Finding a sense of surplus....

It's easy to grasp the wisdom in the first two of permaculture's three ethical principles. The benefits of "care for the earth" and "care for people," are obvious, and it's not a difficult step to put those principles into practice. But then comes that third, more challenging principle, "share the surplus." That's where some of us waver a bit. How large a pile do we need to store up before some of it spills over into the category of surplus? What if we give the surplus away and then badly need it tomorrow?

"Because they were connected with spirit, archaic people felt full, so they didn't need to hoard. We hoard because we feel empty, and have nothing to fill our emptiness except material things. Modern people feel this emptiness so acutely because we are too clever to believe in the divine. We have bludgeoned God to death with the tools of science, logic, and philosophy. Only what we see and measure is real, and consciousness is merely an epiphenomenon of brain chemistry, not a link to the Creator. The scarcity ethic has its true roots in the immaterial, in our disconnection from spirit and the resulting sense of loss that our corporeal existence forces on us. Since this spiritual emptiness can no longer be filled with spirit, we look for completion to the only things we believe in: goods, endless activity, and most of all, money."

Toby Hemenway, author of "gaia's garden" a guide to home scale permaculture...

Read the full article at

http://patternliteracy.com/surplus.html

More Photos

The days have been beautiful and hot, clear skys and lots of sun. The project is moving foward, thanks to a lot of sweat and some great help from Juan and Sunny. Here are some more photos... Working on mulching the garden, the stone founation for the house, the outdoor kitchen, mixing cob for a wood stove, and Buddha, our newest member of the family...

Back to work...

We are back to building, after the break it is great to be sweating under the sun. We have some wonderful help, and will post some more pictures soon. We would like to thank Ben for his generosity, he has enabled us to get a real internet connection, and keep us connected to the ones we love and share our experience with you.

Bill Mollison....

." I teach self-reliance, the world's most subversive practice. I teach people how to grow their own food, which is shockingly subversive. So, yes, it’s seditious. But it’s peaceful sedition."

Bill Mollison, Permaculture....

The New Tribes.....

According to Margaret Mead, the world-renowned cultural anthropologist, for 99% of human history, humans have lived in tribes, extended families and small villages. Given this fact, how can we continue to live in the fast-paced world of modern civilization and recreate a sense of village life that is both sustainable for ourselves and our environment?

Fractal Nature

Nature got it right. It has no centralized systems. Everything is fractal & decentralized. If one part goes, everything doesn't go. In nature, trillions of tiny, independent systems work symbiotically to create larger systems, which in turn keep combining upward and eventually form a marvelous, living planet.

Ruby, the horse, is been recovering....here is a recent picture of her....she seems happier and stronger!