Placecraft: Soil & Soul
Placecraft: Soil & Soul
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Efficiency

25/6/2014

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Most of my days this week have been working on Laurence Cole & Deanna Pumplin's home in the Port Townsend Ecovillage - the house we've come to think of as a Living Prayer. As part of our official day's course during our plastering work-parties, we begin the day with check-ins. Check-ins give us a chance to hear from everyone: How are their bodies - any injuries, aches, or cautions? How are their emotions, and general disposition - grumpy, sad, or excited? As a working group, it not only gives us a more accurate expectation of how we will work together that day, but also creates a bond as we get to know each other, and establish trust and understanding. As Laurence Cole is a bringer of community through song, we also usually sing together. 

On the middle day of our largest work party for clay plaster on the interior - we're a crew of about 12. We opened for an hour, hearing from each person what stage of life we feel we're moving into, our latest breakthroughs or struggles, our passions and interests, why we're here and how it fits in. 

People have mixed overall experiences of these longer processes. One person stated they were feeling a little antsy by the end. A few of us felt incredibly energized. I arrived that morning well exhausted, but I was touched by what others had shared and shifted by the opportunity to share myself, and by the end of circle I was filled with energy and joyfully worked another 10 hours. In fact, in the moment of singing a simple song at the end of the day with a new friend, rounding a window corner with mud and the westerly golden light shining through the window, I would say this day, which began with a Heart Circle, was the most significant day of my life since 2009 when I first heard Mark Lakeman speak about Placemaking. 

"Time is money" doesn't culturally allow for this level of intimacy in a work setting, especially a construction setting. Yet, I have seen - in many cases - when good relationships and a healthy working environment are prioritized, work happens more smoothly. The entire operation is extremely efficient. 

When I was an organizer for the Village Building Convergence, between the years 2011, and 2012 we decided to implement "Heart Space" into the official meetings for the Core organizing group. I had been with VBC 2010 and 2011 and experienced our meetings in what was 'normal' for us then, which was roughly consensus decision making with a loose timeline and working-group updates that guided the agenda week-to-week. We met for two hours weekly. Two hours for a group ranging anywhere from 7-25, with approximately 6 working-groups, and at least two "big topics" of discussion at any given time, every 120 minutes was precious. However, we made the commitment to carve out 20 minutes EVERY WEEK specifically for "Heart Space". 

The difference in the quality of the meetings was dramatic. I witnessed far less in-fighting, far less personal-stuff negatively drawing on the group energy, far more willingness to listen easily to each other. We addressed conflicts directly, we spoke honestly, and we became familiar with feelings of gratitude for each other. (We largely followed the format of Heart of Now exercises for this time.) Though the difference is immeasurable, I found our meetings to be vastly more efficient even though we were spending less time talking about "what we came there for". 

Efficiency is achieving the best product in relation to the amount of work that is put in. I expect this can be thought of in about 7 billions ways. With natural building, I view the use of materials as being extremely efficient. On a human-scale, I can expend energy collecting clay soil, sand, straw, and water, and mix it together on a tarp, and build walls not unlike a pinch pot to create a giant bowl I can live in. And I can keep doing it as long as I eat a bunch of really good food. My day's work requires dinner. Very different than the processes of most all other conventional construction materials. The amount of raw energy expended to create the 'product' does not even come close to the dollar amount that is subsidized and then sold cheaply en mass. 

Similarly, 'weeds' very efficiently bring needed nutrients to the surface without any additional care. A dandelion bioaccumulates rich minerals from a deep taproot and brings them up to the surface, produces edible greens, provides bee forage, makes delicious root tea, digestive tincture, and seasonal wine, is a companion plant to almost any vegetable, is completely fun to make wishes with, and if undesired otherwise, adds rich nutrients to the compost. All without needing any care. I love how we (can) use things like dandelion and yarrow every day. The plants we need the most are easy to grow. 

As a culture, we often use the word 'efficiency' without considering its true implications. It would benefit to pause and think, "What does it mean for things to run smoothly? How do I put my energy to best use?" Chad Toomey, our outdoor leadership teacher in college said to us, "Slow is efficient. Efficient is fast." So when we take an hour or more to do a Heart Circle at the beginning of the day at a construction site, we recognize that as efficient. We no longer separate "the place" where we go to meet with friends from "the place" where we go to work from "the place" where we receive counseling from "the place" where we are appreciated from "the place" where we go to eat. When these things are once again integrated, the system learns efficiency. 

From a cost-analysis standpoint for the homeowners of a house, to pay a few workshop leaders and accept a crew of volunteers who want to learn how to build with natural materials and connect in a deeper way is about the same dollars-wise as a cut-and-dry fully experienced crew-for-hire. Work happens about one day slower, give or take, but in a way that cultivates learning, growth, opportunity for connection, lasting friendships, and great feelings of accomplishment and purpose... the amount of 'product' we get from the workshop setting is exponentially greater, in essentially the same amount of time. Our working team becomes our community. We eat burritos at the beach for sunset and share our dreams in the morning - or not. Silence is acceptable too, some choose not to sing, and part of us working together is only doing what brings us Alive, and naturally we find our place on the job-site accordingly. 

We never know the futures that will take place as a result of who we meet, or why. A volunteer on the Living Prayer House - a videographer - took beautiful footage of the process she was there for, and we're hoping to work together with those deeply involved in the project to create a movie to share the story of this H\house and why its heart beats.

We create our experiences based on intention and presence. How do we use our energy for the greatest amount of good, for our highest growth, to utilize our creative potential? How do we come to think of efficiency as sacred? How do we come to recognizing that "labor intensive" processes - of making things with our hands, of engaging our bodies, of connecting our hearts - lead to overall less work as a society and more strength in culture and personal purpose? 

I don't believe there's one right way to do it. Effective and beautiful uses of energy are accomplished in a multitude of ways. Each person holding a unique lens for their own application.
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Building Home

23/6/2014

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This house is much older than it seems, 
every detail embodies a long strand of memories
of all of our moments, which lead us exactly right here
of every morning circle which draws our hearts near.
Of the ancientness of mountains that brought us sand
of the timeless texture of mud left on our hands.
This house is shaped as slowly as stone,
loved and protected, each a piece of our own.
Every trowel with the perfect grip, 
every rock on the terrace in a perfect fit,
and every day to emanate Relationship.

Our spirits have magnetized mysteriously,
materialized, and realized completely
in 13 hour days we're not growing weary.
Seven billion people, and our footsteps brought US as one, 
the imprint of story come to watch the setting sun.
Oh, the sunsets! How they open my heart!
Oh, the light and the clouds and the trees: the best art!
The landscape of the day’s rises and falls
become topography of our stories written into the walls.
We work together, never fully alone
surrounded by old friends:
clay, sand, wood, water, and stone.

I am standing on the portch outside,
and I’m loosing myself in the texture of lime.
I am only the weight of a muddy trowel hanging comfortably in my hand
only the wave of feeling all kinds of beings working well on this land.
Manure on the walls and in the garden below me, 
and I, the bringer of Raspberry Savoring Ceremonies. 
I see our hands reaching out and rubbing the air
and right where our hands stop, a house appears there. 
Shelter, sweet shelter, for our spirits and Souls
for so many beings to now call this place “Home”. 
How many hands have touched this place?
And two hundred years from now, 
will every square inch the air be graced 
by the presence of a bee or a bird,
or butterfly or a bug?
And the vibrational echo of every loving hug?
Thank you to those tending this place before us, 
Thank you for working with us in Trust. 
May our presence be welcome, loving, and kind.
May we co-create beauty each moment of time.

Each who comes, Welcome, Forevermore.
Weave your story into our local Lore.
Home is our Forever-Place taken to
Wherever-Place that we are.
Our Home is with us, even when we're afar.
All work is sacred, no matter how temporary... 
so let us bring our Forever into contemporary.
This house, not my own, but it is part of my Home,
created and crafted and cared for with Soul. 
I feel the oldness and wisdom of rock
Watching over us, sturdy, while our hearts ever unlock.

We know healing happens through a mutual melting
an enzymatic shift of spirit smelting.
We listen and grow to a mirroring edge
and watch swallows swoop ‘round and under the ledge.
We bundle up for beach sunsets at the end of the day
and loose stones we keep close, an invitation to play.
We have sang every day, and we will sing sweet and strong,
and I feel as though Humans have done this all along.
The ageless feeling persists in the lime
these walls will become harder and smoother with time.
Water washes a sheen and the rock’s colours glow
and soon these walls, too, will cure back into stone.
Picture
Photo by Deanna Pumplin, Living Prayer House, Port Townsend Ecovillage
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Hugelkultur Workshop

9/6/2014

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Thanks to everyone who made this a success! From the prep party to this first workshop.
We sing in the morning, and we speak from our hearts
We share in the work, and balance 'plans' to 'just start'
What language is common? 
What purpose is ours?
No matter uncertainty, we can find work for hours.
Find work in appreciating the texture of wood
and work in no more idea of what 'should'.
We make home for the mushrooms and termites and ants
to let the wood decompose into humus for plants.
All we do is just gather logs and bury them into ground
As my friend Chris used to say, "Humans: We Move Stuff Around."

We didn't get to sowing any literal seeds, but we sure made a big pile of logs together. :)

We decided not to add soil for a few reasons: 
1. We consolidated our efforts into making the pile pretty much full-height, but only building half of it, so ultimately it wants to wrap into the property and therefore needs more building - and more wood than we had. 
2. It will be better for the plants we have (native donations from someone met at a seed swap, plants from the dump pile at a local nursery, and divisions from friends around town) to transplant in the fall rather than in the draught and heat of summer. 
3. "Weeds" will not grow in unplanted soil in the mean time. 
4. We haven't yet found a source of clean fill dirt.

We did have a great donation of a bit of deer fencing to protect plants in the fall. Thanks Tinker!

We adjusted our plans for the weekend's goals when everyone who signed up for the workshop canceled. 

An astrological note: I usually check before I schedule workshops, but forgot this time, and Mercury went retrograde the very day we started. Mercury is the planet of communication, when it's retrograde it's a time of reflection rather than a time of more usual "outward" thinking - often "plans" don't go as planned. It's a great time to study, reflect, organize, for new opportunities to arise... but not great for thinking things will go the way you thought they would. 

In any case, different people than expected came and helped with the pile in wonderful and timely ways. A neighbor down the street donated an additional truckload of wood when she learned what we were doing. We ran out of wood at the end of the second day, and used all the small stick piles around the property, which is what we wanted. Overall, we felt the volume of work accomplished was impressive (we still made a huge pile!) and well-paced (easy going). 

Stay tuned for 'round two' when we build the rest of the hugel pile and plant into it!
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Follow Your Feelings

4/6/2014

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All feelings, follow them.
They are a secret gateway to the joy
that is meant specifically for you
should you choose to invest in such curiosities.

Follow them as deep as they go
and be patient with yourself 
as you pause to laugh, or cry, or
do something else for a few days.

No turn of events will lighten your heart.
No one will make you feel Loved.
Joy is unconditional,
and the conditions are of multitude,
so what do you choose?

Together,
we are remembering an old story,
as if we recall the earthly smell of old books
and rocks, and fire-smoke,
that say, oh yes, We. Are.
Together.

Oh yes,
I am Alive 
and oh yes, 
I am of One
and oh yes,
I am Free.

And I choose Joy.

And should you encounter difficulty and stress,
you might pause and pretend...
pretend that moment perfectly pairs to your growing edge
your next 'level up' matched with a little shakin' up, 
a little thinking on your feet
a little life-hacking cheat
a little deep feeling 
a little healing
and a little humour.

You may also pretend
it is a dramatic collapse...
that we still must fight each other
and forever relapse.
And while we're pretending, 
let's pretend there's no such thing as mishaps!

We say,
our feelings are no accident
and our choices follow us along...
we can do this day the same old way
or we can lift ourselves out of the fog.

Breathe.
It is all one moment, gone.
And the relationship of all things
forever lives on.
Picture
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    Tusa dePalatine ::: 
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Placecraft: Soil & Soul
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