Category Archives: spirituality

Words and wildflowers

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Priscilla Stuckey, PhD

Spring is here even in Boulder—at least for today—and now that the trails are mostly dry I am making wildflower rounds again. The McClintock Trail at Chautauqua hosts the earliest blooms, and this morning I scouted for pasqueflowers (no luck) … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, spirituality, writing | Tagged biodiversity, gardening with native plants, native plants, wildflowers, writing | 3 Comments

Words and trees

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Priscilla Stuckey, PhD

This week is spring break at the college where I teach, and I’m enjoying a respite from the endless flow of words. (Ironic that I sit down to write a blog post.) For a person who deals in words, I … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, spirituality | Tagged animism, attitudes toward nature, cosmology, language, science and religion, trees | 13 Comments

A peace of eagles

Posted on March 2, 2010 by Priscilla Stuckey, PhD

Some decades ago the American poet and producer James Lipton revived interest in an old word tradition—giving fanciful names to groups of animals. An Exaltation of Larks explored how English hunters and word lovers in the fifteenth century pursued with … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, spirituality, writing | Tagged attitudes toward animals, bald eagles, writing | 2 Comments

Reciprocity

Posted on February 7, 2010 by Priscilla Stuckey, PhD

I’ve been thinking about reciprocity lately—how it holds relationships together. How partnerships end if one or the other takes more than gives. How wars start over lack of reciprocity—disrespect, seizing land, taking resources. How contracts aren’t successful and trades don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, politics, spirituality | Tagged economics, indigenous traditions, reciprocity | 6 Comments

Do animals tell stories?

Posted on January 14, 2010 by Priscilla Stuckey, PhD

Other animals, that is. Of course we humans are compulsive storytellers. We tell stories to entertain ourselves, to explain the world, to heal each other. Sometimes we call the storytelling ritual “therapy.” But because storytelling requires language, and because until … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, spirituality | Tagged animal communication, animals, animism, attitudes toward animals | 6 Comments