Salal + Cedar is Five Years Old

Officially, that is. We’ve been a “thing” since the summer of 2015, though the groundwork was being laid long before.

Since then, we have prayed, shared meals, marched, sang, laughed, learned, planted trees, protested, been arrested and gone to jail, worshipped, redistributed money, hiked, camped, studied scripture, made jam, gardened, made mistakes, read the bible, grown, wild crafted sacramental oils, built altars, picked up litter, sat in courtrooms, lit candles, listened to ravens, blessed water, marked the changing seasons, canoed and kayaked, mentored youth, honoured new pronouns and names, made art, tended the Watch House, watched friends come and go, tried to practice solidarity and uproot racism, examined bones, picked berries, weathered injuries, illnesses and deaths, built relationships, held each other up, failed each other, tried again, watched salmon spawn, fed birds (accidentally and on purpose), built fires, baked bread, drank wine, wove cedar bark, listened to elders, scratched mosquito bites, asked forgiveness, washed dishes, rode bicycles, fed goats, told stories about Jesus, built rain barrels, paid a living wage, nurtured and supported a lot of seminarians, entertained angels, prodded starfish, showed up for our friends and allies and failed to show up for them too, defied injunctions, asked direction from the land, listened too much to our fears, helped one another be brave, sometimes asked for help, loved animals -wild and creature companions, and we were given much more than we gave.

Turning five is kind of a landmark birthday –riding a two-wheeler, starting kindergarten. And it deserves a big celebration. Watch our events page on this site, and our Facebook page, for information on how to participate.

Birthday Gifts
Salal + Cedar tries to practice a gift economy: sharing, offering, and asking, to meet the needs that we have. If this community has been a gift to you, by our presence or by knowing that we exist in the world, we invite you to pass that gift along making a contribution of time, money, or some concrete item to Salal + Cedar AND a gift of equivalent worth for mutual aid and solidarity to someone else who needs it. The youth from Sacred Earth Camp suggest bail funds for Black Lives Matter groups, support for people who are unhoused, support for Trans folks especially Black, Indigenous and People of Colour.