First Quarter Moon of August (on Depth)

We are one-quarter of the way through the moon cycle; the moon is waxing - growing in light and energy, creating a time for decisive action.

August is rich in abundance; so much to do, so much to see! I'm challenged to gather in the fruits of the season, and share them with the world. 

My theme this month is depth and my life path, and I'm moving forward on some big ideas! I use this August quarter moon's energy to help me to take action on the work I'm called to. For this, I need discernment (insight and clarity) and tenacity (firmness of purpose).

Agenda:
1. Journal queries

2. Read "The Earth Path"

3. Life-path discernment process

3. Make a full effort plan

4. Write a mission haiku

5. Give aid to the soil

1. Journal queries:

Today, at the first quarter moon, I prepare to give full effort to my priorities.

If there were no barriers to what I could do in life, what new work would I undertake that would bring me personal fulfillment?

What potential challenges and obstacles do I face this week and month (things I don’t enjoy, don’t know how to approach, or feel blocked on)? How can I best meet these challenges?

What do I need (tools, information, allies) to help me on my path?

2. Read "The Earth Path":

I'm reading Starhawk's book, The Earth Path (2004), which is all about how to connect to nature. In chapter two, Seeds and Weapons, she laments our antiquated agricultural model that sees the harvest as profit, and any unintended consequences of actions as anomalies (such as herbicides that get into the water and cause the death of fish, or clearcuts that cause erosion, or mono-cultures that have destroyed biodiversity in third world countries.) 

But we don't have to take responsibility for anomalies; they are just quirks of nature.

She calls this the "weaponry" approach to agriculture, "killing pests with toxic chemicals, tackling weeds with herbicides, and destroying soil life with chemical fertilizers. And these practices don’t work ...These practices have destroyed farming communities from Iowa to India, driving small farmers off the land and consolidating land and food production in corporate hands."

Starhawk says that modern science has actually moved on from this model, and has embraced systems, complexity, chaos, and Gaia theories - "akin to the way indigenous peoples have always experienced the earth as alive and relational." 

"In this model, a plant is part of a living community of relationships that includes billions of soil microorganisms, worms, insects, other plants, birds, predators, and humans, all of which interact together to create a network of dynamic interactions. A crop can’t be seen in isolation—it is part of the web. ... This model looks at systems, not isolated elements. If bugs are devouring your plants, it’s a sign that something is out of balance in the overall community. Some predator that could eat the bugs is missing, or something is putting the plants under stress and making them more vulnerable. If your plants are diseased, look to the health of the soil."

3. Life-path discernment process:

My life is also part of a web. I am connected to the earth and to my community, and all of my grand plans are in service to that connection. I'm on a path to transformation, of myself and the world I live in, and all I can do is take the next step.

That's the gift we have - to see what needs to change and do the work to change it. No matter our limitations, we CAN make the world better, one smile, kind word, or conversation at a time. The transformation I am suggesting is a small shift towards a better life - an inner renovation, a lifestyle alteration, an adjustment in a relationship, a new project or service. 

I know where I'm being nudged, and I've been discerning my next steps. My discernment process involves:

-Using my practical wisdom, collecting information, reflecting on my values, and weighing all the possibilities for action. 

-Seeking a leading of the spirit (God or Inner Guide) with an open mind and heart. 

-Seeking clearness by inviting thoughtful questioning (not advise) from some people I trust.

I'm in discernment about two things:

One is a seemingly simple idea that involves a lot of people - who all have their own ideas and worries; I'm going to use all my discernment and listening skills, and keep an open mind.

And one is a bigger life path question regarding my painting that feels like a vortex of chaos, and has been painful and frustrating. After a lot of time, I stillI don't have a clear idea of next steps, but I have faith that light will dawn if I keep faithful to the process.

 

4. Make a full effort plan: 

At any point in my life I will always have some things to pause and discern about, and other things I'm ready to act decisively on. I have three large projects before me this month: 

I'm working (with others) on a proposed "minute" on reducing plastic waste in the world. (A minute is Quaker-speak for a formal record of an agreement to action on a specific concern).

I'm helping to organize a bike ride called "Haul Your Assets Ride: How to Carry Heavy and Awkward Stuff". We have big plans, and I need to get to work on my share of them.

And I'm fully engaged in our home garden project: Building a new patio, weeding, watering, harvesting, preserving, and learning more about permaculture.

All three of these projects will require my Full Effort, and a spark of energy and determination: I'll need to connect to my excitement for life, and sustain it long enough to accomplish my goals. I'm going to make a "full effort plan" for each of these projects, including: 

• a backwards calendar
• a motivational mantra 
• plenty of time scheduled
• check-in times with partners
• evaluation of my efforts 

5: Write a Mission Haiku:

My missions are my various big projects or directions in life. Today I'm thinking about my mission to "give a voice to nature and the environment, create love poems to the earth, and share my growth and learning about earth care with the wider world using my artwork".

This is a clear mission, but I'm confused still about how and what. Today I'll write my mission as a haiku, because a poem has a unique ability of getting to the core of a Truth, and I'm always surprised by what surfaces. Here's the steps I use:

1. Write a brief, evocative sentence or two describing this top mission in my life, and the significant issues that surround it:

Giving a voice to nature requires a deep connection and communication with Creation. And then, creating and sharing my artwork requires inspiration, tenacity and verve. I'm clearly called to do these things but I haven't found my path forward yet.

 

2. List the most exciting or pleasing verbs that describe what I want to do with this mission:

Open, listen, communicate, connect, grow roots, love, create, share, teach, inspire  

3. Next, list some core values that prompt this mission:

Unity with Nature, Purpose, Witness, Integrity, Love, Creativity, Truth

4. Turn these sentences, verbs, and values into a haiku, an unrhymed poetic form consisting of 17 syllables arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively (or a Cinquain, which is five lines, with 2, 4, 6, 8, and 2 syllables), that gets to the core of my mission, and gives me a framework for my actions.

Take root, grow skyward,

and create love poems to the earth; 

share them on the wind.

5. Give aid to the soil:

Going back to what Starhawk said - "If your plants are diseased, look to the health of the soil"  - I did a deep dive on permaculture websites, and found The Definitive Guide to Building Deep Rich Soils by Imitating Nature, from a blog called Permaculture Apprentice, by William Horvath.

Horvath says to start by simulating the conditions where the intended plants are originally found in nature:

"Annual plants colonize bare soil following a disturbance. As they wither and die at the end of their growing season their remains fall on the ground and act as mulch that bacteria and earthworms feed upon. This cycle repeats itself annually, with organic matter building and the creation of humus."

Here is what he says to do to replicate these conditions: 

• Don’t disturb the subsoil: As can be seen in nature, to establish annuals you have to intervene mechanically (i.e., disturb the soil) to prepare beds for planting. However, till only on the surface, so you don’t disturb the subsoil structure.

• Encourage biological tillage: The undisturbed subsoil lets earthworms dig their tunnels and provides aeration and drainage while their exertions bind together crumbs of soil. Earthworms, microbes, and other soil organisms can perform much of the tillage needed to create and maintain loose, fertile soils.

• Bring your soil to life with compost: If your soils are biologically dead, the microbes your soil needs have to come from  added compost. Good compost supplies both the organic matter for soil building and the fertilizer for the crops, and it’s packed with soil organisms that trigger biological activity.

Chopped pea vines as mulch around beets

• Maintain organic matter with mulch: Once you have your soil biology working for you, you need to feed it so it can feed your plants. One of the easiest ways is to mulch with lawn grass clippings, leaves, straw, cover crops or compost. Mulch is left on the surface to decompose, in effect, composting in place. Then, by the actions of earthworms, bacteria, fungi and insects, the organic matter is slowly broken down and released into the soil, providing nutrients to the garden.

• Use crop rotation to mimic the diversity of annual plants in nature: Differing root systems among plants penetrate the soil to different depths, improving its structure. By ensuring crop diversity and alternating crops you allow soil to keep producing without being drained of its nutrients, while simultaneously eliminating a number of diseases and harmful insects that often occur when one species is continuously cropped.