Hey Folks! Let's talk about our Permaculture roots and an exciting new radio show we're hosting through Global Homestead Collective on Tuesdays 4-5PM CST!!

Most of our content is heavily influenced by our views, thoughts actions and experiences, but it can be all too easy to pass over the of courseness of certain things. (Like why we permaculture in the first place! - like how I made it into a verb?!)

A thread that weaves through both Wren's and my adult life is Permaculture. Our studies and travels following this thread have shaped our outlooks, approach and understandings of the natural world. In turn, our collective and individual influences have evolved. This is part of our personal permaculture you could say, what some call zone 0.

Furthermore, Permaculture is often not shared for free in an organized way! Sure people write about it all over the internet, but the courses themselves range in the thousands of dollars and necessitate spending a week or two away from your life. Let's face it, that's not accessible! We're not experts (in the least!), but we're hoping to share some Free Permaculture education through this radio show! (Details below)

Ok, let's back up a second here. This post is meant to give a little context for how Wren and I ended up immersed in the homesteading life and how Permaculture relates to everything we do.

Inspired by Nature

One of our local Ozark waterways; ancient cliff edge with creek fed river

Landing on a uninhabited chunk of land in rural Missouri has been a LONG time in the making.

We both began questioning the status quo and societal values and directions from an early age and have since found many different aspects of Earth centered living that appeal to us. We both have deep love, curiosity and fascination with the natural world, and soon enough we independently realized that designing our life around being connected to the land we live upon is crucial for our health and wellbeing. The freedom our 20s afforded travel, WWOOFing (a type of work exchange on farms) and this period in both of our lives allowed us to play the seeker role in search of something more grounded and fulfilling than what the mainstream society was offering.

Soon enough we were introduced to Permaculture and our lives would be forever changed. This happened long before we ever met, but happened at roughly the same time towards the end of our participation in formal education.

New Approaches to Ancient Connection

We had both worked on numerous organic farms before finding our way to Permaculture.

Food was the doorway we both stepped through as we sought a more connected life. I was deeply committed to veganism and the welfare of all creatures and thought farming would be the easiest way to be connected to my source of nourishment and do the least harm.

This commitment has not changed although my understanding of the world certainly has. Since experiencing and learning A LOT, I have taken to a more ancestral and balanced approach and embody the natural human niche as an opportunistic omnivore.

My first step towards Permaculture was when I decided to engage with perhaps the oldest domestic activity, farming.

tassel of glass gem corn

Although I voraciously ate the weeds I had learned were edible, I was taking part in the not so ancient practice of cultivating vegetables. Over time I came to more deeply understand that procuring food could be done in different ways.

I began to learn about tree crops, indigenous modes of tending the wild and the world of perennial agriculture that focuses on long lived plants and complex interrelated systems. Permaculture was the design system I was seeking and it gave names to ideas and details to designs. Since my first Intro to Permaculture I was hooked and haven't looked back!

building a Layens beehive that fits well with our natural beekeeping approach

I also gleaned some bigger picture insights beyond the techniques of organic vegetable production during the first growing season I took part in as an apprentice on a biodynamic farm:

1. There's few things more satisfying than eating food you grew
2. Food can taste SOOOO much better than what I grew up with and make you feel GREAT
3. Annual gardening requires a lot of labor inputs (there are exceptions of course)
4. The idea of yearly soil disturbances didn't sit right with me
5. Animals (and fungi, bacteria, etc...) are an integral part of the life cycles (especially the microbes that give life to soil)

What I first clued into during my initial exposure to Permaculture is that observing and mimicing Natural Biotic Communities (forests, prairies, wetlands, edges, savannah, etc) is a key to strategizing for and designing a holistic life. Theory is great, but putting into practice is a whole 'nother story and Nature is our best mentor!

St John's Wort in bloom <3

Fast Forward To Today

Wren and I moved here because we had to listen to the inner voice that was screaming at us to put our ideas, theories and dreams into practice, to ground the vision manifest Earth Magick.

We have both been so inspired by the many folks we've met and places we've visited that we knew we needed to create a little slice of Permaculture paradise that we could enjoy and share with others. We are working daily towards creating a Perma-culture through managing the land we steward, building local connections and relationships on Steemit. It's our mission to spread the good word of Permaculture by our relentless content creation (have you noticed? ;).)

To further this goal, we have some exciting news!

This Tuesday we will be starting to host an hour long radio program dedicated to Permaculture on the GHS Discord (Click here to join the Discord!.)

Thanks to @freedompoint for inviting us to host the show presented by the Global Homestead Collective - @ghscollective.

Check out the intro post here. You can see the announcement post for the radio show here. We'll be trying out this new platform for talking about all things Permaculture, starting this Tuesday from 4-5 pm CST. We're excited and also will likely open our radio hour to collaborations and guests.

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The journey we have been on has been diverse and unique to us and we are deeply grateful to all those that walked this path before us.

This is especially true of the original inhabitants of this land who we hold in high regard and mourn the treatment they suffered at the hands of colonizers. The Osage who have lived with the land MUCH longer than Europeans have were forcibly removed and relocated, suffering great loss on the Trail of Tears. We honor that we are truly just visitors here, and yearn to always learn and be more aware & connected so that we may give back to the Earth that gives us everything and honor indigenous communities, the original stewards of this land.

We hope many more folks will co-create their own interpretation of Permaculture through intentionally designing their lives and focusing on the ethics of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share to create a more just, equitable and healthy world. Tune in this Tuesday and be a part of the Permaculture revolution!