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Dear Friends with Lost Borders,
YES to summer! To fast flowing rivers and creeks rushing to bring the gift of water to plants, critters and humans alike. YES to rapid growth and expansion under the wide reaching arc of the sun. YES to the beating of wings midair, to the frenzy of feeding on the precious nectar of flowers in full bloom, only to cross-fertilize tomorrows emerging blossoms in this flamboyant summer dance.
We too, here at the school, are ever more blown away by the bounty and generosity that life continues to offer us, calling out our 'yes' to life, to love, to the ceremony and to our community in myriad ways.
In wild celebration, and with deep gratitude we joyfully announce that in March, the Kalliopeia Foundation enthusiastically accepted our Grant Proposal and we now have $36,000 to put towards the development and expansion of our Youth Program. Read more below on what this means and how you can get involved.
Other news: We want to share some fresh feedback with you that we received from a participant of the Queer Fast in Colorado that just ended. Alicia speaks compellingly about the sense of true belonging, and the healing value of being heart-fully held by a group of like minded people. Her words touched us deeply.
Sad news: we are sorry to let you know that our dear wild, four-legged friend and ally, Zorra, the wonder-dog, crossed her threshold into the spirit world on May 7. Since the day that their daughter Selene brought her home to Steven and Meredith as a puppy, in the year 2000, Zorra has been in countless circles, and holds a special space in so many hearts. Her death feels like the end of an era and we miss her terribly. Meredith wrote a wonderful tribute to her, which we feature below, with some of our favorite pics of her - and yes, her feet are really in the air!
More news: Check out Betsy's article on solar developments in the Owen's Valley in the 'Local News' section on the right, follow the links to new articles from our staff or simply enjoy Ada Huxtable's summer poem.
Happy Solstice to all! May we continue to let the light in,
Petra Lentz-Snow
School of Lost Borders
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Local News
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For more information on the topic go to the Deepest Valley WebsiteFor the "Owen's Valley Solar Story" u-tube trailer (5 min) click here.For the full 15 min video click here.To support the Owen's Valley Committee in their efforts to oppose the project click here and follow directions to write a letter and/or sign their petition. |
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Staff Writings
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- by John Davis
-by Petra Lentz-Snow
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Summer Solstice
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Solstice is Saturday,
June 21 3:51AM PDT
Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit.
A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world.
Ada Louise Huxtable
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Kalliopeia Grant for Expansion of Youth Program
co-authored by the YEP team and school administration
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The invitation: It was two years ago that the Kalliopeia Foundation contacted our Board inviting the School to apply for a grant, saying: "We have an interest in rites of passage work, feeling that it is a crucial piece of the puzzle of transforming consciousness" and the "School of Lost Borders continually surfaces as a pioneering organization that holds rites of passage with great depth."
Of course the Board, guides and Staff of the School were both honored and excited by this offer, but we did not immediately apply. We took a deep breath, and told the good people at Kalliopeia that we needed time. We didn't want to rush into this, knowing we needed to walk with it, to ask and listen to the land, each other, and sweet silence for what would best serve and what was most important to invest in.
Our yes: Not surprisingly the big answer that kept arising was the same one that inspired Steven and Meredith to begin with: our young people. There was a lot of excitement, juice, and commitment to fully develop an entire program for youth and young adults! The Board reached out, asking who would come forward to birth and guide this, and a wonderful inter-generational team came together. Our elders, Win Phelps and Gigi Coyle who have held the dream and storyline of the School's Youth Vision Fast for many years, joined with our young middlers, Will Scott and Siri Gunnarson. We offer great gratitude to these four for the many hours and numerous meetings it took to write and submit the grant proposal and for bringing both the heart and integrity needed to carry it forward.
Join us: Join in the celebration of this opportunity with us. Here are a few possible ways - and please feel free to offer others as well. Click here to read more. |
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Queer Fast Tribute
by Alicia Banister
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I have just returned home from the Queer Fast and on my drive home last night I promised myself that the first thing I did when I turned on my computer the next day would be to send you an email.
As a queer person, I have sat in many sacred circles and been a part of many different ceremonies, and never in all of my experiences have I been a part of a circle where I was able to bring 100% of myself into the space. Until the Queer Fast. Pedro and Ruth are exceptional beings and created, along with Nadya and Walker, the safest, most inclusive space I have ever had the deep honor and privilege of being a part of. My gratitude for them goes deep. And deeper still because they saw a need for this space, this Queer space, and they listened to that call.
In sacred circles before, I have found an ally or two, another queer person who understands in some fundamental way some part of my story. But to sit in sacred space with an entire group that shares that common thread, that common understanding of shame and fear and celebration, that is a gift that I had no idea until I stepped into that space that my soul was craving. What sacred reflections we were all able to be for each other, for a particular part of ourselves that does not often (no matter how open or accepting a space may be) get to be witnessed so deeply.
So, all of this is to say, thank you for offering the Queer Fast. I pledge to do whatever I can on my end so that it may continue on for years, so that others may get to experience the enormous healing of being able to step with their whole being so completely and authentically into a sacred space and be seen and held and celebrated.
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For Zorra guarding meant loving, and making sure that each person knew they were loved in their own unique way. Each group that she base camped with, and each circle that she took the middle of to lie down and wait for the break, were her people. Her herd.
For years at basecamp she would wake up near dawn and head out to check on everyone. She checked each tent no matter how scattered they were, and as Volker wrote: "what I remember most dearly is how she wiggled into my sleeping bag in the early hours of the day during the Ballcourt I assisted, 2010. Woke up with a wet dog tongue in my face, quite a quick start into the new day". Sometimes I would find out that she had snuck off to visit a solo spot, always perfectly timed for a significant moment in their fast.
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"If it's wild to your own heart, protect it. Preserve it. Love it. And fight for it, and dedicate yourself to it, whether it's a mountain range, your wife, your husband, or even (god forbid) your job. It doesn't matter if it's wild to anyone else: if it's what makes your heart sing, if it's what makes your days soar like a hawk in the summertime, then focus on it. Because for sure, it's wild, and if it's wild, it'll mean you're still free. No matter where you are."
Rick Bass
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