Birch Corner is a place of inspiration for us. Exploring the land as our home was being built, we came upon a patch of birches in a corner of the woods where two stone walls meet. Many of the trees are mature, bearing the wrinkled skin of decades and the scars from the ice storm of 1998. Nearby, younger birch grow strong and supple with the bark of youth.
An author we read at the time described the symbolic qualities of birch trees as "new beginnings, cleansing of the past, vision quests." No doubt fanciful, the attributes resonated, and we embraced them as emblematic of our work in this chapter of life.
We were also reminded of Robert Frost's poem:
"...So was I once myself a swinger of birches.
And so I dream of going back to be.
It's when I'm weary of considerations,
And life is too much like a pathless wood
Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs
Broken across it, and one eye is weeping
From a twig's having lashed across it open.
I'd like to get away from earth awhile
And then come back to it and begin over.
May no fate willfully misundertand me
And half grant what I wish and snatch me away
Not to return. Earth's the right place for love:
I don't know where it's likely to go better.
I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,
And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk
Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,
But dipped its top and set me down again.
That would be good both going and coming back.
One could do worse than be a swinger of birches."
Our Vision
We help create a world where deepened self awareness and intentional actions foster just, loving, and sustainable relationships among all living beings.
Our Mission
We coach individuals, groups and organizations to live their truth, lead with clarity and make a positive difference in their circles of influence.