A Place to Put Down Roots

After years of carrying the Earth Wisdom teachings from place to place, a new possibility has emerged.

This past year was tough on the ranch in Ramona. The landlord hiked the rent beyond legal limits, demanded commitment to a lease, and then immediately began destructive grading and development of the land, less than 20 feet from Maria and Linda’s home. When his illegal grading caused mudslides and flooding through the ranch, as he promised to raise the rent again for the next round, it became clear that the shimas and the horses needed to move. The close community discussed a number of options, including finding another rental, or somehow buying a new property. It became clear that the church would not qualify for a mortgage for a suitable property, and that it was close to impossible to find a suitable property to rent, particularly in San Diego County. So a creative partnership was envisioned, one where a supporter would purchase the property and then rent it back at a stable rate to Maria and Linda and the church for the foreseeable future.

The O’Neill Trust, led by Mellissa, her dad Bob, and her brother Mike, stepped forward to help make this next chapter possible. After a search that has spanned over five months, the Trust has entered into an agreement to purchase a 6.5-acre property in the Cascade Shores area of Nevada City, California, with the intention of leasing the property to Yraceburu EarthWisdom Church—creating a more secure, stable, and generative home where Maria and Linda’s teachings can blossom and seed new wisdom throughout the community and for generations to come.

The land provides something that has long been needed:

Roots.

A home for the healing horses. Quiet mountaintop forest where the wind whispers spirit's messages. Sacred spaces where people can gather in ceremony and reflection. Room for community to learn, work, and grow together. And a lasting home where Maria and Linda’s teachings can continue to blossom and seed new wisdom for generations to come.

We all need the teachings that Maria and Linda emanate, teach, and share so openly. There is no more important time for us all to remember our indigenous (of the earth) wisdom. We can’t afford to have Maria and Linda stressing about where they might have to live. It’s time for them to relax, ground, and share from living land. To do continue enriching our lives in this way, they’ve opened to help from all of us. It’s time for us to give, and to receive.

The Great Coming Together has already begun.

The Time Is Now

Taanaashkadaa is no longer simply a dream for some distant future.

It is happening now.

And time is of the essence.

In the weeks ahead, we need to prepare the Shimas, the healing horses, and their belongings for the journey to their new forever home—and begin preparing the land to receive them.

The O’Neill Trust is making the acquisition of the property possible. Now we are inviting the wider community to come together to help make the transition and bring Taanaashkadaa to life.

Our moving cost campaign goal is $15,000, to be raised by end of August.

Beyond that, our total development campaign goal is $93,000, divided into four tangible phases. We begin with the urgent work of moving the Shimas and the horses home. From there, we create a proper home for the healing horses, rejuvenate the soil and gardens, and build an outdoor classroom where Earth Wisdom can be shared for decades to come.

Phase One: The Move!

Goal: $15,000

Moving a ranch 600 miles takes organization, helping hands—and funding!

This is no ordinary household move. We will need two giant moving trucks: one to carry the Shimas’ household and furniture, and another to transport the pole fencing, tools, and ranch equipment that will be needed at Taanaashkadaa.

And then there are the horses.

Moving three horses safely over 600 miles is a significant undertaking—and one of the most costly and important parts of the journey.

The good news is that the Great Coming Together has already begun. We have gathered volunteers who are ready to help with the driving, and we have been pricing the trucks and planning the logistics. For months, the Shimas have been consolidating, releasing, sorting, and packing to make this enormous transition as smooth and efficient as possible.

Now we need the community’s help to bring them home.

Our Phase One goal is to raise $15,000 to cover the costs of moving Maria and Linda, their household and ranch equipment, and—most importantly—the healing horses safely to their new home at Tanashkadaa.

Every gift helps move this vision—quite literally—down the road.

Together, we can bring the Shimas and the healing horses home.

Phase Two: A Home for the Healing Horses

Goal: $20,000

At first, the horses will need only their familiar pole fencing and a basic setup to settle into their new home. But by October, the rains and cooler weather will arrive—and we need to be ready.

At 3,000 feet in the Sierra foothills, winter can bring cold mountain temperatures, heavy rain, and even snow. The healing horses will need proper shelter, dry hay storage, feeding and care areas, and a safe place to hunker down when winter weather comes.

There is already a wonderful large garage on the property which needs some love to become a home for horses.

With debris removal, cleanup, and thoughtful but simple renovations, part of the existing barn can be transformed into a safe and functional home for the horses, including proper shelter, dry hay storage, and areas for feeding and daily care.

These improvements will also create a beautiful new home for the Healing Horses program—with the barn for shelter and care and peaceful outdoor spaces beneath the shade of the tall trees, where the horses can rest, connect with people, and radiate their love and lessons to all.

Our $20,000 Phase Two goal will cover cleanup, and simple renovations needed to make the barn ready for the horses and the work they do.

The horses have carried so much healing for so many. Now, together, we can create a beautiful home that will care for them, too.

Phase Three: Rejuvenating the Soil for Gardens

Goal: $8,000

The land at Taanaashkadaa is already abundant.

The rich forest is full of Pines, Firs, Oaks, along with towering Cedars. There is Madrone and Manzanita and moss-covered rocks that speak to us as the recordkeepers they are.

But this land is on a promontory looking out over a valley. The views are stunning, and the forest is lush. But this is mountaintop land, with very little topsoil for gardening, planting fruit trees, and building the soil that grows flowers for the butterflies, vines to cover the shade trellis, and fruit and veggies to share in celebration.

The former owners had beautiful gardens in terraces and containers that are already built and awaiting new soil, new irrigation, and the seedlings that will grow to maturity as our community plants roots on this beautiful land.

With a bit of love, labor, and attention, this land is already poised to become a lush garden that can nourish the Shimas and the wider community.

Our $8,000 Phase Three goal will help provide the materials, equipment, expertise, and hands-on work needed to rebuild the soil and gardens before the weather turns—so that when spring arrives, the land is ready to awaken into its full abundance.

The roots are already here. Together, we can help them flourish.

Phase Four: The Outdoor Classroom

Goal: $50,000

We have a dream of an outdoor learning space—a place where we can feel the wind, dance with the Earth beneath our feet, and hear the hawks cry overhead as we learn the unique ecopsychology, shamanic practices, and deep Earth Wisdom carried by our teachers.

Of all that Taanaashkadaa already offers, this is the one important gathering space we envision building from the ground up.

Our dream is a simple, beautiful open-air pavilion: an octagonal structure built with substantial wood beams and a protective roof, open to the surrounding forest and the living world.

It would provide a sheltered place for circles, teachings, movement, ceremony, music, and community gatherings in nearly every season.

Building something simple does not always mean building something temporary. Large structural timbers are costly, and we will need skilled craftspeople to guide the work—even as volunteers come together to help raise the structure.

Our $50,000 Phase Four goal will help us create an outdoor classroom built with care and integrity: a gathering place designed to last for decades and serve scores of people—and generations yet to come.

A place to learn from our teachers. A place to learn from one another. And a place to remember that the Earth herself is always one of our greatest teachers.

The Great Coming Together Has Already Begun

Taanaashkadaa is not simply the name of the place we are creating.

It is the way we are creating it.

A family has stepped forward to help secure the land. Volunteers are gathering to help with the move. Friends and community members are offering their hands, their resources, their skills, and their prayers.

Now, we invite you to become part of the Great Coming Together.

Whether you give $50, $100, $1,000, or $10,000, or more, share this campaign with your community, offer materials or expertise, or join us for a future workday, you are helping bring Taanaashkadaa to life.

Please be as generous as you’ve always known our Shimas to be!

Together, we can bring the Shimas and the healing horses home.

Together, we can tend what is already growing.

Together, we can create a place where ancient wisdom takes root in new times.

Welcome to Taanaashkadaa.

The Great Coming Together has already begun.

A Place to Put Down Roots: Taanaashkadaa Ranch

Donate today to move Maria and Linda into Their New Home and Retreat Center!

Team Members