This spring is part of a small, beautiful picnic area, commemorating the workers of the Civilian Conservation Corps who tragically died in a fire, and is located along Pennsylvania Route 120 south of Emporium in far southern Portage Township, Cameron County. This photo was taken at night, in between late-summer thunderstorms, by my son’s girlfriend.

My family has a cabin in Northwestern Pennsylvania, in a region called the Pennsylvania Wilds. The mountains there have always held a sacred significance for me. The mountain springs are powerful and beautiful, acting as energetic portals for ancient, primordial magic that is both intense and healing.

I can’t stop thinking about the energy of the storm water pulsing from the veins of the mountain the night this picture was taken, just a few days ago, how devastatingly beautiful these natural spaces are, and how IMPORTANT they are, especially now during the tumultuous times of climate change and extreme weather. The mountains are steadfast, and calm, they are home to thousands of plant and animal species. They are a place to worship at the feet of Mother Nature herself. Weeping angels don’t hold a candle to the majesty of these natural monuments to the Gods and Goddesses.

If you can’t tell by now, I really dig mountains. I grew up traipsing through the leaves in the Appalachian mountains in Boiling Springs, and in the PA Wilds, perching on limestone rock formations that were there before humans existed, even before vertebrate mammals existed. I climbed ridges and watched red-tailed hawks circle, while listening to the throaty rasps of crows and the occasional raven. I swam in the creeks and streams, in water that took an entire year to filter through the mountain springs, up through the aquifers, that was colder than the hot summer air. There is a melody, fine music, a deep strumming hum that emanates from the roots of these remnants of continental collisions, it’s as if the earth is rejoicing, and it is my favorite sound, ever. This is my church.

The Pennsylvania Wilds is a conservation success story, and is a small glimmer of hope in an era of over-development amongst rampant destruction of biodiversity. Nowadays you will find sustainable meadows filled with  food for wildlife, and partially recovered  forest. There are so many species of plants, and fungi that don’t grow many places in the US, that grow in abundance here once more. The days of coal mining are an echo from the past, but there is still the threat of over-development and mining for lithium, fracking for natural gas, and climate change. I hope that you will read this, decide to learn about the Wilds, how we can protect them, and I hope you tell others. We need to learn from our mistakes.

In the early 1900s, early settlers destroyed the PA Wilds, thousands of acres of old-growth trees were clear-cut. 100 foot tall white pines were used for the masts of ships, timber made homes, wagons, and fed the iron-ore furnaces. Lumber was plentiful, and mankind, as usual, took this plentiful resource and bled it dry. We have to learn from our mistakes, and keep up the progress, protect the wild spaces now before they are once again a memory lost to human folly. Thanks for reading!

I will wager that you are getting this notification and wondering what in tarnation I have been up to, well sit back and grab a cup of tea, and I’ll tell you. When Mountainsong Sanctuary was brand new, I wasn’t sure what it would turn into or why I felt the pull to create it. The pull was STRONG, and it felt like a stirring, a call to action, but I didn’t know WHAT the action was really, there were several things I was working on with different folks. I knew I wanted to cultivate and create a space where I could shout out to others and call them in, so we could learn from each other, teach, grow, heal, and make a difference. It really tracks though, that I would up and decide to do something backwards and in the weirdest way possible, so at least this entire experience has been demonstrably on-brand for me.

I have a small group of amazing co-founders who have developed their own perspective and carved out a niche for their own work, and we quietly support each other from afar, working on our own projects too. One founder contributes by helping me with our podcasting planning, and creates the bulk of the content on our Instagram page, the other is working on their Spiritual path among other things. As for myself, this has been a chrysalis period for me, admittedly I am still in the caterpillar goo phase and am grateful for this time of transformation and growth I will keep forming, and lie in wait until I have the chance to fully emerge. Stirring and quickening has been taking place, however, especially recently.

For the past few months I have been hosting online events and in-person events, some for fun, some for learning and collaboration; I have been splitting my focus between a newly formed Coven of 4(!), my Witchcraft studies, my Druid studies, my professional career, personal and family life, and helping carve out a space for various online groups that I co-host and co-admin for… I have been busy, and brainstorming about what Mountainsong could be one day, indeed, the direction of this group was spouting off all over the place, with no clear focus. I am ok with that! No clear focus is definitely my MO under most circumstances, and this quiet period of growth and reflection was not idle for me, by any means, I was learning, meditating, and trying to figure out what I wanted to do, and how I could make this space meaningful and insightful. Sometimes quietly and patiently working on yourself and your goals is just the ticket. Sometimes, something hearth-wrenching or difficult makes you awaken sooner.

Recently, another dear friend passed away, and traveled to that faraway place that is both close and distant, and it shook me, not just because of the great loss of a beautiful individual, it made me remember that my ultimate goal, my entire purpose is to help when I can, and that time is tickin’. So, I started volunteering at several places, one is environmentally focused, the other is human-focused, and both are lovely. I will continue to use my own unique skill set to help wherever and whenever I am able. This doesn’t mean that the lessons, study sessions, or fun events will stop, actually, I think they will continue with gusto because at these events I have been so lucky to have the opportunity and the privilege to help share the things that I have learned, which in turn also helps others. In other words, it’s all good, all of these bits and pieces serve a purpose. Scattered isn’t a negative thing, not when I am owning that shit….. I think really cool things are on the horizon, I hope I can continue rising to meet this energy and keep this space clear, safe, and nurturing while helping whenever I can. Stay tuned, this congealed lump of caterpillar may be in the rest phase for now, but I can feel the quickening and the shift starting to occur. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or suggestions. I am available via email, on this site, on one of our community learning pages, or on our other social media pages, you will find me floating around the vicinity of those spaces somewhere!