The ancient Greeks preferred clay and stone, while the Romans opted for a sponge on a stick. The Nara-period Japanese pulled off the sponge and used the stick as a scraper. Henry VIII had his very own Groom of the Stool (a highly respected position) who provided hands-on ministration to the King. And until the Scott brothers introduced toilet paper on a roll in 1890, Americans preferred the Old Farmer’s Almanac and Sears Roebuck catalog as their outhouse attendants.

What is the transformative potential when people and place are hosted with intention? Vanessa Reid explores a journey with the land, relationships and practices of Axladitsa-Avatakia.