Born in Madison, WI, on June 23, 1976, and raised between Hamburg, Michigan, and Kiel, Wisconsin, Kaitlin’s life was one of deep empathy, spiritual wisdom, and service to others. As a Priestess of Cycles, Kaitlin had a rare and profound gift for guiding people through life’s transitions—through song, sacred ceremony, and the holding of space for grief, celebration, and healing. Her presence was steady and radiant, a source of calm and compassion for countless individuals navigating life’s most difficult and meaningful moments.

She is survived by her loving and beloved husband Bruce Johnston; her father Michael Hetzner; her sisters Megan (Terry Andersen) Hetzner and Molly (Ryan) Rabe; parents-in-law Joyce and Craig Johnston, brother and sister-in-law Ross Johnston and Rachel Winstedt; nieces and nephews Azure, Zane (Iyanla Rivera), and Winter Tinkle, and Harper and Gavin Johnston-Winstedt; and great-nephew Ivíca Sol Lokahi Rivera-Tinkle. She is also survived by her chosen family and dear friends in the Earthaven Ecovillage community, where she found connection, purpose, and home.

Kaitlin was preceded in death by her beloved son Rowan Kavanaugh Lindsay Johnston, her mother Nora Lindsay Hetzner, maternal grandparents Kenneth and Rosalie Lindsay, and paternal grandparents Hugo and Jean Hetzner.

A ceremony in honor of Kaitlin’s life was held at Earthaven Ecovillage on Saturday, August 9. All who were touched by her light are welcome to gather, sing, grieve, and celebrate the extraordinary soul she was and will continue to be in spirit. For more about how we do home funerals and burials, see Home Funerals, Green Burials, which will be presented live online on November 2, 2025.

In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to one of these great causes in Kaitlin’s memory:

• Earthaven Ecovillage, her community
• The Temple of Diana Inc., of which Kaitlin was clergy
• Donate to a scholarship for the Midwest Women’s Herbal Conference
• GoFundMe for supporting Bruce after the sudden loss of Kaitlin

More from Kaitlin:

• Creating Ritual with Kaitlin Ilya Wolf podcast
• Growing Red Tents or Women’s Circles recording of an online workshop

The post Remembering Kaitlin Lindsay (Hetzner) Johnston appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

Decades ago, Brandon Greenstein and friends initiated the “Bizarre Bazaar” at the White Owl in Earthaven Ecovillage, as an opportunity for folks to display, demonstrate, share, sell, trade, or give away the fruits of their labors in a variety of arts, crafts, and entertaining offerings. This heartful gesture has become a community feature ever since! Fresh food, handmade baskets, jewelry, clothing, hand-knit and crocheted accessories, jams, beverages, medicines, and more have continued to show up through the years. Most of us look forward to the brief, energy-packed afternoon together, our mid-December extravaganza in the Council Hall.

Last year, I heard a neighbor say, “I love bringing my latest inventions to the Bizarre Bazaar, just to see what I should focus on for the coming year.” A friend who brings his year’s accumulation of healthy blessings told me, “I’ve done the Bazaar for four years now, and it really does make a difference in my holiday economy!”

It seems that, for us Earthaveners and many of our neighbors, getting dressed up and sharing in the excitement of trade and the purveying of our homemade, homegrown, and upcycled goods, elbow to elbow in concentric circles of tables in the Council Hall is a ritual with multiple blessings. We remember to do what we do best and share it. Folks display and offer samples of new items and ideas since we last met. We can chomp and slurp as we sell and trade, wandering to each other’s tables over and over again, considering deals we might make and changes for next year, as we meet new sellers and customers every time. It’s even got me creating a table of my own, where I can upscale houseplant arrangements in adorable thrift store baskets and pass the profits on to our Village School. One of my favorite opportunities is when I’m able to offer original art work from close friends and former neighbors now living as far away as France!

One day, this may well be the main way we offer and access many of our basic needs, beyond the bulk items in our pantries. For now, the pleasure of shared commerce in an old-fashioned style keeps us looking forward to and showing up on that special Saturday in December every year.

This year (2022), the Bizarre Bazaar happens on Saturday, December 10, from noon to 4 pm. And you are invited!

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Village Hearts Day is our community response to Valentine’s Day. Village Hearts Day is a time when we can really appreciate each other and hear how other people appreciate us. This connection is even more important this year when some of our members need to be physically isolated.

This year we are pasting a card on a large envelope for each person. The artwork is from our beloved ancestor, Kimchi Rylander. People can write on the cardvelopes or create messages to put in the cardvelopes. In February, we’ll have a drop-in session with punch and cookies for folks to receive and enjoy the contents of their cardvelopes. The Village Hearts Faeries will distribute the cardvelopes to villagers who are physically isolated.

We hope this description gives you ideas for connecting with your community this winter.

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Five years ago a tradition began here at Earthaven, the tales of which are likely to be told for generations to come. This alternative to Halloween is an annual tradition now. Mana McLeod, resident and creator, calls it The Elementals Walk.

Mana drew inspiration for the walk from her alternative education in the Netherlands, where theater is deeply valued. She recalls one particular event in elementary school that sparked it all. There were theater pieces scattered throughout the woods. Fast forward more than thirty years, that spark is a full-on flame once a year for Mana’s two boys and the 25 other children in the village.

The Elementals Walk has evolved from its modest beginnings with a few parents and some characters. These days, it’s more like a production (though mostly done behind the scenes to keep the magic alive).

Five staple characters grace the night, with a small team of other individuals who set up luminaries to light the path. There’s the Earth Troll, Water Fairy, Fire Spirit, and Air Weaver, each with its own flare.

The character known as Grizelda creates the backdrop for the whole evening, which begins with her mysterious emergence as the children huddle in anticipation. With her scarlet finery, box lantern, and scroll, she is the keeper of the story of how the elementals came to be. Grizelda’s calm, steady presence ushers the kids into an otherworldly realm, where they stay mesmerized for two hours.

The Elementals Walk is quite the contrast to the Halloween of our larger culture. The children stay connected to their bodies, to their gratitude, and to mystery in a way that feeds more than their appetite for candy.

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This fall marks a new beginning in the life of educational programming at Earthaven. Two of the village’s educational organizations have merged. Culture’s Edge and School of Integrated Living (SOIL) are now one. Read on to learn more of their histories and how the merger evolved. 

 Culture’s Edge was founded in 1996, two years after Earthaven. Early Earthaven members studied the skills needed to develop an ecovillage and then taught those skills at Earthaven. Culture’s Edge became a regional leader in permaculture, natural building, and healing arts training, attracting students and apprentices from around the world to study at Earthaven. Culture’s Edge continued offering workshops over the years, though the number declined over time as instructors moved away and new organizations started providing educational programs in the region. 

 In 2013, NikiAnne Feinberg and Lee Warren co-founded School of Integrated Living (SOIL), an educational organization and social enterprise that teaches whole-life skills for a radically different and sustainable future. SOIL aims to populate the world with empowered, skilled, and conscious leaders dedicated to creating regenerative change and healthy relationships. 

 In 2019, Culture’s Edge started rebuilding its board after Earthaven’s restructuring process was complete and more community energy was available for creative educational endeavors. Over the years, the idea of developing online education had been swirling in the village as a way to more diversely address Earthaven’s educational mission and boost the local economy for community members. The revitalization of Culture’s Edge couldn’t have come at a more apropos time to pursue online education.

 In this COVID-19 era, SOIL had to cancel all of its 2020 in-person programs and the outlook for 2021 is still uncertain. With the strong team that SOIL has cultivated over the years and a new website equipped with the technology needed for online programs, plus the fact that several people were involved in both organizations, the obvious question was…why not consolidate resources and efforts by placing in-person and online educational offerings under one roof? So they did. 

 With the merger, Culture’s Edge continues to be a non-profit organization focused on Earthaven’s mission and SOIL is the educational face of Culture’s Edge. Educational opportunities at Earthaven are poised to reach audiences further afield. The casting of a wider net couldn’t come at a better time, as the sustainable way of life at Earthaven is becoming more relevant in light of many of today’s systemic challenges.

 Stay tuned for the rollout of SOIL’s new website, as well as its newest programs: a free audio podcast, new online workshops, and virtual tours of our village. 

 In the meantime, check out SOIL’s in-person 2021 programs by visiting the current SOIL website or sign up for the December 6 Virtual Village Tour on the Earthaven website. To get the latest news about SOIL’s programs, subscribe to SOIL’s newsletter.

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Around this time of year at Earthaven, you might see several varieties of heritage corn being dried, including Oaxacan Green, Carl’s Glass Gem, and Bloody Butcher. These are used, respectively, for tortillas and hominy, popcorn, and cornmeal. Twelve-year-old resident, Stone, grew the Bloody Butcher corn pictured; his fifteen-year-old sister, Gaia, arranged and took the photographs.

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As awareness of long-standing racial injustice takes front stage in the United States, many people in residential intentional communities are asking questions about the imbalance of people of color in the communities movement. Out of a similar inquiry, a group of five people at Earthaven created the Racial Equity Task Group (RETG).

The intention of the RETG is to move forward on Goal 8 of Earthaven’s mission: “To work towards partnership culture, towards racial and gender equity, and against oppression in all its forms.”The first order of business for the committee is to create a strategic plan, which will inform the equity work at Earthaven over the next five years.

In an effort not to perpetuate more harm to Black and Indigenous peoples in this process, RETG has initiated a listening and learning project. The project will center the voices of Black people who are familiar with daily life at Earthaven. Participants will come together—without white folks—to share their experiences.

The RETG acknowledges the emotional labor involved in such a project. Participants will be paid for their contribution. The pay rate was based on the results of a survey to gauge willingness and to determine the kind of compensation for this precious work.

The project will launch over the next month. RETG is currently discussing how best to share the results of the conversation. The insights gleaned through the project will inform and shape the committee’s identification of the issues that are most urgent for the white people of this community to address.

For more information about Earthaven’s long-term vision for creating a partnership culture, please read the Statement of Transparency. It includes a breakdown of Goal 8 of Earthaven’s mission.

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By Deborah Clark, Medicine Wheel Collective

Greetings from Medicine Wheel Collective!

As summer rolls into fall, and wave after wave of change sweeps the wider world, we find ourselves deep in a season of change at Medicine Wheel. As the pandemic prohibited us from hosting our normal summer crew of work exchangers, visitors, and renters, it’s a bit wilder in our garden than usual.

Inside the house, it’s a bit wilder too. We are living in a construction zone.

We are rebuilding Medicine Wheel’s heart and hearth: the kitchen. Having sustained and nurtured residents, students, and Earthaven visitors for nearly twenty years, it desperately needed an overhaul. Lyndon and I—along with our advisory board—have paused with gratitude to consider how many thousands of meals have been cooked and eaten here.

As we rise to meet this challenge, we’re searching our hearts for answers to a couple of big questions: What are Medicine Wheel’s most authentic expressions of service? How does that service mesh with our individual personalities, needs, and visions for the future?

Ever since Patricia Allison—Medicine Wheel’s founder, and our beloved teacher and mentor—passed on more than two years ago, we’ve been examining and refining our purpose and goals, while striving to honor the depth of her commitment.

Lyndon is enthused about continuing the Medicine Wheel tradition of hosting permaculture classes and inspirational events. I am especially excited about the interplay between the bounty of the garden and that age-old question: What’s for dinner?

One thing we’re both sure of: we desire to serve those who want to learn to live more sustainably, for generations to come. That’s what gets us out of bed in the morning.

The kitchen is the hub of the Wheel. We envision being able to serve larger groups, with more ease and grace. When we ask you to contribute to our campaign to fund the Medicine Wheel kitchen renovation, we are asking you to join us in that prayer.

Consider Donating Today  https://charity.gofundme.com/medicine-wheel-kitchen

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As COVID-19 continues to distort our once-familiar realities, many people—residents of Earthaven included—are asking questions about systemic uncertainty. Food security is, quite naturally, at the top of many folks’ lists.

Check out some of the initiatives taking place in and around Earthaven with an eye toward food security. Some of these projects were already in existence and others are in direct response to COVID-19.

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On July 5th, a group of residents and neighbors gathered for a Food Interdependence Discussion Series. The series featured four sessions for discussion, as well as identifying actions. The sessions were created based on interests expressed on a community email list.

The mission of the Stock the Pantry Initiative is to establish and maintain a supply of nonperishable food for a community-owned, six-month emergency food stock. The project plans to include about 50 different items such as various grains, beans, nuts, seeds, flours, and dried fruits.

The Canned Bean Collective, which started before the pandemic, grew out of the project generator’s desire to reduce waste and to foster more thrift. The idea is to have the convenience of opening a jar of home-canned beans instead of trying to remember to soak dry beans a day ahead.

Tricia and her family, who live on land adjacent to Earthaven, created space for this work on their homestead because, “it feels very tribal and ancestral to work with others to put up food together and is a great way to have social connection and accomplish tasks.” A team of nine people meet in different configurations twice monthly for two to three hours. In July and August alone, they have put up over 120 quarts of beans.

Veggie Ladies is two years old and was created by a farmer to meet increased labor demands, while also promoting connection among women. She leads a weekly four-hour work party of six women. The women put in a small amount of money for seeds and supply ongoing labor in exchange for a portion of the harvests.

In a similar cooperative model, Bread and Butter Farm has a joint venture to build up corn production for high quality winter animal fodder. Community member Bruce puts up the seed, and supplies labor in planting and weeding, while the farm lends a portion of their field for the growing. The farm will use half the green corn for silage, and Bruce will use the rest for his own purposes.

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