Creation Meditation Celebration Event October 7-9 2011

Luminaria Sanctuary Creation Meditation Celebration!

 

ALL WEEKEND LONG EVENT!!! 

Friday October 7 2011 @ 5pm 

thru 

Sunday October 9 2011 @5pm

 PLEASE CONTACT 509-427-4277 or luminariasanctuary@gmail.com FOR DIRECTIONS!

We are hosting a celebratory gathering at Luminaria Sanctuary in the Columbia Gorge to build community, have fun, get creative, connect with each other and the earth, and get our hands on real projects that might help inspire creative reuse and recycling of materials in sustainable ways. We are not waiting around for things to change; we're being the change now!

Location is private, please email luminariasanctuary@gmail.com or call 509-427-4277 for directions if you are planning on coming! Thank you for understanding! Plan 50 min driving from PDX/Vancouver, 20 min from Hood River.

FOR INFO ON THIS EVENT: http://www.luminariasanctuary.com/cmc2.html

We will experiment with building a greenhouse out of entirely recycled and reused materials (oh boy!), building raised garden beds, creating some recycled art projects and possibly furniture, helping reduce fire hazards on the land, making brooms for Halloween out of scotch broom, enjoying a potluck, movie, music and maybe even dancing, drumming and a bonfire if weather and vibe/flow permit. Open to anyone who wants to get in on community "being" sustainable now. Bring your ideas, toys, music-making instruments, yummy foodstuffs, dreams, stories, tools, and joy! Overnight stays are welcome - Camping is available and retreat rooms at the sanctuary are available at a major discount. Rideshares from Portland encouraged.

Luminaria Sanctuary is a private retreat home focused on whole-istic sustainability, nestled on 10 acres of wildlife sanctuary overlooking the Columbia, surrounded by national forest. It is the dream child of community members who contribute their love, inspiration, support and skills in honor of creating a more conscious, more sustainable, more satisfying life. It is non-denominational and welcoming. Luminaria Sanctuary is in the process of becoming a non-profit. Check out www.luminariasanctuary.com to learn more.

PLEASE NOTE -  Out of respect for the land, wildlife and the residents: NO SMOKING, NO DRUGS, NO SCENTS, NO PETS, PACK IN-PACK OUT (no trash)

The Leaning Tower of Luminaria Toppled!

It is ancient.
It is monolithic.
It is decrepit.
It is rusted and weather-beaten and hanging with a tangle of blackberries, hornets, and leggy lightning-colored spiders the size of your palm. It is an apartment complex for outstanding bugs of all sizes and a place where the laws of gravity and centrifugal force are waived.

It is... the Leaning Tower of Luminaria. And today, it finally collapsed.

The monolith of the Luminaria field, a 2-story hand-built barn which stood through an onslaught of weather throughout the years, began succumbing to a series of injuries from snow, ice, and rain after the roof caved in 2 years ago. Over the subsequent months, it began inching into a nearly impossible gravity-defying yoga pose, like a 3 dimensional trapezoid caught mid-dance with a hole punched through the top. While curious and beautiful in its own splintery way, it came up a little short on the "useable space" list, and was dead last on the "child-proof" list. Sadly, something had to be done. We spent the morning harvesting the last of the blackberries from the surrounding vines, assessing the project and the salvageable materials, and checking for critters.

Now, it hunches like a half-beaten hulk giving up its skeleton to the recycling-addicted hands of the Luminarians, who are heading to bed tonight with dreams of chicken coops, raised garden beds, rustic furniture and weathered-wood art dancing in their heads.

Matt (a professional recycling guru), James and Dan volunteered for the demolition and salvage operation, and have already retained 30+ beautiful usable cedar planks, many 2x4s, and hundreds of shakes that will be reborn in new projects.


Not exactly giving up the ghost lightly, Matt and James, according to the Rule of Testosterone, actually brought out a rifle and SHOT the roof off before dragging the second story down with a rope and some serious horsepower this afternoon (this was done for "safety", of course).

With a crash and a long sigh of dust and insects, the old cedar-wood barn is taking the first step in the rest of its life: morphing into a collection of new identities, as every piece of siding, shingle and strut will be reused in creative ways. Look for the spirit of the Leaning Tower of Luminaria to radiate forth in art pieces and garden structures in the coming months.

Throughout the day, we were treated to visits from the flora and fauna of the field. Yellow jackets and praying mantis patrolled the scene. They seemed to be supportive of getting an upgrade in their apartment complex.

Arrivederci, sweet barn. May you rest in pieces.

Photos by the talented Matt Maher and Amber Jade.