METTA STORIES
Life at Metta Earth
Join a worldwide resurgence exploring a new story
During this pivotal time on the planet Metta Earth continues to be a sanctuary, with your engagement. Though many systems are breaking down – environmentally, socially, politically, and spiritually – there is a worldwide resurgence of creativity and innovation. Metta Earth’s vision is to participate in this regenerative work of our times, through supporting land stewardship, sharing of resources, cooperative economies, and the centering powers of a contemplative life. Our opportunity now, in a time of great crisis, is to nurture deep resilience and the renewal of a restorative culture.
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SEEDS Learning Project
Our intention is to cultivate a deep reverent sympathy for the Earth, who unconditionally nurtures us, and her helpers. Reverence and an impulse of devotion toward protecting the Earth evolves out of a kin-centric relationship with the kinfolk in the…
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Earth Responders
Earth Responders has empowered activists in finding pathways for social justice and ecologically restorative land stewardship, regenerative community, and resilient cultural renewal. With richly experiential earth centered learning, community service, support for innovation, this project was an emergent and emergency…
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Botany and Plant Harvesting
When wild harvesting/wildcrafting it is imperative to correctly identify the plants you are collecting so that you do not accidentally collect an endangered plant species or a species that is harmful if consumed.
Hannah’s Haying
For September it’s unseasonably hot, and hotter still up here. The smell of dried garlic and last year’s hay lingers in the thick heat that has risen from downstairs and swarmed through the loft’s slatted sides and roof. We stand,…
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What You Learn At The Educational Center For Contemplative Ecology in Vermont
Metta Earth Institute, a center for CONTEMPLATIVE ECOLOGY, is nestled in a mountain bowl on 158 acres of meadow, forest, orchard, and farm in the Green Mountains of Vermont. The grounds include a biodynamically oriented, organic farm and garden, a…
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Hearts and hands gather honorable mountainside harvest
Eyes closed in the cool, spacious garden
Orchestra of birds and bees play in silence
Sunlight warms eyelids
Resting in company, tuning into rooted Motherwort.
Deep green, jagged leaves, standing strong in sun and blowing breeze
A Summer of Earth and Community
First, find yourself an untouched field of dandelion flowers and carefully remove enough flower heads to fill a basket. Be sure to thank the plants for their gift, but don’t worry too much – you could hardly diminish its brilliance…
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The Link Between Yoga & Sustainability
As the Vermont Autumn Yoga Retreat and Ecology of Yoga session approaches we find our minds musing over the practice of yoga and how it relates to our life on this earth and our interaction with nature. With this contemplative spirit,…
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Savoring the Season: Garlic Harvest
One of the truly amazing things about living with the seasons is the shift from scarcity to abundance. A few weeks ago we enjoyed such a shift with our summer garlic harvest! Earlier this spring we enjoyed the last of our…
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Metta Offering: Mantra and Prayer for Difficult Times
While Metta Earth may be physically far removed from violence that has been happening around the United States and the world, we feel it deeply. In particular, we are hurt by racial injustice in the US over the past few…
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Walking the Barefoot World, Part 2
Emily Howard participated in Metta Earth’s Wilderness and Ecopsychology Leadership Intensive in the summer of 2015 and sat down in February 2016 to reflect on how the experience has influenced her life since. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan and…
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Embracing the Strawberry Moon
We found ourselves at quite an auspicious time when the little berries began popping up in our gardens. The full moon, aptly named the Strawberry Moon, coincided with the summer solstice which we celebrated with participants of our Regenerative Community…
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Walking the Barefoot World, Part 1
Emily Howard participated in Metta Earth’s Wilderness and Ecopsychology Leadership Intensive in the summer of 2015 and sat down in February 2016 to reflect on how the experience has influenced her life since. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan and…
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Ecological Leadership Intensives
While each training has a different focus, all take a holistic approach to transforming the rampant environmental and social justice issues facing society today. We do this by providing participants with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to be effective leaders…
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Regenerative Community Design
Today, we are experiencing a culture in crisis, the sixth mass extinction, land degradation, and widespread social, economic, and political crises. To respond to this need, we look to an emerging generation of leaders who are cultivating an understanding of…
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Recipe: Easter Frittata
We hope you enjoy this frittata recipe that has been warming the kitchen lately at Metta Earth. It is a hearty dish for the springtime days before the vegetable garden begins growing. As always, we try to source organic and…
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Metta Film: Winter’s Request
As the mountain snows begin their retreat and we pass through the threshold of the Spring Equinox, it is good to reflect upon the gifts and challenges of winter. Doing so is especially poignant as we look to the future…
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Metta Internship Team Residency
During the growing season we expand to a team of 5 to 7 and become much more active outside in the gardens, greenhouse, fields, and pastures. We are also much busier hosting retreats and running programs. The growing season is…
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A Story of Purple in the Grove
Before commencing work here, in the gardens of Metta Earth one always begins first with an “attunement.” During this time, one sits in the garden’s center and absorbs with all senses the energies of the garden and partakes in a…
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