Tassajara Workshop Proposal
Design a workshop articulating similar values between Zen and Permaculture to be hosted by Tassajara Zen Monastery. Display similarities in the ethics of permaculture and the Buddhist precepts, including the critical aspect of observation in both systems. Highlight zone 0 and interpersonal/community/sangha communication. Hands on components would include a myriad of strategies in place at Tassajara Zen Monastery: compost, native plants, greywater, solar energy, and beekeeping. I hope to engage in this project to expand my professional life to facilitate intro courses to permaculture. I believe there is significant learning available for me assuming the role of a teacher, as opposed to my role of healer, at Tassajara and significant personal development through partnering with a Zen priest in facilitating this workshop.
BAJA PROPERTY DESIGN
What: 1 Acre off the grid Homestead in Baja.
Working with an existing homestead with 2 houses and many plants on a 1 acre piece, I want to design more resilient systems that need less maintenance and are generally more easeful. This includes redesigning the irrigation and plumbing systems to create more flow for household pressure and adequate storage and pumping for the irrigation. The solar system can be connected to the recently imported grid so that our unused energy in the months no one lives there can be shared with the neighbors. Grid tiee systems are more resilient and less toxic than battery based systems. I would like to design low maintenance for house and garden while creating a medicinal and edible food forest. Design the plants that are being used including high value resource plants and drought tolerant/low need plants. My aim in engaging this project is to further contribute to a familial project. I see opportunity to learn more about energy and plumbing and food forests which hold keen interest for me.
Herbalism Project
Design an output packet that incorporates a multi media approach to Holistic Healing concentrating on Herbalism. The frame will include reflections and documentation on starting a medicinal herb garden. Include a multimedia presentation on plant sexuality and pollination. Include narrative information on the history of herbalism and an integrative planetary approach to herbalism as I am learning in my East West Planetary Herbology program. Highlight differences between allopathic approach to medicine and herbalism including diagnostic methods and effects on individual and planetary health. Create a list of a dozen or two common herbs including plant identification and medicinal uses. I hope to be able to use this output packet as a syllabus for a two hour or day long class I could offer on Herbalism/Herb Walk. I am designing this output packet because learning about herbalism is one of my key interests right now. I believe that writing with the intention of teaching some of the information I am learning will be exceedingly valuable and I am complementing this with growing seeds, propagating plants and documenting with a camera; many skillflexes that I wish to improve and grow within.
Actionable Items -- Tassajara Workshop
Write a proposal to Tassajara Zen Monastery to co-lead a workshop with a Buddhist monk teaching a "Zen Lens to Permaculture and Land Stewardship" as a weekend or week long class.
Prepare a presentation on beekeeping to be done at the hive that includes meditating with the bees and information about bees.
Prepare a presentation on solar energy and document the energy/electricity use at Tassajara.
Prepare a presentation on compost in general and the system in place at Tassajara in specific.
Prepare a presentation on the native plants of the area and perhaps include some plant propogation/seed saving depending on the time of year the workshop is offered.
Collaborate with Buddhist monk around Buddhist exercises/classtime and other Permaculture principles and techniques employed at the monastery.
Actionable ITems -- Baja Design
Connect the battery based solar system to the recently imported grid.
Separate water lines for irrigation and house.
Add ventilation to rooms where mold/moisture retention is apparent.
Take out non productive trees while they are still small.
Sheet mulch to create soil and suppress weeds.
Herbalism Actionable Items
Create a medicinal Herb Spiral.
Document starting seeds and cuttings for my medicinal herb garden.
Write a paraphrase of the History of Herbalism that I have been reading/researching. Write an article on creating relationship with plants.
Write on the huge difference in diagnostic styles between causality in allopathic medicine and the energy of plants in traditional Indian (ayurvedic), Chinese, and Galenic humoral medical traditions.