by Mary Maruca, LMT and Teal Center Practitioner
I never thought I would go to Ecuador. I am not much of a traveler, and I don’t speak Spanish. But hearing Crystal Kaplan, a fellow practitioner at The Teal Center and all-around magical person, describe her recent experiences there, it all sounded too amazing to deny myself the thrill of something new.
So near the end of October, off we flew into what became the adventure of my lifetime. You may already know about Ecuador’s beauty, but I was equally impressed and inspired by the beauty of its people, especially a group of scientists we met when looking into various healing modalities for ourselves.
These women and men are regenerating local soils through the power of microbes— what they call the “little guys.” As a gardener, I love getting my hands dirty. So as far as I’m concerned, nothing could be better than harnessing the power of a gazillion beneficial microbes to create rich, buttery, fertile earth. I had traveled to Ecuador to meet healers of body and soul. Instead I met healers of the Earth.
One such healer is Leisha Giddings, founder of Suelo Vivo, or Living Ground. Although currently a small business, Leisha is creating a movement to connect the health of the soil to the health of humans, generating meaningful action as a consequence of that relationship.
The company produces microbe-rich compost, not to grow vegetables just yet, but to produce the right living conditions to help those “little guys” grow. The healthier the environment, the healthier and happier the microbes. Healthy, happy microbes make more microbes.
Why are microbes important to have in our soil?
More microbes in the soil equates to richer, more nutrient-dense and fertile ground to grow all of our food and the food we feed our animals. Our soil, including in the United States, is depleted of these microbes, leading to natural foods that are not as packed with living nutrition as they were in the past.
Leisha’s efforts, if supported, could expand the return of microbe-rich soil not only to Ecuador but also to our world — Pacha Mama, Gaia, our beloved planet Earth.
Leisha’s microbe vision is a grand one. She and her team are trying to purchase a 2-acre site valued at $111,000 to expand microbe production. They envision a farm, teaching center, cafe, spa, and other integrated components. They’re not the only ones with their eyes on the land — an oil company, with much deeper pockets, is vying to purchase it as well. To succeed, in this instance, Leisha has to move fast.
If you’d like to help Leisha reach her goal and hear her explain what commitment to fully living soil looks like, check out her fundraising video below and or Donate Now.
When I think about how far a little money can go in Ecuador and how many people in Arlington share a commitment to communities built on healthy, fertile ground, I know I can’t be the only one to catch the microbe bug. Please join me in spreading the goodness of living soil as far as possible. It’s the easiest, most powerful, and important gift I’ve ever given.
In times like ours that shout out for the creation of a new paradigm, what could be better than one grown from the ground up, one that turns dirt into soil so that we all may enjoy the benefits of living ground?
