Ellen F. Franklin, PhD
Spring has definitely come to our high mountains of Northern New Mexico, cucumbers are abundant in the growing dome, tomato vines are filled with new buds, and our fig tree has hundreds of baby figs. There are many new blossoms on the Meyer lemon tree, and the flower beds surrounding our home and office are bursting with vibrant color.
On a walk today to the very back of our land there were many new blankets of wild flowers. I discovered a nursery of baby pine trees, and the wild new growth on our pinion trees was a welcome surprise, with the promise of a fine harvest of pine nuts this year. The Earth feels alive, verdant, lush from all of the rains, and content with our stewardship of this beautiful land.
The walk also gave me time to reflect on our upcoming classes, which include Case Studies, Harmonic Pathology and Sedna. Sedna awakens us to the critical importance of Earth stewardship. The planet Sedna discovered November 14, 2003 is one of the first planetary objects to be identified in the Oort Cloud. Located beyond Pluto in the cold outer reaches of our solar system; Sedna is named for the Inuit goddess who resides at the bottom of the frigid Arctic Ocean. At the time of this planets discovery, many reports were being released on global climate change and the serious conditions unfolding in the Arctic, including the melting ice, and the high levels of toxicity and cancer. Despite these reports, not much has changed. Deniers still try to minimize the serious impact global warming is having, not just in the arctic, but throughout the world. A recent news story identified the Arctic melt as a huge boon for the oil companies, with little (if any) attention paid to how seriously the way of life of all the Arctic people and animals are being impacted. Sedna was a harbinger of the severe global climate change throughout the world. 
She has many lessons to teach about betrayal, defiance, toxicity, estrangement, creativity and the healing of the Earth. She provides a vivid reminder of the critical importance of living in harmony with the natural world, honoring the land and all forms of life.