People from all over the world joined together on June 22nd to take part in the annual Earth Exchange held by Radical Joy for Hard Times. Some went with others and some went alone. We ALL Dared to Bare Witness, faced the places we love that have been harmed or are under threat, and left a gift of guerrilla beauty for them. We showed our love and connected with the land. Lake Superior was the chosen site for the Earth Exchange hosted by Nature Art Exploration as it is under assault and is threatened by the proposed PolyMet and Twin Metals mining projects. Copper-nickel mining has never been done safely without toxic environmental impact. She is also recovering from the April 2018 Husky Oil Refinery disaster. You can find out more about the event in the prior post, 2019 Lake Superior Earth Exchange.
It was a beautiful, sunny day with powerful winds on Wisconsin Point Beach in Superior, WI. The waves crashed to shore with great strength speaking of the power inherent in Gichi-gami. The 2019 Lake Superior Earth Exchange spent time connecting with the lake gathering found objects, creating the RadJoy bird as a symbol of transcendence, and meditating on the importance that people everywhere use their gifts to help make the world a better place including preventing and cleaning up damage to the special places we’ve spent time with during this year’s Earth Exchange. The heart created was given as a gift of healing for the water, all who participated in the 2019 Earth Exchange world-wide, and those grieving and working through feelings surrounding the harm done and threats posed to our special places.
An Algonquin Water Song was sung and prayers sent out that our life-giving waters be protected during this pertinent time. For people interested in learning about the song that was sung, you can go to Sing the Water Song to learn more. As explained in the video, women everywhere are invited to sing this song. It is explained to mean that the water is the life’s blood of Mother Earth and that water is the life’s blood of our own bodies. It was written by Irene Wawatie Jerome for a Circle of All Nations Gathering in Canada back in 2012. You can read about the song’s history HERE.
For those who would like more information on hosting an Earth Exchange in years to come, please check out Radical Joy for Hard Times website. You can check out the stories about what happened at Earth Exchanges around the world and find out how you can become involved with practicing Radical Joy for Hard Times. Don’t forget to check out the books Trebbe Johnson, Founder and Executive Director of Radical Joy for Hard Times, has written aligned with her work. I’m excited to read both in my continued work with practicing RadJoy! Click on the images to learn more about her books.
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Thank you for joining Nature Art Exploration. Please, remember there is always beauty to find and to be given even in the places that have fallen on the hardest of times. Our love and special connection to these places is powerful. Love can see us through and shine light on the hard times.
