Where Earth Meets Spirit

Mission

We believe life is sacred and Where Earth Meets Spirit’s mission is to help, heal, and honor ourselves, our beautiful planet, and all manifestations of life.

We provide experiential educational opportunities designed for those who wish to live in greater balance with the natural world and do their part to contribute toward personal and planetary healing.

Our services help others enjoy the amazing benefits of a more authentic, connected, and meaningful life through the following avenues:

  • Cultivating a heart-centered approach to living
  • Deepening and expanding conscious connections with nature
  • accessing and developing inner resources through nature-based spiritual practice
  • learning about biodiversity and acting on ecological landscape conservation using native plants where we live and work

We welcome and invite you to be part of our heart-felt effort
to leave the world a better place than we found it!

Story behind the name

Earth is our collective home and provides for our every need. She is sentient, inspires us with her beauty, and shows us how to live in reciprocity. We can learn much from her through observation, connection, and communication with nature.

Spirit is the essence that animates all of creation. Everything is alive, sacred, and infused with spirit. Spirit is our essential nature which we can tap into for guidance, peace, strength, wisdom, love, and a multitude of other Divine qualities we can share with the world.

The phrase “Where Earth Meets Spirit” is meant to capture the transformative potential of heart-centered living. In many spiritual traditions the subtle heart is said to be the center where matter is spiritualized, and spirit is materialized. In this sense, the name Where Earth Meets Spirit is an analogy for the subtle heart; the meeting place for the alchemy of earth (the material) and spirit (the transcendent).

Interestingly, the words earth and heart share the exact same letters. Both the human heart and planet Earth are meeting places that must be cultivated if we are to make the most of our potential. If we wish to heal our hearts and access inner resources, we must learn to cultivate heart-centered relationships with self and others. If we wish to heal our disconnection from the natural world, we must undertake an action-oriented approach to consciously reweave ourselves into the web of life.

Our logo tells a story of the inseparable circle of life. Plants reaching toward the sky and casting off seeds reaching the moon and sun which shine on Earth allowing life to flourish and representing the Divine light continually pouring upon the planet.

Everything is connected. Every life form has inherent worth and plays a role. One thing affects another, and actions have cascading effects. We are in relationship with the natural world, both within and without, and when we live in awareness of the great ecology of life, we garner greater meaning and value  resulting in tremendous gratitude for all beings and for all that life offers.

Joan Long

Joan Leslie Long, M.Ed., nature-based educator, naturalist, and healing arts practitioner brings 30 plus years of experience in holistic education. She has a passion for helping others reconnect with the innate intelligence and restorative power of nature and to experience life from the lens of the subtle heart.

She also enjoys inspiring others to build conscious relationships with the natural world and expand their knowledge of and appreciation for the wildlife we share the land with. Joan is convinced that nature, both within and without, holds the keys to our personal, collective, and planetary well-being.