Southern Spring Edition / September 2011
Contents:
* Editorial
Welcome to the southern spring edition of 2011.
Here, at our new home on the edge of a small country town, we enjoy the bright fluffy blossoms of fruit trees and the promise of warmth for growing bulk amounts of vegetables. We are busy planting things that can be stored easily, if kept dry and cool, to provide us with food security and a balanced diet. As my 92 year old mother, who died peacefully last month, would have said "God helps those that help themselves". Funny words from an atheist.
She also used to warn us about this world economic recession, that they come in cycles and we have been due for one. That we might have to lock up our vegetables when the economy crashes. But there are better ways to survive. I think that the dying hulk of capitalism needs to break down, moulder and, like a good compost, be reborn as a brand new, fairer economic system. In the meantime, we can all wield tools of mass abundance, do permablitzes and guerilla planting to establish food forests in urban areas, where the hungry dwell. Home grown food security on the community level will ensure fresh food for all. Food forests, the epitomy of good permaculture design, are even being created with government funding in some of my region's towns. Now that's progress!
Alanna Moore
Dear Geomantica,
I read your article on the Hill of Allen with great interest. I am a wildlife sound recordist and have been working in the area of the Hill of Allen for the last year. I thought you might be interested to know there are now tow pairs of Peregrine Falcons nesting in the quarry on the hill. Their chicks have now fledged. The most remarkable aspect was the sound that they made, their voices turned the quarry into an amphitheater of sound. Really wonderful. Thanks again for your work.
Very best wishes
Tom
Tom Lawrence PhD (Music)
School of Communication
Dublin City University
www.tom-lawrence.net
Dear Teacher,
We are so excited that after teacher's guidance and sharing of
practical experiences, we are able to experience the joy with
nature.
I and my friends revisited Jacky's farm yesterday, we all are
feeling very strong the energy around the stones circle and their
childerns did feel the same by touching the Big Stone at the
centre.
Jacky did notice that more birds are coming to his farm and the
energy around stone circle expands.
Thank you, teacher and Alice too,
CW Yee
(See Geomantica in the Media.) Pictured below is the Stone Circle referred to, made at the recent workshop in Malaysia.)
Woes of Wifi
Dear Alanna,
I have just bought your Sensitive Permaculture book and find it gives me great faith in my own intuition regarding nature, when I was a teenager I was lucky enough to have some friends who taught me quite a lot and your book brought all that into sharp focus. Thank you.
I am a novice dowser but have had my findings confirmed that at one corner of our bedroom, away from the bed, there is an underground stream. I was told by the dowser there is a way to deflect it but not how. I wonder if you could advise?
I am also sensitive to wifi dect and phonemast emissions just google Steve Miller wifi and see the amount of ridicule I have had as well as incorrect reporting, I am primarily a composer/producer, however I received great support from good intelligent people and now help educate the public in the UK and am a trustee of www.radiationresearch.org .
I now live in Cornwall close to a nature reserve with no neighbours and a little land to grow our own food. The nearest mast is over a mile away and the trees and natural topography have always shielded us from the signal until last week when the power was cranked up yet again, now I have a faint signal in parts of the garden and am worried. How will it affect the devas? Is there a way I can deflect this vile energy? I have shielded the side of the house exposed with a proper silver lattice fabric but would welcome any advice you have to give and if you need to ask me any detailed questions would be happy to give your a fuller response.
I cannot travel on planes or trains due to wifi and have to avoid towns as much as possible as I feel drained of energy for up to 48hours afterward and completely non creative. I am looking at shielded clothing but it's difficult to source. I don't use a cellphone and have eaten organically for the last 30 years and am deemed very fit by my doctor I needed a health check when I moved here although I have not dealt with a GP for 30 years either as I never needed to I don't do dairy products, a little organic meat and mainly fresh fish. I am horrified what is happening to the world with wireless technology and thus dedicate most of my free time to fighting this massive breach of basic human rights. I wonder how you feel about this and, if you are affected, what you do to protect yourself?
Best wishes, Steve Miller
(See Steve's article later on.)
Traffic officers at Nagpur, west of Mumbai, have agreed to allow small pyramids at ten accident prone sites in the city to see if their claimed positive energy can reduce crashes. The road safety initiative came about after a meeting with a Vastu expert (an ancient Hindu system of construction similar to Chinese feng shui) Sushil Fatepuria, who had had good results from trying such already. The 30cm pyramids in the trial would be at the corners of town squares or near traffic lights, so they wouldn't obstruct traffic, The Star reported (India, 14th July, 2010). Each has a copper bottom and five smaller copper pyramids inside.
"I think the accidents are caused by negative energies. So we need to minimize or convert the negative energy into positive ones," Fatepuria told Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Sahibrao Fatil. "I will energise the pyramids. I will transfer my positive thoughts into the pyramids."
"We will see in six months. If it gets positive results then that's excellent," Fatil said.
SWITCHED ON: Telstra's 4G network
PERTH mobile phone users will now have access to 4G after Telstra switched on the service on Tuesday. A first in Australia, the network was switched on in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane as well.
Telstra Networks and Access Technologies executive director Mike Wright said the first 4G base stations, which use Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, were turned on and 4G data was sent out over the networks.
As announced in February by the company, Telstra is currently upgrading its existing network with LTE technology and plans to have all capital cities and selected regional centres covered by the end of the year.
From: PerthNow, May 24, 2011
For at least 30 000 years the flax plant has been used by humans, yielding fibre for weaving, pigment for paint, and seeds for food. Today we know that flax seeds are an excellent vegetarian source of omega-3 fatty acids but it is another part of the seed that is generating some fresh excitement.
It appears that flax seeds have properties that can protect any creature that eats them against the effects of radiation.
To establish these remarkable qualities researchers fed one group of mice a diet supplemented with ten per cent flax seed either three weeks before a dose of radiation or two, four, or six weeks after the radiation exposure. A control group was given the same radiation dose but did not receive flax seed in their diet.
After four months 40 per cent of the control group survived compared to 70 per cent of those that had been fed flax seed. Additionally, those who had been fed flax had less inflammation in the lungs, less fibrosis in the lungs, better oxygen levels in their blood, higher bodyweight, and lower overall levels of inflammation.
The ability to prevent lung fibrosis (stiffening) is particularly significant because although steroids can help prevent it, there is currently no treatment once the stiffening has occurred.
The researchers believe that the component of flax that is responsible for the protective effect is a lignan known as secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) which is believed to have powerful antioxidant properties.
What makes flax really appealing as a preventative agent for radiation damage is that it can be safely given to someone who is well. Flax is a food, it is readily available, it is cheap, and it is without side-effects unless taken in absurd doses. Despite its safety, flax is powerful, so powerful in fact that NASA have a pilot study underway on the benefits of flaxseed for astronauts on extended space missions. On those long missions astronauts are required to perform extravehicular activities to perform repairs during which they face exposure to high levels of solar and galactic radiation with the added risk of breathing 100 per cent oxygen.
Source: www.wellbeing.com.au
17 August 2011
A new Swiss Federal Institute of Technology study (PDF) has concluded that cellular phone calls disrupt a vital honeybee communication signal (known as "worker piping"), causing the bees to become terminally confused and die (a condition known as Colony Collapse Disorder). The worldwide decline in the honeybee population has been closely watched and documented by scientists, and has for the most part been attributed to chemical toxins, such as the controversial hive-killing pesiticide clothiadin. This study is the first to present hard evidence of a technology-based cause for the bee-pocalypse. Scientists point out that the ever-growing disappearance of honeybees may have devastating ripple-effects for the environment and for the world's human population. Since 70% of food crops are pollinated by honeybees, the prevalence of Colony Collapse Disorder among bees could easily impact agriculture and world hunger.
*Read more http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/blog/your-calls-may-be-killing-the-bees/
Via Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
April 20, 2011
A damning new study by German scientists has found that energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) contain poisonous substances that could cause cancer and should be "kept as far away as possible from the human environment," but many countries will be soon demanding the replacement of traditional light bulbs with toxic CFLs.
Several carcinogenic chemicals and toxins are released when CFLs are switched on, including phenol, naphthalene and styrene, the scientists found, as reported in the London Telegraph. The study, conducted by Peter Braun at the Berlin's Alab Laboratory, led the scientists involved to warn that the bulbs should only be used sparingly, in areas with good ventilation, and "definitely not in the proximity of the head," due to the danger of the electrical smog the bulbs generate impacting human health.
That's going to cause difficulties for Americans who will be forced to buy the bulbs following a government ban on traditional incandescent lighting that comes into effect on January 1, 2012. The legislation mirrors similar laws in Europe, where incandescent bulbs began to be phased out in 2009. From September 1st the incandescent light bulb is banned in Europe and the EU also plans to ban halogen bulbs by 2016, forcing people to use only CFLs, which produce a poor quality of light with an attendant flicker affect that causes many people to become dizzy and ill.
The new German study adds to concerns raised by separate research
conducted by Abraham Haim, a professor of biology at Haifa University
in Israel, who found that the light emitted by CFL's increased
the chance of women getting breast cancer by disrupting the body's
production of the hormone melatonin. The bluer light that CFLs
emit closely mimicks daylight, disrupting the body's production
of the hormone melatonin more than older-style filament bulbs,
which cast a yellower light.
The Migraine Action Association has warned that CFLs could trigger migraines and skin care specialists have claimed their intense light could exacerbate a range of existing skin problems.
CFLs are also more harmful to the environment than other light bulbs because they contain toxic mercury that contaminates the environment when the bulbs reach landfill. If a bulb is accidentally smashed, one should immediately clear the area for some 15 minutes to avoid mercury vapours.
by Giles Sheldrick, The Daily Express, U.K.
September 3, 2011
"Banning the humble 60-watt light bulb to make way
for so-called energy-saving ones and "help save the planet"
was last night exposed as an elaborate EU con.
Tests show production and disposal of the new bulbs uses up more
energy than traditional lights. Energy-saving bulbs, known as
compact fluorescent lamps, also pose health risks for an estimated
two million people in Britain. Professor John Hawk, president
of the European Society for Photodermatology, said: "They
emit small amounts of ultraviolet radiation that is significant
for people with photosensitivity skin disorders. Some emit enough
radiation for people who are constantly close up to them to have
a significant increase in ultraviolet exposure over the years,
which may well make skin cancer more likely. Incandescent bulbs
should remain on sale while expert scientific committees are
still reviewing all aspects of the matter in detail."
Ultraviolet rays can also lead to severe migraines or aggravate
other existing medical conditions.
Lighting expert Lucy Martin told the Daily Express: "The
carbon footprint of manufacturing, distribution and disposal
of a compact fluorescent bulb is far greater than the energy
usage of a standard bulb. There is a health issue in disposing
of them but also for people who work under them. The EU is treating
us like children."
Just because many governments the world over pretend that there is no new RF research to warrant any rethinking of current exposure limits does not mean that this is true. One of the latest pilot studies from Germany on cell tower radiation and stress hormone levels was discussed in the EMF report by the Standing Committee on the Environment of the European Council, which in May 2011 adopted a resolution on The Potential Dangers of Electromagnetic Fields and Their Effect on the Environment, recommending "to take all reasonable measures to reduce exposure to electromagnetic fields."
In this study from Bavaria (Germany), urine samples of 60 study participants were taken to be analyzed for their adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine, and phenylethylamine (PEA) levels before and after the activation of a new GSM base station. After the activation of the GSM base station, the stress hormone levels increased significantly during the first six months while dopamine and PEA levels decreased substantially. Even after one and a half years, the initial levels were not restored. Sleep problems, headaches, allergies, dizziness, and concentration problems occurred more often. Please note that the cutoff for the highest exposure group was only 100 µW/m2, for the lowest exposure group 60 µW/m2.
Though the number of participants was small, the findings are very disturbing. PEA levels, for example, continued to decrease over the entire exposure period. Over the past decade not only has the use of wireless devices greatly increased, but the prescription for methylphenidate or Ritalin, whose chemical structure is related to PEA, as well.
The complete study by Dr. Buchner and Dr. Eger is now available
in English:
Changes of Clinically Important Neurotransmitters under the Influence
of Modulated RF Fields
The original German study is available here:
Veränderung klinisch bedeutsamer Neurotransmitter unter
dem Einfluss modulierter hochfrequenter Felder (2011)
Katharina Gustavs
www.buildingbiology.ca
1. Video Conversations on Permaculture
& Transitions
with Willi Paul. Guest: Author Alanna Moore. August 2011.
http://planetshifter.com/node/1919
Some Show Questions:
* Where did the Aboriginals obtain their eco-spiritual approach
to Earth care?
* Who are the "sacred stewards of the ripening crops"
today?
* Do you see the next 20 years as a crash or a transition or
something else?
* Is permaculture possible without land?!
2. Permaculture: an ecological design system or a spiritual practice?
A conversation between Maddy Harland & Willi Paul, March 2011.
A video conversation about new alchemy, mythology & the sacred in permaculture with Maddy Harland, Editorial Director Permaculture Magazine & Permanent Pubications & Willi Paul, EcoAlchemist openmythsource.com
Initial questions for each participant:
For Willi
1) For many people, permaculture is a design system. For example, permaculture case studies are used in local planning applications for building permissions. Permaculture is also seen as a useful strategy for community development within local government. At UN level, permaculture is described as integrated ecological design. Do you think you risk it being rejected by government and NGOs by describing as a spiritual practice?
2) Mythology is a powerful medium. Some permaculturists see humanity as having lost its connection with Nature and the natural world and regard permaculture as a means of reconnection. Do you think this is true? Or do you see the power of nature 'in tooth and claw' and think there was never an ideal Edenic state that human beings were heir to?
3) People are only just beginning to realize just how profoundly our way of thinking and our worldview limits what we imagine and can create. If we can train ourselves to adopt other perspectives, we open ourselves to far more possibilities and other ways of doing things in the world. If you could offer advice on ways to climb outside of our cultural imprinting what would it be?
4) What do you consider the role of intuition in permaculture design and how can design be intuitional?
5) How would you describe the art of creative living?
For Maddy - What is the alternative to a permaculture society, Maddy?
What is the difference between sustainability practices and permaculture practices?
In my work, permaculture is primarily spiritual. Is this true for you?
What comes to mind when I say eco alchemy?
Are there new myths rising from the practice of permaculture?
What is sacred about the practice of permaculture?
How many permaculture symbols can you think of as you walk
through your garden?
About Willi Paul
Willi Paul's current passion and mission concerns how we can re-energize alchemy and mythology for the Sustainability Age. His content and social media network has been established to explore and share ideas.
Willi Paul: Publisher, EcoAlchemist
sacredpermaculture.net, PlanetShifter.com Magazine
openmythsource.com
415-407-4688 | willipaul1@gmail.com
@planetshifter @openmythsource @permasacred
1)
http://www.chinapress.com.my/node/223526
2)
http://www.chinapress.com.my/node/223661
Following the Irish (un!)eco-village expose in Geomantica, issue 48, there was plenty of good feedback.
Then Emily (K. Emily Bond, writer, editor & social media content maker) in Spain interviewed Alanna Moore for Ecosalon.com and took the story a bit further. Read it at:
The major cause of CO2 release from land management
in farming is opening the soil to the air, by clearing native
vegetation, by ploughing, by burning, and by over-grazing. Substituting
other methods for these
practices prevents CO2 emissions. But these other methods are
not only useful in cutting emissions. They can turn agricultural
soil into a massive carbon sink, capable of sequestering millions
of tonnes of carbon beneath the ground.
"Soil organic matter (SOM), of which 58% is carbon, is one of our most important national resources," says Rattan Lal, Professor of Soil Science and Director of the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center at The Ohio State University. "SOM is a minor component of the soil (1-3%), but plays a very important role in biological productivity and eco-system functions." SOM includes all the organic substances in or on the soil.
"An increase in the soil organic carbon
(SOC) pool in degraded soils improves soil structure and tilth,
reduces soil erosion, increases plant available water capacity,
stores plant nutrients, provides energy for fauna, purifies water,
denatures pollutants, increases soil biodiversity, improves crop/
biomass yields, moderates climate. It makes soil a living ecosystem.
Indeed, it is a nation's most precious resource," says Professor
Rattan Lal.
Lal believes the Ecosystem Services alone should make SOC a national priority, putting a value on it of more that US$200 a tonne. These services include: Air Quality, Water Quality, Productivity, Fewer Pollutants, Less Dust, Less Sediment, Drought and Disease Resistance, and Mitigation of climate change.
"Soil C requires an interdisciplinary
approach to manage it and commodify it through trading of C credits,"
says Lal. "In cooperation with economists, soil scientists
must develop a protocol to trade C credits. It will require development
of routinely usable techniques to measure changes in the soil
C pool at landscape level over a time span of 1 to 2 years. The
process of 'carbon farming' as a marketable commodity requires
development of measurement, monitoring, and verification (MMV)
techniques. The global C market has the potential to grow to
US$1trillion by 2020 or before. Soil scientists must position
themselves to tap into this
growing market by making soil C a tradable commodity."
"There are a whole range of SOC levels in different soils. For instance, for the surface soils, SOC ranges from about 10% in the alpine soils to less than 0.5% in the desert soils," says Dr Yin Chan of the NSW Department of Primary Industry. "The amount of SOC stored in the soil profile can be considerable. For example, if there is 1% SOC over 30 cm soil depth, the amount of SOC stored over 1 hectare of land can weigh about 42 tonnes."
Management practices that increase soil organic carbon include:
Increasing inputs by -
o stubble retention
o composts
o manure
o other recycled organic materials
o green manure
Decreasing losses by -
o stubble retention
o cover cropping
"The long term trial results highlight the fact that by using the right manage-ment practices, we can turn a farm from C source to C sink", says Dr Yin Chan.
The Carbon Coalition Against Global Warming was formed in February 2006 to ensure Australian farmers and graziers gain maximum benefit from trading in soil carbon credits. The Convenors of the Carbon Coalition have formed a trading arm called Carbon Farmers™ of Australia to give landholders access to markets for the carbon they are sequestering by carbon promoting activities or securing by foregoing emitting activities.
Australian Farm Soil Credits are being offered on the voluntary carbon market, primarily to consumers seeking to abate the CO2 they emit in their daily lives and anxious to do something tangible about reducing the severity of future climate change.
Source:
Carbon Farming Handbook
An Introduction to Soil Carbon, Land Management and Climate Change,
Third Edition. Published by the Carbon Farmers of Australia.
RMB 384, Uamby Lane, Goolma, NSW
Australia 2852
(612) + 6374 0329
www.carboncoalition.com.au
www.carbonfarmersofaustralia.com.au
(See the What's On in NSW section of this
Geomantica for the upcoming Carbon Farmers Conference featuring
a presentation by Alanna Moore on Energy Farming.)
The Stone Serpent
By Alanna Moore, August 2011.
I had heard about the Stone Serpent about ten years ago and wondered if I'd ever get to see it myself. Probably pertaining to the Australian Aboriginal Dreaming, of ritual landscapes and geo-mythology, this unique stone arrangement had not long before been discovered by local historian John Tully as he explored a remote mountainside in central Victoria. Knowing how special and delicate the arrangement is, John doesn't go around advertising it's exact location and neither will I. (Soon after its discovery, a second and larger, serpentine stone arrangement came to light on another mountain in the region.)
The enigmatic site has been recorded since then, but no proper archeological study made of it, so its purpose is anyone's guess. Little recorded history speaks of it and it must be well over100 years since indigenous people used it. It would probably once have been of enormous importance, one of a number of serpent spirit sites in the region. John's research leads him to think it could actually be the most significant stone arrangement in all of the state of Victoria. He is curious about other people's perceptions and analysis of the Stone Serpent (my term for it) and he took a dowser friend there some years ago. Fascination with the site led him to recently publish an informative booklet on the subject.
The site is not very far from a town that I moved to recently. One day, when nearly finished moving, as we headed towards our new home I told my husband Peter Cowman about the Stone Serpent. An hour or two later, out of the blue, John was at the door, his new book under his arm, offering to take us there! He had actually been told to take me to see it some ten years ago, he said. So it was about time we went!
On a mild sunny winter's day we headed out and drove a very rough track to half way up the slope, then climbed the rest of the mountain on foot. Walking up the pleasant forested slopes dotted with pink granite boulders and winter wildflowers, we headed towards a steep hidden valley where the arrangement began. There were no proper tracks, not where we were going. But it was only light forest and the walking was easy.
As we neared this first destination, John pointed out a stone edged section of track that was now taking us towards it (he is on the left of the photo). We pondered the reason for its existence, but there was no other logical explanation, other than it being an Aboriginal ceremonial track on a steep section.
Following along above the line of the mostly dry creek, we eventually reached a pool of water that seemed to indicate a spring. "There's always water in that pool," John said. A reliable source of water would have been important for a ceremonial centre, where groups of people once spent time together.
A very large granite boulder lay not far from the pool. "I reckon this rock is the start of the stone arrangement. I think of it as the head of the serpent," said John.
Heading away from the 'head' ran a line of smaller, vertically stacked rocks in an intermittent path that connected other boulders and rocky ridges together, as it 'slithered' some 180 metres up the mountain side. Missing sections had been presumably washed away in storms, their rocks scattered below. The most intact sections were tucked away beneath protective bushes and dead trees, which also made them difficult to photograph. Judging by the patina and lichen on the carefully arranged remnant rocks, the Stone Serpent looked to be of a venerable age.
Serpent spirits
Serpent spirits feature largely in Aboriginal lore. They are
often the supreme deity in an area, often revered as a creator
of local landscape features. Mindye is the serpent spirit in
Victoria. He has a fearsome reputation, though I'm not convinced
that he is all bad. When European smallpox ravaged the tribal
nations, before white people arrived in the region in the early
19th century - it was blamed on Mindye. Thus they feared him
greatly, as was recorded by white commentators of the time. The
population had been decimated and there was nothing else to explain
the awful deaths.
To the Victorian Aboriginals, Mindye did the bidding of supreme spirit Bunjil (the Wedge Tailed Eagle), meting out punishment to those who broke tribal law. He had helpers too, other totemic beings, perhaps including the Stumpy Tailed Lizard spirit. Mindye has fractal forms here and there, and these local Mindyes dwell at various Dreaming sites. Was this stone arrangement representing Mindye? Most probably, thinks John, quoting one historic account that mentions this mountain as being Mindye's home.
Dowsing the Stone Serpent
Dowsing the line of stones I soon detected a telluric energy
flow that followed the path exactly. This energy flow suggested
where missing stones had once been placed. Technically speaking,
one might describe its form as a toroidal vortex flowing horizontally
across the ground. In Ireland, land of my own ancestors' Dreaming,
an equivalent energy line might be called a Fairy Path or Pass.
That telluric currents provide popular pathways for nature spirits
to move along, global traditions concur.
After climbing a while we stopped at a level clearing with lovely views. It felt special. (The energy of so much pink granite is pretty awesome, for one!) John pointed out a big granite boulder that looked very like a Stumpy Tailed Lizard. It had long ago had other stones added to it, as legs, to perhaps increase the resemblance. Could this spot have been a special ceremonial site within the greater ritual landscape? A message came to me clairaudiently, that the place had indeed been used for teaching Lore/Law.
Dowsing on the flattish, clear ground beside the Lizard Rock I discovered the vestiges of an upward geo-spiral or Earth vortex, with its energy flowing upwards. To me, the vortex would appear to denote a place where Aboriginal people had perhaps been dancing in ceremonies of initiation and honouring the Dreaming of place. I have dowsed several such vortices at corroborree grounds (that are sometimes called 'bora grounds', found along Australia's eastern seaboard). Recently I dowsed a big vortex at an ancient dance site used for the past 20 odd years as a venue for a regional, biennial Aboriginal dance festival, which we attended in June at Laura in far north Queensland. After a weekend with 500 dancers performing fabulous traditional dances, kicking up a storm of dust, I was blow away by the power of the vortex that I dowsed there afterwards.
At this point we were only partway up Mindye's path. Continuing upwards, we followed the lines of arranged stones that connected sections of granite bedrock along the line together. There was even part of the serpent line, following a small line of granite bedrock, which had been marked for a few metres by two small trunks of the very tough Lightwood trees. Although cut by a steel axe, they did look fairly old.
Finally we reached the end at another flattish meadow, with a large granite boulder where the stone arrangement stopped. Previously John had brought a mutual friend here, Irish dowser Sandy Griffin, and he had detected under and around this final rock what was dowsed to be a pool of underground water. Perhaps it was part of the spring system that fed the creek below? The pattern of the geology there seemed to be echoed by the path of the rock line, John had found. Perhaps the stone arrangement was following the water line also? My own dowsing confirmed the presence of water in the vicinity of that boulder, although I didn't have time to check for water lines beyond that.
On arrival at the last boulder I got the impression that here was the underground home of a somewhat sleepy Mindye spirit. Serpent spirits are generally associated with water and their homes are often watery. The site didn't feel at all threatening, just very spiritually neglected. (I always use careful protocol before visiting such ancient sites. In advance of our climb I had distantly asked Mindye most respectfully if I was welcome there. In response, he had seemed eager and happy about my visit.)
Close by the last boulder I soon discovered, by dowsing, the presence of a very powerful geo-spiral some 10 metres or so across. It was a perfect spot for magical activities. It felt to me that this was the site of greatest importance, with the most dancing and ceremonial activity occurring there. Dowsing conferred with logical guesswork. Here is a Dreaming site once used for high-level initiations and for communing with the exalted deities and energies of place, energetic echoes from the past suggest.
My short introduction to the site will not be the last! Certainly I shall return to spend more time, dowsing and meditating to tune in to the energies of place, and hopefully discover more about it.
My feeling is that forgotten sites, like this one, do love a bit of positive attention, from whoever wants to give it. If such sites feel welcoming, then it can be a wonderful journey of unfolding connection to develop a relationship with them. It would be also great to foster a 'renewal of the Dreaming', where needed, such that a new indigenousness can be co-created between people and their sacred landscapes.
Reference:
The Mindye Stone Arrangement, by John Tully, Weila Publishing,
Australia, 2011.
by Madis Senner, USA.
During the summer season I get lots of queries from people on what they can to do transform their garden into a spiritual garden. There are many things one can do, but the easiest is to build an altar in your garden. A simple altar, whether a stone circle or a statue, will help raise the vibe of your garden and make it more inviting and healing.
You need a Sanctuary
Before I talk about building an altar, you need to consider why you should have an altar or a spiritual garden for that matter. All of us need a sanctuary, a place where we can relax, heal and contemplate life's bigger questions.
So much of our time is spent in environments that are unfriendly-places where bad things have happened, or where negativity or pressure to perform dominates, or where technologies such as cell phones and other electrical gadgets have microwaved Mother Earth and created dead spots, or worse. Such environments deplete us of energy and even consciousness. Over time, a particularly bad environment will begin to affect your health. Dowsers talk about cancer houses where detrimental energies are found that can facilitate cancer. I believe that all illness is related to our disconnect from Mother Earth, either we are in an area where she has been damaged or we are not properly processing her energies and essences.
A sanctuary will help reverse the affects of spending time in a negative environment. It can help re-vitalize you and recharge your energy body. A sanctuary can help purge you of the negativity that you may have picked up during the day such as negative thought forms that can attach to our subtle body from the environment or others. They are places that can help elevate your mood and reduce the need to self medicate.
Creating an altar
An altar can be whatever you want: a stand with some books, a plot of garden flowers, a circle of stones, a stone prayer bench. The most important decision is the decision to have an altar area. Once you make this decision and go forward with it, you are planting a seed, a seed of consciousness that you will be feeding with your thoughts, intentions, actions, prayers and meditations. Over time this seed thought will begin blossoming and blossoming from all your intentions and grow bigger and bigger. Formally consecrating your altar with a ceremony will help develop with this transformation.
The sage Swami Vivekananda who introduced the Eastern traditions (Vedanta, Hinduism) to the west in the later half of the 19th century believed that we should have a room dedicated solely to spiritual practices. He said such a room should have flowers and pleasant pictures, and that incense should be burned there in the morning and in the night.
He said that by treating the room as holy, it will become holy, "Have no quarrel or anger or unholy thought in that room. Only allow those persons to enter it who are of the same thought as you. Then gradually there will be an atmosphere of holiness in the room, so that when you are miserable, sorrowful, or doubtful, or when your mind is disturbed, if you then enter the room you will feel peaceThe fact is that by preserving spiritual vibrations in a place you make it holy."
An altar area of a garden can become like the holy room that Swami Vivekananda talks about. Treat it as being holy. Pray there, meditate there, read scripture there.
I would suggest initially marking your altar area with a stone boundary. This will reinforce your intention through the physical action of creating the stone boundary. It will also serve as a reminder to you that you have an altar area each time that you see the stones; thought is power. It will also help you adhering to Swami Vivkenanda's suggestion to keep it holy and have no negative thoughts or actions within it.
Location, Location, Location
Where you place your altar will have a strong influence on how it will affect you. Placing it on some ley lines (http://wisdom-magazine.com/Article.aspx/1688/) and it will help raise your consciousness and help with answers. Place it near an earth chakra or some other energy feature and it will help with your energy level and nourish your physical body.
As much as location will impact your results, I would be more concerned with creating it. Again it is the seed thought of your intention to create an altar that you will be building upon.
Secondly, your relationship with your garden and with Mother Earth will evolve over time and this will naturally lead to changes, meaning that where your altar is today may be totally different next year, or you may add other spiritual aspects to your garden. We have a dynamic relationship with Mother Earth; she responds to our ovations. Most of us have been to places where the vibe was great and that vibe developed over time. Your altar will begin raising the vibe of your altar area, your garden and even your house. ( See my Working With Stone Series Videos on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP16L4h__wU&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKlNmgda4PM&feature=BFa&list=ULSP16L4h__wU&index=14 )
As the vibe of your garden rises several things will begin to happen. You will begin to develop sentience of Mother Earth and she will begin revealing herself. Just as looking within ourselves brings answers, intuitions and revelations, so too will an altar area of a garden do the same with Mother Earth, only the fruit will be a greater awareness of her and your garden.
Over time your garden and relationship with Mother Earth will evolve. Because of this I tell people not to build large megaliths or structures since you may wish to change your initial design to emphasize other aspects of Mother Earth in your garden. My garden has evolved over the years and continues to evolve and its physical appearance is constantly changing. Change and growth are one of the features of being on the path; it is no different when you are on the path with Mother Earth.
While location is not the paramount decision in choosing where to build an altar, I would try and place it on a ley line (spirit line, line of consciousness, see my report on ley lines at: http://www.jubileeinitiative.org/gaiassoul4.html) or intersection of ley lines. I say this because ley lines carry consciousness and consciousness feeds your soul while energy feeds your physical body.
Build an Altar
Summer is soon upon us. Think about how nice it would be to go to your garden and heal and replenish yourself after a long day. Imagine sitting there in a quiet contemplative mind and all of sudden some intuition or insight comes to you answering a question that you have been thinking about for some time. Experience joy, happiness and serenity overcoming you. All is possible within an altar area of your garden.
My website www.motherearthprayers.org has lots of information about working with Mother Earth. There you will find articles and videos on working with stone structures, Mother Earth's cosmology and much more.
Make this a summer to remember. Build an altar in your garden.
Reference:
Vivekananda, Swami; Raja Yoga; Page 32; Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, New York, 1973
About the Author:
Madis Senner provides consulting services on Mother Earth, creating sacred space, clearing space, surveys and more. He is author of The Way Home-Making Heaven on Earth (O-books) that details the mystical world, our dynamic relationship with each other and Mother Earth and how our collective thoughts/consciousness works to create our reality. He is currently leading a campaign to save Spirit House, a nationally registered historic home that was a Mecca of Spiritualism in the 19th century (www.spirithousesociety.org.) He also has a website dedicated to Mother Earth and sacred sites in upstate NY where he believes her soul resides (www.motherearthprayers.org.)
by Steve Miller aka Afterlife
As an artist that has spent a great deal of my life travelling to work and perform itís essential to me to stay fit and healthy in order for gigs not to be cancelled due to some minor illness such as a cold or feeling under the weather. I have met many far more well known artists and sportsmen who have all given me the same advice. ìEat plenty of fresh fruit , vegetables, fish and chicken, very little red meat and all should be organic or free range whenever possible and regular exerciseî. I have followed this advice and consequently I donít even have a GP these days as I never had to go to the doctors. I donít do class A drugs and only drink alcohol moderately but do a drink a lot of water every day.
Over 2 years ago I visited a friendís recording studio for an 8 hour session but within minutes of sitting in the control room I felt dizzy and a nasty headache came on very quickly. I donít have headaches normally so was concerned. I walked outside into the car park to get some fresh air and wondered what the hell was wrong. My friend followed me out and said he had installed WiFi the previous month and joked that it could be ìfrying our brains like a cell phone mastî. I suggested he turn it off which he did. I still felt lousy for about 30 minutes and then returned to normal. I went back into the studio and completed the session with no problems and felt fine. I then suggested he turn the WiFi back on as we needed to send some emails and I wanted to see what happened. The same symptoms returned very quickly so I had to leave. I would like to note that I had never seen my friend so tired before but thought he had just been overworking. He continued to run WiFi for several months and simply felt exhausted and found the simplest tasks difficult to complete. He has since removed it and is a different person, his energy has returned and heís his normal cheerful self again.
A month later I was asked by a friend to configure his brand new laptop as heís not too computer literate. His wifi transmitter was sat on his desk. I had to go on line to download some drivers and immediately I turned the router on I couldnít think straight at all, it felt like my brain had turned to jelly and I was incapable of even typing in the correct search words in Google. I had to immediately turn the router off. I told my friend that I would take his laptop home and finish the set up there and meanwhile it would be a good idea to get his installer guy to disable the wifi and supply him with a cable for the router.
Six months later WiFi started being installed in bars and cafes throughout my local town of Falmouth. In one particular pub one of the staff told me that since WiFi had arrived all the staff had started bitching at each other, he and his girlfriend had nearly split up but they could not understand why. Whenever my girlfriend and I went to one of our favourite restaurants we would always start arguing about the silliest trivial things yet we hardly ever argue normally. The restaurant was next door to the same pub and also had wifi in the office. We stopped going there and now only eat at one place on the beach that refuses to have wifi on the premises and we donít argue anymore. I started to ask myself why I didnít always get a headache but had experienced being argumentative and irritable so decided to buy a wifi detector and try an experiment. The detector has a scale of 1-5. What I found was that a wifi signal anywhere between 1-2 caused me to feel depressed and irritable but between 3-5 gave me a splitting headache which starts as a dull pressure on the top of my head quickly followed by dizziness and slight nausea. Itís a cheap detector designed to find hotspots so people can use their laptops so its not super accurate but sufficient to show approximate strength of signal and fits on a key ring.
If I walk down the main street these days I feel light-headed
and canít stop or go into any of the shops so have decided
to give that part of town a wide berth. At first my friends used
to rib me about being a hypochondriac and I found that depressing
so occasionally I would venture into the favourite bar only to
have to leave my pint on the table and make a swift exit. One
day I wondered around the town scanning every bar and eventually
found what I believe to be the only wifi free pub and asked the
new landlord if he intended to install WiFi. He said he had been
asked by other people too and wanted to know more. I told him
about my experiences and we both started looking into the wealth
of scientific information on the internet. The more we found
the more he was convinced that it was a bad thing. Since then
I have used this pub as my local and have to say whilst many
other bars in the town have lost a lot of trade this pub is doing
a roaring trade, a lot of my friends now use it as their local
too commenting that it ìfeels a happy pubî and that
ìThe other bars in town have lost the vibeî.
During the last 18 months I have been invited to DJ at various venues in France, Spain, Russia, Italy etc and have requested that the promoter would find me a WiFi free hotel and to ensure that the venue turned any WiFi off. For either reason this has resulted in me not be able to do the gig, mostly due to the promoter being unable to find a WiFi free hotel.
Earlier this year my new album was almost complete so I started
thinking about a name, a friend suggested ìElectrosensitiveî
as he knows Iím not into the recent fad of electro house
and was aware of my problems with WiFi. It felt like a good idea
at the time and everyone at the label liked the name so we went
with it. I was shocked when The Sun picked up on the story and
even more amazed when it went global within 2 days of The Sun
printing the article. I have had hundreds of emails showing support
from private people that have similar problems and many scientific
organisations and anti EMF campaigners have also contacted me
as well as the BBC and RTL for interviews. Obviously I have been
ridiculed on some website forums but what I find interesting
is that not one person ìhaving a goî at me used
any logical reasoning but merely were abusive and quite angry.
Last night I received an email via the contact page on my website
saying he wished I would die and that this was all a publicity
stunt. Of course! Why didnít I think of that?
Why bother taking the normal route of doing lots of promotional
gigs which I love ( I have been a professional DJ for 10 years)
when I could stay at home, lose thousands of pounds in fees and
risk all my album promotion on a story in a tabloid newspaper.
It took me 4 years to make this album; I think itís the
best one to date and wanted to give it my all.
I have had to turn down some amazing gigs which has been even
more depressing and could not even play Glastonbury this year
as Somerset council had Wifiís the whole town. I am pleased
to say that they have now turned it off after a major campaign
by the townís residents.
Strangely enough the label and I had planned a launch party in Ibiza during Radio 1 weekend with a view to me playing the sunset live on Radio 1. I was horrified to learn last week (after the article had been printed) that all UK airports are WiFiíd so Iím grounded. Thereís a possibility that I could drive all the way to Valencia but would probably have to sleep in my car some of the time and catch the ferry to Ibiza. I can stay at a friendís villa in the north that does not have wifi installed. Itís a long haul. But might be worth it.
-wedged between a plethora of radiation and a scary place
We squeezed onto the peak train in Melbourne that would take us to Castlemaine, an hour and a half away, lucky to get seats. Beside Peter a heavily pregnant woman silently fiddled with her mobile phone, perhaps surfing the 'net, resting it on her belly for the whole journey. Her poor unborn child! we thought. Beside me another woman twiddled with her phone the whole time as well. Looking around, I found we were surrounded by silent mobile users. Feeling uncomfortable, with my EMR sensitivity, there was nowhere else to escape. I pulled on my sun hat, so that a little bag of protective peat moss would shelter me, in this 'low-level microwave oven'.
Ah! The non-joy of public transport!! So sustainable, but so unlikeable...
Previously Peter had taken an evening train through Melbourne suburbs and came home in shock at the aggressively foul mouthed youths he had had to endure listening to. No wonder public transport is not as popular as it should be!
Perhaps the designers of public transport systems can come up with more human friendly alternatives? Such as the quiet and mobile phone free designated train carriages that are available in various European countries.
Are you sensitive to noise and radiation? Perhaps those of us who are should let our voices be heard by public transport authorities in demanding mobile phone and noise free environments. They will never know if we don't say anything!
Back to the top
By Gary Colombo de Piazzi.
Self-published, Perth, WA, 2008.
Reviewed by Alanna Moore
This first book by Western Australian poet (and ex-Power Tower farmer) Gary de Piazzi is a visual treat, complimented by lush poetry and the aspiration that nature is "something to interrelate with, to learn from, to cooperate and share with."
The Pinnacles are a marvel of nature. "Regal and bold, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding low heathlands and rising from the shifting yellow sand, stand numerous limestone pinnacles. Ranging in size up to 4m tall, some are jagged, sharp edged columns rising spire like, whilst others are smooth and rounded, more like termite mounds. Thousands of people marvel at the spectacle of the Pinnacles every year, yet many leave after only a cursory encounter, failing to appreciate the potential this unique site has to offer an opportunity to re-establish our connection with that which we have evolved within nature," writes de Piazzi.
De Piazzi says in the introduction that his book's purpose is to "share that distinctive essence the spirit of nature that can be encountered in such a place as the Pinnacles. I have used poetry to convey the feelings aroused in me by this place of unique beauty, for it is through feelings that nature communicates. For too long western society has focused on rational thought and scientific method to the detriment of feeling. It is not that science is evil or anti-ecological, rather that the framework of thinking that shapes it is unconnected to the natural intuitive wisdom that springs from nature. We need to go out into nature to let it speak to our own inner nature, and at least temporarily shut out the constraining voice of science and reason."
What did I get from this book? In a word - Tranquillification!
Definitely recommended!
By Maya Ward, June 2011, 335 pages, Transit Lounge
Publishing, Melbourne, Australia.
Reviewed by Alanna Moore
This true story of a pilgrimage by Maya Ward and her loyal friends along Melbourne's Yarra River, is a lyrical exploration of river country and a "testament to the fact that the greatest of worlds are often at our doorstep." The telling of the journey is "seamlessly woven together with ecological and cultural history, the revelation of the pilgrim's path and the unknowable depth of Aboriginal myth. Through trekking this Wurundjeri Songline, this ancient, ever-renewing river, she discovers rich possibilities and resilience required to transform our world." The way is trackless mostly, the journey enriched by the kindness of strangers responding generously to their needs, following the ancient tradition of pilgrimage.
It is a story told in "shimmering prose", as one reviewer aptly put it. To illustrate, opening a page at random I find this pearl about the time they lost their map:
"On every map there is a key, also called the legend.
The key is the explanation of symbols, a thin blue line for a
river, hatched blue blobs for billabongs. We looked for it
our map had gone.
Within fate is the invitation. I opened it. This is what it said:
Lose the map. Throw away the key. Walk the land, and know
those marks as real things, a lived life. Give your body a chance
to remember and doors tight shut inside will open wide, as wide
as the green land and the blue of the sky.
Before and after this moment in time, there is the land, land
with no locks. No keys no fences no gates no reinforced barbed
wire six feet high. There is just the land stretching all the
way to the mountains, and behind, all the way to the sea.
Unlock the world.
Be the key. Be the legend."
by Kieran Comerford BE, MBA, published by CTM books, Dublin, Ireland, 2011.
Reviewed by Peter Cowman.
In this new look at an iconic Irish monument, Comerford lures us inside that eponymous neolithic giant of the Boyne Valley, illuminating its darkness with intuition and skillful insight. As probing as any solstitial light event, this timeless experience leads us from the ordinary to the extraordinary, from the present to the past then back again. When we finally emerge from this incredible journey it is to discover that our consciousness has shifted allowing us to experience the world afresh.
No time is wasted or sacred cow spared. Male domination is dispatched down so swiftly we hardly have time to catch a breath. Next, the world as we know it is deconstructed as we spiral off into space-time, cruising the invisible realms of emptiness and atoms, gravity and dark matter. From this high altitude we are invited not only to experience the world anew but to feel its vibrations deep within ourselves.
Before we know it the Earth moves once more beneath our feet! Crustal displacement shifts the poles, changing our perspective and laying the foundations of modern civilisation and the science which dominates it. Vision quests, devas, orgone energy, elemental beings or magical ritual have no place in this world. We experience this absence as emptiness. To fill this void we must balance reason with intuition, opening the wellspring of knowing within our hearts.
Intention is the key to renewing ourselves and resonating with the Universe. It is by such means that we can order our world and orient ourselves meaningfully within it. A paradigm shift of this nature is well within our grasp. Comerford clearly shows us the way. The epitome of the 'modern man' learned, insightful, loving and considerate he reaches out a hand, which we should immediately grasp. Buy and read this book, change your life and the world will soon follow.
Kieran Comerford; http://www.kcomerford.com/
Buy and read this book: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/newgrange-and-the-new-science/15635321?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf
Editors note: Nice to see a memorable Irish workshop I ran
in 2006 featured in one of the book's chapters!
3 Saturdays, 10am - 1pm
Bookings: Sue Caldwell b.h. 5422 6315
or email: lakshmi@netcon.net.au
3 Sundays, 2pm - 5pm
DISCOVER SENSITIVE WAYS OF BEING,
SEEING, FEELING, DREAMING & DOING
The Eco-Living School, Castlemaine, central Victoria, is a place
where people can engage with the practical and emotional aspects
of eco-living. Sessions include theory+practice and are supported
with printed notes.
International teachers Alanna Moore & Peter Cowman, have,
between them, over 50 years experience of alternative living.
Fees: $50 per Session, incl. refreshments. Attend both Sessions
on any one day and enjoy a free vegetarian lunch!
Enquiries: sheltermaker@gmail.com
Download brochure, see booking form: livingarchitecturecentre.com/live-courses-workshops/
2012 PROGRAMME
January 21st
Edible Landscaping in the Goldfields Part
I with Alanna Moore 10am
1pm
Permaculture design principles. Planning for climatic extremes.
Building up soils with locally available inputs and composting.
Dryland Permaculture farm tour. Practical exercise in making
a small low-water-use Wicking Garden Bed designed to manage grey
water.
Architecture & Life with
Peter Cowman 2 - 5pm
How do buildings affect our lives? What is the connection between
buildings and dreams? Can architecture foster higher consciousness?
Do buildings have emotions? How can buildings assist us in living
more sustainability? If you wish to know the answer to any of
these questions attending this Session is a must! Includes hands-on
3D workshop.
February 18th
Architecture Design with Peter Cowman 10am 1pm
Engaging with the dynamics of space, place, time and consciousness
and how these 'invisible' aspects of design can be incorporated
into physical buildings is the overall theme of this Session.
Includes how to get your ideas down on paper and clearly express
your intentions; site and space analysis exercsises; developing
building layouts, plus more!
Edible Landscaping in the
Goldfields Part II with Alanna Moore 2 - 5pm
Plant selection for the temperate drylands. Bushfoods worth growing,
inc. bush foods orchard tour. Native plant propagation (practical).
March 17th
Geomancy & Sensitive Landscaping Part I with Alanna Moore
10am 1pm
The principles of geomancy, discovering the energies of place.
Connecting with the spirit of the land by dowsing. Tour of energy
installations on the farm. Power Tower ritual (practical).
Eco-Building Construction
with Peter Cowman 2 - 5pm
What makes an eco-building eco? Explore design, materials,; structural
principles,; passive solar fundamentals, insulation, costing,
self-build vs. contractor build, staying off the grid; recycling
issues - plus more! Get hands-on with materials - feel, smell
and even taste!
April 21st
Living Your Architecture with Peter Cowman 10am 1pm
How-to shape your home to suit your life - and the life of the
planet!
Getting the best from your home; putting your ideas down on paper;
connecting to your dreams; surveying; drawing; model-making;
decision-making; initiating changes. If you dream of transforming
your home this is the best place to start!
Geomancy & Sensitive Landscaping
Part II with Alanna Moore 2 - 5pm
Working with the energies of place (akin to feng shui). Geomantic
solutions to energetic problems. Creating sacred sites. Making
stone circles and medicine wheels, inc. ritual use of them (practical).
May 19th
Living in a Healthy Home with Alanna Moore 10am 1pm
Principles of building biology and how to avoid the Sick Building.
Problems from geobiology and electromagnetic radiation that affect
our health and wellbeing. Dowsing for irritation zones and safe
places to sleep; Earth acupuncture for geopathic stress (practical).
Eco-Building On A Shoestring
with Peter Cowman 2 - 5pm
In this fascinating Session participants can follow the entire
process of designing and constructing an eco-building that was
built for less than $5000! Discover and try for yourself simple
eco-building techniques.
June 16th
Architecture Playhouse with Peter Cowman 10am 1pm
Imagining your Dream Space and coaxing it into Reality is the
theme of this fascinating Session. Using simple materials and
tools plus a generous dash of creative thinking this free-fall
into the world of architecture will forever change how you think
of space, time, houses, jobs, mortgages, sustainabilty and even
life itself! This hybrid of instruction and play will encourage
a deeper understanding of the role buildings play in our lives
and foster the rediscovery of the timeless architecture we create
in childhood.
Sensitive Permaculture with
Alanna Moore 2 - 5pm
Combining permaculture design principles with geobiology and
geomancy. Esoteric gardening and energy farming for enhanced
plant growth and animal wellbeing. Dowsing the vitality of plants
and how to improve them, inc. Power Tower ritual (practical).
DEEP GREEN - THE MUSICAL
Starting Friday February 17th and meeting weekly each Friday evening 7 - 9pm
at a venue either in Castlemaine or Yapeen (9km away), with a view to performing it
later in the year.
* SYDNEY
Following a successful inaugral workshop with Alanna Moore on November 19th, Noel Jordan, president of the brand new Australian Dowsers Society, wrote: "This was a passionate day of dowsing, packed with solid facts, fascinating stories and interesting insights from a brilliant, world class dowser. Alanna has set the standard for our society for future seminars."
Many of the 28 workshop participants said they would be interested to attend a field trip to the modern day sacred site at Coogee Beach with Alanna in early 2012. Dowsing there, they could be introduced to the intense energies of the site, its underlying geology and amazing history. Expressions of interest to attend such a day of dowsing and geomancy are welcome. Potentially this could be run on Saturday March 3rd. Mark your calendars and stay tuned.
* Melbourne, Australia
September 16th, 7:00pm
RMIT presents Peter Cowman on Living Architecture
Part of the Architecture+Philosophy series
FREE EVENT
Venue: RMIT Building 8, Level 11, 360 Swanston St, Melbourne
In this stimulating presentation, architect Peter Cowman takes us on a mystery tour within the quasi-secret world of architecture.
From Newgrange to New Age, from tree house to temple, we are invited to explore architecture inside and out.
Within this juxtaposition of time and space are to be discovered threads, emerging from the past and snaking forward to inform an invisible future.
This insight leads us inwards to where dreams and expectations are forged.
It is here, we come to realise, that the experience of architecture is conceived and a missing link between architecture+life awaits discovery.
If you've wanted to experience an EconoSpace now is the time.
With EconoSpaces on view in northern and southern hemispheres, a defining line is being drawn symbolizing the potency of such small buildings.
The more that it is realised that unsustainable consumption is an inevitabile consequence of mortgage-financed home ownership, the more people will want to free themselves of such shackles.
Learning how to build ecoloigically and pyschologically sound, low-cost shelter is a necessary precursor to such liberation.
Here is a simple building which can easily be made in the average backyard ...
* September 9 11th
GREEN-DOOR, Co. LEITRIM, IRELAND
Organised by Inspirational Homes Leitrim (Link: http://www.inspirationalhomes.ie/)
* Saturday Oct 15th
SUSTAINABLE HOUSE TOURS
CASTLEMAINE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA
Organised by Mount Alexander Sustainability Group (Link: http://masg.org.au/)
* Sunday October 16th
LIVING ARCHITECTURE CENTRE OPEN HOUSE
Yapeen, Castlemaine, Victoria
Sunday October 16th 11am 4pm
Organised by the Living Architecture Centre
Link: http://www.livingarchitecturecentre.com/econospacemaking/