This week Awesome Stories brings you a collection of stories to inspire you to find your passion and purpose in life while living gently and harmoniously with mother nature.

Ancient Tree Archive

Review your life and ask how much of your life is in service to others and Mother Earth, and how much is engaged in consumption. ~ David

After nearly dying from alcohol and abuse, David Milarch had a NDE (near death experience) that shifted his life. He had a vision of what he could do with his life and was given an outline for saving the old growth forests of the Northwest US. He has spent the last 30 years working to fulfill that vision and finally made real progress. When he started, no one thought it was possible to save the ancient trees due to loss of habitat and climate change. David is now known as the Man Who Planted Trees and his organization, Ancient Tree Archive, is successfully cloning some of the world’s largest and oldest trees. He also urges people to take responsibility for their lives and find the answer to who they are and why are they here. ” You can either serve the purpose of the ego, or you can be still and listen for guidance on the mission that you were sent here to do.”

The Language of Animacy

Robin Wall Kimmerer writes about the power of language and her attempts as a biologist and Native American to learn her ancestral language that speaks more directly to the animated powers and spirits in nature. “The Potawatomi language is the heart of our culture; it holds our thoughts, our way of seeing the world. It’s too beautiful for English to explain.” The English language treats nature as nouns and fixed objects, whereas her native language treats nature as an animated, living being. This might be a large factor in why we treat nature so poorly; the opposite of most native populations who consider themselves part of the web of life called nature. This is a long, but poignant article about language, animacy, and learning to listen to nature.

Deep Ecology

Deep Ecology is the name of an environmental movement started by Arne Naess. The core premise is that humans are just one aspect of a complex, interwoven web of life. Of course, this isn’t new. Most indigenous people continue to live this way. What might be new is the reminder that our humanness is deeply rooted in nature, making nature critical to our survival and vice-versa. I like their idea of an ecological self that is sensual and deeply connected to nature. We need nature. Bill Devall and other deep ecologists call for setting aside 50% of the world’s land and waters to be left in their natural state to allow for the continued evolution of species. Here is a link to an interview with Bill in Resurgence Magazine called Free Nature.

We Care Solar

I love how this project grew organically after a former doctor learned how many women die during childbirth around the world. When Dr. Laura Stachel discovered how many health centers didn’t even have electricity, she knew she had to help. She and her husband created portable solar kits meant to demonstrate what solar energy could do, but everyone wanted to buy the kits, so they started making them in the home. Later they received a grant to increase production and have continued to grow the organization. We Care Solar has distributed over 2000 solar suitcases, bringing light to over 100,000 people while helping to save thousands of lives. They train people on the use, installation, maintenance and uses of their solar tools. Kudos Laura and We Care Solar!

What stands out for me is our need for a more conscious and loving connection with nature if we are to survive as a species on this planet. 

May we listen to our souls, find a passionate purpose, and strive to live gently on Mother Earth. Happy Earth Day!