Harvest Time

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

It’s harvest time here at The Higher Haven, as well as all across the Southwest Michigan countryside. While giant rigs that make up the farming army unit above comb the land and distant tractors echo, cleaning up what’s left of our neighboring cucumber field, we’re embracing the stillness that comes along with the changing light and season. The tranquility was palpable after several days of meditation practice in silence at our Fall Noble Silence Meditation Retreat (NSMR) Weekend. And the immediate feedback was extremely encouraging, as folks reported enjoying the facilitation of “a beautiful retreat in a beautiful space,” per the insight and response of a deeply satiated attendee. “For my part, I reached my goal of routine disruption and settling back into the depths of meditation. The space you have created is wonderful in so may ways. The food was excellent, the company good, the meditation deep.” Aho and Amen.

We’ll only be going deeper and into more alert relaxation as the farming days turn colder, with the Winter Noble Silence Meditation Retreat Weekend already in the works for the weekend of Friday, February 18th-20th, 2022, and soon open for registration. In the meantime there are several standout offerings for all the people inquiring about October Retreats, including a sacred song and drumming making workshop Saturday October 16th, as well as our highest-caliber offering, this Fall’s Comprehensive Spiritual Development Retreat Weekend with Master Teacher John Ashbrook the weekend of October 22nd-24th, with articles on John and drum maker Rikk Manning soon to post, so stay connected. And regarding your own visit, remember the inimitable words of Mr. Harvest himself, Uncle Neil Young: “There comes a time when you’re driftin’, comes a time when you settle down, comes a life, feelings liftin’, lift that baby right up off the ground… Whoah oh this whole world keeps spinnin’ round it’s a wonder tall trees ain’t layin’ down, there comes a time…”

Anthony Michael Blowers: An Anthology of Walks and Talks

We took in another great Anthony Michael Blowers’ Fall mushroom hunt and nature walk on Saturday. The weather in Southwest Michigan - although often eventful - was unusually impeccable last week — hot, blazing sun shiny late summer days, with cooler Fall nights and the first blush and breezes of Fall. A little on the drier side, that’s now all been rectified by a steady, drenching, non-stop deluge Mekong Delta-style for days, a September monsoon I’ve dubbed the rain apocalypse. No matter, as the sun always triumphantly returns and was shining bright for our mid-afternoon, Indian summer saunter, with several cool finds, great grinds, and good times available to all. 

One of the best grinds personally tasted à la wild snacks were the Jelly Fungus Gummies – made with jelly mushrooms, candied with prickly pear cactus, this candied Jelly Fungus makes for a wild, mock gummy bear. Gelatinous with a fruitful, bubble gum favor, Jelly Fungus grows on logs and goes on quite a transformative journey from mossy woods to tantalizing taste buds in Anthony’s kitchen. An exceptional find was a reticulated Golden Yellow Bolete (Boletus Aureissimus), with its honey to bright yellow cap and golden flesh, pictured above, along with the cool, Opinel paring knife — “Older than your Great (Great) Grandparents — captured in a post workshop mini Q & A.

That great little exchange reminded me that many of the attendees at this workshop were first timers, inquiring as to former walks and finds as well as other Higher Haven Happenings. As threatened, I went way, way back, all the way back to our first Shroom Stroll in the Fall of 2018, when we first learned of the virtues of Trametes Versicolor, or Turkey Tail, the name derived from that mushroom’s resemblance to a wild Turkey’s back plumage. Along the path we found a half-dozen other journal entries, from the post-pandemic forest clearings we made on Spring Forages like the May 2020 Mushroom Hunt when we first collectively emerged from the initial lockdowns to the Summer 2020 gathering, when the Apple Bolete put on a group showing. Fall of 2020 included a Wild Forest to Table Dinner and we came together again for last year’s Thanksgiving gathering.

I added a walk from my own mid-Winter Arizona escape on the Sonoran Desert Floor that included sighting mushroom-like granite figurines, and finally brought it all back home to our Spring ’21 Morel Mushroom Hunt. As stated, these articles can be slightly meticulous, but are fun to write (and I hope read) as they combine Anthony’s knowledge with my research and, like a good Winter Count of old, tell some of the colorful tales of our burgeoning tribe. With many more stories and new Fall events to come, as drum sounds rise upon the air, it’s throb, my heart, a voice inside the beat says, ”I know you are tired but come. this is The Way” (Rumi)

Our Fall Foraging Workshop with the Mighty Anthony Michael Blowers

Xin Loi - We are sorry - but even as we post this, this workshop is Sold Out. It’s funny too, because my good friend Bex of Becky Ankeny Design, the artistic force behind our natty foraging flyers, was curious as to our capacity. “Unlimited!” was my text back. “We ‘Cap it’ (Mushroom emoji) at 723”. She laughed, replying, that’d be quite a site, over 700 folk walking through the woods. But if you’ve been a part of Anthony’s small army, it is a cool site to take in and experience. For those who will join us we look forward to seeing you, and know that we do limit attendance only because of Anthony’s care for the people, creating a more intimate focus. And while nature does provide, the wild snacks are so good, they’re on the rare, highly sought after side. We’ll give a full report from the woods + kitchen post weekend forage, with some exciting announcements for New, New (in the spirit of Minglewood Blues) Fall Musical Workshops next week.