EarthSong Photography – www.earthsongphotography.com

EarthSong is the creative home of Don McGowan, nature photographer and workshop leader. I’ve come to know and value my connection with Don. He’s a person with insight into the natural world, the human journey and related spiritual questions. He’s a genuine, authentic person and a good friend.

Some of Don’s thoughts on his approach to photography:

“The images that we make are the reflections of our heart. From the moment we are born, and even sooner, we begin to receive impressions from the world around us; and, from those impressions, questions begin to be answered: What sort of place is this? Is it safe, or no? Does it mean me good or ill? What is this thing called beauty and how can I know it? What part do I play in all of this?

“At some moment in time, the impressions begin to coalesce into pictures, the world takes on form, we become aware of elemental design; and these things stand before us within a context of light and shadow that is constantly changing. We see this with our eyes, in our minds, and within the core of our being. And we respond.

“For some, the response is a verse, a song, the lines of a story; for others, it takes on shape and form: a bowl, the moldings of a sculptured body; for me, it became a photograph. For I have found over the years that I best connect with the world through the creation of images; I best express that connection through the medium of pictures; and I best share that expression – my love of this earth – through the eyes of a camera and lens.”

TrekEast – www.herondance.org/trekeast

In 2011, John Davis, Heron Dance director and longtime friend of Rod, completed a 7,600 mile trek up the east coast to raise awareness of the importance of wilderness protection. He was sponsored by The Wildlands Network, a group that works to link up isolated pockets of wilderness to preserve genetic diversity.

A FERTILE Foundation – www.fertilefoundation.org

A non-profit program, offering education, connection, and farm therapy to individuals with special needs.
A FERTILE Foundation, located near Charlottesville, Va., is a non-profit (501c3) organization, which was established primarily to offer unique opportunities for individuals with special needs to connect with nature, animals, and their community.  In addition, we provide volunteer opportunities for the general public so they can make these connections as well.   It’s our hope that our programs will be both healing and educational.

Our mission is to offer farm-centered therapy programs; provide environmental and agricultural education; promote and build a sense of community; instill a sense of global reverence; and encourage personal health and wellness.   We will be a catalyst for change in the way that people view their place in the world.  Our aim is to remind people that they are part of something larger, a web of interconnectedness that links them to the world around them, bringing awareness to the intrinsic value of that relationship. 

Through education and fostering connections we seek to strengthen bonds with nature and our neighbors, to help people evolve a healthier lifestyle for themselves, and to encourage them to preserve the Earth.   We teach a world view, which begins with respect for self and others and extends to encompass a respect for the world as a whole.

Imagery In You – www.imageryinyou.com

Jenny Garrison’s site is dedicated to the human being who seeks spiritual intimacy with The Divine, revealed through their own inner invitation.

The format of a recipe is used to assist the reader with this journey of discovery and reunion.

Her current book Imagery In You: Mining for Treasure in Your Inner World is showcased here. Another book and companion CD, Expanding Spiritual Intimacy through Imagery is in the making.

Esoteric Studies – www.esotericstudies.net

The School for Esoteric Studies is pledged to help aspirants prepare for esoteric discipleship and to help disciples prepare for initiation. A disciple is one who is pledged to:

• Serve humanity.
• Cooperate with the Divine Plan as far as perception and ability allow.
• Achieve fusion with the Soul, or Higher Self, and subsequently with the Monad, or Highest Self.

The work is non-sectarian and conducted by correspondence (email or postal mail), maintaining strict confidentiality between the student and those who guide his or her work through regular, personalized commentary. The sequence of training has been developed and tested over a period of 50 years. There are no grades, and the student’s progress is measured against his or her own highest potential. The emphasis is on three lines of effort that supplement each other and must be carried on simultaneously: meditation, study, and service.

Heidi Muller – www.heidimuller.com

Heidi Muller is an award-winning songwriter, singer, guitarist and mountain dulcimer player. In over 25 years of performing, she has played venues from concert halls and festivals to livingrooms throughout America and produced six recordings which have given her a firm and respected place in the national folk community. Heidi has headlined at events including the Kerrville Folk Festival, South Florida Folk Festival, Northwest Folklife, Great River Road Festival and Ohio Valley Gathering. She has performed on the nationally-syndicated radio shows Mountain Stage and River City Folk, and has been privileged to share stages with Nanci Griffith, Tom Paxton, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Robin and Linda Williams, Bill Staines, Richie Havens, David Bromberg, Jean Ritchie and many others.

Blessed with a clear alto voice and a natural ear for music, the Charleston Gazette has praised her as a “lark-voiced singer and talented songwriter”. Heidi has played guitar for most of her life and written songs since the early 1980s. A finalist in the prestigious Kerrville, TX New Folk song competition in 1989, she won second place in the 1998 Northwest Songwriters Contest in Tacoma, WA with her original “Gypsy Wind”. Heidi’s song “Good Road” has been the theme song for Northwest Public Radio’s Inland Folk show for two decades. “Talk a Little Texan” and other songs have been recorded by artists including Small Potatoes, Maria Gillard and Gail Rundlett. “Her songs are as straightforward, uncomplicated, and compelling as an Appalachian ballad,” writes the Heritage Music Review.