Gaia's Oasis - A Vision

In the arid foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains water is a most precious gift of life, and it is Gaia who brings that gift to the land we call her oasis.   Not so long ago, the native peoples of this land fished for salmon, ground acorns to make their food called eciva, erected their teepee-like houses of cedar bark called tonobi, and brought back obsidian from across the high Sierras to fashion their arrowheads.   They knew the plants that grew around them, which ones had edible seeds or roots, which ones could heal the body or the soul, and which ones could be woven into baskets.   As we walk this land, we can feel that ancient connection that the native peoples had with mother Gaia.

Just over a century ago, the white man came to this land leaving behind his own mark from decades of cattle ranching.   Today there are open meadows where oaks once stood, the weathered remains of old sheds, a pile of steal beams, a single ancient almond tree, and barbed wire fencing crisscrossing it all.   The fences are coming down now but the non-native grasses and weeds brought in for and by the cattle are, for the most part, here to stay.   A half century ago, many earthen dams were built, creating four bodies of water of various sizes.   This addition, at least, is welcome, for now there is year round water for the many plants and animals of Gaia's Oasis.   Ducks, herons, coots, egrets, and countless other creatures are residents at this aquatic preserve, while many seasonal visitors such as geese and quail alternate their presence between wet and dry seasons.

Descendants of the native peoples remain nearby, keeping together in a few deep valleys among the hills or married into the newcomers and dissolving amongst us.   But the salmon are gone, the creaks dry up each year and even when they do flow they no longer reach the sea.   All that remains of the first peoples are deep holes in the granite carved by generations of women, flakes of obsidian where the men worked making their tools, and the shallow, barely noticeable hollows where the tonobi once stood.

We do not know if this land was especially sacred to the native peoples.   We do know of sacred places nearby and know that there are others they do not speak of.   That is as it should be   The whole earth is sacred; we can create our own special sacred places.   That is what we are doing at Gaia's Oasis.   We did not seek this land or ever think to own it.   The Goddess gifted us with it and we are caretaking it for her.   Through work and sweat we are seeking to undo years of neglect and bad management, through ritual and connecting with the nature spirits we are seeking to restore the natural balance and increase the sacred energy.   We are dreaming great things for this land.   It is our intention that Gaia's Oasis be a place of deep connection to the Earth, where we can heal ourselves of the wound of separation from nature and so participate in the Earth healing herself.

We are not alone here.   Among the many creatures that share this land are owls and hawks, dragonflies and bats, rabbits and wood rats, coyotes and mountain lions.   All life may grow and prosper for Gaia's Oasis is primarily a nature preserve.   There is room as well for small gatherings of people to come together for ritual celebration, learning, meditation, or drumming and dancing around a fire.   Someday, there may be gardens for nourishing the body and gardens for nourishing the soul, sculptures and shrines honoring the Goddess, artworks and stone circles, and a small group of people dedicated to making it so.   For now it is two people with a vision but we are making a start.   Who knows what is possible for those who love the land.