Nature

Join us at Unity of Columbus for our Weekly Reiki Share, a peaceful and uplifting gathering for connection, healing, and growth. A Reiki Share is a time where Reiki practitioners and students come together to give and receive healing energy in a supportive and welcoming environment. These sessions will be moderated by Columbus Unity Reiki. Reiki is a hands-on energy healing method from Japan that first came to the United States in 1938. Since then, it has grown in popularity and is now widely practiced throughout the West. All levels are welcome, and you do not need to be a practitioner at Unity of Columbus to attend. If you are a Reiki practitioner, a Reiki student, or simply interested in becoming a Reiki student, we warmly invite you to join us. Come practice your healing techniques, learn new approaches, receive healing energy, and connect with a like-minded community in a space of relaxation, renewal, and positive energy.

Hosted by Ohio History Connection Address: Octagon Earthworks 125 N. 33rd St., Newark, OH 43055 UNESCO World Heritage Site Join us on June 18 at the Octagon Earthworks Visitor Center for a special evening celebrating the release of John E. Hancock’s new book, **Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks: Landscape Monuments of the Ancient Ohio Valley.** Event Schedule • Doors open: 6:30 p.m. • Lecture begins: 7 p.m. John Hancock will share the story behind Ohio’s remarkable Hopewell earthworks and how eight of these architectural masterpieces became UNESCO World Heritage Sites. He will also discuss how this new Smithsonian publication presents the latest knowledge about their astonishing scope, subtle beauty, and the brilliant Indigenous designers and builders who created them nearly 2,000 years ago. • Book signing: Immediately following the lecture. Books will be available for purchase. **Admission** • $10 per person or Free with a purchase of a book • Free for OHC members • Free for students with a valid ID **About the Book** Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks presents Ohio’s eight UNESCO-inscribed earthworks in a richly illustrated volume from Smithsonian Books. This expanded and re-edited edition of the sites’ World Heritage nomination dossier was produced in collaboration with the Ohio History Connection and the National Park Service. The book features illustrated descriptions and histories of these Indigenous masterpieces, summaries of archaeological research, insights from American Indian scholars and leaders, and discussions of the earthworks’ design, construction, and cultural significance. **About the Author** John E. Hancock taught architecture, design, and history at the University of Cincinnati for 40 years. He has produced numerous multimedia exhibits and publications about Ohio’s earthworks and served as the principal author and photographer for the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks UNESCO World Heritage nomination. In addition to this Smithsonian publication (April 2026), he has also released Traveler’s Guide to Ancient Ohio (April 2026). Come learn about one of the world’s greatest ancient landscapes and meet the author behind this exciting new publication! More info: [https://www.ohiohistory.org/events/lecture-and-book-signing-with-john-e-hancock/](https://www.ohiohistory.org/events/lecture-and-book-signing-with-john-e-hancock/)

The topic for June is "Roadtrip" Speak Easy: true stories, told live. The idea is simple: an audience, an open microphone, and great stories. Hilarious, gripping, poignant- it's up to you. Audiences are invited to come to listen or come to tell as folks from all corners of Columbus offer their stories live on stage! Held at Wild Goose Creative's warm, intimate space, this night of tales occurs on the 3rd Thursday of every month. Doors open at 6:30 pm, show starts at 7:00 pm. Please arrive early if you want to tell, as we generally only have room for a limited number of tellers, and the sign-up sheet has a tendency to fill up fast. Formed around the idea that people need stories--they're what hold and draw us together--SpeakEasy celebrates the strangeness and commonness of being human. And in a world of smartphones, Facebook, Twitter, and more . . . it gives people a real, breathing, in-person way to connect. The night is geared for true stories of all kinds, taking the best tales told around kitchen tables, in darkened pubs, on the street corner, and at late-night parties and giving them an audience. Speak Easy is also a great outlet for performers, writers, and artists looking to share their favorite stories and perfect their skills. We strongly encourage tellers to please tell the story rather than read it so we keep within the spirit of good storytelling and stay engaged with the audience. All are welcome. Hang around after the show for a drink and build community!

Interested? Contact Preston Moore k.preston.moore@gmail.com 614-300-5989 ———————————— Engaging in men’s work is the new way to forge friendships while being open-minded to personal growth. Many men experience healthier relationships, personally and professionally, by engaging in this work. Open Men’s Group is a container for men to share vulnerably without receiving judgment or feedback. We believe that emotionally mature, powerful, compassionate, and purpose-driven men will help heal some of society’s deepest wounds. We support the powerful brilliance of men and we are willing to look at, and take full responsibility for, the pain we are also capable of creating – and suffering. We care deeply about men, our families, communities, and the planet. Visit ManKind Project USA to discover more. https://mkpusa.org/

🔥 OVER 50 HAPPY HOUR at PBR EASTON! 🔥 Looking to meet new people, enjoy great music, dance, laugh, and have an unforgettable night out? Then grab your friends and join us for one of the most exciting Over 50 social events in Columbus! 📍 PBR Cowboy Bar + Smokehouse – Easton 📅 Thursday, June 18th ⏰ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM (and the fun keeps going!) This is NOT your typical quiet happy hour… this is a high-energy, country-meets-nightlife experience designed for fun-loving singles and couples over 50 who still enjoy getting out, socializing, and making memories! ✨ What’s Happening: 🎵 Live Music from 6:30–8:30 PM 🐂 Mechanical Bull Riding starting at 8:30 PM 💃 Line Dancing with Instructor from 9–10 PM 🎧 DJ & Dancing starting at 9 PM 🍹 Drink Specials All Night: $3, $4 & $5 specials! Whether you want to relax with a drink, hit the dance floor, try the mechanical bull, or just meet a great group of people in a fun atmosphere — this event has something for everyone. 👉 IMPORTANT: When you arrive, CHECK IN with the host under: “Doug / Meetup” to receive your wristband. 🚗 FREE Parking available across from the venue and at the Easton West Garage. Come when you can, leave when you want… but don’t be surprised if you stay all night! Let’s make Thursday night FUN again! 🎉

Let’s meet and wander the galleries! General admission on Sundays is free.

Who else is ready to sit outside? Join us for a casual chat over coffee & tea at Grandview Grind! Come out and meet some new people, enjoy your favorite drink, and make some new friends!

Let's grab some coffee/food and share a morning chat! The East Market has an ample parking lot and outdoor and indoor seating. Grab a cup of coffee from Winston's Coffee & Waffles or on your way to East Market and meet us on the second floor - table behind or east of the elevator. Per what this group is about: "Everyone is welcome! International transplants to Columbus who want to improve language skills, Columbus residents who enjoy talking to people from other countries, and those who would like to discuss international travel and culture, and who enjoy getting together for good conversations."

Welcome to Drunken Philosophy, a casual, curious, social discussion club. Come grab a drink and a seat at The Oracle. **Optional topic for this meetup: Where is everybody?** In 1950 the physicist Enrico Fermi was talking about aliens over lunch and asked a question that still has not gone away: if the universe is so vast and so old, and even a fraction of those billions of stars have planets, where is everyone? By the numbers the galaxy should be crowded with civilizations. Instead we look up and hear silence. That gap between "they should be everywhere" and "we see no one" is the Fermi Paradox. One of the most unsettling answers is the idea of a **Great Filter**: somewhere on the road from dead chemistry to a galaxy-spanning civilization, there is at least one step that is almost impossible to get past. Maybe the filter is behind us. Maybe life starting at all, or simple cells becoming complex, or intelligence ever evolving, is the freak accident, and we already cleared the hard part. Or maybe the filter is ahead of us, and advanced civilizations reliably wipe themselves out before they spread. Here is the part that messes with people. If we ever found life somewhere else, even pond scum on Mars, most people would call it the greatest discovery in history. But it might be the worst possible news. It would mean life is common, the early steps are easy, and the hard step is still in front of us. So the eerie silence overhead might actually be the best sign we could ask for. **Questions to wrestle with:** * Is it better to be alone? Would you rather we find alien life and learn we are not special, or find nothing and quietly improve our odds of surviving? * Where do you bet the filter sits, behind us or ahead of us, and why? * If it is ahead of us, what is it? Nuclear war, climate collapse, AI, something we cannot even picture yet? And can we do anything about a filter we cannot see coming? * Two principles pull opposite ways here. The principle of mediocrity (the Copernican principle, Sagan's "no privileged place in the universe") says we are ordinary, so what happened on Earth probably happened everywhere, which makes the silence scream louder. The anthropic principle says of course we find ourselves somewhere life was possible, since we could not observe anything else, so our being here may say almost nothing about how common life is. Which lens do you trust, and does the silence still demand an answer once you account for observer selection? * And if we did confirm life out there and had to accept we are not special, what would that do to belief in a higher power, and would shedding (or keeping) that belief help or hurt our odds of pulling together as one species? * Does any of this change how you live, or how humanity should be spending its time and money right now? As always the prompt is optional. Come for the conversation, stay for the drinks, and bring your own questions.

Sleep in on Sundays. When you've had your fill of pajama-time, roll out and have some tasty brunch with your fellow Humanists!

We will be marching again this summer at Pride. Come ready to show your Pride and stand-up for every human's right to love, respect, and family! * **Step-off:** 10:30AM * **Route:** High Street from the Capital to Goodale Park Update: We are meeting at Bob Leonhard's house. You can park your car there and we will carpool to the parade. This will eliminate you finding parking in the city and excessive walking. You SHOULD BE AT BOB'S HOUSE BY 8:45 a.m.! We will leave for the parade at 9:15 am sharp! Bob's address: 2858 Thorndale Avenue, Columbus, OH 43207 If you have questions, his number is 614-301-7436

Granville Land Lab 2025 Burg Street | Granville MEADOWS FOR MONARCHS PROJECT Learning Landscapes Tour + Community Science at the Land Lab Wednesday, July 1, 2026 9 a.m. - 12 noon: Program 12- 12:30: picnic lunch *meet at shelter house near Granville Intermediate School playground* Free. Registration Required so we know to expect you,[ click here https://www.lickingpollinatorpathway.org/land-lab-tour](https://www.lickingpollinatorpathway.org/land-lab-tour) Want to make your own wildflower meadow? Residents of licking county can sign up for this free program to receive free seed and training https://www.lickingpollinatorpathway.org/meadows **ABOUT THE EVENT** Join Pollinator Pathway for a morning at the Land Lab, a ~100-acre prairie and outdoor learning space just steps from Granville Intermediate School. This event explores how schools and other campuses can create living classrooms and contribute to community science. * **Tour the Land Lab:** Award-winning environmental science educator Jim Reding will lead guided tours through prairie, wetlands and other restored habitat, sharing the story behind this nationally-recognized space and the students and partnerships who helped make it happen. * **Contribute to Community Science with iNaturalist App:** Learn to identify and document plants, pollinators and other wildlife using iNaturalist. Dr. Karen Goodell, professor of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at The Ohio State University at Newark and one of Ohio's foremost experts on native bees will share how to use this powerful tool to learn about the natural world while contributing to scientific research. * **Connect & Collaborate:** The morning program concludes with an optional BYO picnic lunch and networking at the Land Lab shelter house, overlooking the prairie. **🌸Anyone passionate about conservation and outdoor learning is welcome🌸** **WHAT TO BRING, WEAR & PREPARE** * **Download the iNaturalist app (the new one vs. the "classic" one) & create an account prior to the event if you don't have one already.** * **Sunscreen** * **Water bottle** * **Insect repellent** * **Hat** * **Comfortable closed-toe shoes suitable for uneven terrain** * **Light-colored clothing.** * **Long pants and socks are encouraged.** * **Please bring a reusable water bottle** * **Packed/picnic lunch.** **Picnic table seating will be available at the shelter house overlooking the Land Lab**

Register for a hands-on art making workshop at the Octagon Earthworks, led by Newark Earthworks Center experts Marti Chaatsmith and Megan Cromwell, along with Ohio State’s 2025–26 Artist Laureate, Kate Shannon. The workshop will take place on June 22, 2026, 10 am - 2 pm (rain date: June 29th, 10 am - 2 pm) at 125 N. 33rd St. Newark, OH 43055. Ages 14 and up are invited to participate The cyanotype is a simple photographic process that uses sunlight and water to produce vivid blue images. During the workshop, participants will learn about the Octagon Earthworks before exploring the grounds to create place-based prints inspired by Hopewell culture Select prints created during the workshop will be featured in a subsequent exhibition at the Newark Earthworks Storyteller Gallery, on view from July 13 to August 28, 2026. The workshop is free. All materials are provided, lunch is included, and no prior experience is necessary. Questions can be directed to Professor Kate Shannon @ shannon.112@osu.edu. Space and supplies are limited. To register add your name, email address, and any dietary needs below. A follow up email will provide more detailed information about as the date approaches. Register for free at the link https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eQDXZbc7lgp4CZo

**Pagans on the Patio! Summer/Fall Series** A casual gathering the first Thursday of each month. Time to relax, meet new people, and reconnect with old friends. There is no charge for the event itself and all are welcome but there are a few guidelines: 1. **You are expected to purchase food and/or drink to compensate the Cantina and our server.** 2. **No soliciting. Do not bring samples of your wares or brochures of your services.** 3. **Please respect the spiritual and political views of others that are present. No disruption of the peace.** In case of inclement weather, we will find seating indoors. I hope to see you there. Blessed be! \~ Cynthia ❤️---

**Hike the Scioto Audubon trail. All paved and flat!** **Plan on 3-4 miles. Hike at your own pace, no one left behind.** **Lunch after at Nocterra for those who wish.**