Achor Earth Ways

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Achor Earth Ways is a grassroots nonprofit. Our mission is to guide people into deeper, more joyful connection with nature. This healing connection will benefit both us and the Earth. It will enhance our well-being on all levels—spiritual, emotional, and physical. And it will inspire us to work toward healing the wounds we humans are inflicting on the planet that sustains us.

Achor Earth Ways offers a variety of experiences to rekindle intimacy with the natural world: mindful nature walks, Earth-focused meditations, and celebrations of the seasons. Many of these practices are outlined in my book, Heaven Beneath Our Feet, for which I’m currently seeking a publisher. In the meantime, my photo book Living Every Season provides a brief introduction to mindful experience of the natural world.

For news and information about upcoming events, see the Achor Earth Ways Facebook page.

Achor Earth Ways

Donate

Achor Earth Ways is a grassroots nonprofit. Our mission is to guide people into deeper, more joyful connection with nature. This healing connection will benefit both us and the Earth. It will enhance our well-being on all levels—spiritual, emotional, and physical. And it will inspire us to work toward healing the wounds we humans are inflicting on the planet that sustains us.

Achor Earth Ways offers a variety of experiences to rekindle intimacy with the natural world: mindful nature walks, Earth-focused meditations, and celebrations of the seasons. Many of these practices are outlined in my book, Heaven Beneath Our Feet, for which I’m currently seeking a publisher. In the meantime, my photo book Living Every Season provides a brief introduction to mindful experience of the natural world.

For news and information about upcoming events, see the Achor Earth Ways Facebook page.

The significance of the name “Achor”

The name “Achor” comes from the book of the prophet Hosea:

Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.

And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there…

And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy…(Hosea 2:14-15,23)

In Hebrew, the word “achor” means “trouble. The valley of Achor received its name because it was the site of a violent incident that followed the conquest of the nearby city of Jericho. But centuries later, through Hosea, God reassured the people of Israel that a troubled and violent past would be transformed into a future filled with hope and joy. In the context of the time they were written, these verses spoke of how God planned to reclaim his wayward people: he would guide them back into harmonious relationship with himself and Earth. But these words are also a metaphor that applies to our troubled world today. They call us to rekindle our ancient intimacy with nature, where we will find balm for the bruises of our souls. And then—to paraphrase Thoreau—our renewed wildness will become the preservation of the world.

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