THE COMPASS
THE VISION: Build The Compass, a network of natured-based grounding sites that promote the mental, physical, and spiritual health benefits of spending time in nature, and foster care and concern for our common home.
THE MISSION: To nurture awareness, appreciation, and actions that support the inter-relational thriving of humans, habitats, and economies.
THE WHY: We live in trying time. People are hurting. Our planet is hurting. And when our world is shaken, rocked, or turned upside down, we can become disoriented and lost in the wilderness unable to move forward on our life's path.
The Compass, envisioned just two days after the 1 October tragedy, is a holistic approach to navigating through the trauma and chronic stress that all life systems are experiencing. By creating nature-based grounding places, The Compass connects people to the great outdoors, one another, the other, and their own deep good nature.
Initiated in the Las Vegas Valley (with capacity to expand to other communities and regions), The Compass will designate mindful places of rest, reflection, and renewal that invite experiencing the natural world as a compass capable of grounding and guiding our outer and inner journeys and healing our common home.
Learn about the Compass Framework, Compass Points, and more by clicking the links below.
CARDINAL TRAILS
Creating The Compass framework
COMPASS POINTS
Inspiring Hope and Healing
COMPASS CENTER
Remembering and Celebrating
COMMUNITY SITES
Welcoming to All
THE CAMPAIGN
Educating & Inspiring
EDUCATE & INSPIRE
WOW! Edu-Inspiring Resources
LOOK BOOK
Look Book (IN PROCESS)
Q & A
Answers to Expected Questions
Monthly Inspirations
Making Human-Habitat Connections Together!
July Inspirations
Poppies: Make a Human-Habitat Connection
Wow! August Inspiration
Sagebrush Sea: Make a Human-Habitat Connection
Super Sole to Soul
Challenge Video Recap
MY WHY. MY WAY.
FROM A PATH OF PRAYER TO A SENSE OF PURPOSE.
After the 1 October tragedy, I walked my mind and soul from rumination to contemplation on a dusty desert path. When I reached the top of the McCullough Range Bursage Loop Trail and looked across the valley, I was struck still by how Southern Nevada was divinely designed to hold and heal a hurting Las Vegas.
Our distinct mountain ranges encircled the valley like a warm hug.
Our wide valley floor absorbed some of our shock.
Our crisp blue skies spoke a message of great light even in a dark time.
As I stood still filled with emotions — holding the lost, the left behind, and those who responded with courage and compassion in love and light — I hoped that all who suffered might have a similarly moving experience.
My hope led to the why for THE COMPASS.
To touch the Earth is to be in harmony with nature. — Native American Proverb
Kiss the earth and love it with an unceasing, consuming love . — Fyodore Dostoevsky
Healthy Humans
People are hurting. Our planet is hurting. The path to healing, wholeness, and wisdom is, like a desert hiking trail, not a straight line. There are twists, turns, switchbacks, and setbacks.
Amid recent crises, people have more routinely headed to the great outdoors. Spending passive or active time in nature offers mind, body, and spirit benefits. The Compass will offer an array of resources that support whole person health.
Healthy Habitats
Connecting people to living landscapes impacts their inner landscape. They become more likely to engage in reciprocal relationships of care and concern for habitats and their inhabitants.
The Compass will foster awareness, appreciation, and action in support of the sustainability of our backyard!
The Compass will celebrate the best of nature ... and nurture our good nature!
Healthy Economy
People are increasingly seeking mindful, immersive opportunities — transformational experiences — in their community and in their travels. The Compass 1 October Memorial site will offer a place of grounding, remembrance, and appreciation for courage, compassion, and resilience in response to tragedy. Trails with Compass Points will inspire respecting, protecting, and enjoying our desert surroundings.
What community might best meet the inner compass wants and needs of locals and travelers looking to make meaning? It's Vegas, naturally!