Hola Amigos!
I am writing from Montana, one of my first stops since returning to the U.S. after seven months in Mexico and Guatemala. The air is clear, the wildlife is active, and the fresh drinking water… oh my gosh, the water! I was having vivid dreams about drinking from the tap at the Ranch while sticking to only purified, bottled water in Mexico. We have so much to be grateful for here, starting with the most basic building blocks of healthy living.
Dandelion Effect Podcast
My trip to the Feathered Pipe was a quick one this year—a whirlwind of hugs, a visit to the Stupa and the Loop Trail, breakfast at the No Sweat Cafe in Helena, and a yard sale to downsize and prep my car for another cross country road trip. After several years working on-site in summers and year-round on the Dandelion Effect Podcast, I am embarking on a new adventure to Europe and officially tying a beautiful ribbon on the podcast project.
We began the podcast in the fall of 2020 as an avenue for positive outreach and community engagement in the heat of the pandemic, and since then, we have collected dozens of thoughtful reviews, received more than 25,000 downloads, and published 48 episodes. But more than quantifiable measurements, I feel a true sense of accomplishment for the process as a whole. From the idea bubbling up on the back deck of the lake cabin, to learning every single phase of recording, production, editing—and just going for it. Learning on the fly. Imagining what’s possible and giving it a try.
Courage to Dream
I recognize that this type of courage is actually the same energy that birthed the Feathered Pipe Ranch in the first place. When the founding group dared to dream of a better world, a more heart-centered way of relating to ourselves and others. There was no road map. No template. Just a steadfast dedication to exploration, education and service. In the podcast finale, Crystal recalls that in India’s final weeks of life, she said, “We didn’t even know we made it all up, did we?” Oftentimes, making it up as we go along is the only option we have to create something entirely new.
So, here at the close of another Feathered Pipe creative collaboration, I give thanks to Crystal, for carrying on her mother’s knack for seeing the best in people and trusting their potential; to Eric for being my right-hand man every step of the way; and to all the other friends and community members who donated to this project and made it possible to create from a place of love and curiosity. Enjoy Ode To The Feathered Pipe Ranch: Dandelion Effect Podcast Finale with Andy Vantrease.
The Dandelion Effect Podcast will remain on all platforms. Please go back and listen to the episodes you missed. Continue to mine for the gold within and learn from the guests who so courageously shared their lives with us. Many of the conversations are as relevant now as they were when we first aired them.
Have an amazing summer. Muchas gracias por todo!
Andy Vantrease
*Featured image credits: Jonathan H T Lee of subtledream.com