mcdonald lives in White Lake, with his wife, Stephanie, their three kids, a dog, many cats, and two ferrets. Stephanie is deeply involved in running the business and website, and they “keep doing a little bit better every year.” mcdonald is a very winning fellow – chatty, engaging, tangential, lively, casual. He is a man who has developed a deep love for plants, and it shows. “Plants are awesome,” he says. They are an “intermediary” between nature and humanity.

On February 20 through 23, 2025, ConVocation will celebrate its 30th year as a Michigan convention for magical people. First founded in 1995, ConVocation has been hosted in various hotels around southeastern Michigan before finding its new home in Ypsilanti in 2024. Moira Payne, ConVocation 2025’s Program Chair and President of the Magical Education Council of Ann Arbor, hopes this new home will be permanent.

Pregnancy and childbirth is a time of immense transformation. For some women it is the most beautiful day of their lives, but for so many more, the process of giving birth is a traumatic memory marked by surgery, violation, and a loss of control. In an act of conscious rebellion against this standard, women are choosing to look to the past and choose to birth the way we were always intended to: unmonitored, unmolested, and free. One such woman I talked to, “Dana,” describes her birth as being, “incredibly straightforward without any drama.”

Far away in the mists of ancient days, there once dwelt a band of extraordinary trees with the gift of prophecy: oaks with the power of human speech, answering the needs of mortals who journeyed far to seek their wise counsel. This sounds like a folk tale, but it is not. Deeply rooted in archaic Greek myth, these oaks also lived in history as the first and only oracle existing in Greece for many years. Ancient mythographers remembered the priestesses who tended these oaks as the first females on earth who ever sang their own compositions; their companion nymphs were compassionate nurses for Zeus, shielding him in his vulnerable infancy, and henceforth revealing his will to mortals. In the remote and mountainous terrain of Epirus in northwest Greece, from the second millennium BCE, this sacred forest grew in the mystical sanctuary of Dodona.

Sitting alone in the dark in the back row of a movie theater, I sobbed relentlessly. I had just watched the movie IF. IF stands for Imaginary Friend. The movie was about adults reuniting with imaginary friends from their childhood at critical times in their life. The adults were transformed by acknowledging their previously discarded imaginary friends and became so much happier, creative, and productive. This movie touched me deeply. Perhaps my fearful inner child had come out of hiding for a moment looking for help. Or maybe I secretly hoped an old friend from my past would come back to rescue me. Following that experience, I became interested in learning more about imaginary friends and their relationships with adults.

The biggest picture on the wall of my home office is not of my wife or daughter, or our parents, or any other relative. It is of a now long-gone but still cherished member of our family—our first dog. Murphy was a brown and white, thirty-pound Sheltie my wife and I adopted a few years after we married. He was, before our daughter was born, our first “child.” He was a thoroughly lovable dog. Sharp as a tack—I taught him to sit and shake in about ten minutes—an endless source of delight in games of fetch, and great company—most of the time. He was also an incorrigible chowhound, forcing us to guard our food zealously at mealtimes. He exploded into fits of barking and jumping whenever we had guests or if he saw a bicyclist, car, or dog on our walks. We tolerated it all, not knowing that it might be possible to change those behaviors. We figured it was a small price for living with a wonderful dog.

Over the buzz of both hops and chatter there is a cow bell. The noise can be a spell-breaker or a tension-reliever depending on who is sitting in front of you. The cowbell means your six minutes have concluded. It’s time to turn to your clipboard of names and scrawl some notes— to quickly decide if the stranger in front of you is worth a seventh minute (or perhaps, even, a second date) before the next date sits down. Welcome to a Perky Wallflower Speed Dating session.

Are you looking for a unique, useful, and beautiful herb for your garden? Let me introduce you to Marshmallow, a hardy perennial whose every part has a use. It can grow quite tall, up to four feet, with soft fuzzy leaves and light purple flowers. This plant has many cousins in the mallow family which are planted as ornamentals. Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) is the medicinal species that we will explore today.

After a long day, you reach for your favorite herbs to make a soothing cup of tea: a spoonful of tulsi, a scoop of chamomile, and a pinch of peppermint…perfect! Just what you need to unwind. The fragrant brew might relax you, but did you ever wonder what went into bringing the herbs to your cup?

We have all seen the brightly painted portico and cheerful murals on the impressive brick building downtown Ann Arbor and wondered, “What is this place?” The Neutral Zone was founded in 1998 by teens, and for teens, with a simple yet profound mission: to create a safe space for youth in Ann Arbor. Simple, maybe, but not static.

“I don’t really like myself,” my teen blurted out in the middle of a seemingly mundane conversation we were having last week. He tightened his lips to hold back emotion. I paused, as I noticed my jaws clench. Surprised by what he declared, I felt my eyes stinging as salty tears began to trickle into my eyes. My heart felt heavy, longing to simply scoop him up into my lap like I did when he was young, soothing him with kisses on his soft forehead.

In October, I sat down with my good friend Reilly Campbell for a discussion about birth, life, Ann Arbor, and everything in between. An Austin, Texas transplant, Campbell can best be described as a ray of sunshine. Though only 25, she is wise far beyond her years and serves as an inspiration to anyone looking to walk with women on the path from maiden to mother and beyond.

As the cold winter season approaches, ensuring a healthy, responsive, and robust immune system becomes even more important. Freezing weather, short days, and reduced sunlight can put stress on our bodies and increase our chances of getting sick. A plant-based diet, full of immune-boosting antioxidants and nutrients that naturally fight inflammation and promote immune response, is an excellent way to make sure you and your family stay as healthy as possible this winter.

I stepped carefully upon the stone walkway, treading past raised garden beds, massive shade trees, and garden ornaments and recalled the echo of curiosity and caution which accompanied my first visit to this magical place. It was nearly fifteen years ago for Level 1 Healing Touch energy therapy class at the home of Barbara McConnell in Grass Lake.

I recently met with Danielle Groth and corresponded with Vicky Lovell, two of the co-founders of Angel Whispers Healing Center in Dexter. Angel Whispers aids in helping individuals and families in mind, body, and spirit. They are in the process of moving into a new space on Baker Road that will be home to an even larger collective for grief care, acupuncture, reiki, worship, and other healing modalities.

The first time I experienced Kyler Wilkins’ music I was mystified. I had to move toward the front of the audience to witness close-up all of the intricate and elegant sounds being amplified from a simple set up on stage. He was playing the Ann Arbor’s SummerFest side stage in June 2022.

Courageous, kind, and creative in equal measure, Christina Morales Hemenway may be the most prolific feature filmmaker in Ann Arbor. She has five finished feature films and two more film projects currently in the works—and this is just one of her ongoing careers.

When the chill of winter sets in and the days grow shorter, it's easy for kids to feel stuck indoors with nothing to do. But winter doesn't have to be boring! From exploring local spots and discovering wildlife in its winter habitat to cozying up with a good book, trying out hands-on crafts, or creating a snow-themed masterpiece at home, there's plenty to keep young minds busy and curious all season long. All it takes is a little creativity to make this frosty time of year fly by.

Years passed. I taught at a Waldorf school in Vermont, then pursued an M.A. in Counseling Psychology at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Right before the pandemic hit, I decided to move back to Michigan to start my career. During the days of quarantine, I had time and space to reflect on my life. I started to think about what was important to me—friends, family, what I wanted for my life, what I wanted to repair in it. I thought of Leah.

Heading east toward Kelleys Island, I reminisced about past excursions to Sandusky. Cedar Point and Great Wolf Lodge are well known as family travel destinations, but I never knew that Sandusky is part of the north central region of Ohio known as “Vacationland.” While familiar with inland attractions, the Lake Erie islands of Vacationland were completely unknown to me. Considering most of my island experience was growing up in Manhattan, I was curious to experience island living as a low key, accessible getaway miles from familiar seashores.

The next time you talk to one of your parents or grandparents, ask them what happened to them between the ages of 28 and 30. I guarantee they will tell you about an important event in their life. If you have already reached your thirties or beyond, then you also have a story to tell—that of your Saturn Return.

Your yoga questions answered, winter 2025…I am not sure if it is a hybrid work schedule, or a recent new workout routine I have been trying, but the sides of my body have been so sore. My partner said it is my “lats” and I am not sure if it’s that, or something a bit lower that feels tight all the time. Any suggestions for something I can do on the job to stay relaxed.

New Offerings by Local Established Businesses and Practitioners, New Classes, New Books, and more of What’s New in Our Community.

There is a growing activity, migrating from one country to another, across each continent step-by-step, village to village, from one neighborhood to another. It’s not a religion or a secret society. It is just plain folks gathering for a time to chant and sing while gently moving together in a circle to live music.

This Winter Vegetable Buddha Bowl is a nourishing, colorful meal featuring roasted sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and red onions over a bed of quinoa. Topped with fresh kale and spinach, creamy avocado slices, and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, it’s drizzled with a tangy tahini dressing, offering a perfect balance of warmth, flavor, and nutrition.

I enjoyed a cup of tea long before I knew it could help me in my quest to become a healthier person. Upon discovering that something I enjoyed doing on a daily basis could actually help improve my health, I decided it was time to do some research.

Many creative and spiritual people shy away from starting or growing a business. This is unfortunate because we all benefit when more heart-centered people are active in the marketplace. Some of the reasons business can seem like a “no” have to do with hustle culture, corporate culture, and the general “vibes” of doing business.

It’s the time of year where the wind is nipping at your winter coat and the gopher may or may not have already seen its shadow. Many Michiganders may opt to stay indoors while the final weeks of winter thaw to spring, but Kirk Coppernoll of Sugar Shack Experiences in Grass Lake insists that these are actually the proper months to tap a maple tree and sip a maple cocktail in the woods. Grab a tap, boil some sap, and meet some other nature-loving strangers as the syrup boils: this is the Sugar Shack.

Some years ago, I read about a study which concluded that one of the main factors in instances of heroic action is a feeling of competence. In other words, the man or woman who runs into rough surf to rescue a struggling swimmer or jumps into an icy lake to pull out a child who has fallen through the ice acts partly out of a sense of confidence about their ability to swim. There are, of course, additional factors. There is the essential one, even if merely accidental or coincidental, of being in the right place at the right time. But, even more important, is having a strong capacity for compassion, and for courage, the ability to set aside fear and act, despite danger and risk.

As the evenings grow colder and the nights get longer, I find myself looking for signs of Jack Frost on the windows and a small dusting of snow on the pines. As the season progresses, I make treks down to the river to see if the edges have started to form their delicate lace of ice and wake up each morning hoping to see a snow-covered wonderland. The kind of snow that brings silence and a deep, peaceful calm to the landscape where, when the sun hits it just right, the world glitters like diamonds.