A Name of Its Own

As Yarrow Ecovillage grows and thrives, the seperate entities that form the whole will need their own names. Osprey Organic Farm will be one of our farms; the commercial/mixed use out front will be called Yarrow Central.

What will the first intergenerational cohousing be called? I'll post the brainstorm to date: please feel welcome to add your own comments and ideas. Ann is lobbying hard for Wood Duck Commons. At some point we will gather the community together to work through the list and name ourselves.

The list:
Hobbit Town
Stewart Creek Cohousing
Jones Town Cohousing
Dirt Mountain Cohousing
Rhubarb Commons
Yarrow EcoVillage Cohousing
Vedder Mountain Cohousing
Vedder View Cohousing
Vedder Mountain View Cohousing
Fraser Valley Cohousing
Alba Cohousing
Community Street South
Heinrichs Cohousing
Sumas Lake Cohousing
Agape Cohousing
Communitas Cohousing
Blue Heron Cohousing
Kale Forest Cohousing
Dharma Cohousing
Sumas Lake
Yarrow Cohousing
Wood Duck Commons
Vedder View Village

Flow at Yarrow Ecovillage

Autotelica at Yarrow Ecovillage




Brenda did some research into blue herons and wood ducks:

Although the Great Blue Heron is by nature a predominantly solitary bird,
during mating season, Herons will gather in clusters to nest and raise young in what are called ~colonies.~ It is quite remarkable to witness the peace and harmony that abounds in these colonies, and is a testimony to the ability of a highly independent creature to adapt to ~communal life.~

Just as the Blue Heron must find within him/herself the ability to live in cooperative peace with other members of the colony, so does the two-legged beside whom Heron fly enter the Earthwalk with the theme of Peace. This may either be a natural state of ~Being~ for one with this bird as a Primary Totem, or in the instance where Great Blue Heron has surfaced as either a Messenger or Lesson Totem, the Lesson then becomes finding Inner Peace and
Tranquility.

If Great Blue Heron is one of the Primary Totems, throughout life much interest will be focused in establishing and maintaining Peace. Initially however, this quest for harmony may manifest as the Blue Heron Soul attempting to direct Others to such a state, preliminarily failing to recognize that Peace must first come from ~Within.~ Consider the following quote
by the renowned Sioux Holy Man, Black Elk:

"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which
comes within the souls of the people when they realize their relationship,
their oneness with the Universe and all its powers,
and when they realize that at the center of the universe
dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everyone and it is within each of us."

When Blue Heron soul finds that Peace within the SELF the lesson gained in the journey there will be shared as a means of guiding ~Others~ to finding that same Peace within. Yet when in peaceful attunement and harmony with Self, the two-legged beside whom Blue Heron flies will also emit a powerful and profound tranquil vibration that will effect all around them and inspire the burgeoning soul to become in balance and harmony with All, a priceless Gift to give indeed!***

Wild ducks are migrators. This is a power animal for those who move with the seasons. Ducks know how to do this instinctually and through imprinting. They teach us how to access our inner resources to provide ourselves with food, clothing and shelter. Ducks let the waters of life uphold them. They float easily on currents, instead of struggling for their existence. It is our creative privilege to choose what to bring into our lives. Can you give up the habit of being miserable? Our own happiness must be so important to us that we're willing to let go of fear of the unknown, fear of what others think of us, and expectations of what other people should be doing, or be to us.


In his book on totems, Brad Steiger tells a story of Shingebiss the duck, and Kabibonokka, the spirit of the North wind, who was annoyed that the little duck remained cheerful, no matter how icy his blasts of frigid northeast winds. Shingebiss refused to give up his happiness despite the increasing severity of the winter blasts. Finally, in admiration the North wind left him alone, recognizing his Manitou (godness).

Are you a dabbler or a diver? Are you able to dive in to the experiences of your life, or do you sit on your own sidelines? The reason people numb themselves to their emotions is so they don't get hurt. Many of us are afraid of our anger, or having to navigate through stormy emotions (which are inevitable in reaching emotional maturity). Duck will teach you how to dive deep for the pearls of life.Wood duck people carry the energy of being tenacious if there is something they want badly. Flightless baby ducklings drop down to the ground soon after hatching to follow their mother to water. If the wood duck has come into your life, you probably like to hang out with friends or join up with them at a regular time and place – like at the local breakfast haunt, or after work.Woodies gather every day on a specific log, preening and napping to conserve energy. This is called "loafing." Hens will "dump nest" or put their eggs in another hen's nest, which she will incubate.

Here's a note about autotelica: "An autotelic person needs few material possessions and little entertainment, comfort, power, or fame because so much of what he or she does is already rewarding. Because such persons experience flow in work, in family life, when interacting with people, when eating, even when alone with nothing to do, they are less dependent on the external rewards that keep others motivated to go on with a life composed of dull and meaningless routines. They are more autonomous and independent because they cannot be as easily manipulated with threats or rewards from the outside. At the same time, they are more involved with everything around them because they are fully immersed in the current of life."^[3]