Save Our Sanctuary

Since 2003 I have been living on a homestead.  For longer than that I have been striving to live my life for the highest good of all, and I hope to continue to be able to do so.  Living in harmony with Mother Earth, finding my spirituality in the changing seasons, endeavoring to live on a piece of land without spoiling it and to thrive without the endless pursuit of money for its own sake; these were primary objectives in moving from southern California to northern Maine.  Organic gardening and animal husbandry (lovely chickens free to range far and wide, living out their natural lifespans, honeybees far removed from poisons and exploitation, and in the future hopefully more additions), selective logging practices, non-polluting labour, and oceans of Love, all with a bent towards self-sufficiency, have been the driving factors on these acres.  All animals, whether in the woods or in the barn, are protected and all life forms are respected.  Decisions are based on what is good for the Earth and All Life.  In this past decade it has been my goal to let an open heart guide my actions.  On one hand this means I have lived as a hermit on this land, isolated from the modern world and my own species.  On the other it means I have lived my life among the trees and brooks and critters and come to Love them all.  They have taught me much, including the fact that an isolated human can be a vulnerable one.  The self-sufficient community that was envisioned for this place, due to accumulating various and unfortunate circumstances, has never come to be and as a result I find myself in a quandary.  Seven years ago my health was severely compromised by my (tragically ironic, one-time) exposure to toxic chemicals released by a crop-duster plane, spraying insecticides on a neighboring forested land parcel.  Ensuing medical costs and consequences (for instance, my increased reliance on mechanical assistance to accomplish farming chores) have not only delayed the progress that might have been made on this land, but have also prevented the paying of expected costs such as equipment maintenance, home repair, and timely remittance of property taxes to continue as before.  Due to dwindling return, and mounting debt, this Sanctuary of Life is now in danger of foreclosure and by extension, the myriad life forms currently under my protection are also in peril.  The decision to live in harmony, to do as little harm as possible, to respect All, to not make decisions based solely on human self-importance, these are all choices from my heart.  I still believe in the goodness of these choices.  However, my lack of willingness to exploit or harm this land has put my legal/financial ability to remain on these acres in jeopardy. Funds provided by kind-hearted souls will be used only to further the goals of living in harmony with Mother Earth and to re-establish and maintain a working homestead in the spirit of Aldo Leopold's wise vision "to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."  There is an increasing interest in locally grown, compassionately produced food.  Your support will assist this sanctuary to protect innocent life, and benefit the community as well by meeting this need with Love and Service.