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In 2013, I engaged in a year-long Woodspriestess experiment in which I visited the same place in the woods behind my house every day for an entire year. The experience described in this post occurred eight months into my experiment...

I continue to be surprised by this same small patch of woods. Last night, if you chanced to overhear me in my sacred space, you would have heard me scream:

“Oh my GAWD!!!!! I just STEPPED ON an ARMADILLO!!!!!!”

Yes, that is correct, I stepped squarely on a genuine, real live armadillo on my way through the woods last night. I’d gotten “too busy” to visit the woods during the day and by the time I made my way down there, it was totally dark. I opted to go out without a flashlight, feeling a bit smug, if I do say so myself, that I know these woods so well and am just so connected that I don’t even need a flashlight to find my way and then…STEP…bizarre-growling-squeal-grunt-and-scuttle and me screaming the above. My first thought as I grasped what had happened was actually to try to take a picture for a blog post, but by then it was too late and only the scaly tail was dimly visible under a nearby shrub! By the time I stood on the rocks, I was laughing semi-hysterically and my heart was pounding with the adrenalin and surprise. I reflected again on how very many creatures share these woods with me and I wondered how many other woodspriestesses of various species cross these very stones each day. I think of this space as “mine,” but clearly an armadillo also finds it a useful nighttime exploration place.

Today, it's the Element of Earth in the spotlight with our Earthy Thursday roundup. Where to find fall colors; the world's largest cave; an off-the-grid commune; the Mother of All Seed Banks; fisherman saves eagle; the battle over Mauna Kea.

This great map will help you figure out when and where to see the best fall colors.

Success brings you to your edge- and that’s where the growth happens. Being successful means to accomplish something, to be in balance, and to contribute to society and coworkers. To accomplish something means you are wrestling with the material to create something where there was nothing. To do that AND  to be in balance is not straightforward! It means you are able to let go and let come, to make great effort without getting adrenalized, and to work with the flow of things, to name a few. These are spiritual qualities. It takes you far beyond the realm of protocol and right behavior. It asks that you walk a razor’s edge, always balancing opposites.  It means you recognize a greater truth then can be captured in words. That IS what the spiritual journey is about!

Then to ALSO contribute to coworkers means that while in this process you are also aware of the interhuman level and are able to not be hooked into ego patterns. In every situation, you are both able to see the other person and be caring, yet stay grounded in the bigger process and what needs to happen. Again, this is beyond what protocol, rules and regulations can give you. This demands an inner source of wisdom. And that is exactly what spirituality is about.

Today, we've got seven stories about Earth, her people, and our spiritual paths. Enjoy!

An underground greenhouse promises year-round veggies. Have you heard of this? Would you try it?

Over the last month, I have been listening to a wonderful telesummit about priestesses. I am also a huge fan of the radio show, Voices of the Sacred Feminine. However, as I listen to both, I sometimes find myself wondering if walking a Goddess path is also viewed as synonymous with, "believe everything, question nothing." Crystal essences, gemstone healing, soul contracts, past lives, spirit guides, astrology, the many realms and dimensions of the occult, mystical, New Age and metaphysical. Is wholesale suspension of logic required to join hands with the Goddess? Is deft management of the tarot essential to the priestess path? Must I ascribe to "enlightened" tenets like, "you are not your body," "I am a spiritual being having a spiritual experience" and "we made an agreement to do this work before we showed up in this body at this time and place" in order to move forward?

I sat at my home altar this afternoon holding an amethyst in one hand and a priestess sculpture in the other feeling entirely too practical and realistic. I looked out my window at the precious trees, the scratching chickens, the drooping flowers, and the dry, dry relentless dust of summer and some answers drifted to my mind: