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Mariposa Meditations

Connecting Contemplative Practice with Nature's Ethic

We welcome new and seasoned meditators seeking to connect their practice directly to Nature consciousness.

We define Nature Consciousness as the state of consciousness and awareness embodied by Animals, Plants, the land, and many human traditions. At times, we use sentience and consciousness interchangeably because sentience is a more common term. There is, however, a difference. Sentience generally focuses on mental and emotional states, while consciousness describes a deeper, synoptic state unencumbered by thoughts and ego. This Spring we will be offering training in Nature Mindfulness with teaching and guided meditations which include topics related our e-blog Mariposa Reflections.

You can also listen into our Being Sanctuary podcast. This podcast was created by Lauren Bailey and The Kerulos Center for Non-violence to provide a common space of gathering and support for like-minded and like-hearted individuals. Being Sanctuary is intended to help guide us to health, dignity and peace for all life, human and non-humans. The podcast consists of ten sessions led by Lauren Bailey. Each session focuses on one of The 10 Principles of Being Sanctuary, which are grounded and inspired by the practice of nonviolence.

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Play Video

A Guided Leaf Meditation, with Deeksha Agrawal.

INSTRUCTORS

Deeksha Agrawal. A couple years ago, I made the decision to work in Animal Conservation. I didn’t have much background but thought I’d just take it one step at a time. I always…

Gay Bradshaw, PhD, PhD. Gay has been studying mindfulness and meditation since 2002 after leaving a tenured job as a research mathematician to devote her work to Nature…

Gay Bradshaw, PhD, PhD
Executive Director

Gay has been studying mindfulness and meditation since 2002 after leaving a tenured job as a research mathematician to devote her work to Nature. Her founding of The Kerulos Center for Nonviolence non-profit was catalyzed by her discovery of Elephant Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Her work and the Center are dedicated to helping humans transform to Nature consciousness and supporting Animal dignity and self-determination. Gay is the author of Pulitzer Prize-nominated Elephants on the Edge: What Animals Teach Us about Humanity, Carnivore Minds: Who These Fearsome Beings Really Are (Yale, 2009; 2017)  and Talking with Bears: Conversations with Charlie Russell (Rocky Mountain Books, 2020). Gay holds doctorates in ecology and psychology and cares for over fifty Faculty Residents at The Tortoise and the Hare Sanctuary and neighboring Wildlife with whom she practices in seshin.

Deeksha Agrawal

A couple years ago, I made the decision to work in Animal Conservation. I didn’t have much background but thought I’d just take it one step at a time. I always had loved psychology and mental well-being, but also felt intensely drawn to the Animal care field, especially Elephants, and wanted to spend my time primarily of help to them. When I read Gay’s research regarding PTSD in Elephants, as well as the discovery of practicing trauma informed care for Animals, I became ecstatic. It made me realize not only the possibility of combining the fields I was dearly in love with, but how it was necessary in order to truly see how everything is interconnected and is essential to understanding the whole. However, it was when I reached out to Gay that I felt my journey had truly started. I decided to take part in the Kerulos Animal Being Internship. It was very different from anything I had experienced before. The more I became involved, the more I got this immense connection and alignment in values I never felt before. What drew me especially wasn’t just the work, but the kindness, understanding, and wisdom I received from our Sanctuary Sangha. I hope to spread this feeling of belonging, compassion, and connections for all living beings – where everything fits very naturally and there’s always room to grow and explore. This is the heart of our Sanctuary Sangha and the dharma of Nature Consciouness and Mindfulness.

 

Pond photo by Jasper Garratt on Unsplash

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