small secret inukshuk

 
Another sunny and unseasonally warm late September day. I decided to visit Callaghan's Rapids Conservation Area to celebrate finally being off tilt for the first time in years. On tilt is a poker  term for being emotionally and mentally off balance, and 1 1/2 years with an energy draining colon tumour was followed by a major cancer operation during the pandemic. On the anniversary of the operation this June I was viciously attacked by a neighbour's dog ("dog bites summer" post). When I finally began recovering from the deep wounds, my bank manager "forgot" to renew my small savings deposit, and it took over a month to learn my life savings were safe.  aarrggh

To start the visit I walked the short trail to the Crowe River. I only remember one rainy day this September, so the river was much lower than usual and a lot more of the limestone riverbank was dry. I was able to hike upstream beside the river to the old CNN bridges area, enjoying the quiet solitude. I decided to walk back downstream to the rapids on the trails, enjoying the peace of the mixed forest.

When I got to the rapids, I stepped down to the lip of the low falls and considered resting, perhaps meditating, on a convenient rock ledge. Pausing to enjoy the roaring sound of the rapids, I looked back up the bank and spied a miniature rock inukshuck hidden in the brush. Its delicate secrecy gave me a kundalini head rush. I thought of Tibetan monks hiding spiritual scrolls in remote rocky nooks, awaiting centuries for discovery. Decision made - definitely a sign to meditate on this sacred spot.  

I haven't done a formal mediation in ages. The light breeze, carrying a tang of low tide saltiness, the beautiful day, and the early fall colours combined to settle me into an immediate relaxed and deeper than expected meditation. The crown chakra kundalini flush spread down through the body chakras, and quickly I was visiting many realms - a colour realm, pure land bliss, a psychic hello to the thousands of other practitioners, mostly indigenous, also sitting by water falls, on mountain tops and in forests holding this fraying "reality"/ bardo together.

Reflections on how similar Turtle Island inukshuks are to Buddhist stupas, both manmade creations honouring nature and the true nature of mankind. I'd promised myself a half hour meditation, and when I stole a glance at my pocket watch, I was very surprised the half hour was almost completed.  

When I returned to the parking lot my friend Marc's SUV was parked beside my Sube. As soon as I stepped onto the short trail Marc and I hailed each other. He toured me around the parking lot, showing the major cement pour he'd done yesterday with help from three Crowe Valley Conservation Area employees. A  friendly end to another day at magickal Callaghan's Rapids Conservation Area.



Summer visitors often build huge rock inukshuks in the shallows above the rapids. I've built a few myself. But none of these labours matches the power of the secret inukshuk.

much gratitude
to the builder
small secret inukshuk           

"Finally Honest Liar" Pemier Doug Ford changes position on Greenbelt!

Dear Chris,

This week, the Ecojustice team was busy preparing for further legal steps against the Ontario government over its questionable Greenbelt dealings, but the week has ended in celebration.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford admitted yesterday that it was a “mistake” to remove 7,400 acres of environmentally-sensitive land from Ontario’s protected Greenbelt, announcing that plans to develop that land will be reversed.

Finally. The news comes after nine months of the Premier digging in his heels, threatening to remove more Greenbelt lands, and resignations by two cabinet ministers. This victory would not have been possible without the communities who rallied and campaigned for the return of Ontario Greenbelt lands and the journalists who exposed what was happening behind closed doors during the biased land swap process.

READ OUR FULL STATEMENT
You played an important role too. Your support kept the Ecojustice team actively engaged in holding the Ontario government accountable for its reckless decisions regarding the Greenbelt and the environment. We spent the last several months working with communities and making freedom of information requests about the government’s sprawl giveaways to position us for further action. Thank you.

But our work does not end here.

The Ontario government continues to undermine wetland protections, push highway developments through the Greenbelt and is still trying to force communities like Hamilton to build on its greenspaces.

You can count on us to use everything in our legal toolbox to ensure that the government’s continued attacks on the environment are halted and reversed.

In gratitude,
Laura Bowman,
lawyer, Ecojustice



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