Raising the bar of Consciousness....

Since my return home many things have happened...by choice of course! I've been researching local urban gardens, farms and organizations...I recently visited the Hayes Valley Urban Garden in the city and soon will tour the Commonweal Gardens in Sebastopol. I feel committed to get to know Marin, my local environment, to understand about our watershed(s), local conservation practices and organizations, and to become more involved. Recently I brought Rich with me and we attended a MALT event (Marin Agricultural Land Trust). I learned about how they help to conserve and preserve agricultural land. I watched a preview of a film entitled The Symphony of Soil...the film maker spoke and shared her inspirations...and it reiterated to me what I learned on Neverland Farm in Ecuador... it all boils down to the quality of our soil...and to take it further, in biodynamics, our spiritual connection to the land. Two farmers spoke that day and I enjoyed hearing what they had to say...I have a new found respect for farmers. These people do it because they love it, because it's what they know, it sustains them.... they care about food and agriculture, their local communities. Their farms are sustainable...their animals and plants are used to create a sustainable eco-system within the farm...in a complementary way. The animals have good lives, they don't stand in manure lagoons, nor are they living in feedlots...These are real farms! Last night I went to a presentation by Michael Pollan...author of the book The Omnivore's Dilemna...it was awesome! He talked about oil based food (fertilizer, pesticides, diesel, mass growth of corn and soybeans) vs sun based food (self contained type eco-system, sustainable, sun powered not artificial/temporary chemical fertilizer powered).

Another bigger step I'm taking is to grow my own food here at home. With Rich's help, I am in the midst of creating/planning my own Biodynamic garden patch...It's about 900 square feet...all raised beds with a deer fence around to protect it from critters. Over the past two weeks the land has been cleared and old unproductive fruit trees removed to make way for new ones. We are planting a Meyer lemon, Santa Rosa plum, Pink Lady apples, and a lime tree to go with our fig and cherry trees in the same area. I have also already begun a medicinal herb garden. We are having a Biodynamic Garden Seed Planting day/ potluck on May first (May Day) with Walter and Susan Moora who will be here from Ecuador staying with us for a few days.  I have asked Walter to do an earth meditation to help break ground on the new garden...we will plant seeds, have an outdoor communal lunch with friends and family, a talk on stewarding the earth, a mixing and spraying of biodynamic preparations and a closing. I am so excited!

I have started saving fruit and vegetable scraps in the kitchen for composting...I am now buying no phosphate laundry soap and cleaning products which are safe for the environment.
I already buy only organic but am starting to ask where my meat and other foods come from as I want to buy as close to home as possible. One of the farmers who spoke for the MALT event told us that the single most important thing we can do as consumers, in terms of our food, is to buy LOCAL! So, I am!

I am also beginning to really understand and appreciate how fortunate we are to live in this area, where consciousness about our food and our environment abounds! I plan on taking a course through the EFM (Environmental Forum of Marin) starting in August that runs one day a week for seven months...it's all about education and understanding what is going on here in Marin County...with field trips and speakers. There is also an advocacy component and a big project at the end.

I continue to volunteer at Green Gulch Farm every week...which sustains me on many levels...It's my sangha (community). I love working on the land with my hands in the soil, where the environment is clean and beautiful...it keeps me close to my practice....and I am learning more about farming, cover crops, rotations, etc.

Alot is happening and I do feel inspired....it makes such a difference to really be involved and understand what is going on. I continue to want to be a good steward of the earth, living at the highest level of consciousness possible.

finally posting photos

arrival; preparing to hike into the farm

altar we made in our room

preparing our first rows to seed

heavy rains required dismantling of the bridge to the farm

beauty of the valley in the southern highlands

seed planting and land taking shape

rope bridge

preparing to cross the river into the farm on horseback

with Susan, Walter's wife and two new dogs "Charlie" and "Chocolate"

Me, Joseph, Walter, Susan, Ashley and Chimene

Entrance to Serendipity Farm...so awesome

having fun with Ecuadorians Patricio and Andres

communal style meals

making the Biodynamic compost

just in time...our seed planting emerges!

On our last day....

Closing ceremony....

and our beautiful natureful altar

our chore schedule...!

Ashley, Walter and I break into dance before heading out...

I decided to help plant trees the day before I left with the locals in Vilcabamba

an opening ceremony...

2000 trees planted by 200 of us...I was dirty, pooped and very happy!

Vilcabamba, Neverland and Serendipity Farm....

It's been two weeks since I've posted... as access to the internet was either non-existent or very brief! The Farm experience has been so much more than I ever expected. It is Walter Moora's dream to teach people about Biodynamic farming, to enable and inspire them to be good stewards of the earth....He taught/reminded us about our connection to the land and our spiritual relationship to it, our food, animals, soil. We ate fruit and vegetables grown on the farm everyday....No chemicals have ever touched the sacred farm soil....ever! The composts are made from indigenous plants, cow manure and homeopathic preparations as taught by Rudolf Steiner. Everyday we meditated with our feet firmly planted on the ground, and worked at preparing the land, composts, preparations and planting the seeds which grew into little sprouts just in time for us to notice before we left. We had discussions daily... to help us understand the importance of the farm organism and the preparations used on the land. Walter's wife Susan led us in looking at our lives to create our own destiny paths. We learned about homeopathy from an experienced and well trained homeopath living in Vilcabamba, and  also had two long sessions with an experienced healer and life coach who lived on a small area of land nearby.

The workshop participants were awesome...There were four of us primarily. We all came there seeking and in the midst of transitioning, with a very similar passion to explore and to find our higher purpose in life. For me, the consciousness bar has been raised and I feel quite inspired on many levels...not just about farming! Though, I do plan now to put a small patch of land to use on our property to grow some of our own vegetables and fruit. I am also inspired to start a small garden of medicinal plants...and to get my Dad involved as he is so knowledgeable and has his own variety of medicinal plants in Salinas. I loved being in Ecuador, surrounded by the dramatic Southern Highlands (Andes mountains)everyday. It was so incredible. I felt a strong connection to the earth and looked forward to being in nature everyday. It was great to get to know the local Ecuadorians who work on the farm...and the volunteers who were not in the Biodynamic program but simply there to contribute to the farm organism and live in an intentional community. We all took turns preparing and serving our communal style meals and connecting with one another about our lives and experiences in the world.

The weather here has been an interesting factor...the first three days after our arrival (on foot) there was very heavy rain...so much so that it temporarily took out both wells which provide water to the property...So when we arrived there was no potable water! Though that got resolved by the next morning. By the third day, the river was so high and so intense we had to quickly get over to the other side while one of the bridges leading to the farm was partially dismantled so it wouldn't get washed away...it was quite dramatic! Also, while we were there two new dogs were integrated into the farm...one a rescued full grown golden retreiver that had been abused (Charlie who was in pretty rough shape) and a little brown puppy named "Chocolate" who I got to bring in on horseback and across the river.

I learned so much about the importance of staying connected to our food source...we are all part of the same universe...so the way we grow our food in an essence is the way we care for ourselves...Chemical fertilizers and monoculture farming is not a sustainable practice...We have a great responsibility to nurture the land as we would nurture ourselves...We are all interconnected...We cannot be one way in one part of our life and so vastly different in another...in terms of what we value and how we take responsibility. Nurturing and caring for our land, our food and animals...all living things...is our responsibility and our priviledge...We must be active stewards of these resources...These are the resources that sustain our life here on this planet...There is so much for us to do....I for one want to step up to the plate...I hope more of us will too!

First day in Quito...

So great to have a full day to just explore...These images depict a smattering. The first two are from the center of the old town in the Plaza Grande in downtown Quito...there are massive mountains on the western side so it's cool to look up from the plaza amidst narrow streets and see the mountains looming so close by.

The next few are from an awesome photography show I went to "World Press 10" at the Centro Cultural Metropolitano. It was a juried international photo competition, asking photographers to make a statement about the world today...almost 200,000 photographers applied and 21 were chosen to represent. The images were stunning, shocking, disturbing, beautiful, moving and funny.  It was so interesting...

Images three and four are part of the same story in Zimbabwe involving a village and an elephant which I found fascinating...you can read about it yourself.

Image five is dedicated to Rich...about the World Masters Games (the worlds largest multi-sport event) with mature competitors from around the globe taking part in 28 different sports...The old guy here is an australian, aged 91, after swimming the 800 meters freestyle.

Image six made me cry. It's a mother comforting her (soldier) son after he lost 40% of his brain during a grenade explosion in Iraq. You can see how much of his skull is missing...they are at a hospital in Massachusetts.

The next two images are just more around the plaza...some adorable teenage boys all too willing to be photographed...

The final one is looking out the airplane window as we were about to land on tierras sudamericanas...the bright red light was awesome...

It was a good day....minimal rain, no real altitude issues...learned about and ate some very tasty local dishes (involving alot of corn and plantains and excellent savory sauces) and now all I want is my luggage back for the next leg tomorrow...let's see if the airline comes through...

I went to a great open air artisan mercado and shopped around...it was fun to interact with local ecuadorians...many people want to know why I speak spanish so well and where I'm from...also visited a clositered nuns monastery which sounds like it could be boring but wasn't! 

And...pretty soon I will be in the land of no electricity or internet so I'm indulging while I have the chance...It takes some committment to post on a blog...especially when you're wordy and love to share photographs like me!

Quito!

Arrived in the dark, at 10pm this evening, so I am curious to wake up tomorrow and really see what it's like around here!  I am wide awake at 9000 ft. in altitude, it's misty foggy rain out...though no umbrella necessary. Had a strange luggage issue as my bag came out of the carousel completely unzipped with the interior (clothes and all) totally exposed...the zipper got ripped off somehow, and all the other zippers were open too...like my bag had been ransacked, even the TSA lock was missing, very weird...but, the good news is nothing was missing. The airline is having it repaired asap and supposedly delivering it to the hotel by tomorrow night before I head south to Loja on Saturday morning. I am always grateful to speak the mother tongue when in a spanish speaking country...tantas gracias Mom and Dad. Goodnight, time for ambien!

Ecuador bound to explore biodynamic farming...

In just four days I depart for Quito and work my way south through Loja, then down toward the Andean Highlands of Ecuador...to a remote farm just outside of Vilcabamba. It is a rustic setting where there is no electricity or internet (though there are compost toilets...woo hoo!) and one has to hike in to get to the property. It is for people who want to learn... and become self sufficient in biodynamic gardening/farming skills, who love the outdoors, who wish to expand their consciousness and take greater responsibility in stewarding the Earth. This feels good to me. It's not that I have grand plans to become a farmer but I do have an interest in finding out more about this process. It is becoming increasingly important to farm this way...to keep the land (soil) healthy, productive and sustainable. It is the opposite of our current style of monoculture farming which uses imported artificial chemical fertilizers and removes the nutrients in the soil forever. Biodynamic farming involves rotating crops which are complementary and indigenous to the particular area or region, taking into consideration local climate, soil, animals, and plants. It is all about the interrelationship between these elements. It utilizes composting or animal manure for fertilization rather than importing external artificial fertilizers. It is a holistic form of organic farming which can help to sustain our environment. There is a part of me that is becoming interested in urban farming....something I would like to explore further. But for now it's off to work and learn at a farm in Ecuador! I am here, in this moment, on a beautiful Sunday evening in Marin County...preparing for the journey ahead.

keeping the journey alive and making spanish Sopa de Garbanzo at home with my son...