Introduction to the Output Packet
This LIPD functions for me as an opportunity to reflect on my Learning Intentions and Pathway Design for my Capstone year and in my life beyond. This OP inspired me to articulate my thesis for my Master’s Degree in Integrative EcoSocial Design specializing in Applied Permaculture Design.
Learning Intentions fell in to several categories of time scale:
1. Broad Strokes for Life
2. Intentions for this year
3. Skillflexes & Interests to develop and concentrate in the near future
Pathway Design informed the bulk of two pages:
1. OP work— the projects to complete this year under the guidance of GaiaU
2. Personal, Professional & Project Pathways.
My aspirations for this year are creating frameworks to showcase my many skills within the worlds of Healing and Land Stewardship. I aspire to continue as a teacher, advisor, healer, land steward, gardener and facilitator , in which I design workshops that integrate my deep knowledge of personal care (Zone 0) and include care of the planet while empowering others to take ownership of their own food and medicine. In the coming years, I aspire to document successful permaculture strategies to build from a healthy and vibrant Zone 0 into working ecological relationships in more complex human communities and the larger natural ecosystems.
This year, within the structure of Gaia U, much of my project work is focused upon creating systems/frameworks to contain my vast array of experience and information, consequently - branding myself. I begin to recognize the importance as a self employed jack of all trades to showcase my many skills, services and products. I anticipate that much of the project work I do creating my OP 2: Health & the Healer will inform content for the website I am making for my healing practice. And in the same way, the OP 3: Land Stewardship inspires me to document the many skills I have working with mother Gaia and allows me to have written and video content that will certainly inform much of my Permaculture Designer website.
I reflect upon the great good fortune of my life in which I have spent the better part of my professional career focusing upon the Care of People through many alternative health care modalities. In the last 5 years I have incorporated Care of the Earth through the strategies and techniques of Permaculture. Now my Gaia U Capstone year inspires me to ask “How do I return the surplus?”
1. Incorporate my wisdom and learnings into my own personal practice.
2. Share the information regarding personal health and earth care with the world as a unique lens onto personal happiness and appropriate stewardship.
3. Create products in addition to the services/wisdom that I have gained.
⁃ Chocolate
⁃ Cordials and medicines (tinctures)
⁃ Videos on appropriate land stewardship
⁃ Accessible information regarding reclaiming our own bodies and health
An overarching focus for my capstone year is Presenting/Branding Liam. GaiaU offers a platform of creating Liam’s portfolio including the skills, services, wisdom and products that I am excited to offer the world.
Application for Applied Permaculture Design Specialization
Within Gaia University's MSc degree of Integrative EcoSocial Design, I am applying for a specialization in the field of "Applied Permaculture Design." From my research, Applied Permaculture Design is a term primarily used within the educational subfield of permaculture design illustrating development as students gain proficiency beyond doing a 72 hours Permaculture Design Course (PDC). Applied Permaculture Design is understandably still in its infancy as the numbers of students trained in permaculture design continues to rise and the application of these principles is coalescing into a standard of usage of the ethics and principles in applying permaculture design. Seemingly, the growing awareness and need for structure after completion of the PDC, to ground, or apply, permaculture principles, ethics and design into practice through real life projects, situations and learnings has given rise to this educational opportunity. The term often is used in relation to action oriented skill building which demonstrates practical application by designing projects through a permaculture lens, thus concretely applying the skills of a 72 hour Permaculture Design Course. Ultimately, Applied Permaculture Design is applying design skills through a Permaculture lens including its’ design methodologies, ethics and principles in addition to incorporating some of the hard skills included in Holmgren’s permaculture flower.
My Pathway
After assisting several 2-month-long Permaculture Design Courses and completing 2 Teacher Training Courses in Permaculture Design, I wanted to further my pathway through application of this wonderful design lens and utilize it in projects in my life. This is what led me to Gaia University. Applying permaculture design tools and methods with the ethics and principles of permaculture is the primary thrust of the projects I have designed for my 2 year Master’s degree pathway. My life journey integrates the design of economic, ecological and social systems through a lens of permaculture design.
Appropriate tools and technologies from the permaculture toolbox is my primary inspiration in my pathway through Integrative EcoSocial Design.
My Projects
As outlined above, my projects this year fall very much in line with the major ethics of permaculture: Earth Care, People Care, and Return the Surplus. In addition, I utilize and make an effort to demonstrate how the permaculture principles are reflected in my projects. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, is viewing the projects I am undertaking through a permaculture lens and designing with appropriate tools as articulated by the permaculture community. With final sychronicity, the permaculture form (permaculture design tools) matches the permaculture content (Holmgren’s permaculture flower). As you see below, the content of all of my projects are fundamental aspects of Holmgren’s Permaculture Flower and utilize permaculture design tools:
• “Tools & Technology” — Alternative Energy — forms the bulk of my preCapstone OP 2: Rethinking Energy
• “Health & Spiritual Well Being,” including home birth/breastfeeding/healthy parenting, preventative health, holistic medicine, yoga & other body/mind/spirit disciplines — forms the bulk of my Capstone OP 2: Healing Zone 0
• “Land Stewardship & Nature Stewardship” including seed saving, forest gardening, wild harvesting, organic agriculture, animal husbandry, beekeeping — forms the bulk of my preCapstone OP 3: The Land of Milk & Honey and Capstone OP 3: Land Stewardship
• “Land Tenure and Community” and Permaculture Design methodologies forms the bulk of my preCapstone OP 4: Designing Designs: Lens of Catering and OP's
• “Finances & Economics” Fair Trade Products, Local industry — forms the bulk of my Capstone OP 4: Chocolates and Cordials
Mind Map of this LIPD
Life Context
I have been a nomadic Healer and Nourisher of people and the Earth for over a decade. I am fortunate to call many places home and be part of many functioning communities. Currently, I generally spend my summers in California catering for yoga and dance communities, facilitating land stewardship workshops at Esalen Institute and I function as the Director of Massage Services at Tassajara Zen Monastery in addition to my own personal massage healing practice. I have come to recognize that I am nearing the end of a wonderful 10 year cycle and I intend to shift my lifestyle and skills to grow in a way that fuels my current passions: healing, medicine making, cooking, gardening (being with nature), coaching, mentoring, patterns, seeds, archetypes. I aim to develop myself as a New Age Renaissance Man /World Changing Wisdomkeeping Wizard.
What's your Thesis?
As part of a global movement toward designing systems aimed at gaining inspiration and awareness from nature to create resilient and sustainable human communities that judiciously value humans, the Earth, and thriving diverse ecosystems, the focus within my Master’s Degree will be recognizing the urgent need to Relocalize in two main areas of our everyday life: Holistic Personal Health and Resilient Ecosystem Stewardship. Relocalizing food systems and Health care will also impact local economies and all the webs of connections in the local universe. I believe that we are at a turning point where the information systems regarding personal and community health care and even land stewardship skills such as growing food and saving seeds are slipping away into the chemical / pharmaceutical companies. The thrust of my passion lay in being one of the wisdomkeepers and inspirational leaders to challenge the industrialized materialistic consumptive culture that we are ever more rapidly becoming.