Woodland Manitou: To Be on Earth

by Heidi Barr

Woodland Manitou: To Be on Earth is a collection of essays rooted in the rhythm of the natural world. Through the turn of the seasons, Heidi Barr illustrates how the cycles of the earth have informed her everyday life from community to vocation to the food that finds its way to the dinner table. Through gardening, simple living, and prioritizing sustainability, Barr paints a picture of how remaining close to the earth provides a solid foundation even as the climate changes and the story of the world shifts. Part stories, part wonderings, and part call to act, this collection of meditations invites reflection, encourages awareness, and inspires action.

Genres: Nature

252 pages, Paperback

Published September 19, 2017

About the author

Heidi Barr lives near the St. Croix River Valley in Minnesota with her husband and daughter where they tend a large organic vegetable garden, explore nature and do their best to live simply.

As a mother, spouse, gardener, and writer, she is committed to cultivating ways of being that are life-giving and sustainable for people, communities and the planet. She loves putting words together to paint pictures of ideas, as well as walking with others as they explore what it means to live well on a finite planet. Hiking through forests and across prairies, wading in streams, digging in the soil and surrounding herself with natural wonder help her stay grounded in reality.

Reviews

[Iris Graville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woodland Manitou lives on my nightstand, like a book of devotions I can pick up when I need wise words, sustenance, and comfort. Heidi’s writing is rich with nature and farming images that serve as metaphors for the seasons of life and big questions that are part of the every day—loss, control, change, transformation, fear, hope. These short essays require only a few minutes to read, but they lead to many more moments of reflection and looking inward.

[Deb Nikula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woodland Manitou : To Be on Earth, is a collection of short stories, poetry, and prose that tapped into all of my senses. Heidi Barr sends the clear message that she believes "we need to go barefoot on earth, at least sometimes" to truly feel connected to ourselves and the natural world. Throughout the book she weaves her seasonal observations of the world around her beliefs and ideas. As she ponders some of life's most difficult questions she reflects on her own daily routines, survival, spirituality, phenology and memories. A truly enjoyable journey of words, thank you for sharing!

Deb Nikula, Natures Calendar

[Greg Ripley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heidi Barr's Woodland Manitou is a quiet, thoughtful series of meditations on what it means to be human, what it means to live in a sustainable way as an individual, as a family, and as a community in-sync with the natural rhythms of the earth. Beautifully written, these essays ponder the dilemma we find ourselves in as the climate changes around us - How can we lead an authentic life, in-tune with the earth and our values in the midst of the break-neck pace of modern life? Woodland Manitou offers one woman's perspective which, though rooted in the St Croix River Valley, offers much to consider wherever you call home. I highly recommend it.

- Gregory Ripley, author of Tao of Sustainability: Cultivate Yourself to Heal the Earth

[Tammy Catania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woodland Manitou has got to be the most beautifully written books I have ever read. I have read it 3 times from front to back and have not been able to put it back on my book shelve, its actually sitting on my nightstand because I love randomly reading bits and pieces of it on the spur of the moment. Who would have thought that a book could make you feel so connected to the seasons , nature and this earth. The fact is I have fallen in love with this book and I know anyone that reads it is going to fall in love too.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book year round with my daily devotional books. Heidi is a gentle leader, guiding me back to my roots, back to the energy that created me. She shares her inner thoughts, her daily activities, the way the earth speaks to her, and how she changes with the seasons. This book is great for a beginning practitioner of mindfulness OR the most advanced. I will continue to read this for years to come.

[Kristin Lenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clearly I'm falling down on the job here - I read an advanced copy of this book and wrote a blurb, but forgot to leave a review here! I was just thinking about Heidi's book, searching for it in my house, wanting to revisit her essays because it seemed like a good way to kick off the new year. And I can't find the book, because I'm now remembering I gave it to a friend. Alas, I'll need to order another copy for myself. Anyway, here's my official blurb:
A thoughtful, lyrical collection to savor and revisit, no matter the season. Barr’s essays hum with wildness and love. Be astonished.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the crossroads of mindfulness and simple truths, is Heidi’s book Woodland Manitou. With clear and insightful language, she writes about common questions and struggles that left me saying “Yes, exactly!” And using her passion for nature and her innate ability for deep introspection, she takes the reader on a journey to seek wholeness in life by connecting with the earth and what is real. And finally, her wisdom and grace shine with peaceful beauty, as she reveals a way of being that restores hope in the possibility of healing the earth and humanity. Heidi’s writing echoes generations of great teachers who have gone before her and I found it a truly compelling book that spoke to my heart in profound and fundamentals ways. I look forward to reading it again and again; each time finding new gems to appreciate and incorporate into my daily life.

“For the earth to regain wholeness and vibrancy, we need to see with new eyes and remember the sacred in ourselves that is the earth.” - Heidi Barr

[Thomas Qualls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woodland Manitou is a series of meditations on our external and internal wilderness. The seasonal essays are strung together like beads on a mala, and you will likely find yourself returning to them over and over for comfort and contemplation. The author's voice is at once wise and innocent, approaching the page and her daily life with equal measures of bravery and vulnerability.

[Alex H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compilation of short reads that help you appreciate your natural surroundings and notice more of the small things that enrich your day to day.

[Kirsten · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book exceedingly boring and the presentation of ideas not original. As someone who lives in rural MN and who largely agrees with what the author writes about, I wanted to like this book. But it's a smattering of essays that, to me, all read pretty much the same, and all reflected a pretentiousness in tone.

[Miya (severe pain struggles, slower at the moment) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovey, peaceful, serene...she puts you right in nature. Such a calming book. When you can't get outdoors read this instead!

[Christine Kerber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it, and will probably read again.

[Holly Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, an intimate journey into the landscape around us and within us.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely, thoughtful collection of short essays about living a simpler, intentional life. Following the seasons, Barr reflects on the natural world and struggles with the broader life outside as she navigates her job, climate change, family, and the everyday challenges of life. Recommended, and I will no doubt revisit it in the future.