The Spell of Ai.........

chapter 9: The Agrarian

Photo by Bill Weng on Unsplash

Up until now the search for Ai has led into a void. Wandering in spaces among the timeline, waiting for a particle to collide with a present that is here and gone then here again. Ai mingles with the spirits.

These spirits rise during troubled times, we don’t need them when times are good. Wars, droughts, famine, climate change bring forth the pleas and dances, the prayers and offerings. It is in the asking that our spirits are risen.

It’s time to introduce another spirit, one who all things considered, has always and will always be present.

The Agrarian:

The more the farmer increases the scale of his operation, the more his body and spirit are dissipated and the further he falls away from a spiritually satisfying life. A life of small-scale farming may appear primitive, but in living such a life, it becomes possible to contemplate the Great Way.* I believe that if one fathoms deeply one’s own neighborhood and the everyday world in which he lives, the greatest of worlds will be revealed.
* The path of spiritual awareness which involves attentiveness to and care for the ordinary activities of daily life.
Masanobu Fukuoka from The One Straw Revolution

So much is said about agriculture, adding more seems a fruitless endeavor. Best to allow the spirit to speak. The Agrarian walks the earth as real as anything can be; with many faces and unfettered by time. We have never been separate from this spirit and never will be. The Agrarian lives in every farmer, but not every farmer gives life to the Agrarian.

The precipice:

We are there, before us and behind us. So long as food is our sustenance doing without it is a terrifying proposition. Population densities with no means of growing food but relying entirely on outside forces is not sustainable. Political strife, mass exodus, extinctions at alarming rates, rapidly changing ecosystems, wars (the struggle for resources), on and on; the indicators are apparent. You know this. You are not brave enough to not be afraid.

All life is sacred:

Do not seek for a denial of God here, likewise, do not seek here for a denial of the Spirit. The Spirit of Life and the Spirit of Death are joined together in marriage. This is the dance we dance. See it as you will. Change will never come by decree. Fear of the unknown is fear and when we surrender to that fear our fate is sealed. The solution is solely within you, not these words.

Start by doing nothing; you are here now, safe within these portals. So long as we are still here, it will never be too late. Worship at the altar of Death brings with it a definite outcome. The simplest of thing is the prediction of outcomes to current trends. We are not going to suddenly all become agrarian, nor will we solve our global problems by force. We might somehow decide that if we all provide for the good of all then all will be solved. We might decide to worship at the altar of Life. There are no guarantees.

When the Spirit of the Agrarian speaks it says what it must, that you cannot have the one without the other. That is The Way. You know this. We have always known this.

So, a discussion about food and agriculture without including the circle of life would be meaningless.

Take a walk with me:

A first view of this farmstead will look nothing like farming. “Nature isn’t neat” as told by a local conservationist. The critical work of this steward lies with the many things that are not done. If you desire a better world, consider what not to do; that will keep you quite occupied.

Despite my obvious negligence, here are some of the volunteers come forward to provide sustenance during troubled times:

• drupes, (small bitter berries) in great abundance when in season.

• crab apples, native and abundant.

• pears, abundant in good years.

• horseradish, want some? A force to be reckoned with.

• ramps, long leaf, (wild leeks) edible year-round and food for the gods.

• asparagus, wild.

• mulberries, queen of the berry world.

• grapes, concord survivors.

• peach’s, a few left by Fat Jimmy the groundhog.

• dandelion, of course.

• walnuts, protein source that can be improved.

• clover, edible.

• acorns, edible.

• cottontails, superior to domesticated rabbit breeds in their remarkable ability to heal and survive extreme weather conditions. Rescued from the mowing and kept for their manure, high nitrogen.

This is a partial list. Simple observation and the regenerative quality of nature enable a super abundance. By practicing traditional farming methods all of this would be gone, replaced by overgrazing and tilling. Slash and burn agriculture is alive and well; best referred to as extractive.

The Hunter Gatherer…

might have worked no more than an hour or two a day.

This is not to advocate reverting to a primitive lifestyle, too late for that. This is to say that The Agrarian is not a spirit from our past, but a spirit in the present, and our future; like it or not.

And the manifestations of that spirit are all around us. They harken a call to action.

Taking up farming myself at an age most are retiring, the best that can be done is to do no harm. By merely allowing the trees to grow with the grasses and shrubs this farmstead is a generation ahead of adjoining farms that have deforested and tilled for crops and livestock. Going forward will be easy from here out. Happy herbivores allowed to graze freely on succulent vegetation, returning matter to feed the soil followed by the poultry to scratch and cultivate. Giving back to the earth that nourishes us and the wildlife that dwells here. That is the circle of life The Agrarian is teaching.

It seems appropriate to plow only these rows of words to plant the seeds that can make these visions bear fruit. This farm needs the herbivore to stimulate growth, maintain buildings and provide food. Fencing and breeding stock takes money. Money is not evil when used for good. Farming and storytelling coincide nicely.

If you have been wondering what all this is about - now you know.

Photo by Laela on Unsplash