Nature S Mirror

This is a picture of myself along the Columbia River placed in symmetry. It shows the yielding receptive power of the yin aspect of the I-Ching which is the trigram number two “The Receptive”. In the center of this picture is a golden chalice. The top of the chalice looks like a blue butterfly. This is the transforming womb of Mother Wisdom, and her face is in the center of it. On each side, the fallopian tubes reach out towards my head, where the dancers are dancing life into being. The charioteer is poised above like “the creative heaven”, which is the first trigram of the I-Ching representing the yang aspect. He waits for the right time to move forward and as he sits in his chariot, he too meditates on the Holy Grail in front of him. In the hidden third he can bring it into motion through spirit in matter. For many decades my prayer has been for the renewing of my mind. This picture tells me that my prayer is in line with the process. I pray this for everyone. May we find our holy grail, land live our destiny.

It may be surprising to us now, but the taxidermists who filled the museums, zoos, and aquaria of the twentieth century were also among the first to become aware of the devastating effects of careless human interaction with the natural world. Witnessing firsthand the decimation caused by hide hunters, commercial feather collectors, whalers, big game hunters, and poachers, these museum taxidermists recognized the existential threat to critically endangered species and the urgent need to protect them. The compelling exhibits they created—as well as the scientific field work, popular writing, and lobbying they undertook—established a vital leadership role in the early conservation movement for American museums that persists to this day. Through their individual research expeditions and collective efforts to arouse demand for environmental protections, this remarkable cohort—including William T. Hornaday, Carl E. Akeley, and several lesser-known colleagues—created our popular understanding of the animal world and its fragile habitats. For generations of museum visitors, they turned the glass of an exhibition case into a window on nature—and a mirror in which to reflect on our responsibility for its conservation.

L.M. Montgomery’s writings are replete with enchanting yet subtle and fluid depictions of nature that convey her intense appreciation for the natural world. At a time of ecological crises, intensifying environmental anxiety, and burgeoning eco-critical perspectives, L.M. Montgomery and the Matter of Nature(s) repositions the Canadian author’s relationship to nature in terms of current environmental criticism across several disciplines, introducing a fresh approach to her life and work. Drawing on a wide range of Montgomery’s novels as well as her journals, this collection suggests that socio-ecological relationships encompass ideas of reciprocity, affiliation, autonomy, and the capacity for transformation in both the human and more-than-human worlds, and that these ideas are integral to Montgomery’s vision and her literary legacy. Framed by the twin themes of materiality and interrelationships, essays by scholars of literature, law, animal studies, anthropology, and ecology examine place, embodiment, and difference in Montgomery’s works and embrace the multiplicities embedded in the concept of nature. Through innovative critical approaches, L.M. Montgomery and the Matter of Nature(s) opens up conversations about humans’ interactions with nature and the material environment.

This is a picture of myself along the Columbia River placed in symmetry. It shows the yielding receptive power of the yin aspect of the I-Ching which is the trigram number two "The Receptive". In the center of this picture is a golden chalice. The top of the chalice looks like a blue butterfly. This is the transforming womb of Mother Wisdom, and her face is in the center of it. On each side, the fallopian tubes reach out towards my head, where the dancers are dancing life into being. The charioteer is poised above like "the creative heaven", which is the first trigram of the I-Ching representing the yang aspect. He waits for the right time to move forward and as he sits in his chariot, he too meditates on the Holy Grail in front of him. In the hidden third he can bring it into motion through spirit in matter. For many decades my prayer has been for the renewing of my mind. This picture tells me that my prayer is in line with the process. I pray this for everyone. May we find our holy grail, land live our destiny.

This new edition of the bestselling text, Nurturing Natures, provides an indispensable synthesis of the latest scientific knowledge about children’s emotional development. Integrating a wealth of both up-to-date and classical research from areas such as attachment theory, neuroscience developmental psychology and cross-cultural studies, it weaves these into an accessible enjoyable text which always keeps in mind children recognisable to academics, practitioners and parents. It unpacks the most significant influences on the developing child, including the family and social context. It looks at key developmental stages from life in the womb to the pre-school years and right up until adolescence, covering important topics such as genes and environment, trauma, neglect or resilience. It also examines how children develop language, play and memory and, new to this edition, moral and prosocial capacities. Issues of nature and nurture are addressed and the effects of different kinds of early experiences are unpicked, creating a coherent and balanced view of the developing child in context. Nurturing Natures is written by an experienced child therapist who has used a wide array of research from different disciplines to create a highly readable and scientifically trustworthy text. This book should be essential reading for childcare students, for teachers, social workers, health visitors, early years practitioners and those training or working in child counselling, psychiatry and mental health. Full of fascinating findings, it provides answers to many of the questions people really want to ask about the human journey from conception into adulthood. .

Issued in conjunction with the exhibition of the same name held at the McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, September 10-December 10, 2017.

Basing our psychospiritual development on the model of the tree a symbol of the continuity of life Stephanie Sorrell shows how we may understand the rhythms and cycles of the tree and integrate them into our vision in a conscious way.