July 2, 2017: Downfall of Western Civilization Through the Omen of Permaculture and Nature Personal Experience Journal
Upon reading and looking through some of my reading about biomimicry and the natural farming revolution, along with the thinking of some of the farm managers that are working at the farm with me at the Mountain Lake Farm, I came to see the problem with the Western philosophy: first, they are based on the notion that there is a permanent form to everything and second, because there is a permanent form, they will try to separate it into understanding its component in order to comprehend the whole. Thus, this problem has led me to the solution to the problem: first, see that every system can grow and can develop without a permanent sense of self and second, to see it as a whole in interacting with other wholes that are growing alongside with it during the Earth’s evolution.
So what do I mean by what I said above? Upon remembering what happened during the European scientific thoughts and its history, it was forced into separation due to the separation from the Catholic Church. Thus, it is through such separation which allows the separate development of science. However, it became a problem as science is trying to merge itself back with spirituality and nature. Thus, although it does present a resiliency which proven to be beneficial to the postmodern world, I came to realize that such approach will have a long way to go in order to reach such goals as many Western thoughts continue to live by their preferred myopic habitual thoughts of keeping such traditions without changes. Thus, it led to my other problem that I found among Western thinkers.
They think that there is something permanent about the knowledge they are holding and, through cultural understanding, they will try to impose such thinking on others in order to get their own adaptation and ways. However, such method does not present diversity and resiliency at all since it lacks the responses to diversity or addressing the complexity of diversity. Furthermore, by destroying away the environments which promotes it, it also destroys the very factor and mechanism which creates a resilient social system (which can be reflected in their agricultural practices). Thus, in order for this to happen, the West must learn to integrate its own thoughts together in order to ensure its own survival in the world of globalization which it has created. Thus, it led to the final analysis of the problem: lost of the European roots towards interdependence.
I found one of the reason why modern day science has become divorce of nature, along with creating breeds that are only serving to consume the land that we are in, has a lot to do with the fact that science, in Western civilization’s perceptions, has losts its roots in humanity’s primal ties with nature, not that it is aligned with God’s way (which sounds very much too external to the ears of those that are reading it).Thus, it is through the divorce from church in order to continue the progress of science has led to the problem seen today where they lost their roots in the spirituality of interdependence. Thus, this lies the root of the solution: tracing itself back to the roots.
Because one must trace oneself back to the root of the solution, I also must emphasize the fact that in order to do so, there must be steps taken. First, they must realize that there is nothing permanent about the philosophy they are learning and it can change and adapt accordingly to the things they seek to do. It is through such adaptation which led to appreciation of diversity and be more inclusive. Furthermore, they must learn to interact with other cultures which has done the same (which all of these principles that I have mentioned here culturally can be applied to a permaculture system as well where the system must get down to the root of the problem, install the root of the solution into the soil, have a vision in mind of what you desire, and then adapt and respond to the needs of the environment in order to help you get what you want). Otherwise, they shall not survive this globalization onslaught.
July 10, 2017: The Development of the Transpersonal or Vajrayana Natural Farming Technique (Inspired by Fukuoka’s Mahayana Natural Farming) Brainstorm
Looking through some of the techniques that was proposed by Fukuoka’s Mahayana natural farming, I came to see how his farming technique does involve discrimination against those techniques which involves science. I find it very ridiculous how his method, although I agree that the scientific method is flawed in many ways due to its inherent paradigm, involves exclusion of science when clearly, it also came from nature itself where it experiment and decide which species and traits to promote throughout its course of history. Thus, I have devised a new strategy in which I can do farming: the Vajrayana farming where it incorporates the scientific or occult understanding of farming while still acknowledging the wholeness of the entire system.
So how does this work? First it involves the understanding of the Mahayana natural farming philosophy where it is about experiencing at the wholeness of nature by being nature itself through spending the time connecting with the land (which is where the empathy of the farmer comes in in order to ensure the emotional connection and understanding takes place). When you understand your own land, you end up knowing what to expect out of it when you create a scientific model which incorporates its wholeness and use it to your advantage. This explains the nature of the Vajrayana sect where they utilize the magickal and scientific system of tantra in order to get to where they need to go faster than when you are just emotionally feeling nature and going by what it can give to you (which then again, understanding and manipulating nature for your advantage is still superior in many ways as evident with how we are with our minds through what I see between the different sects of Buddhism and its aim towards enlightnement where the Vajrayana sect end up being the most effective and powerful). Similarly, when you understand what nature is through its wholeness and instead of looking for a single cause but instead see a paradigm that lies underneath the cause, then finding the scientific and philosophical tool which can address it will follow. Thus, this gives rise to the power of tantra and its influence on farming.
Now the only question is how do I implement such understanding into the farm that I am working at or on my own garden?
July 16, 2017: Looking Back at the Journey and Internship with the Mountain Lake Farm
Although I did learn about the permaculture principles that I need to know during my time at the farm, one thing that I do learn even far more is the theories and definition of leadership. Through observing the ways how Michael and his partner worked through their differences, along with the members within the community at Mason county, one of the few things that I learned throughout my journey is how leaders do take on a participatory role and that it can be very dynamic at times (although I found that such participatory democracy is very impractical at a school like Evergreen when the antifacist movements and other neo-liberalist groups at the school). However, one thing that I did find is that in order for such democracy to work, it involves a certain level of maturity in the participants and the leaders in order to make this happen, along with being on the same page of willing to grow along with one another. Otherwise, overall, I came to find out that all that is to leadership is the ability to oversee the bigger picture and learn to move forward fearlessly with one’s own decision-making.
On – 07 Oct, 2017 By Andy Ocean Tantric