Seed Selections: Best of 2024
Highlights from the Past 12 Months' Scribbling
Greetings, friends. I hope the season finds you well amidst the joys and struggles that family can bring. I’ve had my share of both (joy and struggle) in recent days. Chiaroscuro, the close interplay of light and shadow, is only fitting for the time of year, I suppose.
As part of my solstice meditations, I’ve been paging back through the pieces published here over the past twelve months. A lot of ground’s been covered, from George Washington and bloodletting’s checkered reputation to the rich mythology of eclipses; from lessons from a storied medicinal plant named after a Greek hero to meditations on money.
I’ve conducted interviews with colleagues at the nexus of healing and spiritual work (here and here) and been interviewed by them. I even co-authored an (admittedly technical) astrological piece on the dharma and karma of J. Robert Oppenheimer in the now-sadly-defunct The Mountain Astrologer.
Despite the seeming variety, I can’t deny that my reigning obsessions surface here over and again. Medicine and mysticism intertwine throughout these pages, clinical material meeting and melding with the philosophical and spiritual. This intersection—where the y-axis of healing meets the x of ritual—is revealing itself as a central locus of concern in this phase of life. (A fact that may be obvious to readers for longer than it has to the author).
Consistent as the (ritual + healing) theme has been, it yields up plenty of variation. That’s probably inevitable, seeing as I’m someone who participates in more than one religious tradition (it wouldn’t be fair to myself to say ‘dabbles’). Practicing Jyotish and engaging with the Hindu pantheon have provided a steady spiritual backbeat, while the Orisas, ancestors, elementals and land spirits take turns in the limelight, as the season demands, here at Heartward Sanctuary, our workshop and proving ground.
Let me pause for a momentary reflection: strange as it can feel to be a mongrel—neither fish nor fowl—it’s equally difficult to envision myself sticking to one style of practice or method of worship. Not when I’m exposed to such a bounty of wisdom traditions, to potent, beautiful, often needful ways of relating to the greater ecology (not just more-than-human, but more-than-incarnate). So, spiritual polyamory it is—for now anyway. My hope is that the eclecticism makes for some interesting reading.
Before we get to the list of highlights for the year, let me aso take a moment to thank you for being here: truly, thank you.
I’m grateful for the shares, the comments and the support. They keep alive and engaged what can feel like a lonely enterprise. In the coming year I welcome thoughts, feedback, engagement more than ever: yes, yours. I’d love to see this space grow more interactive, conversational, embedded in the tissue of living relationships. So go ahead and reach out, chime in, quibble or kibitz. Coax me down from my wizard’s tower. Let’s dig in together.
In no particular order, then, here are my picks for the year’s highlights from these pages. I hope you find something juicy here to sink your teeth into.
Best of Seeds From The World Tree - 2024
Why-Arrow and the Wounded Heel (part 1, part 2) - An oldie but goodie, dusted off and republished. If I allow myself a bit of pretension, I’d call this one of my first mature pieces of writing. It’s deep dive, originally published circa 2015, on the richly woven interconnections between Yarrow (as medicinal and mythological herb), the I Ching, and the archetype of the wounded healer.
The Portal of Paradox - a free-wheeling exploration through terrain both mathematical and mystical. A seemingly odd synthesis that turned out to be one of my favorite pieces from the past year.
Mountain Medicine ~ from the ‘Departures’ travel section - a shot of mountain air inspired by a solo summer day-trip in the Presidential range.
Envy’s Remedy - meditations on greed and giving, envy and the evil eye. this piece was brewing for quite some time and it could just as long to digest…
Basics: the Five Phases - an introduction to the core East Asian theory of the Five Phases (or five elements).
Karma, Medicine, and Ritual (three part series, part 1 is linked) - exploring how ritual is a form of medicine—or, as I’m increasingly led to believe, vice versa.
When the Snake Swallows the Sun - a reader favorite, seemingly, that delves into the Churning of the Ocean myth and the spiritual resonance of eclipses.