Covid Guidelines

The Nutshell:

Along with every institution, business, and family, Tree School must create guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid and other infectious diseases in our school. In an effort to accomplish this goal, we require the following of our students and teachers, and are committed to staying current as new data and guidelines emerge, and updating these daily and weekly as needed.
  • All of our classes will happen outside, year-round.
  • If we are engaged in an activity where it is definite we will be at least 6’ apart then masks are not required.
  • If there is a possibility of being less than 6’ apart, then masks are required.

The Big Picture:

Scientists and healthcare experts have been talking for a while now about the connection between the worsening of the climate crisis and the impact on human health.  Of course, Indigenous peoples have known about the relationship between health and nature for thousands and thousands of generations, a fact that is recently being validated in different branches of western science.  Often, this acknowledgement can put tribes in an all-too-familiar position of exploitation and vulnerability, and yet at the same time there is an increase in policy being driven by tribal leaders and elders instead of federal institutions.  I believe that now is the time to listen to the voices of all wisdom holders, so that we can move with confidence and heart through this, together.

As a global family, we are now at this almost unimaginable place — grappling with new pieces of information about Covid each week and month, and wondering if and when we will ever not be living with the appearance of global disease.  As citizens who are striving to garden and create healing spaces in the midst of global crisis, we know deep in our hearts that this is likely not the only new heavy disease we will see in our lifetimes.  This is also likely not the only economic and political crisis, nor the only time of confusion, division, and mistrust.  

I started Tree School because I believe this can also be a time of great spiritual awakening, unity, and increasing love, if we want it!  I also believe that our imaginations are more powerful than we know, and because of this we have the power to create a beautiful world coming from our empathy, generosity, forgiveness, respect, and joy.  This doesn’t mean living with blinders on.  It means allowing our hearts to break open with the grief of what is appearing and unfolding around us, as well as with the hurt and injustice that have happened and are happening, and using our open hearts to create spaces of healing and habitat for all those with whom we share this space.       

So, In Summary:

In Tree School we are ready, 

with our masks on when necessary, 

hands dirty nearly always, 

and hearts wide open. 

Content © 2024 Tree School New Mexico

Made with ❤️ by Heart Light Digital

Mentorship Dates:

The 2024 Mentorship is in-progress, and the 2025 dates have not been set yet.
The following dates/times are when we will be meeting together in person, for our 2024 cohort. Please check to see if you are able to attend all of the following dates, as Tree School has a magic of its own that comes together when we all participate. If you know that you will not be able to make all of the sessions, please indicate this in the application below. If you need to miss a session, we will provide materials/handouts, but there are no makeup sessions.
  • April 20:  (10am – 2pm) We open our circle with a nourishing and welcoming 4-hour retreat/garden time/creative day!
  • April 27:  (10am – 1pm) 
  • May 11:  (time TBA) We will participate in the Yerba Mansa Project Bosque Restoration Day
  • May 25:  (8 – 11am) 
  • June 15:  (8 – 11am) 
  • June 29:  (8 – 11am) 
  • July + August:  We take a break from meeting in person.  These 2 months are Integration/rest/individual project time. There is a Playshop during this time, and we are also connected via Slack.
  • July 14:  Made in the Shade Playshop
  • Sept 7:  (8 – 11am) 
  • Sept 28:  (8 – 11am) 
  • Oct 12:  (10am – 1pm) 
  • Oct 26:  (10am – 1pm) 
  • Nov 2:  Playshop 
  • Nov 9:  (10am – 1pm)
  • Nov 23:  (10am – 2pm) We close our circle with a replenishing and grounding 4-hour retreat/garden time/creative day!

Habitat: Developing wildlife habitat from a place of compassion

You’re very clear about not spraying harmful chemicals in your yard but now you want to learn more about how to actually cultivate a healthy garden ecosystem.

You’re concerned that wildlife are losing habitat at an alarming rate, and your heart hurts thinking about how the climate crisis is affecting them.

You’d like to learn how to make your space both wildlife friendly and a thriving garden that humans can eat from as well.

You’re ready to put your compassion for the seen and unseen beings around you into action, and have your outdoor space be part of the local (and world!) habitat quilt.

Results of the program:
You feel confident in your good-hearted gardening practices, and through the process of certifying your space as Wildlife Habitat, you become an informed and knowledgeable habitat advocate. You get to see more wildlife using the space and receiving benefit, which feels so good!

Community: Cultivating community, belonging, and hope

You feel some isolation and disconnection after the last 2 yrs, and some fragmentation between what’s happening internally in your heart and externally in the world.

You might feel intimidated or unsatisfied by mainstream gardening classes or instructional videos that don’t feel like they speak to your sensitive heart, your worldview that includes equity and justice, or the sovereignty of the Indigenous peoples who are the original stewards of this bioregion.

You long for instruction that speaks to your specific garden and helps you develop the skills you need.

You are ready to be part of a like- minded community of supportive gardeners who are digging deep together, creating a world where we all feel we belong.

Results of the program:
Through getting to experience the tangible support of the community working in your yard, and learning with the other Tree Schoolers over your six months, you feel connected, supported, and supportive. Through building connections with others in the program, you experience feeling cohesive, integrated, and hopeful.

Joy: Mixing your adaptive gardening methods with JOY

You feel fearful and anxious about the unraveling of climate, both locally and globally. You want to know how to effectively prepare for what’s coming, and how to pivot and respond as things change.

You’re ready to learn as much as you can about climate adaptive practices, but you don’t want to feed your fear in the process.

There are so many methods out there, and the clock is ticking. You want to make the most of the time you have, but you know that a light touch and a loving heart will be more fruitful than pushing for results with a worried state of mind.

You are ready to learn how to cultivate joy in the midst of all we are facing, and then co-create adaptivity from this playful place.

Results of the program:
You feel joyful, confident and clear about how to foster more adaptability, and what actual steps to take. You learn the skills needed to transform your yard into the climate resilient garden you want.

Strategy: Moving from confusion to strategic planning & achieving your goals

You look at your garden and wonder where to start and what to do. You don’t want to do it ‘wrong’ but also don’t want to get trapped by ‘shoulds’.

There might be gaps in your skills and figuring out what exactly you need to learn is a bit daunting. Maybe you’ve tried a lot of things and gotten mixed results.

You are tired of getting sporadic help, not really making the progress you want, or it’s slow and feels fragmented and not cohesive. You are longing for some deeper transformation in your yard and your relationship with it, not just a superficial ‘fix’ that addresses one aspect of the garden but not the whole.

You are ready to create a strategy that lays out exactly where you are going with your garden space, what skills you will develop, and how to achieve your goals.

Results of the program:
You are clear and on-track, with momentum, and feel happy with yourself in the process.

You receive help with a plan/design, and also with making solid, important decisions – thus saving time/money.

You learn the gardening skills you need, and experience cohesive, steady, holistic progress that continues and develops into the future.

Engagement: Moving from overwhelm about the world to engagement with the world

You feel deeply about the climate crisis and the suffering in the world, and want to be a positive force for healing and change, but you find yourself getting overwhelmed and frozen about how best to use your energy in service.

You are ready to use your garden space to be part of the solution.

You want to learn what  your role and your next step is here, and how to move into engagement with the world that is grounded and steady.

Results of the program:

You are able to use your depth of feeling to become a more effective, loving presence in your spheres of influence (family, neighborhood, circle of friends, city, or workplace).

You feel clear, on-purpose, and good about your role and engagement in the world.

Important notes about communicating with me:

  • Phone/texting: I prefer to not be contacted via phone or text at this time. If you are a previous Divine Earth customer and you have my phone number, I ask you to please respect these new guidelines to help me keep my health and sanity. Thank you!
  • Emails: I answer emails between 9am and 5pm, not before or after.
    My aim is to answer emails within 24-36 hours.
  • My device boundaries: I turn my devices off for chunks of the day. On the weekends I pick one full day to have all tech off. This feeds many birds with one scone: I become more focussed when I’m ‘on’; I can relax and recharge more easily when I’m ‘off’; I become less beholden to the energetic/emotional tug of the ever-present and yes so helpful gadgets in my life (as one of my Teachers says, created by distracted people for distracted people); I can more easily tune into the outer gardens and the inner garden in my heart.