Seed.
Earth Sanctuary Spark
:::::: Self Imprint on this Planet ::::::
What is important to understand about Earth Sanctuary?
Trigger Warning: mentions of various forms of abuse.
I am raised in various gardens with my family in 1855 Treaty Territory of Anishinaabe nations.
More on my Sense of Self here.
The settlers of my maternal lineage were able to sustain themselves due to the diligence of the Anishinaabe nations who effectively stewarded these lands for thousands of years.
I recognize the settlers in my family owe a debt of gratitude, and it is our responsibility to uphold the Treaties and dismantle the colonial systems / institutions that continue to harm these Nations to this day.
As an adult, I continue to tend the seeds planted in my childhood.
What does it mean to make the most of an opportunity?
—-—-— Flint —-—-—
I arrived at a rural township in 2017, to the house of a settler (he/him) who started a nonprofit called Mother Earth Sanctuary. The person who introduced me to the Director also claimed to be on the Board of Directors for the nonprofit.
This same person was also physically_financially_verbally_sexually abusing me at that time.
I will call this person “Z” - because they are the LAST person I want to EVER see again in this life.
I was living in an isolated Hell. And I threw myself into my projects to escape.
In reality, “Z” was hiding their abusive behavior behind my labor, ideas, and innovation. It was exploitation that took me the better part of 2 years to detach.
But in reality, my experiences with this person aged me like dog years.
Every year, month and even hour around this person really warped my sense of time, along with my sense of Self.
In 2018, I finally had a golden opportunity to come forward to the Director of Mother Earth Sanctuary about the ongoing abuse.
I seized the moment.
I told him EVERYTHING.
He believed me.
“Z” was allowed back to the property only to collect their personal belongings and L E A V E.
I was allowed to decompress and work through my own personal issues in peace.
—-—-— Ignite —-—-—
During this time of decompression, I was finally able to talk openly to the Director about the founding vision of Mother Earth Sanctuary. I then realized this was an excellent opportunity for me.
The nonprofit was already established as a 501(c)(5) “Labor, Agriculture, Horticulture” organization, I was told there was a Board of Directors, and the Director had a plan and purpose for establishing the nonprofit.
It was in a prime geographic location- isolated enough away from a city/town, but all the amenities I needed were less than a half hour away.
The idea was to receive funding to create labor contracts that would employ excluded people in ecological restoration projects.
People formerly incarcerated with felony convictions,
Veterans who’s PTSD or other circumstances prevented them from working typical 9-5 jobs,
And now people like me - working through PTSD from surviving abuse.
As I began to piece myself back together, I invited others to join me in honoring the Treaties;
ecological restoration
composting
food/seed sharing
pollinator support
climate literacy
raising the social consciousness streams of our communities,
regions,
continents.
As long as I continued to shape and embody this vision; my room and board were covered.
——— Combust ———
Over the years I noticed an overwhelming trend in people who answered this invitation: many were escaping abusive, violent relationships / family dynamics, a few were at high-risk of trafficking, some knew people who were actively being trafficked, many were youth/children…
The golden thread that wove them together was that all of them wanted to actively co-create safe haven.
Before I knew it, my work quickly became two-fold: one hand was open, transparent, and clear. I called this my “razzle dazzle”- creative collaborations with people around my area, the country, and the world.
I loved everything about everything I did: learning how to build climate resilience into small scale land stewardship, the role of Treaties in mitigating climate impacts, and the way Indigenous sovereignty really is the key to regenerating the planet and restructuring humanity as whole.
I would attend gatherings in the surrounding towns, network online with new people, and even connect my work and ideas to those working in urban spaces.
My own vision began to emerge as one that would center the Treaties as I connected Urban and Rural together.
——— Smolder ———
My other hand, however, was closed, covert, and selective. Building an exclusive network of safe havens to move or help individuals/families escape violence.
It took me over a year to realize the impact of this work was beyond professional or career advancement.
I slowly realized that some of the most vulnerable people in my area were showing up right at my door to also offer their own forms of contributions.
Within the typical “falling through the cracks of colonial capitalism” was a sublayer of people I didn’t realize existed.
People who were burned not just by the ‘system’, but by the very collectives who propped themselves up as solutions to these systems.
I was catching the folks who were (often violently) exploited by members of their own community, groups, organizations, etc.
On the surface, some of these groups masqueraded as “decolonial”, “humanitarian”, “niche political”, so called ‘advocacy’ groups.
But in reality, many of them still moved like colonizers.
——-— Ember —-——
At that point, it became crucial for me recognize that all of these facets of my life were connected:
My public professional ambitions
My covert community endeavors
My personal wellbeing, physical health, and safety.
Beyond maintaining my own sanity, I was faced with a harsh reality that - more or less - forced me to embody integrity.
Discipline.
Focus.
Necessity required I innovate something more concrete, more tangible, than a thought experiment, or philosophical musings, or some other abstract esoteric rhetoric.
I needed to embody what it means to heal ourselves as we restore the ecological health of Earth.
Truth is- more than just my own life depended on this.
