Crossing Sacred Land: Poetry of Land, Spirit, and Awakening. The Crossing Ground Poetry Series, #3

What if the land isn't something we own-but something we've simply forgotten how to listen to?For most of human history, the Earth was not a possession. It was a relationship. Land was where stories lived, where food grew, where water flowed, and where life unfolded in an intricate web of interdependence. Our ancestors understood something we are only beginning to remember again: the ground beneath our feet is alive with meaning.
Crossing Sacred Land: Poetry of Land, Spirit, and Awakening invites readers back into that ancient conversation. Written by environmental consultant, ecologist, and poet Rick Van de Poll, this powerful collection explores the deep and often overlooked connection between humanity and the living Earth. Through reflective poetry and thoughtful insight, Van de Poll offers a perspective shaped by decades of observing landscapes, studying ecosystems, and witnessing firsthand the widening gap between modern society and the natural world that sustains it.
With each page, readers are gently guided to look again at the land-not as property, resource, or backdrop-but as a living presence that has always supported human life. Forests that breathe. Rivers that nourish. Soil that holds the memory of countless generations. The Earth is not separate from us. It never has been. The poems gently ask readers to slow down and reconsider their place in the great web of life.
They invite us to notice the quiet intelligence of landscapes, the resilience of ecosystems, and the profound generosity of a planet that continues to provide for us even as we forget how to care for it. Within these pages you will discover:. Reflections on humanity's long and changing relationship with the Earth. Insights shaped by decades of environmental consulting and ecological observation. A compassionate look at how modern culture has drifted away from land-based wisdom.
Thoughtful reminders that humans are part of a vast, interconnected living system. An invitation to rediscover reverence, responsibility, and stewardshipVan de Poll's poetry bridges science and spirit, blending ecological understanding with a deep sense of humility toward the natural world. His words remind us that the land carries stories older than civilization itself. Mountains remember glaciers.
Rivers remember ancient rains. Forests remember the countless species that have passed through their shade. And the land remembers us, too. Crossing Sacred Land is the third book in The Crossing Ground Poetry Series, a body of work devoted to exploring humanity's relationship with the natural world and the wisdom that lives within it. Each volume builds upon the last, guiding readers deeper into an understanding of nature not just as scenery-but as teacher, witness, and partner in the unfolding story of life on Earth.
Get your copy of Crossing Sacred Land and step back into the conversation.