What?
ëcopoë
- eco: the root of both ecology and economics, which stems from the Greek, oikos, meaning a “house or place of dwelling”
- poïesis: the root of autopoeisis, from Greek, ποιέω/poein, “to make, create or compose”; from Heidegger, a “bringing forth; an ecstasis“
ëcopoë is a blog that envisions a time when and place where economics stops clashing with ecology because they realize their connection through roots in common, start sorting out the tangles, and maybe even do a little weaving. It is an exploration of ways of enlivening and remaking our home on Earth. It is about giving voice to ways of being in relationship with our own natures stemming from those still in connection with the land, or those seeking to make their way back to it. Finally, ëcopoë is about investigating and experimenting with wilder, more indigenous, and liminal ways of thinking, being, and doing.
It can be tempting to become dark and broody about the social and environmental issues facing us, but the lens of ëcopoë is about focusing—not on the light or the shadow—but the juxtaposition between them and how one turns into the other. On why the night bird still sings in spite of, and maybe because of, how dark the night’s become. It is about the lilting musicality in the voice of Dylan Thomas, a moody alcoholic, as he reads his poem, Fern Hill, “Though I sang in my chains like the sea.” This emergent energy of transformation is embedded in the name of the blog as well, ëcopoë, which literally means “home making”. Home making is the first job, and perhaps the most important job of the future, not just within our separate, disassociated walls, but in our shared home, in nature, on Earth. So many of us wish we had any job besides just home making, so this is a blog too about exploring how feminine roles and the women who play them have become subjugated in so many parts of the world, and the transformative roles they are playing on making a come back.
There are those who think we need to make plans to go to Mars because we will inevitably shaft ourselves here on Earth. Sure, contingency plans are a good thing, and space exploration is cool, but I’m not prepared to give up on Plan A, actually living on this Earth, trying to live in peace with the homies, and soaking in and manifesting more beauty where we live. The essence of this restorative energy is captured best perhaps in the amazing Night Chant of the Diné people (available free on Amazon Kindle). A portion of the chant is copied, with respect, below.
Reared Within the Mountains!
Lord of the Mountains!
Young Man!
Chieftan!
I have made your sacrifice.
I have prepared a smoke for you.
My feet restore thou for me.
My legs restore thou for me.
My body restore thou for me.
My mind restore thou for me.
My voice restore thou for me.
Restore all for me in beauty.
Make beautiful all that is before me.
Make beautiful all that is behind me.
Make beautiful my words.
It is done in beauty.
It is done in beauty.
It is done in beauty.
It is done in beauty.
Wh0?
ëcopoë is intended as a platform for kindred spirits to commingle, sharing voices, stories, songs, and art about living in and with nature, rewilding the land, and rewilding ourselves. Please see the contact page if you would like to contribute writing or share other creative work.
This blog is the initiative of Maria Lavis.
Thank-you.
The header image for this page and the general blog was taken on a road trip to visit my mother in Saskatchewan in the winter of 2015. It shows layers of dirt, wheat, and frigid water in the foreground with frozen fields, farms and scattered woodland in the distance.