Energy has seemed to be in stasis, the last throes of winter killing or wiping clean what no longer needs to exist. For us Northern Hemispherians, the change began in early February, the midway point between solstice and equinox, a time long recognized as the start of the agricultural calendar supported by old Western traditions and the Lunar New Year.
Filled with life and human stories of human use, “vacant” lots—called such due to what’s not there—have a lot there. Buildings, along with their social dynamics and histories, have stood on these grounds—iterations of construction forgotten can be rediscovered with a quick investigation of property records and a chat with a neighborhood elder; taking a look around at the wild plants on the site should get you started on a particular lot’s story.
What stood there, what stands there, what happened there, what is happening there, what grows and thrives in these areas that are recovering, outside of proscribed use, are all available to our imaginations, eyes, and hands. On this vernal equinox, this Full Sap Moon, visit one of the 32,000 outdoor classrooms in the city, your most local “vacant” lot, and commune with what emerges and thrives there. v
