The Graze V.160: An Assemblage of Stone
Dear Friends:
A story is told in the landscape, forming the ground sustaining our lives. The liturgical poetry that begins the sacred scripture starts with, as the Hebrew has it, “God makes night and day, firmament and water.” And yet when we think about Creation, we don’t often give attention to the “firmament’ - the solid ground of our being.
Geologists tell us that the ‘firmament’ of the Green Mountains in Vermont was formed about 150 million years ago! And the creation of the valleys (through erosion) determines how we live - the kind of food we can grow and the recreation we enjoy.
The rock formations at Mission Farm are dramatic. They speak to what endures. Our experience on this land - all that is sacred and all that is mundane - is embedded in the permanence of the landscape. Flat-faced rocks tower along the hillsides of this valley. Trees are situated directly on the rock and grow straight toward the sunlight. Their roots wrap themselves dramatically around the massive stone, reaching toward the cool, damp soil.
In 2023, the community at Mission Farm is engaging with stone in a project with an eye to the future: The Odeon (a Greek structure that resembles a small amphitheater), built from rock and soil, will create a space for generations to gather, tell stories, read poetry, and sing songs. The design of this creation, by dry stone artist Dan Snow (visit this website: dansnowstoneworks.com!), is informed by history and geology. It echoes the intention of connection that this community has held over the past 200 years. It inspires the future of Mission Farm.
Dan describes this process as “to craft an assemblage of stones into a space that will concentrate the earth's energy into a light-capturing atmosphere.”
Please join us as we embark on this assemblage - donate and visit Mission Farm to watch the progress, schedule a gathering, a concert, or sit for a picnic.
May your connection to the firmament on which you stand bring connection, light, and love to the world,
🌱 Lisa+
Rock and Garden Celebration!
May 28th 9:30AM 💚
Gather with the chickens in the orchard on May 28 to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. Stay for refreshments and a blessing of the stones and gardens.