When I was in my teenage years, I lived across the street from a playground and baseball park. I would walk almost every day around the park with my two dogs, and admire the beauty of the trees flourishing there — especially one weeping willow tree. She was nestled into her own little alcove among the chaos of the baseballs flying around, and the laughter and shrieks coming from the playground swings. There was a bench next to her to start a conversation with her and to marvel over how her branches fell into cascades of teardrop leaves that enveloped and held whoever was near.

I felt like she was the embodiment of my soul.
Like I was those branches.
And in some ways, she reflected back to me my grief and my gifts that I had yet to discover until I was an adult … when I would have some roots to anchor into in order to be present with all that would unfurl inside of me.

This weeping willow tree reminds me of one of the goals that Earthaven strives towards:

Goal 13: We recognize elders as the trunk and children as the fruit of our village tree, and collectively prioritize what all the parts of our “tree” need to thrive. 

All parts of the tree are valuable and vitally needed for our necessary expansion and growth. The children are the fruits of our labor, the accumulation of our wisdom, and the future of shaping our world. They are the next wave of presence and consciousness and awareness that our planet desperately needs for solutions, change, and hope.

And so my hope is that they may know and be seen in their gifts and be celebrated with unconditional love. That they may be held in their expansion and contraction by us — the parents, the elders, the friends, the family, and the mentors. My prayer is that we invest in them and nurture them so that they may burst like ripe fruit with their juicy sweetness into our world.

How are you investing in the next generation? 

I invite you to have the ultimate intentional community family experience this summer with us. Earthaven Ecovillage Experience Week this July 31 through Aug 6 is a deep dive into the embodied essence of Earthaven and its members through events, work days, and classes to further your understanding of community living.

Simultaneously, bring your kids to Eco-Explorers Adventure Week from Aug 1 through 5, our summer program where they will experience community with other children who love nature. This program is also available as a day camp for those of you that would like to commute.

Be your part of the tree … because we need all to thrive.

Your tree hugging friend,

Jill Lacasse xx

The post Children are the Fruit appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

There I am. Arms, back and legs sprawled out on the yoga mat, with a blanket over me, and a bolster under my knees. I would say this posture is as vulnerable as it gets. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide. Just my body, my mind, and the many sounds enveloping me. I hear the birds chirping in the distance. A sweet soft wind subtly liberates the leaves on their branches. Children laugh and dogs bark in the distance. And then come the instruments.

The sound ceremony begins.

As we drop into the presence of the moment, we enter into a deep space of receptivity. What I’ve learned is that this experience is called nada yoga — the art of deep listening. The art of getting out of our own way and getting quiet. It is the yoga of remaining open as a vessel to what wants to re-emerge from the past, what wants to come into the present, and what has yet to be in the future.

To practice this type of yoga, first, we must pause and take in our environment. Pay attention to the nuances and observe the interactions among beings. And then come back again and again. Only then can we approach our relationship in the most aligned way possible for all involved. You wouldn’t go up to a stranger and say “wanna get married?” It’s the same kind of thing. We need to court the creatures, the spirits of the land, and the ecosystem that is weaving this web on the foundation of the mountain, the ocean, the forest, and the river.

And when we say YES to allowing our environment to wash over us, we build rich and nourishing relationships with the beings in our energetic field and we allow our place and space to shape our experience and perspective in this life. We become healing agents for the earth and all that walk on it.

This is the dance of receptivity and action at its finest. 

How can we use the power of receptivity to live and move in a way that supports the ecosystems of the land and people around us?

How can we choose to attune to our environments while also supporting our own needs and desires?

And how can we live in right relationship so that we become tuning forks for the earth and its creatures?

I encourage you to check out Place-Based Living, our new, self-paced online course that details the journey of Earthaven, moving from a consumer culture to a land-based, place-based life. This course looks at the geographic and cultural context for the Earthaven project, and then examines how creating Earthaven in this context influenced the building of our systems, including our homes, roads, agricultural fields, and power, water and waste systems.

I invite you to take a few minutes today to be still, to listen, to learn, and to respond from a place of attunement and connection to the people and land around you.

Your evolving tuning fork,
Jillian xx

The post The Art of Receptivity appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

Little did I know that when I decided to up and move my whole life from Canada across North America to California, that I would be entering a whole new phase of my life. A phase of deep excavation. A time when I would dive into the depths of my soul and discover the cement walls I’d created in my mind and heart that kept me from truly knowing myself.

It was an eternal spring in California for me — a time when I would be awakened to newfound awareness, insight, and understanding around my patterning relationally, my food habits, and the ways in which my soul wanted to soar… over and over again for two and a half years. A constant death and birth cycle … a rapid transformational time.

And what a cycle of purification. I’m talking juice and water fasts, hours of meditation, yoga and chanting per day, and clearing out and being with the pain and intensity of old patterns and ways of thinking. Sitting with my screaming ego. I was repurposing my soil, digging out the weeds, and making room for a rich new life to grow.

When did I know that it was time to nourish? 

When did I know I needed to stop cleansing? 

I reached the point when I knew that I was breaking out of my cocoon. I had the inner knowing and gut feeling that I needed something to shift in my life — and it was my environment. I needed to surround myself with land that brought life-giving water and four seasons for my body to rest and breathe from the intensity of the heat and smoke in California. I needed to feel a sense of togetherness and warmth from the people around me after being in such an inward and quiet space. And my body needed deep rest and rejuvenation as winter began.

And now spring says hello by popping up on the trees and emerging from the earth, and I’m feeling the cycle of purifying and nourishing coming back around. It’s time to let go of old beliefs, old grief and pain, and old habits that don’t serve our highest good anymore. It’s time to get serious about our health and our self care, and dedicate our time to clearing out our minds, bodies, and souls to prepare us for the fullness and beaming-out energy of summer.

So, I encourage you to drink some extra water, eat your greens, make time for sunshine and hikes, and listen deeply to the cues of your body to know if your body is craving some purifying energy or if it needs a rest. Attune to your inner world to give your best to those you love and your community.

Speaking of spring, our Earthaven Ecovillage in-person tours are now happening every weekend on Saturdays at 10 AM.

I invite you to attune to yourself and your needs … and allow Spring to be the inspiration you need in order to discover what it truly means to thrive.

Your spring-in-her-step friend,

Jillian xx

The post Purifying vs. Nourishing appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

“Bring it all to the fire and let it be transmuted.” 

We hold our hands up in a triangle and focus our energy on the fire. We let go of the grief and offer our prayers up to the fire. We feel the transformation and relief in our bodies, minds, and hearts.

And then I realize this fire ceremony is yet another way to use the elemental lens that I have developed over the years in Ayurveda school, astrology, tarot, and my yoga and energy work practices.

Earth to ground.

Water to flow.

Fire to transform.

Air to create.

Ether to fly.

My spiritual practice and self-care have been more and more about embodying these elements, and using them as tools when there is an imbalance. Understanding the qualities of elements, whether it’s fire—unstable and hot, or earth—solid and cold, and developing relationships with elements within me and around me, has been instrumental in my deepening and expansion as a human and spiritual being.

This elemental lens is powerful when we choose to stop quantifying everything like nutritional facts and how many miles hiking, and instead …we listen to the body and its response to the meal we just cooked, or the hike we just went on. Do you feel more grounded from eating potatoes vs. salad greens? Does your mind need slower movement like yoga to ground vs. a bike ride that might get the air in your mind going?

This lens can also help you develop empathy for those you might not get along with, when you know they might have a little more earth and move slower than you like, or you feel the critical and judgmental heat of the fire burning inside of them.

So I invite you to tune in to how the elements impact you. Walk outside and sense the earth beneath your feet … how does it feel to be barefoot? Splash some water from the creek on your face … how does that cool you and get you in touch with your emotions? Feel the sun on your face … how much can you handle before you burn? Embrace the breeze blowing your hair … how does it affect your mind and your joints? And how does it feel to be in the space that holds it all … what medicine does the space bring?

Experiment with the elements and see how they move through you and in you. 

Be the earth, fire, water, air, and ether that you are. Let the elements be your teachers and allow their wisdom to shape your life.

Your fiery water dancer,
Jillian xx

The post Elemental Balance appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

A churning in my soul and a restlessness in my heart signaled to me that I needed a change. I felt the strong call to move to a self-sustaining embodied community from my smaller spiritual community in California.

The three years I spent in Cali were a time of silent retreat and spiritual initiation. Now, I was craving to be warmly engaged with the world through relationships and contributing to a larger vision and mission in a conscious and deliberate way. My chapter was closing in California. I trusted in the void that was my next steps —  the free fall of endless possibility.

Then I found Earthaven and felt pulled to register for the Earthaven Ecovillage Experience Weekend.

When I first arrived in Asheville and we were driving up to Earthaven, I could feel the crystalline energy of the Appalachian mountains, and so much joy and expansion filled my heart and body. Everything was screaming yes! I was pleasantly surprised by how Earthaven was literally in the middle of a forest! The land felt well loved, alive, and thriving compared to the crisp grassy land of California.

There were around 30 people at the Experience Weekend, including a large group who were thinking about starting an intentional community in Ohio. Little did I know that we were going to be creating our own ecosystem during the weekend and that I would connect on many different levels with the people there. I met some incredible people, and we shared stories, songs, visions, and our hearts. I felt an instant connection to the facilitators — NikiAnne, Farmer, and Becky — and their embodied essence and passion for Earthaven. It felt expansive to know that I could grow in this environment where body-based practices, grief and ritual, and connection to nature are celebrated and embraced.

I felt grounded and connected to the land through our hikes together from each neighborhood and I loved exploring the possibilities of how people choose to build their homes and live on the land. The food was delicious and prepared with such love and intention. I loved that the meals were inclusive of everyone’s dietary needs, and created from quality and sustainable whole foods, with some grown on the land. We went on a wild foraging walk with Dimitri; I learned all about the abundant native friends growing on the land and tasted their sweet and intricate notes. I gained knowledge about the building of eco-friendly homes, the governing system, how Earthaven has made consensus decisions for 27 years, and the history and stories of the people.

I knew I had found home when I felt a sense of belonging to this group of people who carried the ultimate vision of a regenerative culture that is receptive to the changing needs of its people and the land that is so cherished and honored. I felt my own growth edge would be challenged here and sensed the expansion that would come with being immersed in this level of connection.

All the stars aligned, you could say, and now I am working for Earthaven’s educational nonprofit two months in, steeping in the unfolding of rich relationships, and joyfully sharing my heart and gifts with the community. I feel so incredibly blessed that Earthaven has welcomed me with such open arms and willing hearts.

The Earthaven Ecovillage Experience Weekend is a great way to become immersed into an intentional community. It gives you a snapshot into what life is like at Earthaven if you decide to make the move. I highly recommend the Experience Weekend or Experience Week if you are interested in gaining a realistic understanding of the challenges of living in a community, as well as basking in the immense abundance and richness that come from building relationships and being together through all the facets of an ecovillage.

Upcoming Offerings:

Earthaven’s School of Integrated Living (SOIL) offers the Earthaven Ecovillage Experience Weekend twice this year: May 27-30 and October 7-10. There’s also a new Earthaven Action Week following experience weekend so you can extend your visit and interact more with the Earthaven community.

I look forward to meeting you there, and giving you a little taste of the embodied essence of Earthaven!

Much love,
Jillian

The post Jillian’s Experience Weekend Adventure appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

“Yes, if the stones that we walked on could talk, they would surely tell our story.”

― Nico J. Genes, Magnetic Reverie

The kick off to this 2022 year has been one of momentum, busyness, expansion, and challenge. It’s been a full season of learning to navigate and hold sacred our energy and time.

With all the forward-moving energy and intensity of this time, I have been given the image of the stone circle over and over again. These stone circles or Stonehenges have been created across the world (including Chapel Hill, NC!), and have been mysterious as to who and what brought them about. These elements of mysticism and connecting to the ancient ways have been a present reminder for me through all the busyness and I wanted to share a little reflection with you.

Circles create boundaries. They create a sacred container. Yet, the gaps between the rocks of a stone circle still invite more to gather. Circles have no beginning and no end. They sustain and hold us in timeless space. They create a sense of togetherness and support to help us remember that we are not alone. Someone will always be facing you in a circle. Circles remind us that others are mirrors reflecting back our own internal landscapes. And circles reflect the cycles of nature and our life – the ebbs and flows, the ups and downs, the busyness and the stillness. The polarity and the infinity.

Rocks are earth. They ground us and hold foundation and structure. They bring us back to the simple ways of being,  without cell phones or tasks to distract us. Rocks return us to embodying our whole and loving selves through the stories they keep. We take on our respective roles as storytellers, healers, wisdom keepers, mystics, poets, song keepers, fire tenders, space holders, earth worshippers, and people of the land – connected by ancestors and the love that resides in each of our essences.

And so, I grieve the loss of the ways of my ancestors – the practices, the foods, the rituals. I grieve the isolation of our cultures, that we live separate from each other and that independence is valued and upheld so strongly. I grieve that connecting to the spiritual realm in our own unique ways is dismissed by our Western minds centered in science, business, and rationalism.

And I celebrate too. I celebrate that we are waking up to the needs of Mother Earth as she screams and retches in pain from the destruction we have caused. I celebrate that more and more hearts yearn to birth new communities around the country and world. I celebrate the hope that I have for the future of humanity in returning to our ancient ways through our current and more conscious lenses.

So I invite you this month to go outside, and with their permission, gather some stones that speak to your soul. Create a stone circle altar in a special place in your home. Allow that circle to remind you to slow down, to breathe, and to center in your energy and Self. Gift yourself the time and space to connect to Spirit and Mother Earth in all the ways that ignite the fire in your soul.

And I call you to remember that you are a sacred and sovereign being that knows how to connect and how to BE love in the infinitude of circles this world brings.

Your fellow mystic and stone whisperer,

Jill Lacasse xx

The post Stone Circle Reflection appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.