• by Heiko Wirtz • When I took a Permaculture Design Course, I hoped to better understand how the principles of natural patterns might apply to our lives. Often, I have felt that when studying nature, one can understand many things about becoming good stewards of the land. It has been an eye opener for me to realize that the foundational concepts of permaculture like Care of the Earth, Care of the People and Fair Share can easily be applied to efforts of becoming more in tune with natural and spiritual laws. Concepts, like understanding water flow and reading the environment around you go hand in hand with understanding Spirit’s play in all we see.
How can we step lightly and heal our relationship with the Earth without conscious communication with Spirit? We must be open conduits for Spirit.
My own journey into permaculture is motivated by the hope of better understanding the interdependence between our natural environment and our soul’s connection with Spirit.The success of our connection can be measured by the health of the environments we caretake. Applying permaculture at Sunburst Sanctuary gives us a framework for understanding how to interact well with nature in this place, as it can for anyone wherever they find themselves.
Our plan for land stewardship wis multifaceted, including such aspects as retaining rainwater in our soils, mitigating erosion, bringing the land into greater productivity, and more. These efforts increase our inner connections with Spirit, increase the communication through our hearts that we have with our environment, and build cooperation among like-minded souls, as well as opening opportunities for selfless service. As Michael Leunig wrote:
God help us to live slowly,
to move simply, to look softly,
to allow emptiness,
to let the heart create for us.
Amen