14 Fabulous & Contemporary Women Nature Writers
"Each of these women's words can make us reconsider or better appreciate our relationship to the natural world. So, go find an alfresco reading spot (or at least a place with a view of the great outdoors), and dig into literary fare from the following ladies." The following piece highlights the work of 14 wonderfully diverse women who are outstanding contemporary nature writers.... posted on Dec 23, 4089 reads

'New Day's Lyric': Amanda Gorman
As 2021 draws to a close, poet Amanda Gorman has released a new poem. In her words, this poem was created to, "celebrate the new year and honor the hurt & the humanity of the last one." The poem begins with these words: "This hope is our door, our portal..." You can read the whole poem here.... posted on Dec 31, 50074 reads

10 Insights from 2021 That Give Us Hope
As 2022 sets sail, the editors of the inspiring news portal KarunaVirus, share ten insights gleaned over the past year, as they witnessed everyday people all over the world choosing love over fear in a multitude of different ways. Read on for a dazzling constellation of stories of compassion, resilience, ingenuity, sportsmanship and more!... posted on Jan 4, 14946 reads

An Early Morning Revelation: Chuck St. John
At seventy years old, St. John recounts a remarkable experience that happened in the most ordinary of circumstances when he was 28 years old. "There was this taste of knowing [my family] like characters in some story I'd read about recently, or from a movie watched last night, as if I myself had not lived the story. It had all just happened to me as if I had been in a long dream. How did I get her... posted on Jan 9, 2677 reads

The Gentle Road Home
"Back before Christmas, I led a weekend retreat in California. At its close, one of the retreatants presented me with The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness. I happen to be an admirer of the book's author, Gregory Boyle. Hes the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, "the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program in the world." Extravagant. Tenderness. ... posted on Jan 15, 7906 reads

You Are the Kind of (S)hero We Need
This inspirational video of the song "Hero" by the Makepeace Brothers shines a light on the qualities of (s)heroes, both those who are famous and those lesser known, who live their lives inspiring those around them. The affirming anthem gives us hope that we can each be that kind of (s)hero: "You are the noble, you are the wise, you are the human, you are the kind of hero we need."... posted on Feb 4, 2285 reads

The Really Terrible Orchestra
"Some years ago, a group of frustrated people in Scotland decided that the pleasure of playing in an orchestra should not be limited to those who are good enough to do so, but should be available to the rankest of amateurs. So we founded the Really Terrible Orchestra, an inclusive orchestra for those who really want to play, but who cannot do so very well. Or cannot do so at all, in some cases. My... posted on Feb 13, 7968 reads

An Abolitionist's Handbook
"In her new book, An Abolitionist's Handbook: 12 Steps to Changing Yourself and the World, Patrisse Cullors starts with courageous conversations. She says, "We have courageous conversations because our goal is to live inside of a healthy community that values the dignity of every single human being." These conversations typically arise out of our lived experiences. They are conversations we have b... posted on Mar 6, 2381 reads

The Island of Missing Trees
"Author Elif Shafak struggled at first with how to write her new book, The Island of Missing Trees. The story she wanted to tell is about a family from Cyprus, a Mediterranean island that was the center of a conflict in the 1970s, but she didn't want the story to be about tribalism or nationalism. Which is why, Shafak told NPR's Steve Inskeep, much of the story is told from the perspective of a fi... posted on Mar 10, 2428 reads

17 Things I Would Do Differently
On the fifth anniversary of his father's passing, Eric Jones found himself penning a series of reflections in his journal that would eventually turn into a post titled,"17 Things I would do differently if I were fully convinced I'm going to die." Brimming with honesty, eloquence, insight and humanness, Eric's words are an ode to life, inspired by the presence of death. ... posted on Mar 21, 20772 reads

Shop Class As Soul Craft
"Matthew Crawford was on what most people would think was the "right track." Then he left his job as executive director at a think tank in Washington to open a motorcycle repair shop. In his book, Shop Class as Soulcraft, he makes the case that our society has placed too great a value on white-collar work and not enough value on the trades. Crawford tells host Guy Raz that the mechanical arts have... posted on Mar 28, 3062 reads

Fighting Fire with Fire
"Victor Steffensen talks to Rosemary Rule about his pioneering work reintroducing indigenous cultural burning practices in Australia. 'Climate change means the land is telling us something. It is not all doom and gloom. If we look at it the right way, it is an opportunity for change.'"... posted on Apr 2, 2790 reads

The Missing Piece
"Unlike most beginning meditation practices, which provide a simple object of focus for the attention (like following the breath or reciting a mantra), Centering Prayer provides no such focal point; it merely teaches the practitioner how to release the attention promptly when it gets tangled up in a thought. Echoing the teaching of The Cloud of Unknowing (which turned out to be Centering Prayer's ... posted on Apr 3, 3470 reads

What Can We Do When a Loved One is Suffering?
"What can we do when a loved one is suffering? This question has come up a lot so I wanted to share some thoughts in case it may be helpful to you or a loved one. First, I acknowledge how challenging it is to witness any kind of suffering, whether it is physical, emotional or existential pain. But let me throw in a specific curveball...What if they are suffering yet there is not much that you can ... posted on Apr 15, 11657 reads

Ancient Green: Moss, Climate and Deep Time
"Taking a long view of life on Earth, Robin Wall Kimmerer (author of 'Braiding Sweetgrass,')explores how mosses--ancient beings who transformed the world--teach us strategies for persisting amid a changing climate.


... posted on May 5, 2228 reads

Iyore (I Return)
"My name is Imuetinyan Ugiagbe and I am a visual storyteller who happens to be visually impaired. The title of the piece I am sharing with you is Iyore (pronounced E YO RAY), which means I return in the Edo language. When I take a trip, I rarely think of whether I would make it home safely. But, all of that changed on the 13th of June, 2020." Imuetinyan Ugiagbe shares more in this moving piece.... posted on May 12, 3498 reads

The Age of Invisible Stones
"We were old. We were weathered. We lost our youthful looks. We dotted Japans coastline. We stood at human height, sometimes taller. They called us tsunami stones. Our faces were carved with messages: build on higher ground. remember the last calamity. A few of us, near Kesennuma, had been around for six hundred years and our faces said: CHOOSE LIFE OVER YOUR POSSESSIONS." When did the Anthropocen... posted on May 14, 1916 reads

Talking with Kids About What's Going On in the World
""Mom, I'm feeling nervous, my 12-year-old daughter shared one night as I tucked her into bed. "Are you just having nervous feelings or are you thinking about something?" I asked. "Ukraine," she replied. I asked if she wanted to talk about it. She didn't."I just want you to tell me a story--a happy story--to help me fall asleep." In that moment, I found myself going through the eternal parenting s... posted on May 25, 4371 reads

Spoken Without Words: ASL Poetry Slam
"It's spoken word without spoken words. ASL SLAM is an open space for poets to perform their work in American Sign Language (ASL). As ASL SLAM's executive director Douglas Ridloff explains, ASL poetry doesn't rely on rhyming patterns or meter within auditory or written wordplay; rather, the art is "more about the movement, a visual rhyme versus an audio rhyme." Its performance is a stunning and em... posted on Jun 9, 2653 reads

The Age of Stolen Salt
Salt is an ancestor. Older than ocean, old as stars. Salt flows through your saltwater body even now like blood, as blood. Salt is nonnegotiable, necessary for the working of every single cell.
Salt is time. Evidence of how long since evaporation. Resident time of water in basins. Measured future for the preserved dead. Salt is first and lasting." More in this beautiful piece from Orion. posted on Jun 15, 2086 reads

David Whyte: Blessings
"David Whyte's "Blessing" poems are interpreted through a visual journey across the Irish landscape in this short film by Emmy-winning filmmaker Andrew Hinton. Musician and composer Owen O Suilleabhain, who has collaborated with David Whyte for over a decade, offers a reflection on the music that inspired the creation of this short film.... posted on Jul 15, 3866 reads

14 Smells that Remind You to Breathe
Megan Hippler is an environmental and humanities writer in Queensland, Australia. In this short lyrical piece she lists 14 scents from the natural world, mixing the familiar with the exotic, waking one up to the absorbing medley of life experiences we absorb through our noses.... posted on Jul 28, 3104 reads

Fermentation as Metaphor
"In this interview, Sandor Katz discusses his new book, Fermentation as Metaphor. A world-renowned expert in fermented foods, Sandor considers the liberating experience offered through engagement with microbial communities. He shares that the simple act of fermentation can give rise to deeply intimate moments of connection through the magic of invisible forces that transform our foods and our live... posted on Jul 30, 1757 reads

Taking Time to Make Time
"When the 33-year-old Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling, Pope Julius II would impatiently ask him when it would be complete. The artist would reply, "When I am satisfied." Rodin took 37 years to compete his Gates of Hell. The Taj Mahal took 22 years, two more that the Great Pyramid at Giza. The Great Wall of China took 2,000 years!" Artist Durriya Kazi explores our relationship ... posted on Aug 4, 3907 reads

Mary Ruefle's Stunning Color Spectrum of Sadnesses
"Nearly two centuries after Goethe contemplated the psychology of color and emotion, Mary Ruefle's chromatic taxonomy of sadness cracks open the eggshell of our fragility to reveal within it a kaleidoscope coruscating with irrepressible aliveness. What emerges is the feeling -- something beyond the reasoned understanding -- that sadness is not the tip of the Atlantis-sized iceberg of our hard-wire... posted on Aug 21, 5897 reads

Once I Took a Weeklong Walk in the Sahara
"Tracing an ancient route across the Sahara Desert once caravanned by pilgrims on their journey to Mecca, Anna Badkhen contemplates human movement across shifting landscapes, the impermanence of memory, and what remains eternal in the face of erasure."... posted on Aug 23, 1893 reads

Women at the End of the Land
"For centuries, the nomadic Nenets reindeer herders of the Siberian arctic have migrated across one of the most challenging environments on Earth. Today, the permafrost is melting, posing significant threat to their unique way of life. This is the intimate story of Lena, a young Nenets mother, and her journey to birth."... posted on Aug 25, 2084 reads

Healing Wealth In The Time Of Collapse
"Post capitalist philanthropy is a paradox in terms. A paradox is the appropriate starting place for the complex, entangled, messy context we find ourselves in as a species...There is a sheer irony in the act of arbitrarily giving away relatively small portions of money (compared to wealth holdings) derived from an unjust, extractive system within a philanthropic framework that enables tax-free, p... posted on Sep 20, 4687 reads

5 Questions on Your Relationship to Time
Oliver Burkeman's book, "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, is all about how and why to reevaluate your relationship with time -- starting with the startling brevity of the average human life span, which gave the book its title. Burkeman doesn't pull any punches from there. To help guide us weary time travelers, Burkeman's book poses five questions to help you reconsider your relati... posted on Sep 27, 3202 reads

I See You! I Am Here!
"'I SEE YOU!'

'I AM HERE!'

"For centuries, African Bushmen have greeted each other in this way. When one becomes aware of his brother or sister coming out of the brush, he exclaims, 'I See You!' and then the one approaching rejoices, 'I Am Here!'" Mark Nepo shares more in this beautiful excerpt from, "The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to... posted on Oct 5, 4907 reads

The Way Knows the Way
"When I was growing up, my mama made up songs for everything. Potty training? Sing about it. Your hearts deepest longing? In song. I learned: like birds, we sing. Simple plain, because were alive. For me Song is a protection mantle, a wise friend, a presence meditation, a comic relief. Song anchors us in our breathing bodies, resonant chambers. Song lives in the crosshairs of Right Here + ... posted on Sep 28, 5833 reads

My Wild-Like Refuge
"My current refuge isn't designated as wilderness or wild or special by anyone but me. It is not tucked away in some far-flung corner of the world where access is granted only to those wearing high-end technical gear or with enough disposable time to wander without any cause other than "wanting to." No, it is a journey of steps measured in feet and minutes, determined by the willingness of the loc... posted on Oct 26, 1828 reads

Dancing in A-Yard
DANCING IN A-YARD is a documentary that takes viewers into California State Prison where maximum-security inmates serve life sentences. The film follows the story of four men who were convicted as teenagers and sentenced as adults.
All four sign up for a powerfully transformational dance class in prison with French choreographer Dimitri Chamblas. You can watch the trailer of the film here.... posted on Nov 11, 2124 reads

The Inward Migration
"As the world falters, threatening native ecosystems and Indigenous lifeways, acclaimed Australian Aboriginal author Alexis Wright turns inward to the dwelling place of ancestral story. From here, she considers how her ancient culture has responded to ongoing destructionand how to bear witness to the creation of a post-apocalyptic world."... posted on Nov 14, 1788 reads

Just Be Nice
In this brief and moving glimpse into his life, Morne Pretorius shares how the experience of a car accident ten years ago which left him in a coma for a month, has impacted his perspective on life, leading him to living gratefully every day. He reminds us to make peace with what happens in our lives, realizing that our experiences do not define our future. Speaking from the knowledge gained from h... posted on Nov 18, 2279 reads

The Man Who Planted Trees
"Who says a single person can't make a difference? This Academy Award-winning short film, based on a story by Jean Giono, was created in 1987 by renowned animator Frederick Back. It beautifully showcases one shepherd's long and successful effort to re-forest a desolate valley in the foothills of the Alps near Provence in the first half of the 20th century."... posted on Nov 21, 2431 reads

I Practice Philosophy as Art
"If we want to understand what kind of society we live in, we have to comprehend what information is. Information has very little currency. It lacks temporal stability, since it lives off the excitement of surprise. Due to its temporal instability, it fragments perception. It throws us into a continuous frenzy of topicality. Hence its impossible to linger on information. That's how it differs from... posted on Dec 6, 2172 reads

Carl Safina: Mother Culture
"Only humans inhabit a wider swath of Earth than sperm whales, but humans seldom glimpse them. The whales range from 60 degrees north to 60 degrees south latitude, usually in waters whose depth exceeds 3,000 feet, far from most coasts. Not only that, they can move 40-plus miles a day, around 15,000 miles annually. This makes studying their wandering lives almost impossible. Here though, water of p... posted on Dec 12, 1392 reads

The Most Beautiful Science of the Year
"When we look back at the stories we've told this year, we're thrilled at the range of their insights. The stories venture from the bottom of the sea to as far as a telescope can see, shifting perspectives on the mundane and magnificent. Below is the Nautilus journey of 2022, told through some of our favorite passages." Travel the byways of scientific stories through this exciting compilation of l... posted on Jan 4, 2110 reads

Katy Milkman: How to Change
"In her new book, How to Change, Katy Milkman offers simple yet profound insights about why better understanding our own internal obstacles--such as laziness, procrastination, forgetfulness, or our tendency to favor instant gratification over long-term rewards--is key to changing ourselves for good. Too often, books deliver one-size-fits-all approaches to common goals, like getting in shape or eat... posted on Jan 19, 2167 reads

The Unchosen One
Devon Michael was a child actor living in poverty when he auditioned for the part of Anakin Skywalker for the a Star Wars movie, The Phantom Menace. He saw this opportunity as his way out of poverty and he felt this might well be the most important thing he would ever do. In the aftermath he learned that he can tell his own story, as he does so rivetingly in this film. "It depends on how you tell ... posted on Jan 27, 2160 reads

#heartivism: Gently Shaking the World
Today's activism is often built around an either-or logic -- my way or your way, where one way necessarily loses; in our attempts to build a bridge here, we often burn a bridge elsewhere. Heartivism, however, invites us to act from that deeper channel within us, where we are first united by our universality before we are differentiated by our particularities. A heartivist is someone who responds t... posted on Feb 2, 9346 reads

What I Regret Most Are Failures of Kindness
For many people, the things we regret in life might be the big ones: either moral failings, career opportunities missed on the way to success, or all those things that fall into the category of "adventures we should have taken." For American writer George Saunders, his list of regrets is quite simple: failures of kindness. What grabs at his heart the most is missing those seemingly insignificant c... posted on Feb 11, 50862 reads

Why Beauty Matters
"The content of these writings flow from a paradigm shift in the cosmology of our culture that is happening at this time. The timeless recognition of Consciousness and its productions (the apparent world around us) is also experienced as Beauty. The old "materialist" culture is giving way to a deeper Truth; the unity of everything. Beauty is one way into this new understanding." Scott Guyon shares... posted on Feb 23, 2206 reads

Translation Lessons from Superlichen
"Until the late nineteenth century, lichens were understood as individual organisms. It was then suggested, controversially, that a lichen was, in fact, a partnership. The division between the partners might have been invisible at first, but underneath a microscope, it was plain as day: a lichen was a pact between a fungus and an alga. Scientists began to speak of symbiosis: not survival of the fi... posted on Mar 8, 1537 reads

Zen TV
"How many of you know how to watch television?" I asked my class one day. After a few bewildered and silent moments, slowly, one by one, everyone haltingly raised their hands. We soon acknowledged that we were all 'experts,' as Harold Garfinkle would say, in the practice of 'watching television.'"This short excerpt by Bernard McGrane provides a profound thought experiment that can help us "wake up... posted on Mar 12, 24298 reads

Myth in the Age of the Anthropocene
"Is it naive to say that the world as we know it wont end if we keep telling stories? Maybe not, if we reconsider the kinds of stories we tell. Ancient stories, myths, old talesthese kinds of stories hold something powerful. Call it bone memory, call it the deep, primordial part of ourselves, call it the voice that gossips with the wild, across species and across time. If we listen, we hear it cal... posted on Mar 20, 1980 reads

How Much Silence is Too Much?
"As much as anyone else, I fantasize about checking out. I would love to remove the pinging notifications from my days, for my mind to wander without being thrown askew by each incoming tweet. But visions of total unplugging also seem a bit grotesque. Even if we can still shut our eyes and cover our ears, become details of the landscape, should we? Is it morally acceptable at this moment? How much... posted on Mar 29, 1765 reads

How Long Has It Been Since You Smelled a Flower?
"For forty years I have worked at the nexus where language intersects with the lives of prison inmates, and it has proven to be one of the most exciting intersections imaginable...Since 1974 I have directed a number of prison writing workshops, all for male prisoners, in the Arizona State Prison. The writing that is collected in this issue of Orion was selected from that of the hundreds of writers... posted on Apr 16, 1404 reads

The Skills Necessary to Deal with Anguish
I think many of us have a skewed idea of what "accepting" a catastrophic situation actually is. If you have the idea that coping well should look something like the proverbial "grace under fire," then you think you should summon the sheer grit to plaster a big cosmic grin on your face, no matter what horrors are being visited upon you. I don't think this is helpful. Actually, just the notion of "a... posted on Apr 26, 3367 reads