Oeuvre Moeuvre – On the occasion of my 75th birthday, Elizabeth helped me produce this short movie concerning the body of my writing work over the years. That is my output or oeuvre as it would be formally known.
She also suggested that this inaugurates a new artistic genre: the moeuvre (movies about oeuvres). OK. So be it.
Likely in response to our grandiose language, Amigo and his beloved tennis ball get into the background of this clip for notes of necessary comic relief.
Steven McFadden is an independent journalist based in the Southwest of the USA. In the early 1980s he initiated Chiron Communications as an umbrella concept for his varied interests and pursuits. Chiron is a bridging figure, and bridging is what he has mainly been interested in over the years. What follows is the transcript of his 2023 interview with Heena at The Reading Bud.
In the early 1960s, upon my older brother Mark’s urging, I took typing class. I was in the 9th grade, and my brother said it was a foolproof way to meet girls. Ha. I did make a few friends, but no teen romances. Just as well for that moment in time, I suppose.
We learned on clanky old manual machines, and back then I felt it was a complete waste of time, although my hands and fingers did become knowing of the keys. By the end of the year I could type perhaps 25-30 WPM. Not impressive, but enough to get by. As school ended and summer began, I thought it likely that I’d never see a keyboard again.
Wrong.
Here it is now, some 60+ years later and I’m still typing on a keyboard, albeit on a far superior machine, the digital age having dawned for me in 1990 with my first computer. Through the decades typing has been my core skill, a reliable tool for the fulfillment of my dharma – the soul impulses that have guided me along the path of my destiny.
What more to say beyond my bio? I’m happily married to Elizabeth Wolf. We’ve been together 16-plus years, and our relationship deepens. Our dog is Amigo, and our cat Lily. We are grateful to be together, to have shelter and food, and to be purposefully engaged in life.
Beyond the blurb, the main thing that occurs to me is to let readers know the profound depth of feeling I experienced in Spring 2023. That’s when I was moved to update this little book, Native Knowings, and make it available to readers in a print version as well as an ebook.
I’m glad I followed through. As the environmental, social, and political climates intensified, I understood with calm certainty that the voices of learned elders and tradition keepers could be steadying for many people. So those were my main motivations for compiling this version of Native Knowings: steadying the people, and giving readers an opportunity to engage some of the deeper roots of Turtle Island (North America) as we pass through a turbulent era of transition.
Author Steven McFadden – circa 1985
Since graduating from Boston University in 1975 with a degree in journalism, my personal and professional interest has been to explore intelligent and spirited ways of living on the earth, and then to explain in writing what I’ve been able to understand.
The contemporary tradition keepers of the North American continent are part of an unbroken chain of practical and contemplative understandings (knowings) that go back many thousands of years, long before immigrants came to the land and began calling it America. It is altogether worthwhile to listen to what the learned elders have to say.
From my point of view, considering the condition of our world, listening is critical, deepening, and enriching. The elders offer keys to survival and well-being for all who now call America home, and in many respects for people all around the world.
My response to question 3 also addresses this question in general. But to add context: I first became interested in learning about our indigenous relatives and neighbors in the late 1970s. I was awakened by a bumper sticker on the back of a beat-up VW in a parking lot of my small village. It said something like “Broken Treaty Score: Red Man 0, White Man 370.”
When I looked into what that might possibly mean I learned that in fact the USA had broken or violated virtually every single one of the solemnly sworn treaties it made with various Native nations. Recognizing that track record of faithlessness by my own government raised an persistent series of questions for me. What? How? Why? And so forth. As a citizen, I felt a share of responsibility for the agreements my government had made and broken. As a journalist, I felt compelled to pursue answers to the questions. What’s going on here? What’s the story. Where does honor lie, and how can honor be advanced? That’s been my career, and Native Knowings is but one concise expression of what I’ve experienced and heard along the trail.
As the years of my life unfurled I began to write about clean, sustainable farms and food (so important), and also to engage the native knowings that were at the heart my personal mission as a messenger: take care of the earth and each other.
In terms of compiling the words and photographs, then dealing with layout, cover and other technicalities, it took me just over a month. But to get to the point in life where I had the experience, the tools, the material, and the artistic discernment to express them, about 75 years.
Good question. I’ll be 80 in five years, and of course one never knows…At this mature stage one has seen so many souls come and go, and thereby inevitably one has passed through many enriching stages of emotion and understanding about life and death. I’m at peace with whatever comes, although I’m staying fit and actively writing, aiming to live into my 90s. We shall see.
Of note, I had a clear perception at age 40 that I had fulfilled my dharma and could sail off into spirit if I so desired. It was a profoundly peaceful and satisfying sensation. A knowing. For me that knowing was pronounced and enduring. But at the same time I recognized that I could contribute more to the world, that it had potential to be benevolent, and that I was not ready to release. All these years later, I still feel that way.
Yes. I’m nearly finished writing a full-length biography. The title is “Wind Walker: The Sacred Journey of Naa t’áanii Leon Secatero in concert with Ni?ch?i Diyin (Holy Wind).” Leon (1943-2008) was a talented and dedicated leader, a servant to his own Navajo community in the Southwest of the United States, as well as for the world at large. His story presents a great and uplifting vision for the world, and also offers a model of exalted courage and leadership. The book should be in print some time in 2024.
No.
My mother’s brother–good old Uncle Paul–was a writer. He once wrote an article for True Magazine. It came out when I was about 11 or 12. The title was “Why I poach deer” and the byline was not my uncle’s name. He instead used my father’s name (Edward Leo M.) as a pseudonym, so no game wardens could read the article and then come hunting for him.
The article made a notable impression in our household. Among other things, it started me thinking that writing could be a job; it could be what a person did in life, among all the possibilities – engineer, builder, doctor, teacher, etc. So many possibilities. And now, for me least, writer was also among that range of possibilities.
While it has not been financially easy to be an independent journalist, and it has required many sacrifices, it’s been worthwhile. I’ve been able to write not what others assigned to me, but rather what called me from both within and without.
At this stage I’m not sure I’d call anything I do a ritual. Beyond my first cup of coffee, I’m very much in the moment. If I feel it’s time to write, I write. Time to research, I research. Time to hike along the river or climb a mountain, then I’m off to do that.
Always in the back of my mind I’m aware of deadlines, and I am faithful to them, but I’ve no set times or procedures. When the juice is flowing, I write. Otherwise I am called along the trails of One and also Ten Thousand Things.
Writing is my profession, yet it has not provided sufficient income over the decades of work and marriage. I’ve been able to create hundreds of newspaper and magazine stories, and 15 or more nonfiction books, but I’ve also scrambled for income, working intermittently in a number of occupations: tree surgeon, groundskeeper, cook, yoga teacher, home care for elders, laborer, babysitter, pipe fitter, and more.
I recommend Basic Call to Consciousness, published by Akwesasne Press.
Having started my career writing for newspapers for several years, I never experienced the luxury of being able to surrender to a writers block. There were always deadlines to meet, and the job was on the line. Meet the deadlines, or find a new career. That early conditioning has, thankfully, remained more or less consistent for me.
The mantra in my mind: my job is to tell verifiably true stories that offer a compelling and practical vision of the future. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” – Proverbs 29:18 “ If you don’t have a dream, how can your dream come true?” – South Pacific
Pay attention to your breath. Master your breath, and you will more readily remain centered and capable through all you meet in life and in your profession.
With mastery of the breath you will be inspired: both literally and figuratively. Your personal inspiration will add light to your soul, to your words, and to the truths you strive to reveal through writing.
This original compilation–a small treasure of 72 pages–offers a concise and contemporary compendium of some key North American (Turtle Island) wisdom teachings to help support people through this era of transition.
– Frank Decontie, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg
What do some of the venerable, deeply rooted wisdom teachings of the Americas offer in our era of transition?
This Soul*Sparks small treasure offers an array of thoughtful messages, a compilation of keys that everyone has opportunities to turn. We’d be wise to understand and then to weave their enduring insights into the fabric of what we are creating for ourselves, our children, and our children’s children
The words of contemporary elders, in particular, sound notes of urgency.
Dear Readers –
In recent years the web-birthed form of communication known as “memes” has become a creative outlet for me. By combining an image with a few words to create a meme, anyone can bring an idea into sharp focus. By now (summer 2022) I’ve probably created several hundred memes over the last 7-8 years, relying on the talented photographers of Pixabay, and the design capabilities of Canva. They are worthy of praise and gratitude. Thank you.
The memes in this digital museum bring to light some of the ideas in the books I have authored. Yet by now the memes are scattered across the Internet like individual digital snowflakes. I felt the memes, at least some of them, deserved to be gathered in one place. Thus, with a wink and a nod, I hereby establish Chiron’s Museum of Marvelous Memes.
May you scroll in beauty, Steven M.
m
m
By the authority vested in me (and everyone else) by virtue of being someone with something important to say, I hereby declare 2022 to be The Year of Agroecology. Someone needed to do it. It’s time.
I hope the other 7.8 billion human beings on the earth are listening—not to me necessarily, but rather to the swelling chorus of farmers and food workers around the world who are leading the way forward, building a foundation for a clean, healthy, just, and sustainable future. That’s the essence of agroecology. That’s the opportunity before us. And that opportunity addresses a range of critical issues from climate chaos and social unrest to food quality and food security.
Although the word agroecology may sound abstract, it’s a term that’s both plain and exalted. It’s about the food we all eat, the human beings and animals who are part of that web of relationship, the essential care of the earth we all depend upon for our lives, and the utter necessity of our spiritual growth to the point where we human beings efficiently and gracefully engage our responsibility as caretakers of the earth.
We all have an opportunity to help advance the vision of agroecology, and thereby to participate in setting right the ways we human beings are in relationship with farms, food, and the future. This is the vision described in my book, Deep Agroecology: Farms, Food, and Our Future. Agroecology is a vision now held and practiced by millions of human beings around the world. The year 2022 (and the years beyond) hold the potential and the necessity of agroecology becoming a vision held and supported by billions. That’s what it will take. That’s what we need. 2022 can be, and with wisdom will be, The Year of Agroecology.
Classical Considerations: Musings prompted by the late Harvard Master John H. Finley, Jr. is available as a Soul*Sparks book available via this link on amazon.com
Welcome to Chiron Communications, a conceptual umbrella to unify my diverse work as writer, storyteller, and healer. My name is Steven McFadden, and my passion is casting light upon keys that may serve the health of human beings and the earth we share.
As a journalist, I’m the author of a range of non-fiction books. Most of them are on display at the bottom of the page if you wish to learn more.
I’m honored to have had the opportunity to author an epic, nonfiction saga of North America: Odyssey of the 8th Fire. This odyssey tells a true story arising from the deepest roots of our land, but taking place in the present and the future. In it, circles upon circles, elders make a great and generous giveaway of the teachings they carry.
In the early 1980s I initiated Chiron Communications, but then rested the concept in the 1990s. That’s when I took time to serve as National Coordinator for the annual Earth Day USA celebration, in partnership with the Seventh Generation Fund (1993).
Through the 1990s I served as director of The Wisdom Conservancy at Merriam Hill Education Center in Greenville, New Hampshire, as a participant in The Balaton Group, and as one of the pilgrims on a great universal prayer walk from the Eastern Door at the Atlantic Ocean across Turtle Island (North America) toward the Western Gate at the Pacific. I put Chiron Communications back into gear around the turn of the millennium.
For some readers it may look as if Chiron Communications is a sprawling, sporadic, multidimensional, multinational corporation. But no. It’s just me and my laptop, with a little help from my friends.
2023 photo by Liz Wolf.
A Reiki Master of long standing, I’ve had the opportunity to transmit the Reiki healing techniques to hundreds of students across North and Central America. It was my privilege to help John Harvey Gray and Lourdes Gray, Ph.D. write Hand to Hand: The Longest Practicing Reiki Master Tells His Story. I’ve also had the privilege to travel with and to learn from many gifted healers from all over the Americas, as well as healers from Australia, Africa, and Ireland. At the turn of the millennium I was honored to earn certification as a yoga instructor.
As the land calls out ever more powerfully, I maintain an active interest in farming and gardening in general, Food Co-ops and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in particular. I’ve reported on the growth and development of CSA in America since its inception in 1986, striving to articulate The Call of the Land.
My most recent agrarian book, Deep Agroecology: Farms, Food, and Our Future, won the National Indie Excellence Award in the environmental category. I invite you to visit my dedicated blog: DeepAgroecology.net
At home once again in New Mexico, I’m a member of SouthWest Writers, NM Writers, and the New Mexico Book Association,
Respectfully, Steven McFadden
Thanks to Tim J. Hill of DraftHorse Studio for web design,
to Angela Werneke of River Light Media for the Chiron Communications logo,
and to my darling Liz Wolf for the author photos.
Mi y Amigo. Photo by Ben Vickers, ABQ.
eep agroecology, #deepagroecology
Chiron taught Askelpios the art of healing. Today, doctors consider Asklepios to be the father of Western medicine
Chiron (ky’ ron) is one of the forgotten heroes of Greek mythology, and of course the namesake of Chiron Communications.
Chiron was the son of the Titan named Kronos, who is said to have assumed the form of a horse when he mounted Philyra, a sea nymph. Their union brought forth a centaur, a being with the head and upper body of a man, and the lower body of a horse.
The centaur child, named Chiron, was regarded as so grotesque that his mother rejected him.
Apollo–ancient Greek god of poetry, music, truth, archery, and prophecy–came to the rescue. Apollo adopted the infant Chiron and schooled him thoroughly in the arts, sciences, and mysteries that he would need to rise above his beast nature.
Consequently, while centaurs in general were a rowdy lot intent primarily on drinking wine and chasing after sex, Chiron was different. He went his own way as a maverick, took up residence alone in a cave on the flank of Mount Pelion. Over time he earned esteem as a healer, astrologer, storyteller, oracle, and mentor.
Chiron had many illustrious students: Achilles, the mighty Greek warrior in the battle at Troy; Asklepios, the herbalist and surgeon who is considered the father of medicine and whose serpent-entwined staff is the familiar emblem of the modern medical profession and also Heracles, the immortal hero who slew the Nemean Lion.
Chiron prepared Heracles–greatest of Greek heroes–to successfully complete his 12 labors, heroic acts which symbolize the challenges facing each human being on the spiritual path.
Chiron was also the teacher of Jason, who teamed with the Argonauts to recover the legendary Golden Fleece, the Holy Grail of its day. Chiron was able to read the sky signs, and thereby counsel Jason on which stars to steer by to attain the timeless treasure.
As the sagas relate about the course of his life, Chiron ultimately sacrificed himself to save Prometheus, the mythological figure who had stolen fire from the gods for the benefit of humanity. Prometheus was being punished horribly by the gods for this transgression until Chiron voluntarily took his place. After nine days of suffering — having his liver nibbled by a vulture — Chiron was rescued by Zeus, chief god of Olympus. Zeus took pity on the innocent Chiron, freed him, then lifted him up to dwell forever among the stars.
Until recent decades the world had all but forgotten Chiron. Then on November 1, 1977 astronomers discovered a celestial object orbiting the Sun between planets Saturn and Uranus. At first they thought it was a small planet, and they named it Chiron. Ever since, even though astronomers are unsure exactly what this peculiar object is (planetoid? meteor? asteroid?), the archetypes represented by Chiron — from holistic health to direct spiritual awareness — have been steadily illuminating human consciousness.
As an archetype, Chiron is said to embody the key lessons humanity is in need of now: the ability to link the daily concerns of life (paying the rent, washing the laundry, getting around in the world, and so forth) with more profound spiritual realities, the evolutionary edge. Chiron is thus said to symbolize the ability to establish a working bridge between the realm of the earth and the realm of spirit, and thereby to foster a healthy balance
In the language of symbols Chiron is often represented by the key, and also by the rainbow, the familiar luminescent bridge between heaven and earth.
I founded Chiron Communications in the 1980s in response to the obvious crisis of culture and environment in the modern world. This enterprise endeavors to serve as a directional signal, and also as a bridge, helping to point the way forward to a world culture where human beings live at peace with themselves and the natural world. Along with many others in the nations of our Earth, I strive to communicate not only a vision of a world that works for everyone, but also tools to help make such a vision real.
—S. McFadden, 1999
Peleus brings his son Achilles to master teacher, Chiron.
(Greek vase – British Musuem)
This original compilation–a small treasure titled Native Knowings–offers a concise and contemporary compendium of some key North American (Turtle Island) wisdom teachings to help support people through this era of transition.
“I ask you to listen,
not just with your minds.
I ask you to listen with your hearts,
because that’s the only way
you can receive what it is,
what we are giving.
These are the teachings of our hearts.”
– Frank Decontie, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg
What do some of the venerable, deeply rooted wisdom teachings of the Americas offer in our era of transition?
This Soul*Sparks small treasure offers an array of thoughtful messages, a compilation of keys that everyone has opportunities to turn. We’d be wise to understand and then to weave their enduring insights into the fabric of what we are creating for ourselves, our children, and our children’s children
The words of contemporary elders, in particular, sound a note of urgency. Native Knowings is available through this link.
New and improved: Classical Considerations
Behold the Light: Farms, Photons, Futures
Our Collective Odyssey: Song and Story for the Generations Arising
Musical Invocation: Odyssey of the 8th Fire
