The mission of the Earthen Spirituality Project is to guarantee the ecological, archaeological and spiritual
integrity of The Sweet Medicine Sanctuary, while making it available to insistent seekers....
and doing all we can to spread the enlivening insights this place of power and clarity provide.

“Elle and I have just returned from an incredible week in that magical canyon. There's no way I can overstate this or even say it strongly enough: if you have any chance of going there -any- take it! The power and the beauty of the land there, the presence of the Ancients, and the love of the Canyon's current nurturers, is beyond belief. Be forewarned, though: it will probably change you, forever.”
-Steve Wilhite (Washington DC)

Today, as every day, we are called. We who refuse to numb down, who insist on feeling the full measure of this miraculous world-- are beckoned to step forward and embrace not only a new adventure, but an ancient and sacred mission. We're called to embody a spirituality or practice that in-cludes rather than pre-cludes the natural world, called to commit to a mission that contributes to the health of the planet as well as the wholeness of the sentient self.... and that fully honors Spirit/God (by whatever name we might know it). Ours is a practice that promotes celebratory existence, that deepens reverence for life, diversity, and that vital quality we call "wildness." We're called away from our loneliness, separation and distraction.... and on to the communion of woodstove baked bread, the precious touch of family and lovers, the ritual of planting a garden, the act of replanting a forest, and the inspiration of a single flower. 

Such Earthen Spirituality informs rather than competes with existing traditions, practices and religions. Buddhists and Christians can benefit from this personal deepening and reconnecting to nature as much as Neoshamans and Druids can. And this resource is immediate, always present, and available to us all. We find it in unfolding creation and our personal life's quest. In the kept promises of the rising sun, after the darkness of another introspective night. In a youngster, saddened by the sight of a butterfly bounced off a windshield onto the shoulder of some numbered road.... and in an old woman finding reason to go on living in the playful antics of that same sensitive child. It finds voice in the sermon-scream of falcons tilting above our busy cities, in the spontaneous prayers of outlaw dandelions erupting in the cracks of every aging sidewalk, in the spiraling reggae of the DNA helix and the twisting samba-line of ants ascending a gnarled cottonwood tree. Its testimony is written in stone, in granite and quartz, in demonstrations of authenticity and belonging, in the weight and substance of commitment to place. Its message soars on the lift of robins' wings, echoes off the moon when the coyote sings. It's carried forth from the ancient past to the uncertain future, in the hearts of everyone devoted to restoration, sacrament, and the celebration of what's most beautiful and real.

Earthen Spirituality isn't just about inspiration and reward. It is part of the "great work," and the fulfillment of our most meaningful purpose. It is coming home to true self and welcoming place. It is the literal ground for a new journey.... the fullest expression of our caring-- human-- hearts.
-Jesse Wolf Hardin

This website, like our lives, is an evolving journey. And like all journeys it begins in a specific setting, the source of and location for our teachings: The Place... a wild river canyon and ancient Anasazi village site in isolated Catron County, New Mexico. The Programs & Events page includes descriptions of personal Teachings & Counsel, Couple's Counsel, Wild Foods Weekends, The Wild Mamas Weekend, Sacred Indulgence Weekend, Stream Restoration Workshops, Medicine Sweats, Wilderness Quests, and the annual Wild Women's Gathering. The new Writings by Kiva Rose and Writings by Loba pages featurez their inspiring essays and articles. Also new is a stunning selection of Canyon photographs by Jesse Wolf Hardin. Each year a small number of resident Interns & Apprentices joureny to the Gila to assist the needs of the Project, and in turn benefit from both individualized teaching and the experience of staying in such an enchanted canyon. 

To meet your E.S.P guides, read the biographies under Your Hosts as well as Loba, Kiva and Jesse Wolf Hardin's individual pages of writings. Most moving of all are the personal Testimonials describing folks' gratitude for the effect that the canyon and its care-takers have had on their lives.

Please check out Books & Music for a description of some of our many available books and recordings. To place an order or to apply for any of our opportunities, events and programs, click on  Contact Us.