Windstar 2010 - Volunteer Work Weekend

Intro
Windstar - Mission Statement, Vision, Goals and Philosophy
How I magically ended up at Windstar
Watch the Video - Part 1
Watch the Video - Part 2
Photo of the Amazing Team of Volunteers
An incredible sunrise
Postcript

INTRODUCTION:
It was May, 2020, as we headed into yet another month of lockdowns and global chaos with the Covid-19 pandemic. I decided to put together a video of the 2010 Weekend in remembrance of a remarkable organization, one which had been a fore-runner in developing awareness of the environment, world hunger, and so much more. The videos (for I had to divide it into two parts because of the size) were also an opportunity to remember a wonderful experience, friendships, and hopefully provide inspiration for the future of the planet.

The organization was dissolved in 2012. Assets were distributed, by a committed team of volunteers, to other organizations which are dedicated to further those ideals which follow here in the Mission Statement, Vision, Goals and Philosophy. The vision continues, for while Windstar is no more, there are others around the world striving, at this critical time, to save the planet and all life upon it...

Original WINDSTAR - MISSION STATEMENT, VISION, GOALS and PHILOSOPHY

Vision - With a legacy of more than three decades of education programs, events and interaction... and now with the electronic age of new media, windstar inspires children and adults to gain knowledge, skills and experiences to take action wth one another. To serve, preseve and honor a natural, sustainable world is our ultimate vision.

Goals:
- To promote an integrative approach to addressing environmental issues.
- To create oppurtunities for individuals to gain knowledge, skills and experiences which enable them to demonstrate commitment through responsible decisions and actions.
- To inspire children and adults to recognize their interconnectedness to the world around us.
- To educate, inspire and empower individuals to actively commit to a healthy and sustainable future.

Philosophy:
Windstar believes that personal, interpersonal, societal, and ecological environments are all integral components in the creation of a sustainable future for the planet.
Windstar is the recognition and demonstration that each of us is part of, and responsible for, the quality of life on planet Earth; and that which affects any one of us, affects us all.
Windstar believes that each individual can play an important role in creating a peaceful, healthy and promising future on a global scale.
Windstar recognizes the human species as part of nature, whose existence depends on its ability to draw sustenance from a finite natural world, and whose continuance is contingent upon its ability to keep from destroying the natural system that regenerates this world.
Windstar is an expression of the power of human creativity, integrity and responsibility.
Windstar integrates Earth, mind and spirit and encourages individuals to operate out of this integrated place.

HOW I MAGICALLY ENDED UP AT WINDSTAR - written as an e-mail to friends in June, 2010

That was an incredible weekend! I just wanted to share with you the adventure at the Windstar Foundation in Snowmass, Colorado last weekend. I hope you don’t mind – it’s a bit long – and there are a few photos.

It was for a Volunteer Work Weekend – and boy did we work! I helped out with turning the soil and planting in the greenhouse, and also unclogging drains and general clean-up. (I got to plant the herb section which included four rosemary bushes – mm!) There was also the Windstar adopted highway clean-up, then weeding, particularly the Biodome (originally designed with Buckminster Fuller for plants and seedlings) which now houses a wooden carving of a humpbacked whale and its offspring. Then there was weeding and care of the memorial area dedicated to John Denver – the statue needed a cleaning and also sand was needed to fill in the cracks between the bricks in the memorial paving around the statue.

How I got to Windstar is just plain magic – from the vision in a meditation on Mother’s Day to “Go to Windstar” to a reminder two days later to “Go to Windstar” and within 24 hours everything was in place to attend the Volunteer Work Weekend. I haven’t travelled in the US since before 9-11 so I was quite unsure of everything, what with all the new security rules. But it all went so smoothly. Even when arriving at the Spokane airport at 4:45 a.m. to find out the flight was cancelled. Thankfully United Airlines took me on as a standby. I was evidently meant to be in Aspen by 1 p.m. – my name was called out – YES! – I had a seat. Then when arriving in Aspen, YES!, my bag with tent and sleeping bag was the first down the luggage ramp. All was in order!

I went with no expectations but did take along a few copies of One Seed and my CDs to give as gifts. What transpired was far more than I could have imagined. Not only was I Rocky Mountain High with the land, the scenery, the plants and birds, and the great people I met up with, there was much more for me personally with regards to my connections with John Denver since my profound dream and 'visitation' of 1993 (explained in the story Whales and Dolphins) and the many more since through my own dreams, automatic writing, and through messages from other mediums. What I learned is that I am not alone when it comes to those 'visitations.' There are others who have had similar experiences.

All songs by, and sung by John Denver. Used by permission.

THE AMAZING TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS - minus Tom who had to leave early
Photo taken by Dreux at the John Denver Sanctuary in Aspen, Colorado. For names see the Video Part 1.

AN INCREDIBLE SUNRISE
The ultimate event over a weekend of incredible 'co-incidences' and 'uhuh moments' was a visit I made to the meditation platform above Windstar and the John Denver Meadowlands before sunrise on Sunday morning. A red-headed pileated woodpecker was pecking away at a nearby tree. It must have been just after 5 a.m., during the dawn chorus provided by our feathered friends. The temperature was about minus four degrees Celsius, and I was freezing in my tent. I figured the woodpecker was telling me I should get up, put on more clothes and go for a walk to get my body warmed up. As quietly as possible (there were two other tenters nearby) I put on my protective rain gear and headed out along the road. The sun was just starting to shine on the mountain tops – pink they were. I took a series of photos and watched the lighting up of the nearby hills and valleys. It was a fair climb to the meditation platform. When I arrived I stood in awe of the magnificence around me – spectacular views – a definite Rocky Mountain High. I then felt a brushing/rushing across my right shoulder. No, it wasn’t a bird!

I took a few more pictures of the changes with the rising sun, then I felt inspired to try taking one of the actual sun rising above the hill behind me. I set the camera to 'night shooting' and aimed. I took two shots. They are shown here. The first shows a strange glowing light lower down, and a beginning of something. The second shows two strange glowing lights and a vague image.

Mm! I’ve seen enough psychic photography to know that something or rather someone is showing themselves here. Any guesses?

I looked at the photos just before breakfast. I saw the strange lights and showed them to a fellow worker. She got goose-bumps, then talked about her own experiences. I then felt a door had opened to share with everyone the journey to Windstar, the connections with John Denver through dreams, visions, messages and music, to let them know that he was with us, that he is still very much alive and still working. Then, on the last afternoon, as those of us who were still there were packing up, an old friend of John’s came by, and when seeing the picture, got goose-bumps and told me of her own experiences and visitations.

So the weekend was very special in reassuring me that, while my interpretations may not be all that clear, I was definitely and do still link with that essence of John Denver. Since returning I have received an e-mail about another woman (Jan Hunneybell in Australia) who has received messages, and actually written a book (Things That I Believe In) about John’s message to reassure people that life does indeed continue after 'going Home.'

In my first dream-vision, before he died, John said to me, “They are not ready to hear yet.” What I realized from this journey, 17 years later, was that 'they (we) are now ready.'

Thank you for your ear. I just had to share. I send you my love and warmest wishes, Rosemary.

POSTSCRIPT 2020 during the Covid-19 Pandemic - but still relevant today, if not MORESO!
While the global pandemic took front seat in media, the environment and all life upon the planet is in danger of extinction. Sir David Attenborough has been warning us about it for years, as has Prince Charles (now King Charles), and also David Suzuki here in Canada. Over the last few years a young girl from Stockholm, Sweden, Greta Thunberg, has been vocal for the future of life on Earth.
Meanwhile, for a few weeks at the beginning of the pandemic, everything stopped - and CO2 emissions dropped. Skies and waters became clear. The question from many now - Is it too late? Have we gone too far? Is there a future for the children? And future generations? Maybe the pandemic has helped us wake up to the seriousness of the situation on Earth. What do you think? Can we all do our part? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle... to stop consumption and the drain upon our finite planet. Is there hope?

Thank you John Denver, Tom Crum, and all those who established Windstar and the work that was done for over thirty years. I like to think that Windstar has made a difference.
All My Relations. Om Shalom Asha Inshallah.

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