TRANSCRIPT OF THE RISING EARTH IMMERSION
VIDEO BY LUCAS Wozniak

Abbey: I first came to The Eco-Institute a few years ago and was just immediately overwhelmed by how beautiful the space is. I decided to start coming back for the Garden Co-op every Thursday and Saturday morning. And when I found out about this program I was really excited because I thought that those little moments could be my reality for 10 weeks.

Eric: I’ve been interested in permaculture for a really long time. I’ve done a fair amount of reading and experimenting at my parents’ garden. I really wanted a whole-body experience, that could be a community experience, where I could get it in on a deeper level.

Briana: I am here to really find out what my authentic purpose and path is in life. It seemed like the place that I need to be right now in my life, and it just called to me.

Ben: It had a lot of the core values of what I find valuable in friendships, life, and community. It’s very Earth-centered. There’s a lot of opportunity to learn things, to learn about permaculture, about living my most sustainable, best life. I was just kind of at a point in my life where I was very much stuck in a rut. I wanted to grow and be able to ponder. I guess at some level I knew that but I don’t really know why I felt so called to come here.

Megan: The REI is basically an alternative semester. Folks live in hybrid yurt-domes in the forest for these 10 weeks with a cohort of 12 peers. These are young people who are very aware of the unintended but undeniable consequences of our Industrial Growth Economy and yet they are also a generation who believes in humanity’s ability to change and adapt and create a cooperative future that is beautiful and good for everyone. So, a brilliant team of staff and designers have come together and created this curricular wheel which does a beautiful job of representing the holistic approach to education that happens here. There’s Human Connection, Earth Connection, and Inner Connection, all three very important legs of a sturdy stool. Within each of those are beautiful curricular elements that have been developed over fifteen years.

Ben: The amount of care that everyone has for each other is super rejuvenating and supportive. The amount of support that everyone applies for each other; we see each other’s goals and we’re going to do everything we can to help you find out what you need out of life.

Briana: Having my birthday occur here, it was just one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had in my life. The love and the appreciation and kindness that i felt radiating from others towards me, I was like, this feels so good and I’m so not used to it! Also something that was really special to me was learning about different communication processes and learning how to communicate in a way that’s effective but that doesn’t cause further conflict.

Eric: Getting to be friends with everyone…aww, it’s been so good! There’s been so many good experiences! Being part of a meal crew and cooking for a group…

Abbey: Those small community bonding moments of just pure joy and silliness that may come when we’re all cooking together, or cleaning up after a meal even, that really make community so beautiful. We’ll have spontaneous dance parties or music parties late at night. The amount of musical talent in the group is amazing.

Eric: It can be really hard living in community. We come from such an individualistic culture where have our own rooms, we have our own rooms, we have our own cars….

Briana: I definitely came with a more independent mindset. This has really broken down some of the things I held close to myself that maybe I didn’t consider of value.

Abbey: One of the most challenging and rewarding experiences has been milking the goats, which is one of the farm chores that we all rotate through. And the first couple of days, the goats would kick over the pail, they wouldn’t eat their food, they would try and bust out of the milking hold. Eventually though as I got more comfortable, the goats got a lot more comfortable too, and it became a much more soothing and almost meditative practice in the mornings.

Ben: You’re just outside a good portion of every day, and just so inner-focused on the land that we’re on….

Briana: I learned a lot from homesteading workshops and foraging mushrooms and garden co-op time. Learning about the soil, and learning about identifying the plants that are around us, which is amazing!

Eric: So this [referring to a grassy mound behind him] we did on a Permaculture Foundations day. There was like twenty or twenty-five of us. We put in a lasagna garden, we built some raised beds, and we did this Hugelkultur bed all in one day. It started raining on us and it didn’t even matter, we were just so happy to be working together and sweating together and accomplishing something. The good cheer was really palpable and the momentum was very energizing.

Megan: They learn a lot about who they are and what their personal challenges are and where their work to grow happens, and also what gifts they bring to share with the community and the rest of our world.

Briana: Things that I want to do more of or that we’ve done here is really incorporating a morning practice, mindful eating, and mindfulness. More somatic movement, and really just getting more in touch with my body in that way.

Eric: This really righted the ship and re-railed my life navigation for me. Back towards permaculture, back towards community, back towards the things that matter. I’m going to take with me a deep, deep feeling of appreciation and connection to those values.

Abbey: I came into this program with a real sense of confusion, especially after graduating, about what I should do next. And what I’m stepping away with is this sense that it is possible to live directly with the Earth. And that I can have direct daily contact with the Earth, to feel renewed by why I’m doing the climate activist work I’m deeply passionate about, and to feel really held in community to do that.

Ben: This program, like I said, really did get me out of a rut and a place of just…an endless circle. I feel really grateful for being able to come here. I feel very…privileged in being able to come here. Not many people get the chance to even have a space like this, of community, support and reflection.

Megan: The challenges we are facing right now as humanity are unprecedented. It’s going to take all of us working together all of us showing up in our whole humanity, in our fullness, in our full engagement.

Eric: There was a quote in one of the courses. It was talking about the Great Turning, which is the big transition that is happening in our times. And the quote was: “Whatever you do in this Great Turning, don’t you dare do it alone.” And that’s what stuck with me.