Generating New Visions: An Earth Listening Ceremony
Visions are the seeds of transformation. When we pause to listen— to the Earth, to our surroundings, and to the quiet wisdom within— new possibilities can begin to emerge. This experiential gathering invites participants to reconnect with the natural world as a source of insight, resilience, and imagination. Through simple practices of movement, observation, listening, and reflection, we will explore how the natural world can become a guide for renewal and creative vision. 

Participants will engage in a sequence of earth-listening activities designed to deepen attention and awaken curiosity. Together we will gather natural objects from the landscape, create a shared altar, and participate in a simple ceremony honoring the living presence of the Earth. In this way, the Earth becomes not just our setting, but our teacher, offering quiet guidance for whatever may be ready to grow next in our lives.

— Image by spruce.com

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A capella at the Big Sur International Marathon

 LaVerne McLeod will be singing the National Anthem to start the race of the 2026 marathon runners. This happens on Sunday, April 26, 2026. Her inspiration for doing this is the question that Francis Scott Key wrote for the last 2 lines of this first verse.  Just answer it for yourself: 

“Oh say does that star- spangled banner yet wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”