Standing Rock : Nov 27

"It's like being ripped from the womb", she said, and I think she was right....

Amidst tears, we packed up and drove away from Standing Rock today. I left a piece of my heart by that river. I prayed by that river. Sang songs to that river. Met people who are willing to die for that river.

The coming days, for me personally, will be full of driving and reflection. And I will share what I can as it comes to me. The coming days, for the tribes and their allies in North Dakota, will be full of prayer, of ceremony, of biting cold wind & snow, and an uncertainty about the future. 

For now what I want you to know is this... there are beautiful people all over the world, and an impossibly huge number of them are gathered at Standing Rock. 

I have been touched in ways I cannot yet explain. I am grateful. And I will do all in my power to get these voices of our Native People out into this great big world. Heart to heart. Human to Human. 

The shortest distance between a human being and the truth is a story, and I am honored to have been trusted with so many stories to share. 

Much Love, my friends. Much more to come. xo

Standing Rock : Nov 24

To be honest, I've never been so afraid for my life as I was today...

The law enforcement here has been targeting blonde female journalists. And today I found myself filming a peaceful protest. Unarmed Water Protectors vs. Militarized Law Enforcement. They dotted the hilltop. Riot gear. Guns. Hoses. So many of them. 

Things remained peaceful today - no tear gas, no mace, no rubber bullets, no water cannons - but amidst it all was a discomfort I couldn't ignore. I felt safest filming from behind parked vehicles with a long lens, and so I did. I was genuinely afraid I'd be shot by law enforcement for doing my job, and this was a new, and terrifying, experience for me.

I expressed my discomfort and fear to the Elders, men I've only known for two days, and in response they said "If they start shooting, get behind one of the Grandfathers." 

My heart swelled up inside my chest. Tears of gratitude. These men, I realized in that moment, were willing to die for me, for you, for their children, for your children, for water, for our Future. And I had the honor of standing by their side today, on a day we call "Thanksgiving". A day that, from this point forward, will never be the same....

I am grateful. For this time. This place. These people. This family. This sacred land. And for the opportunity to stand together, and to eat together, on a day that calls for deep healing. Much Love, my friends. Let's be grateful, always. xo

We are heading to Standing Rock

Friends, I will be traveling to Standing Rock, accompanying my dear friend Erin Inglish, to join the peaceful demonstrations there against the Dakota Access Pipeline. We are feeling called to be there in person, and are honored for the opportunity to contribute in this way.

For those who live here in SLO County, we will leave November 15th, and we would like to fill up our caravan with as many locally donated supplies as possible, to help them get through the winter. The Sacred Stone Camp Wish List includes : warm winter coats in good condition, sub-zero rated sleeping bags, wool and/or fur blankets, heavy tarps, non-perishable food, cured meats, batteries, headlamps, wall tents, wood stoves, lighters, ropes & tie-downs, heavy duty storage bins, propane, solar power, and more. Click HERE to see a full list of their needs.

If you have, or can give, any of these items, please begin to gather them up. You can drop off your donations at K-Man Cyclery in Atascadero or Paso Robles, or Gulliver's Travels in SLO, any time before November 13th.  (The sooner the better!)

Standing Rock : Photo by Dallas Goldtooth : #WaterIsLife #NoDAPL

There are many other ways you can help too!

Click HERE to donate money to the camp directly, which we recommend.
Click HERE to donate money to their legal fund, which we also recommend.
Click HERE if you'd like to send money to us, so that we may purchase larger ticket items, or bulk items, to bring along with us to camp to donate.

THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts - for sending your love & support in whatever way you are able. #WaterIsLife #NoDAPL 

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I recently had the honor of talking with Kandi Mossett, "Eagle Woman", an Indigenous leader on the ground at Standing Rock. This is her story in unedited form - and i think you'll understand why when you take a few minutes to truly listen.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Water Protectors & A World Upside Down

Life feels heavy, my friends. There is much a-stir on our planet. Our Indigenous People, praying together as Peaceful Water Protectors, are being met with militarized police in North Dakota. Journalists there are being arrested for doing their job. The election approaches and continues to be an embarrassment. Undesirable predictions for our future are coming true. And Climate Change is no longer looming on the horizon - it is here now.

We need LOVE, now more than ever. We must work together, starting TODAY, to bring about a peaceful loving future for all life. Profits should never be more important than People. And this means that we likely need to look deep inside ourselves and ask some tough questions... What ingrained beliefs or behaviors must we change? What is standing in the way, in our own hearts & lives & habits, of moving us towards a just and equitable future? And what are we willing to live WITHOUT to arrive at that future?

So I challenge you... BE the love, my friends. Every day. To everyone you meet. Make decisions out of LOVE. Not greed. Not apathy. Just pure LOVE. Because the answer is simple... the answer is LOVE.

Standing Rock : Photo by Dallas Goldtooth : #WaterIsLife #NoDAPL

Have you heard about Standing Rock? Do you know what is going on there, and why it is of the utmost importance? If not, please get informed immediately. America is currently being forced to take a hard look at what it is founded on, and it's not pretty, my friends. It is time to Stand Up with our Indigenous People - United - against hate, against greed & oppression, against Fossil Fuels. We must stand together, with LOVE, for each other, and for our Mother Earth. 

I recently had the honor of talking with Kandi Mossett, "Eagle Woman", an Indigenous leader on the ground at Standing Rock. This is her story in unedited form - and i think you'll understand why when you take a few minutes to truly listen.

Sign a petition urging President Obama to reject the pipeline HERE
Donate to the Water Protectors, they need ALL the help we can give HERE
GO to Standing Rock. Stand with them. Find info HERE

#NoDAPL #StandWithStandingRock #WaterisLife 

So much has happened since my last email - WOW - please forgive me for bombarding you with so much info this time around - I promise I'll get better at sending out monthly updates - haha! In September I attended the National Heirloom Seed Expo in Santa Rosa and talked with some heavy-hitters in the world of Permaculture - John Jeavons, Christy Wilhelmi, Matt Thompson, and more. I filmed harvest at Tablas Creek Winery, a biodynamic winery near Paso Robles, CA. I attended the Greenbuild Expo in downtown Los Angeles to learn about radical advancements in net-zero architecture & urban one-site water reuse. I visited renowned Water Lawyer Eric Garner of BB&K for an informative conversation about CA water law. I attended the SAWPA Riverwalk and had an inspiring conversation with Celeste Cantu, GM of the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, about the importance of managing watersheds as a whole.  

It was an absolute treasure to spend a day with the deep souls of Walking Water as they finished a pilgrimage from Owen's Valley to Santa Clarita, walking along the path of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. I attended a free (yay!) rain-water harvesting workshop at the TreePeople headquarters in Bevery Hills. And to round out two great months with an overwhelming bang, I attended the Bioneers Conference in San Rafael, and talked with some of today's leading voices in the world of water, urban farming, and regenerative agriculture - Brock Dolman from O.A.E.C., Ariel Greenwood, Ryan Camero,and Wanda Stewart. Wow, friends... this story, OUR story, the story of WATER, which is truly the story of LIFE, is enormous. I remain humbled and honored to be on this journey. xo

I feel called to end this update as I started it - with a call to action. Let's BE THE CHANGE.  Let's live in LOVE. Let's uplift and support one another. Let's ALL be Water Protectors, in every choice that we make, every day. Let's all learn to care, truly and deeply, for each other, and for our Mother Earth. Let's challenge our current paradigm, let's question our outdated belief systems, let's stretch, let's grow, and let's do all of this TOGETHER.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead