Fifty-Eight Faces of California Spring – Forrest Gander

Writer Josh Jackson follows Newe elders Delaine and Rick Spilsbury through the histories and possible futures of Bashahwahbee—a sacred grove of Rocky Mountain junipers in far eastern Nevada. Fed by rare springs in an otherwise arid high desert landscape, these trees carry both memories of Newe harvest ceremonies and the spirits of ancestors massacred there during colonial expansion. With its waters increasingly targeted for use in large farms and cities, Josh explores what could be lost if the springs that sustain this place run dry. Read the essay. Photo by Josh Jackson

For seven decades, David James Duncan has immersed himself in the rivers of the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies, coming to know them as places of earthly holiness. Spawning salmon, chittering otters, water ouzels, and humans mucking about in streams have revealed themselves to be not only permutations of wild, intricate beauty, but participants in an endless unfolding of the Mystery. In the tug at the end of a fishing rod, the roar of the spring torrent, David contemplates the very nature of water, the soul, and the universe, and how a cosmology might be improvised in response to a deep experience of place. Read the essay. Discover our sixth print edition, Seasons. Photo by Ron Jude

This week is the beginning of a new biweekly rhythm to our podcast, which we’re marking with a story all about fermentation: a practice that invites us to participate in the slow, and enjoy what can emerge from it. Fermentation revivalist Sandor Ellix Katz invites us to bring ancient traditions of pickling, aging, and brewing back into our kitchens as a way to tune in to what's growing near us throughout the seasons. After listening, check out the online version of this story, which features recipes to get you started. Read the essay. Discover our sixth print edition, Seasons.

This conversation brings together four practitioners from Sufi, Christian, and Buddhist traditions to examine how the values of spiritual ecology are embedded within their different faiths. Drawing upon the themes within Remembering Earth, the new book by Emergence founding editor Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, they explore how restoring embodied practices of ecological reverence can help us cultivate a space where divinity becomes expansive. Read the transcript Discover Remembering Earth: A Spiritual Ecology Image Credit: Amy Woodward / Connected Archives

We conclude our Remembering Earth summer practice series with this episode on prayer. No matter what form it takes, prayer is our own way of speaking with the divine. It reveals the unique note of offering we each hold in our hearts, and is ultimately a space where we can be in communion. Working with words, silence, and the love within our hearts, these practices can be easily integrated into everyday life, bringing praise for the Earth into our most basic actions. Discover Remembering Earth: A Spiritual Ecology