, topographical maps, and making multiple visits to observe what's been happening on the land. They are currently still ...
It's that time of year when many of us are feeling closer than usual to our ancestors and sensing their presence. And often when we send goo It's that time of year when many of us are feeling closer than usual to our ancestors and sensing their presence. And often when we send good wishes to those who have passed, we give them a blessing to "Rest In Peace". I would like to invite us to consider, ...
As September draws to a close, we are grateful to everyone who has continued to contribute to our community in all the various ways throughout the year. Heading into October, we are seeing a definite shift towards the darker days of the season here at Crossing Hedgerows, along with the signs and messages that often accompany that.These three crows greeted me early one morning, and as I greeted them in return, one flew down right past me, ...
Ground cherries are a crop that has done well for us over the years. Physalis pruinosa is in the nightshade family and is related to tomatoes, potatoes, tomatillos, peppers, and such (but not cherries!). Like tomatillos, they have a papery husk on them. However, ground cherries are sweet, with a flavor similar to pineapple or strawberry. Ground cherries are native to the Americas. "Estimates for the earliest use of Physalis for human consumption range from 900BCE to 5000BCE. ...
Saturday, September 24 at 2pmAs Autumn approaches, we are going to be winding down our events for the year here at Crossing Hedgerows. We are feeling the need for a breather, and also want to allow everyone time to focus on home and family. However, please do remember that we are always open by appointment for members to access the land for their own private pilgrimages. So with that in mind, we invite you to a second event ...
We were honored to have Jim TwoSnakes coming to Crossing Hedgerows to share the Q'ero Fire Ceremony with our community. The Q’ero (Peruvian) Fire Ceremony is an ancient rite with profound impact that has changed the lives of many people. Everywhere Jim TwoSnakes conducts a Fire Ceremony, you can find people willing to attest to its power to transform. With a blessed and sacred fire, we ask Pachamama (Mother Earth) to compost and recycle the issues we ...
Hello everyone! We would once again like to provide you with a little Sanctuary Magic brought to you by Brennah Cavanaugh Photography LLC. These were all taken in the month of August. The images are compressed, and not the high resolution of the originals, so that we can share them publicly. (Petey - a monarch raised from an egg by Alissa, then adopted by the Cavanaughs and ...
Skills and Friendship Days (aka work days), along with an evening of community sharing this past Saturday, have rounded out the the events of the last few weeks nicely. I hope you enjoy the following photo journal to capture the late summer vibe, and a smattering of what's been happening around the farm and sanctuary. The Yew tree Sarenth and Emily clearing grape vines off the Yew tree Sarenth clearing grape vines off the Yew ...
The following photographs by Brennah Cavanaugh Photography LLC were all taken this summer at Crossing Hedgerows. These are a select few of the many creatures whose portraits she has taken at the farm and sanctuary. We wanted to share them with you in gratitude for your continued support. Brennah is planning to start her own Patreon soon, but we will continue to occasionally feature her work here, in the same ...
Path from the Sanctuary driveway back towards the woodsBlue Vervain standing proudlyPurple Loosestrife glowing in the sunshine (for an interesting perspective on this plant, feel free to check out the following link: https://commonwealthherbs.com/herb-of-the-week-purple-loosestrife/ )One of the wider trails through the woods - a wonderful place to be on a hot day."When you regain a sense of your life as a journey of discovery, you return to rhythm with yourself. When you take the time to travel with reverence, a ...
We had a lovely Lughnasadh Celebration yesterday with those who were able to make it out. One of our sacred Druid plants, who grows at the Sanctuary, asked to be featured and made use of for our ritual, so we happily obliged. At the entrance to the ritual space, we had some agrimony infused water for participants to use for cleansing. * * * * * * ** A few folks relaxing after the potluck. ...
This week the monarch butterfly was put on the endangered species list. https://www.washingtonpost.com/kidspost/2022/07/25/monarch-butterflies-named-endangered-species-red-list/ I'm glad to report that we've still been seeing them around the farm and sanctuary regularly this year, and we do have a couple of different varieties of milkweed available for them. Yesterday I saw four different ones flitting about. Monarch on Swamp Milkweed - Photo by Brennah Cavanaugh Photography LLC taken on July 14, 2022 at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary I would like to ...
I thought it would be nice to catch you up with some pictures from some of our recent Skills and Friendship Days (previously known as Work Days 😉). So without further ado... here is some of what we've been up to lately. Harvesting garlic scapes Preparing the garlic scapes for pickling Putting the cut scapes into the bag Snipping off the tough parts and the ends, and cutting them to the right size to ...
One of the gardens at Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary Last week we had our third consultation with Garden Juju Collective as they continue to work on the design and project management of making our vision a reality for the Sanctuary land. (As I write this, I realize that I neglected to let you all know that we had actually contracted with them to help us continue the pond excavation, land preparation, and building project.) "Garden Juju Collective is ...
Dan has been working on finishing up the outhouse, with some help along the way from Brennah. It is now mostly finished, and fully functional! Here are a few pictures from the past couple of weeks:Getting ready to make a door for the back, where the bucket will be taken in and out for composting the contents.A scoop of wood chips is to be added on top after each use of the toilet.There are a few last details ...