‘Root Heart’ Hand-Shaped, Vintage Douglas Fir Tree Root Nature Altar

Gaiye Clemson - Earth Caretaker

Who Am I:

I am an Earth Caretaker, driven by a mission to proactively advocate for the Earth and support her in her needed healing journey. Most of my work over the last 25 years has been hope and inspiration-based earth caretaking storytelling in books and a podcast. But another important aspect of my life’s work has been to encourage people and organizations to contribute meaningfully to Being of Service to the Earth. My most recent adventure has been the design and creation of earth caretaking nature altars for celebration, reflection and reconnection with the Earth. So doing, helps acknowledge that nature is living Earth art that creates new masterpieces every day. By providing a spiritual anchor to the Earth and a daily reminder of the interconnectedness of all things, Earth Caretaker Nature Altars are also a way to honor your love of the Earth and capture aspects of your personal relationship with the Earth – be this a special leaf you saw in the Fall, your favorite crystal, a stone that called to you on the beach or a bird feather that you found on a hiking trail.

How did this passion for creating Earth Caretaking Nature Altars come to be?

The ancient 150-year-old Douglas Fir roots that are the foundation for each Earth Caretaker Nature Altar piece came from my backyard and have been carefully selected for form, texture and colour. The original tree died  some 30 years ago and must have stood tall, though lifeless, for quite some time as all of the sap from the tree’s limbs and core collected in its roots, preventing decay and making the wood very heavy. It took over a month of hard labor, by a small crew of fellow tree preservation advocates, with chainsaws, mauls and crowbars, to pry the giant six-feet-in diameter stump out of the ground. Rather than ship the wood to the landfill or burn in my fireplace, I decided to let this pile of misshapen roots season in my yard. The smell of the sap that wafted over me during my morning meditations was intoxicating.

How is each piece created?

After about two years of resting, the roots and misshapen wood started calling to me to be reinvented as works of art. After washing away dirt and debris, the pieces were sanded, carefully inspected and hand shaped to bring out each individual root’s beauty and sap formation. In some areas the sap colors the wood nearly black, and in others the wood displays multiple luminous shades of gold and even reds on some pieces. Each root piece of my Earth Spirits Collection has been hand rubbed with at least two coats of Danish oil and are mounted on vintage cast-iron lamp stands of various sizes. Each also includes a healing stone to help start you on your own personal earth caretaking journey. The stump pieces of my Soul Connections Collection are a little more uniform in color but have unique tree rings, grains and thicknesses. They have been sealed with three coats of urethane and most have at least one natural outer edge which would, at one time, have been exposed to the soil. To this base I’ve added an LED tea light and a small pottery dish to hold your own offerings or for incense burning in addition to a healing stone.  

Should you wish to learn more about Earth Caretaking!!

Several sources are available to help you learn how to be of service to the Earth.  

For those who like to read, buy Tim Corcoran and Julie Boettler’s guide to Earth Caretaking called The Earth Caretaker Way – Walking Backwards into the Future and Remembering What We Already Know. Tim is the founder of and Julie the land caretaker for Headwaters Outdoor School, which is located near Mt. Shasta in Northern California. Headwaters offers children and adults the opportunity to build their awareness of nature and earth spirituality and learn outdoor wilderness skills in a safe environment. Second is for those who like to listen, in 2024 I interviewed Tim and Julie and created a six-part series on Earth Caretaking for my podcast Algonquin Defining Moments Episodes 56-61. The series features insights into Tim’s origin story, nature awareness, mastering wilderness living skills, earth philosophy and spirituality and how to be of service to the earth. can be found on Apple or Google Podcasts, Spotify or Pandora or on the podbean hosting platform. Third is for those who like to journal as I have created a series of Writing Trails on Lifewrite.AI. On Lifewrite, for a small subscription fee, writers can explore via AI-enabled journaling, their own thoughts and feelings about what it means to be an Earth Caretaker. They can then compose their own Earth Caretaking Life of Service commitment pledge and plan.

Collection Specifics

There are three different collections namely the Earth Spirits Collection, the Soul Connections Collection and the Headwaters Special Edition Collection.

Earth Spirits Collection

The Earth Spirits Collection includes one-of-a-kind root pieces that have been mounted on cast iron vintage lamp stands. Most are between 12 and 18” tall, though a few are made from larger, heavier and more complex root systems. In addition, are a few smaller pieces that have been mounted on vertical or horizontal display stands. Each has at least one healing stone mounted in a place that called to me. Other stones can be added in whatever way one wishes as can beads, crystals or energy jewelry. Most are designed for a coffee table, fireplace hearth or as stand -alone works of art in living rooms, offices, foyers or bedrooms, but can also be placed outside in your garden. The only catch is that if placed outside they will weather in a myriad of ways depending upon their environment. Re oiling the wood from time to time with Danish oil will help with some preservation, but I can’t provide any guarantees, as mother nature will work magical transformations in her own way. Each has been named with descriptions.

The Soul Connections Collection includes one-of-a-kind smaller stump pieces of various sizes and thicknesses. Most of these golden hued wonders are quite heavy due to the sap concentration and come in an array of sizes. Small ones are between 4-6 inches in length, medium-sized ones are 7-9 inches in length and large-sized ones are 10-12 inches in length. All are misshapen in various ways due to the way that they were pried out of the ground but most have at least one side that was exposed to the earth. These are designed for a home side table, fireplace hearth or mantle or atop a chest of drawers or bookcase. Each piece is designed to represent the four elements earth, fire, air and water in some way and include a small blue or amber tea LED light, a meta-physical stone and a small hand thrown pottery dish. The pottery dish can be used to add your own unique offerings to the altar or for incense burning. 

The Headwaters Commemorative Collection is a special ‘gratitude offering’ for the Headwaters Outdoor School Community. Made from relatively new Douglas Fir logs and pinecones originating on the Headwaters land near Mt. Shasta. Each piece is 4” – 5” in diameter and 2” thick and decorated with a blue or amber tea light and a green, white or blue glass crescent moon shaped glass stone or rainbow obsidian. Weight: 11.8 oz. These altars have been designed to thank community members for donating  $300 to Headwaters’ Walker-Hupp Fund. The Walker-Hupp Fund is a non-profit organization that helps those who don’t have the financial resources attend Headwaters Outdoor School classes and learn how to reconnect with the earth  through better nature awareness, improved wilderness life skills and better understanding of Earth philosophy and spirituality. All proceeds from the Headwaters Commemorative Collection on this site will be forwarded to the Walker-Hupp Fund.