To address a person as “mother” is to pay the highest ritual respect. — Paula Gunn Allen

The true nature of being is magical and that the proper duty of the creatures, the land, and human beings is to live in harmony with what is.

The nature of the cosmos, of the human, the creaturely, and the supernatural universe is like water. It takes numerous forms; it evaporates and it gathers. Survival and continuance are contingent on its presence. Whether it is in a cup, a jar, or an underground river, it nourishes life. And whether the ritual traditions are in ceremony, myth, or novel, they nourish the people. They give meaning. They give life.

We are the land, and the land is mother to us all.