“Enough is Enough”: The Legacy of Luna

It’s weird…most people have never heard of Julia Butterfly Hill, yet once you know who she is, she’s hard to forget.

Hill spent over two years in one of Earth’s Elders: the Redwoods. The tree in which Hill resided is named Luna, primariliy because of the wonderful view she provides of the moon and sky.

“Enough is Enough” are the words of Hill, written in her compassionate book titled, The Legacy of Luna. The meaning behind the phrase refers to Hill’s attitude toward the human treatment (clear cutting) that our Elders have faced over the years. Consequently, Hill took her own initiative to protect Luna and those around her in the magnificant California Redwood Forest. She decided to occupy the tree without once touching the ground until her quest to protect Luna was complete.

Now, this was no easy ambition as you can imagine: Hill lived through both El Nino and El Nina – at the top of a massively tall Redwood!

In her book, she explains the rush of emotions she felt in the first year, and how she was expecting death each time a storm came (which was quite frequent). Not only was she emotionally distraught for fear of her life, but she was also frantic at the notion of losing Luna. At first, Hill aimed to resist the storms, yet as her relationship with Luna grew, she began to learn from her.

Hill began to observe the ways in which trees could withstand such strong storms, and then realized that they simply “let go”. Instead of holding on for dear life, Hill began to bend and flow; essentially “let go”, just as Luna did. Not only did this method assist Hill in her surivial physically, but also emotionally. Hill began to see her goal as something she had to do, yet need not worry about the weight in which people put on her because in the end, it was between Hill and Luna.

Granted, The Legacy of Luna is a little biased concerning the happenings that occurred during Hill’s stay in Luna, yet her written journey is nonetheless remarkable. Hill resisted countless attempts by Pacific Lumber to bring her down, including intimidation as well as the prevention of supplies; essentially they aimed to starve her out! Luckily, Hill had some enviro-supporters who provided distractions and thus aiding Hill’s survival. Finally, Pacific Lumber announced that they could simply “outlast her”. They thought wrong. Hill discussed her determination to save Luna and believe me, she was determined!

Her determination led to a media frenzy, with celebrites like Woody Harrelson, Joan Baez and Mickey Hart making visits to her. Soon, Pacific Lumber felt pressured to finally communicate (peacefully) with Hill.

The Legacy of Luna is one of those books where you feel like you need to do something after completing this easy-read. Julia Butterfly Hill is a special and passionate human being who preaches that there is no “us” and “them”, and that love (and hate) resides in all living beings. In her battle to protect the Redwoods, she never once lashed out against Pacific Lumber and gave up; she maintained her conviction that all entities have the right to live and be protected.

In the end, one must learn to respect all living things, especially your Elders.

Catherine