Bringing years of study and practice from several wisdom lineages together with practical land based skills, we will spend a year deepening into community, into our relationship with the divine and into our reciprocity with the earth and our cohort of human and non-human beings.
Weaving together spirit, community and permaculture principles, we will learn from expert teachers as we create a food forest, community farm and sanctuary space from the ground up in Lagunitas, CA.
Collective Exploration
This course will explore what it means to be in right relationship with each other in community, tending to ourselves, our relationships in interdependence and allyship while also stewarding land.
From the ground up, learning the practical, hands on skills, we will build a food forest, create pollinator habitat, grow medicines, all the while tending to ourselves, our bodies and our relationship with each other and with spirit.
SOME OF THE TOPICS WE'LL LEARN TOGETHER
Foundational spiritual practices
Foundational spiritual practices are the bedrock of personal and communal well-being, offering pathways to connect deeply with the self, others, and the universe. These practices may include meditation, mindfulness, contemplation, and ethical living, encouraging individuals to cultivate peace, compassion, and a sense of interconnectedness. Through regular engagement, learners can develop a resilient and nourishing spiritual life that supports them in facing life's challenges with grace and insight.
Natural building
Natural building focuses on creating structures using locally-sourced, sustainable, and non-toxic materials, emphasizing harmony with the environment. Techniques such as straw bale construction, cob, and earthbag building are explored, offering solutions that reduce carbon footprint and promote healthy living spaces. This topic encourages students to rethink conventional architecture in favor of more ecological and culturally sensitive construction methods.
Waterworks and smart water usage
Waterworks and smart water usage teach the importance of conserving and wisely managing our most precious resource: water. Topics include rainwater harvesting, greywater systems, and creating water-efficient landscapes, aimed at reducing waste and ensuring the sustainable use of water resources. Learners gain practical skills and knowledge to implement systems that support both human needs and the environment.
Biointensive gardening
Biointensive gardening is a method of organic farming that focuses on achieving maximum yields from a minimum area of land, while simultaneously improving soil health. It combines deep soil preparation, close planting distances, and the use of companion plants to create a synergistic garden ecosystem. This approach not only conserves resources but also promotes biodiversity and sustains soil fertility.
Prayers and Ritual
Prayers and Ritual explores the transformative power of setting intentions and marking life's transitions with sacred acts. This topic covers a range of traditions and practices, from daily affirmations and prayers to elaborate ceremonies celebrating seasonal cycles and personal milestones. Participants learn to create meaningful rituals that honor their spiritual path and connect them with the broader rhythms of nature and community.
Composting
Composting teaches the art and science of recycling organic waste into rich soil amendments, turning scraps and yard waste into valuable compost. This process not only reduces landfill waste but also enriches the soil, supports plant health, and cycles nutrients back into the ecosystem. Students learn various composting techniques, including hot and cold composting, vermiculture, and bokashi fermentation.
Seed Saving
Seed Saving is the practice of preserving seeds from plants for future planting, promoting biodiversity, and fostering resilience in food systems. This topic covers the techniques for harvesting, drying, and storing seeds, ensuring their viability for the next growing season. Learners are introduced to the importance of seed sovereignty and the role of heirloom varieties in sustainable agriculture.
Hugelkulture
Hugelkultur is a permaculture technique that involves creating raised garden beds over decaying wood debris and other compostable biomass material. This method improves soil fertility, water retention, and plant growth, while also repurposing organic waste. Students learn how to construct hugelkultur beds and understand their benefits in creating low-maintenance, high-yield gardens.
Vermiculture
Vermiculture, or worm farming, is the process of using earthworms to convert organic waste into nutrient-rich compost. This topic delves into setting up and maintaining a worm bin, understanding the needs of worms, and harvesting vermicompost. It's an excellent way for learners to engage in sustainable waste management practices that benefit both the garden and the environment.
Cooking and Preserving
Cooking and Preserving focuses on techniques for preparing nourishing meals from garden-fresh produce and extending the harvest through preservation methods such as canning, fermenting, and drying. This topic celebrates the joy of cooking with seasonal ingredients and teaches skills for creating a sustainable pantry, filled with wholesome, homemade foods.
Body tending practices- yoga, dance
Body tending practices like yoga and dance are explored as vital components of holistic well-being, emphasizing the connection between physical movement, mental health, and spiritual growth. Through yoga, learners develop flexibility, strength, and balance, while dance offers a dynamic way to express creativity and emotions. Both practices encourage mindfulness, body awareness, and the cultivation of joy through movement.
Medicine Making
Medicine Making covers the traditional and modern methods of creating herbal remedies from plants. Participants learn to identify medicinal plants, understand their healing properties, and craft tinctures, salves, teas, and syrups. This topic empowers learners to take charge of their health by utilizing the natural pharmacy that surrounds us.
Our Mission
We create an oasis, growing food, flowers and medicine.
We tend to soil and water. We move toward sustainability and food security with the sacred at the center.
OUR TEAM
Chef & Chief Mischief Officer
Devoted to beauty, to the earth and to being a force for healing. Mother of two and living in the San Geronimo Valley for the last 7 years, love for this place is nurtured by tending land and witnessing the miracle of the unfolding seasons. Food, nutrition, the natural world, the divine, yoga, passion for living into a better way. Practical tending
Medicine Woman & Herbalist Supreme
Guided by spirit and grounded in practice and training, Marielle synthesizes a lifelong journey of coming home to truth through, with, and in the body. She walks the path of healer, movement artist, ritualist, mother and earth wisdom keeper. In co-creation with the elemental and the unseen realms, she weaves knowledge with mystery to serve individual and collective liberation with devotion and love.
Counselor & High Humble Priestess
COURSE DETAILS
15-18 participants.
There will be 4 weekend intensives with a seasonal feast/celebration, 6 daylong retreats, and regular weekly garden days.
Beautiful, nourishing, organic, garden sourced meals provided for our retreats.
Access to fresh produce and herbs grown in the gardens.
Tuition $8887