We are ‘soil’.
We gathered under the twin oak trees on the land.
This beautiful day, at the end of Summer and beginning of Autumn was in the air - marking the beginnings of our collaboration and our commitment to ‘work out in the open’.
[Our notations are documented below to ‘seed’ our collaboration]
Working through our agenda Jaime created based on the Tree structure, over the course of the day we worked our way from soil through to the trunk sections.
Al, Jez, Sal, Jaime & Katy present for all. Tom joining for some discussions, Nick joining later in the day.
Here are the main points of discussion:
Soil is the starting point for everything, yet we so often skip ahead to the doing, the ‘fruits’, the actions. What happens when we don’t jump ahead and spend time connecting with all the life beneath the ground?
Our discussion points covered:
Connecting with the soil
Understanding the soil (enquiry into the land/ecosystem we sit in)
Our own soil (personal check ins - vulnerabilities / shadows)
Connecting with the soil
Al led us through a beautiful exercise, scooping up teaspoons of soil, relating to it through all our senses; rubbing it between our fingers, breathing it in, connecting our roots to those of the soil, the grandparents, tasting the soil in our mouths, connecting with the ecology of the land in multi sensory, visceral ways.
This exercise prompted a rich discussion, many reflections centred around the great potential slowing down and taking nutrients from the ground we stand on.
We discussed;
The tension between ‘above and below the surface’ - being mindful of what we can’t see, so much of the work happens beneath - we need to consider both above and below
The balance of masculine and feminine, the soil including it all; recognising its not one or the other we need a balance in ourselves, our systems, our cultures
Re-sensitising ourselves; multi sensory experiences
Slowing down as an action
What if the grounding IS the work; we often rush past it, a quick few breaths, then the work - what if we did a whole day of grounding?
A plant is an expression of the soil its growing in; we distract ourselves with what we can see - the plant and its flowers, we need to think more about its conditions, the water, soil, sun it needs to flourish.
We often associate soil and ground with death and burial; how can we rebalance that and recognise the teeming life in the ground; fertility, potential, life
Bringing in the ‘shadow’ side; welcoming the darker, richer conversations, what’s not being said, what's not being surfaced, what's in the shade? What's possible when that’s included?
Understanding the soil
To fully connect with soil, we want to understand it as best we can. An intention was expressed to assess and monitor the soil of the farm, as part of building a relationship to its current state, and opportunity for improvement.
One teaspoon of soil contains more living organisms than there are people in the world. Without this “biological diversity” there would be no terrestrial life on earth.
Relationship between soil and human development. Questions we are holding.
Can we find a local partner to help us understand the microbiology and chemistry of the soil?
How do we map layers of soil to human and personal growth?
What are the conditions needed for healthy soil?
How might this inform our work with people/organisations and communities?
What's in our own soil
The idea of bringing in what's ‘beneath the surface’ to create open and honest conditions prompted us to explore our own perspectives on the topic. Al, Jaimie, Katy, Sal & Jez all shared reflections on who we are individually, personal shadows and vulnerabilities present in their lives at the moment. Whilst these don’t feel right to share here, the conversation was a tender and beautiful one to be part of.
How do we be the soil for others to grow?
We go deeper.
‘Feed the soil not the plant’
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Microbes are central to all life on Earth due to their huge diversity in form and function. In soils, one teaspoon of topsoil contains around 1 billion individual microscopic cells and around 10,000 different species. These organisms have many tasks, and are central to crop fertility, purifying the environment from pollutants, regulating carbon storage stocks and production/consumption of many significant green house gases, such as methane and nitrous oxides.
References for further conversation.
The Quadrangle - The Field
Satish Kumar - Earth Talk: Soil, Soul, Society
Stone Soup Syndicate - Soil is Sacred