Monday, July 6, 2015

New Earth Reality

My vision of the new Earth reality is centered on food production, but actually it extends to all of humanity’s needs and wants.

The central frequency (feeling) of the vision is sharing with an open joyous heart.
On the farm, all kinds of foods are produced. The land gives to us and receives from us. We on the farm give to each other and receive from each other. The community that surrounds us gives to us and receives from us as well.

The farm is in southern Quebec because that is where I am living at this moment, so that is what I see and can easily envision around me. There are some dairy cows, some beef cows, some pigs, some chickens for meat and some hens to lay eggs. There can also be turkeys for meat, geese and ducks for meat and goats for milk and cheese and for meat.

There is a large vegetable garden and there are fruit trees (pear and apple are all that will grow in our cold climate here) and small fruits like strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.

The farm can also support wild deer and a deer can be hunted in the late months of the year. It can support bees for honey and a maple grove can produce maple syrup in March and April.

Some of the animals raised for their meat are owned by the people who live on the farm and when they are butchered, the meat and other parts of the animal are used by the people who live on the farm – there could be as many as ten adults or more living on the farm.

The other animals raised for their meat – maybe 15 animals - are owned by the people in the larger community who purchase them and purchase the feed that is used to feed the animals. If they are grazing out on the pasture, the owner might pay a very small amount to the farm for that. In this way, people living near the farm can have good quality meat that is produced in an honest and healthy way and at a price that is affordable for families. The animals are treated with respect for their needs and their ways. They are given room to move, protection from the cold winters and as much time as possible to be freely roaming on the farmland, eating as they would naturally do in the wild. The use of the farm to raise these animals is freely given. The cost of buying the animals and feeding them (unless it is natural pastureland which feeds them) is borne by those who will receive the meat of these animals when they are killed and butchered.

The animals that are living on the farm and producing eggs, milk and honey are owned by the farm. Their eggs, milk and honey are used by the people who live on the farm but any excess is offered to the people who live in the community surrounding the farm. It is freely given. In return, people can give something to the farm as an energy exchange if they choose to do so. There is no obligation or debt. The gift of plenty is given with an open heart.

The same is true for the produce of the gardens and fruit trees. The fruits and vegetables are harvested and used by the people on the farm. Any excess is offered to the community. Most gardens produce more than the gardener needs. Plenty is provided by nature and plenty is shared.

When a deer is hunted and killed, the meat is used by the farm community and also offered to the community surrounding.

When maple syrup is produced, this is a labour-intensive activity. The sap must be cooked for many hours. It is not dangerous or difficult work, but it takes a lot of time. People from the larger community are invited to take part in the work as an energy exchange and also because it’s fun to do and smells so delicious! It is a part of being in a community to share such tasks and there is value in learning how to produce delicious syrup from the trees that grow everywhere in our area.

When it is time to cut and store the hay for the winter months, this is also an opportunity for people in the larger community to get involved if they choose to do so.
The farm can also support two or three horses. The horses can be offered for use for hay rides, sleigh rides and farm picnics. The horses can pull a hay wagon and people in the larger community can come to enjoy the day harvesting hay.

Nature’s bounty is a flow through the seasons of the year. In January, February and early March, the farm is a perfect place to go cross country skiing which is a very popular activity in our area. The fields are covered with pristine white snow to a depth of 50 to 75 cm (24 to 30 inches). There can be sledding on the hillside. This can be offered to the community freely.

In late March and early April, it is time to make maple syrup.

In late April and early May it is time to harvest wild greens for good health. There are many wild growing herbs and plants that can be harvested at this time. This is also a time to work in the gardens and plant seeds in the fields (oats, wheat, rye and others). At every new opportunity to share Nature’s bounty, the call is put out on social media to the community to join in. And if they would like to help with planting, they are welcomed. But there is no obligation.

As the season progresses, there are a series of harvests. Vegetables, fruits and so on. Each time there is a harvest, there is an opportunity to share with an open heart. Strawberries, lettuce, peas and spinach and so on.

When people feel grateful for what is shared, they usually offer something of value in return. In this way, the farm receives all that it needs. There is a level of trust in the flow that is essential to this vision. It is all about trust in the flow and joy in giving and receiving.

As the ground dries and firms after the spring melt, there are opportunities for picnics, horseback rides and farm tours and walks. Artists are invited and encouraged to come to the farm to paint, take photographs or sit and write poetry!

In my vision, there is a butcher/cook on the farm. There is also a dairy and someone who knows how to make yoghurt, cheese and butter from cows’ milk and goats’ milk. There is a bee-keeper and a person who knows how to hunt for deer, wild turkey, wild geese and ducks. There is at least one person who knows how to work with farm animals, how to milk cows and goats and harvest hay, how to keep pastureland healthy and productive and how to maintain the tools and machines that the farm uses. There is at least one person who knows how to grow vegetables on a large scale and how to best harvest and keep the fresh produce. These tasks and skills are then taught to others in the farm community and shared. The farm people work about 5 hours per day on average. Sometimes, they work more hours each day; if there is harvesting or planting to be done, everyone helps until the work is done. At other times, they work much less, resting and enjoying the good life on the farm until another busy time comes.

The farm is a cooperative venture. Everyone helps to keep the farm well, to maintain buildings and flower gardens. The cook makes delicious noon time meals with the good healthy food produced on the farm and this is the main shared meal of the day. On certain days of the week, the cook makes dinner as well and people in the larger community are invited to sit at the table and eat with the farm’s people. In return, they gift the farm with an energy exchange. Imagine being invited to eat farm fresh produce right there on the farm with happy, joyous people surrounding you. The food has been prepared lovingly by an experienced cook. This meal is deeply nourishing and healthy in ways that most of us do not ever experience. After the meal, there might be singing, toning, drumming or dancing – or all of those!

So as the summer and early autumn proceed, there are harvests, picnics, hay rides, dinners, bonfires with food offered, singing circles, drumming circles, moonlight carriage rides and so on. Anything fun, healthy, joyous and life-affirming that the farm can offer, it offers.

Perhaps people from the city would like an opportunity to camp on the farm. They are welcome. Perhaps cyclists would like to stop at the farm for a cold glass of lemonade. The opportunity to do so is announced on social media and on the road side where many cyclists pass by and this is another opportunity to share the blessings of the farm. It isn’t just food that is offered. It is quiet, peace, beauty and ‘the good life.’ It is a healthy, natural environment where everything works together to produce good healthy food and other aspects of life. There is an abundance of joy in sharing, community, working together for a common goal, age-old skills that are quickly being forgotten – like fence building, milking a cow or goat by hand, gardening and so on. And all of this is freely shared with the larger community and visitors to the area.

So there are many people visiting the farm, bringing their gifts of energy and happiness, gratitude and appreciation. Imagine the feel of this place! Imagine the energy in this place!

In the autumn, there is much harvesting and beauty in the woodlands at the edges of the farm. Wild cranberries are ripe at this time and can be harvested. There are many opportunities for horseback riding at this time. Then, there is hunting, butchering and feasting.

In the wintertime, before the snows become too deep for the horses, there can be sleigh rides. Neighbours are invited to come to the forest to cut small branches of fragrant hemlock (an evergreen tree native to our area) and cedar or pine to create decorations for the holiday season. Thus does the year end and another abundant year begin in the fullness of the good life.

The qualities of the farm people are integrity, honesty, openness, inclusion, consensus decision making, peace, harmony, enjoyment of life’s moments and opportunities, joy in sharing with each other and with all people, attention to details that keep the farm integrated with its ethics and mission and a love of fun and the good life.

The good life is health and well being. It is good food, an organic and systemic way of living and producing for the fulfillment of needs and wants, working together in meaningful ways for the common good and sharing life’s joys and challenges together. 

The good life is sovereignty, self-responsibility and freedom.

It is all of this and more as well.

The good life is making music, creating healing through sound toning, communing with nature, communing with animals, healthy fitness and activity, caring for those who are feeling ill or who are aging, teaching the young people skills which are disappearing, painting, weaving, sewing, working with wood and leather and much more.

This is my vision for living in heaven on Earth, which some people call ‘the New Earth.’

I've had this vision for a very long time. I keep saying to myself, "It is not feasible. It is not realistic." And it goes away for a time and then it comes back. Perhaps it is time for me to share my vision with the world. All over the world people are beginning to really walk their talk and live their dreams. This is my dream. 

When I was twenty-three years old, I lived for about a year on a communal farm. We produced much of our own food and made our decisions as a group by consensus. There were about 25 adults living on that farm. I learned many skills of living with others and making decisions together that I can bring to this project. 

My heart is in this vision. I am in love with it!