I knew a wise woman
And she said to me
That the river would mold me
And the wild wind would cool me
The trickster the coyote
He would fool me
That father sun would warm me
Mother earth would clothe me
Grandmother moon would greet me
And of the old ways she would teach me
Wise woman, she told me
To always walk lightly
Tread the earth ever gently
Lovingly so preciously
And take from her sparingly
She said, to share with others
What you have learned from me
Be still and breathe, ever patiently
For the web of life
Has woven what is to be
But you must still choose
Your own path, you will see
And lastly, the wise woman said to me
To listen to the wise one
That dwells within me
To walk my path in balance
Is to be free
More than just words
So mote it be.

~ Jonathan Bear Geronimo Ramaker

Teach your children to appreciate and respect nature from the earliest moments of their lives.
Let them walk barefoot on the earth, listen to the whispers of the trees, and gaze at the stars with wonder.
Encourage them to see the magic in a blooming flower, the wisdom in the changing seasons, and the harmony in a bird’s flight.

Help them understand that nature is not a resource to be used, but a living, breathing system that we are a part of—one that nurtures, heals, and sustains all life.
When children grow to love and protect the natural world, they begin to understand their place within it—not as conquerors, but as caretakers.

And in return, nature will provide for them—clean air to breathe, fresh water to drink, food to nourish them, and beauty to inspire their spirits. In teaching children to live in balance with the earth, we give them not just knowledge, but a future rooted in respect, gratitude and hope.

~ Spirit of a Hippie
Art: Claudia Tremblay

Without solitude, Love will not stay long by your side.

Because Love needs to rest,
so that it can journey through the heavens and reveal itself in other forms.

Without solitude, no plant or animal can survive,
no soil can remain productive, no child can learn about life,
no artist can create, no work can grow and be transformed.

Solitude is not the absence of Love, but its complement.
Solitude is not the absence of company,
but the moment when our soul is free to speak to us
and help us decide what to do with our life.

Therefore, blessed are those who do not fear solitude,
who are not afraid of their own company,
who are not always desperately looking for something to do,
something to amuse themselves with, something to judge.

If you are never alone, you cannot know yourself.
And if you do not know yourself, you will begin to fear the void.

~Paulo Coelho

In the quiet moments when others paint you with colors that aren't yours,
remember: your truth runs deeper than their misunderstandings.

Like a tree whose roots know the earth beneath,
even when its branches are mistaken for shadows,
your essence remains unchanged by others' perceptions.

There will be days when the world will try to reshape your story,
when whispers will attempt to rewrite your character.
In these moments, let your heart be your compass, not their words.
The greatest strength lies not in shouting your defense to the winds,
but in holding your truth close, like a precious flame that burns steady even in the storm.

Know yourself with such depth
that others' misconceptions become mere ripples on the surface of your deep waters.
Your worth isn't measured by how well you're understood,
but by how faithfully you honor your authentic self.
Stand firm in your truth, like a lighthouse that needs no validation from the ships it guides.

For in the end, it's not the noise of misunderstanding that defines you,
but the quiet certainty in your soul that knows exactly who you are,
what you stand for, and the beauty of your purpose - seen or unseen, understood or not.
This is your power, your peace, your truth

~ Etheric Echoes
~ Art: Kristin Vestgård

Happiness is not a treasure hidden in the world outside;
it is a quiet bloom that starts deep within.
It whispers softly in moments of stillness,
in the grace of acceptance,
and in the quiet dance of our own hearts.
No matter how far we search,
true joy is not found in things,
but in the way we choose to see the world and ourselves.
Like a gentle flame, it flickers from within,
nourished by the kindness we offer ourselves,
the gratitude we cultivate,
and the peace we create in our own souls.

~ Spirit of a Hippie
~ Art by Sophia Love Story

The Path Through Dune and Memory

The wind does not forget this place—
a whispering tongue in brittle grass,
where footsteps fade but never vanish,
etched in the lean of withered dune.

She walks the crooked, salt-blown path
as if returning from a dream,
the hem of night clinging to her coat,
hair swept like smoke toward forgotten skies.

Above, the crows rise in a scattered psalm,
a black benediction cast in flight.
They do not mourn, not truly—
only echo what has passed beneath.

No names are spoken here aloud,
only thought, half-formed and frail
like the bones of sea-washed driftwood
that line the trail with silent grace.

And still she walks—
not forward, not quite back,
but into that thin, wind-worn space
where the dead speak softest
and the living listen best.

- Kevin McManus

She was a giver
— the kind of soul who poured oceans of love
into others without hesitation.
Her heart knew no limits;
she gave and gave,
believing that kindness could melt even the hardest surfaces.
But what she didn’t realize for the longest time was this:
No matter how much love you pour into a rock,
it won’t soften.
It won't grow.
It won’t change.
Some hearts are not ready to receive what you have to offer.
And sometimes,
the bravest thing a giver can do is to stop watering what was never meant to bloom.


Something to think about...

Beautiful things don't make noise.
A war makes noise,
the crisis of values is making noise.

But the hugs and looks
they don't make a noise.
Even the happiness,
ephemeral or constant,
love the quietness.

That which is created in the soul
when we want to crib
& protect our own
precious moments.

It's all a movement,
of hearts and breaths,
but there's no noise.

And a flower...
a flower blooms in silence.

~ Nadia Crisci ~

"The Tree of Listening"

They say the elders did not speak often — but when they did, even the birds listened.

Under the ancient oak, a wise man sat in stillness.
He had walked many winters, carried many dreams.

Today, he came not to speak, but to listen.
And the eagle came too — not as a messenger, but as a mirror.

They say when a man and an eagle share silence, the Earth remembers something sacred.
The old man closed his eyes.
The wind whispered through the leaves like the breath of the ancestors.
And in that moment, the eagle did not fly away.
He stayed — not as a beast, but as a brother.