By Linda Seeley 

Joanna and Linda viewing the Gaian Gathering

I had the great privilege of being with Joanna during the five days of the Gaian Gathering, helping her tune into the various workshops and gatherings throughout each day. Every morning, she awoke eager to see what was coming. She looked forward to sharing Gratitude much like a new baby awakens with a big appetite and a bright smile.

Her amazement at the innovative ways the Work has blossomed was a sight to behold! Though she often just observed workshops, she relished the creativity and heartfulness in them. She loved listening to Woman Stands Shining, the songs of the Great Turning, and seeing and hearing those longtime facilitators who have digested, manifested, and transformed the deep lessons in the Work that Reconnects. And seeing how the seeds of her teachings have spread to so many areas – nature connections, Eco-dharma, collective liberation, Gaian structures, ancestral wisdom – along with the tried-and-true experience of the Spiral, delighted her down to her bones. She was impressed with how the Gathering was organized and especially how many fresh faces she saw. 

The last morning, accepting praise and love flowing over and through her, helped her understand to her core just how much her life’s work has influenced the course of life on Earth. Gratitude.

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Linda Seeley has served as Vice-President and spokesperson for San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace since 2009 and has been a member of the Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel since its inception in 2018. She retired from a 32-year career as a certified nurse-midwife. Mother of 3, grandmother of 3, and great-grandmother of one baby boy, she understands the existential threat of climate change effects on the aging fleet of nuclear reactors. She is very concerned about the triple threat of sea level rise, vulnerable radioactive waste storage and the connection between nuclear power and nuclear weapons. Linda lives in Los Osos, California.