In 1987, we moved to the town of Niles to a small stretch of road which for a time became affectionately known as ‘Carrot Junction.’ It was made up of three houses on Grange Hall Road; our house, the home of the Age family and the Wakely’s, where the Niles Gourmet Bistro is today. It achieved its nickname due to the fact we were all vegetarians and organic farmers. There became a tradition of Saturday night pot luck dinners at the Wakely’s. Both Dale Wakely and Dan Age were ministers at that time, Dale Congregationalist, Dan Baptist. Often there was a diverse group of house guests that included 7^th Day Adventists, TM teachers, psychenauts and NewAge philosophers from Dan’s health food store, the Greene family and us.  After dinner, while the women talked in the kitchen, the conversation among the men usually centered on environmental spirituality.

One afternoon, I was walking with Dan Age, when he was discussing a premise raised at the pot luck. It was in regards to the symbolism of the cross. He pointed out that it was much more than the crucifixion. He believed it went back to the translation of Genesis. It was his belief that man was not put on earth to have dominion over the planet and its resources but to be the stewards. That humankind had been placed as a pole connecting the Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother. The Father being in charge of all that is of the spirit and the Mother all things of substance. That we, as the stewards were the arms of the cross, connecting to all the creatures, the plants, the earth and stones, the water and the air. This is why we were put here to teach the natural law, and build the kingdom on earth by taking care of all around us to provide for generations to come. Somewhere this has been lost and is not the role we have taken on.

Unfortunately in this day and age we have separated ourselves from the environment. Chief  Irving Powless Jr. states in his book, “Who Are These People Anyway,” the difference between those that came after and the Indigenous people, is that we have separated ourselves from the environment, whereas the Native American can only think one way and that is they are the environment and act accordingly. Perhaps we need to once more start thinking of ourselves as a part of the whole. Realize the bottom line should not be profit, but health and happiness. It may well be a matter of survival for us as a species.

So let us start here with prayers of gratitude for the water.

THIS SIDE

A Love Supreme, A Love Supreme

And it was a love fest at the Carriage House behind the Cayuga Museum as Martin Willitts Jr. took the podium on Thursday evening. It was the second installment of the fall season in the ‘word revisited’ program hosted there the second and fourth Thursday of each month for five weeks by the on-line literary magazine, “aaduna,” the creative writing and other visual arts publication, “Olive Trees,” and the Cayuga Museum. Martin expressed that evening he would be reading poems about love from the many books he had written.

Especially impressive was the portion of the 15 minute long poem in tribute to the composition of John Coltrane’s, “A Love Supreme.” Martin had composed it while listening to the piece and typing feverously along with the rhythm.

He told stories of his background, culminating with the one about winning the “Dylan Thomas International Poetry Contest and his trip to Wales to receive the award. It turned out that the poem he had submitted was entitled, “Daffodils,” which is the ‘national flower of Wales.’ He couldn’t be sure if the coincidence may have helped him win. He read the poem containing many interesting facts about daffodils entwined within the verses.

After a break, five poets took the microphone at the open mic. I led off about sleeping in my son’s room and the nostalgia in its contents. Heidi Nightengale followed, speaking of the early morning sounds and their inspiration. Linda Griggs started her set exclaiming that she had “Enough!” Jennifer Mahoney invited the listener to share her “Volunteering” for all things pleasurable. The evening concluded with the flames of social injustice being fanned by the pen of Jim Ellis.

The next feature will be Karen Faris, who will entertain us with a new chapter in her incredible performances of the written word.