April 26: Earth Day in Duncan

We gathered into vehicles at ten to 8am and took off for Duncan's Earth Day celebration. Duncan is a town near the ecovillage called the town of totems and there were plenty of them to enjoy. We arrived and set up the tent for O.U.R. Ecovillage. There was an area we set up to build a demonstration natural building model out of cob, sticks, and stones – ancient building materials with durability, solar thermal mass and breathable walls with a skylight doubling as a smoke escape hole, of course to be closed up temporarily during rain. The booth explained what the Ecovillage is and does, who lives there, what progress has been made and what the plans are for the coming years. Every time you looked at the tent, people were talking, local people, other environmentally concerned people and just anyone curious enough to ask. All outside, many tents were set up to present locally made goods, food, campaigns, and teachings. I visited one woman, Rommy, selling her handmade “heart song” flutes from all different types of wood. She played one for me and as much as I was drawn, I intuited that it's not my time to play this instrument, that this is something for when I'm a bit older and wiser. My time will come.

On the main stage, people played drums of many kinds, played guitars, and sang. Kata, Brian, Jacob, myself and William, our yoga instructor and part-time builder on site at the ecovillage, got up on stage and performed yoga in a way that I doubt many have ever even thought of. It was a performance of rythmic Iyengar, painted faces, draping clothing, bows, sticks and a mask worn by William to transform him into a magical being. We danced our yoga, chanted, hollered when we felt it and flowed in the energy exuded by William, echoing his freedom and expression of harmony in the four quadrants of the native medicine wheel. As we were warming up, I got a feel for the first time of the sticks that William created to assist poses. I felt the flow of my yoga more than ever before. I felt my asanas were finally complete and I knew exactly what my body and spirit needed next. In bare feet and a painted face, I moved in new ways that felt more me than I ever felt following a yoga instructor or book. The crowd was entranced, from what I was told and we had a blast. After the gratitude circle before dinner that evening, William heard my appreciation of the yoga sticks and gave me his. One is darker wood than the other, to express the balance of light and dark, yin and yang, something I have been integrating more and more into my being. I give thanks.

After packing up, some of us went over to a much loved place called the Garage which is a cafe, bookstore, and healthy goods store in one. I bought some awesome biodegradable soap and conditioner. Kata was deal-making with a local jewelry store owner to buy her gorgeous handcrafted jewelry made of rare stones and silver. When we went to collect her, I stumbled upon a nautilus shell for meditation and abalone shell to burn incense and smudge with, both of which are so beautiful. Everyone was pretty pooped and joyful when we got back to the ecovillage. What a special day. I'm glad we got to share O.U.R. spirit with the local community.