But here I sit, prior to the summer explosion of 2008 fuel prices, watching as gas hits a new high of $3.69 (some see $10.00+ a gallon on the horizon), flour is rationed (if you can find it), seed supplies are low, or non-existent, and three tomatoes, one avocado, and one bag of romaine cost me $17.00 this week. (That's the $2500 salad Barbara Kingsolver writes about in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.)

And I am not surprised. It can be hard trying to sort out what is intuition, imagination, fear. But the connection to oil and food is so obvious I don't have to worry if I am only "making it up." (food crops=tractors and fertilizer=truck to deliver=fuel=fossil fuel=depleting resources=$$$.)

This past winter arugula, spinach, lettuce, and parsley survived our long, cold, snowy, winter in our unheated hoop house. Next year, by this time, I will have tomatoes growing in there.

Climate change and peak oil are no longer something "in the future." They are no longer a topic of environmentalists, conspiracy theorists, or those we think are paranoid. They are headlines in the New York Times. They are here, now. The question is, "Can we change our ways of thinking, making choices, and behaving?" "Are we willing to change our habits?"

Intuition, our "gut feeling" says "we can, we must, and we will."

Intuition may not be separate from our survival instinct. And possibly, this is what the survival instinct really means. It means to connect with Source, that which nurtures and gives us life. We have to reconnect with nature in order to hear and receive guidance more clearly. How often do we dismiss or discount our connection to something "greater" when it shows up as an image or a thought; a felt sense such as heat, cold, or tingling in the body; or an emotion such as fear, depression or anger that appears for no apparent reason. But is it fear, or intuition, when you have the urge to "plant something?" To have a garden? To want to re-learn to ride your bicycle?

The Hopi saying goes,"We are the ones we've been waiting for." Michael once said to me, during a somewhat harrowing experience on a sailboat, "Winter, you have to 'man the helm,' there's no one else on the boat and I have to lower the mainsheet!"

Well, there's no one else on the planet. Our challenge is to accept that our dependence on fossil fuel is coming to a close... (and all that means), and still find a vibrant way of life, not only for ourselves but for future generations. Yes, it is a huge challenge, but an exciting one. This is a new, uncharted route...one that is both scary and exciting.

This issue is dedicated to providing you with resources to help you chart this never-before walked path. In the future this newsletter will continue to help you make connections, re-think your path, build your community, and strengthen your connection to Spirit.

"Do not wait for leaders. Do it alone, person to person."