A life-affirming hopeful book!
- During the last 18 hours or so I read the most incredible book, The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods
by Julia Butterfly Hill.I have long been an admirer of Butterfly’s non-violent action (sitting in a ancient redwood named “Luna” for 738 days) for what she believed, but her book moved me far more than I expected. Partially, I think I’m drawn to her story because of the spiritual nature of her work, but also because of the series of conscious decisions she made to show love to those who did such wrong against the trees that she loved so much.
I can not recommend enough this book. In reading it, I feel like someone has taken a whole pitcher full of life giving exixyr and pour it down my throat and have filled me up so full that I’m overflowing with hope and love.
There’s a lot more I want to say about what this book has done for me but I’ll save that for later once I’ve given this more reflection.
For now though, let me share a few links on Butterfly’s work…
- The Circle of Life Foundation
- Founded in 1999 by Julia Butterfly Hill, Circle of Life activates people through education, inspiration and connection to live in a way that honors the diversity and interdependence of all life.
We believe that you, yes you, make the difference in the world.
- OtterMedia: Pictures of Julia Butterfly Hill’s treesit
- Stanford Report: Julia ‘Butterfly’ Hill takes aim at ‘granola-munching, tree-hugging’ stereotype — We are all activists, famed tree-sitter says at Aurora Forum, ‘including when we choose not to something’ An audio recording of her speech at Stanford can be heard here (jump to about the 8 minute mark to skip the intros).
- Anaflora.com: Interview with Julia “Butterfly” Hill
- Mother Jones: A May 26, 1998 interview with Butterfly when she was sitting in Luna
- LA Times: Butterfly’s Hard Landing — She lived for two years on a rickety, weather-beaten platform near the top of a 200-foot California redwood. Then, says Julia Butterfly Hill, things got weird.
- To see Butterfly’s old website, go to www.archive.org and then plug in “www.lunatree.org” (www.lunatree.org is no longer up)
- Innerself.com: Committed Love in Action
by Julia Butterfly Hill — Lots of interesting details on her life before activism, growing up as the daughter of a traveling rural preacher