Soul Soil: Where Agriculture and Spirit Intersect with Brooke Kornegay

Akiva Silver has been studying and working with nature for the past 20 years. His endeavors have ranged from primitive wilderness survival to planting and maintaining diverse fruit and nut orchards, and to running his nursery business at Twisted Tree Farm. Akiva raises tens of thousands of trees every year, propagating from seeds and cuttings. He is an avid forager and observer of wildlife. Akiva has written three books, Trees of Power, The Conversation, and The Ocean of Dreams. In this episode… An approach to creating change through inspiration and alternative solutions rather than opposition…Bringing opposition to those in service only to self can interrupt their agenda, but building new and better systems lays the groundwork for change from a place of love. What we put our focus on often grows, and that includes world problems as well as alternative solutions. One alternative solution Akiva has been working on is cooking oil…using the oft-maligned bitternut hickory as a source of cooking oil, instead of relying on an annual monocrop like canola whose production creates a biological desert on the land. The story about Akiva’s experience with wilderness and survival skills, how the guilt of taking from the earth, the plant and animal bodies to fuel his own body, was transformed into gratitude, paired with a realization that we are part of nature and the carbon cycle, we have the same value and right to be here…”you are taking life to have life. Something is killed for you to have energy. When I kill a deer and eat it, I have that energy in my body. What I do with that energy matters more to me when I remember this.” You can take that energy and wallow in self pity and self doubt, or you can take that life in order to create beauty and kindness and propagate life. A certain responsibility enters the picture. The joy of doing work that is directed by the seasons, the patterns of nature, instead of by a human schedule. “Having an attitude of curiosity would lead to a totally different world” The best way to be mentally healthy and happy is to know that you have a purpose, know that you’re helping others…finding how you can be of service is the best thing you can do for yourself and the world. Resources Twisted Tree Farm website and nursery online store Akiva Silver - Twisted Tree Farm YouTube channel Trees of Power, The Conversation, and The Ocean of Dreams by Akiva Silver Sam Thayer's Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America; The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants; and Nature's Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden by Lee Reich Books by Robert Moss

Some people do things the way things have always been done. Others develop that curiosity muscle and are able to take in new information, weigh it against experience and, yes, intuition, and ultimately create new systems that work. The first thing Jared teaches a new farmer is “know thyself.” Jared and Selena have been married 26 years and are the parents of nine children and one grandchild. They are 3rd generation ranchers, managing the operation Jared’s grandfather and father built in Secret Pass and Clover Valley, Nevada. Jared is a life-long learner and has been applying and teaching principles of holistic management, soil regeneration, and biodynamics. Jared has mentored many young people seeking to get a start in agriculture. The Sorensens raise and market grass fed beef, teach onsite and virtual classes, and offer internships on the ranch. In this episode… partnering with his father and grandfather at age 16 making the shift to holistic, regenerative practices grazing management: mob grazing, the principle of thirds bringing the microscope to the farm: measuring the effectiveness of new practices by tracking the presence of a balanced microbial population healing the water cycle biologically—beavers as permaculture designers!; keyline systems the importance of knowing your why, knowing yourself…don’t set yourself up for failure by adopting a system that’s not yours, without taking the time to get to know yourself and what YOU were created to do here on this earth, your unique why…and then having the courage to embody that truth introducing a biodynamic approach to the ranch, being the human connection between heaven and earth to be better stewards of the earth, we need to increase our awareness, get past our “know it all” egoic tendency, moving past judgement and getting curious, knowing there’s something we can learn from everyone and every situation. A big dose of humility will serve us well it IS possible to break into agriculture without inheriting a farm Nature is more resilient than we give it credit for. There’s so much grace and forgiveness in trying to do the right thing, in getting past our arrogance and our ego. Progress can be made! Your self worth is infinite, it is separate from your net worth. Resources Ruby Mountain Nourishing Foods (Sorensen Ranch) Sustainable Settings (Biodynamic Ranch in Colorado) The Profitable Regeneration Virtual Summit Searching for Home, Finding Grace free ebook from Jared Sorensen Searching for Home, Finding Grace hard copy

Amy Dempster helps others understand the healing power of the earth. What began as openly sharing her spiritual journey on her popular blog Following Hawks, has become a resource for others wanting to learn how to communicate with nature and share their own unique healing gifts with the earth. Together with the Spirits of the Land in the mountains of northwest Montana, she tends seven portals on the land where she lives, along with any grid keeping work she is assigned. She also leads the Earth Tenders Academy, an immersive online journey to help others reestablish their connection with their ancient ancestors, learn to communicate with the seen and unseen forces in their environment, and respectfully offer their healing energy to places in need. In this episode… The experience of waking up to one’s spiritual gifts, what it’s like to exchange energy and information with the unseen world Ways people can attune themselves to have a deeper relationship and experience with Nature What is sound healing, how singing bowls and toning affect reality Plant medicine, Amanita renaissance, the energetics of sitting in ceremony with a plant ally Resources www.followinghawks.com The Amanita Experience  

Asia Suler is a writer, teacher, earth intuitive and ecological philosopher who lives in the folds of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is the founder of One Willow Apothecaries, an Appalachian-grown company that offers handcrafted herbal medicines and educational experiences in herbalism, animism, ancestral healing and earth-centered personal growth. Asia has guided over 20,000 students in 70+ countries through her immersive online programs. With her writings and teachings, Asia helps people embrace their own unique medicine through a joyful engagement with the natural world. Asia’s first book Mirrors in the Earth: Reflections on Self-Healing from the Living World is available now. In this episode… The experience of waking up to Nature and exchanging information and energy with the unseen world Ways people can attune themselves in order to have a deeper experience with the natural world Gardening as a practice of setting boundaries When we come home to our own inner world, the world as we know it changes How the Earth helps us heal from trauma How valuing our smallness, and the details of everyday life, helps us heal our lives and the Earth Healing self judgement Resources www.asiasuler.com Mirrors in the Earth: Reflections on Self-Healing from the Living World by Asia Suler

“Our sense of ‘the individual’, which really began with the rise of capitalism and the forceful severing of people from land and community, led to the concept that there are categories of being that do and do not have consciousness, that are and are not alive, that do and do not have their own right to existence…and when we actually drop into our senses and allow ourselves to experience the living world, we discover that so many of the things that were not supposed to be intelligent, or sentient, are speaking to us and with us. And that changes everything.” Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue is an herbalist, writer, and teacher, and an initiated Priest in two traditions. He lives in the mountains of western Maine. Seán’s approach to healing weaves together the insights of traditional western herbalism, animism, and contemporary science. He regards physical, spiritual, and emotional healing as deeply intertwined. He is the author of The Forest Reminds Us Who We Are. In this episode… Early influences and experiences working with plant and animal consciousnesses How becoming more fully embodied opens awareness and the capacity to connect with nature The aromatic scents of plants are recognized as kinship signals within our bodies; when we can direct our attention to a specific plant, tension is released within our bodies so that we can connect more openly The near-constant barrage and sensory overload of modern living and its effect on our ability to deeply listen to subtle information in our natural surroundings Some simple practices that can help us open our awareness and refine our senses What’s most permanent about us is our threefold nature…the “Talking” or “Human” self that interacts with abstractions and language (our persona and ego), our “Animal” self that experiences sensation and emotions, responding to rhythm and ritual and love, and our “God” self or “Infinite” self that knows our divinity and infinity Examining our own programming and conditioning and reclaiming our body’s innate wisdom, through the senses, to convey information about the world around us Indigenous vs. colonizers, and the worldview of “we” vs. “I” “To die healed is to die while being in right relation with all things in your inner world and your outer worlds. That can happen only in the context where we recognize and experience the world as alive. We cannot come into this full expression of who we are without letting our consciousness to fully enter and fill our bodies.” “6,000 years of patriarchal civilization has created rigid patterns within humans where we are armoring ourselves against our own eros, our own nature, our own desire for life, as well as armoring ourselves against the feelings and experiences of those around us. When we are in that place of being cut off from ourselves and each other, we can more easily become the instruments of ideologies that try to tell us what’s right and wrong, and who does and doesn’t have a right to exist.” Resources The Forest Reminds Us Who We Are: Connecting to the Living Medicine of Wild Plants by Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue https://otherworldwell.com/ Victor H. Anderson: An American Shaman by Cornelia Benavidez Invoking Ireland by John Moriarty The Gary Snyder Reader: Prose, Poetry, and Translations by Gary Snyder The Collected Poems of Denise Levertov

75% of the world’s human population relies on traditional healing practices, most of which is herbal medicine. Herbs and other plants have shaped human culture and traditions since the beginning of time. The Ashkenazim of Eastern Europe’s Pale of Settlement have a well documented history dating back to the Middle Ages, but until now, accounts of their herbal healing practices have been absent from public record. Deatra and Adam have put together a snapshot of not only the herbs used by this culture, but also tell the story of its healers. Deatra Cohen is an author, herbalist, master gardener and artist. She was a reference librarian for many years and always had an interest in nature, plants and medicinal herbs. When she began to study herbalism formally, she discovered there was no written record of the medicinal plant knowledge of her ancestors, the Ashkenazi Jews from the Pale of Settlement in Eastern Europe.  Adam Siegel is an author, translator, and bibliographer. He studied linguistics at the University of Minnesota and the University of California, and library and information science at San José State University.  His translations from German, Russian, Serbian, and Croatian papers have been published widely, and he is a past recipient of the NEA Literary Translation Fellowship. In this episode… How enrolling in an herbalism course prompted Deatra to explore the herbal traditions of her ancestors The investigative process of digging for clues about traditional Ashkenazi herbalism, a topic with very little previously published information Researching the narrative of this culture and how it led to deeper conversations within Deatra’s family regarding World War II, displacement, and immigration Use of cupping, protection against evil eye, and magico-religious medicine Herbal cultural appropriation: from the perspective of the plants, this concept doesn’t exist! The magic of tending and caring for herbs that take care of you   Resources Ashkenazi Herbalism: Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews by Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel Contact Deatra: artaed@gmail.com ashkenaziherbalism.net    

Amy Dempster helps others understand the healing power of the earth. What began as openly sharing her spiritual journey on her popular blog Following Hawks, has become a resource for others wanting to learn how to communicate with nature and share their own unique healing gifts with the earth. Together with the Spirits of the Land in the mountains of northwest Montana, she tends seven portals on the land where she lives, along with any grid keeping work she is assigned. She also leads the Earth Tenders Academy, an immersive online journey to help others reestablish their connection with their ancient ancestors, learn to communicate with the seen and unseen forces in their environment, and respectfully offer their healing energy to places in need. In this episode… Amy’s experience opening up to this work—the moment when she realized Nature was trying to get her attention, and the process of teasing apart communication from Nature from thoughts of the mind What it means to be a gridkeeper—what Earth’s grids are and what they do, and how the global ascension process affects them Humans are an integral part of the process of anchoring cosmic light into the Earth through our physical bodies, often without our conscious awareness “The Great Migration”—why people are being called to relocate all over the globe Energy vortexes and portals—what they are, what they do Suggestions for individuals who feel called to work with Earth energies The role of agriculture in the human-nature dynamic; factory farming is missing the co-creative relationship between human and plant. The intention of the grower is everything. Earth’s living library How valuable and precious our bodies are and the role of emotions in accessing our potential Resources https://followinghawks.com/ Earth: Pleiadian Keys to the Living Library by Barbara Marciniak Bringers of the Dawn: Teachings from the Pleiadians by Barbara Marciniak The Earth Keepers Podcast The Following Hawks Earthkeepers Community Facebook group The Earth Tenders Academy

David O’Carroll has been educating growers in the United Kingdom in Korean Natural Farming methods for the last 6 years at Ballagh Micro Farm, based in Devon, where beneficial microbes are being used to create healthy soil through powerful natural fertilizers. Having used Korean Natural Farming for a number of years on a smaller scale, such as establishing an agroforestry project and learning centre, he combined Korean Natural Farming and other methods of natural farming to accelerate the change in soil biology to showcase how healthy soil can be created. Working closely with many United Kingdom Hemp farms both locally and nationwide he has developed both organic pest management solutions, and adoption of Korean Natural Farming practices, in addition to further product developments within the hemp industry. In these episodes… Korean Natural Farming is a path for those who are put off by the high cost of outside agricultural inputs; KNF offers a local, renewable, sustainable source of fertility that aims to build soil that mimics a forest ecosystem KNF has allowed David to diversify his farm products and give him a revenue stream year-round and increase his resilience and small-farm sustainability Do as nature does (her methods are inexpensive and easy); understand the good and the bad are one (values are relative) The benefit of collecting indigenous microorganisms within the local vicinity (a 50 mile radius is a good reference point); microbes will teach each other how to adapt to different conditions I and others are one (understand crops by understanding your own body); you are what you eat, eats Applying KNF principles and techniques for waste management at large gatherings and festivals Lactic acid bacteria is the emergency response team that can correct both soil and gastrointestinal imbalance How the COVID lockdowns are affecting the way people think about food, farming, and gardening Indigenous microorganisms for no-smell compost toilets and hog operations Looking for the different phases of plant development in order to supplement the needed nutrients: leaf growth, root and flower, seed and fruit Utilizing KNF techniques in the developing world using locally available rice, sugar, fruit, plant matter, animal bones, and dairy or bean milk, and some form of alcohol Oriental Herbal Nutrient: a tincture of fermented garlic, ginger, cinnamon, licorice, and angelica Natural pest management

David O’Carroll has been educating growers in the United Kingdom in Korean Natural Farming methods for the last 6 years at Ballagh Micro Farm, based in Devon, where beneficial microbes are being used to create healthy soil through powerful natural fertilizers. Having used Korean Natural Farming for a number of years on a smaller scale, such as establishing an agroforestry project and learning centre, he combined Korean Natural Farming and other methods of natural farming to accelerate the change in soil biology to showcase how healthy soil can be created. Working closely with many United Kingdom Hemp farms both locally and nationwide he has developed both organic pest management solutions, and adoption of Korean Natural Farming practices, in addition to further product developments within the hemp industry. In these episodes… Korean Natural Farming is a path for those who are put off by the high cost of outside agricultural inputs; KNF offers a local, renewable, sustainable source of fertility that aims to build soil that mimics a forest ecosystem KNF has allowed David to diversify his farm products and give him a revenue stream year-round and increase his resilience and small-farm sustainability Do as nature does (her methods are inexpensive and easy); understand the good and the bad are one (values are relative) The benefit of collecting indigenous microorganisms within the local vicinity (a 50 mile radius is a good reference point); microbes will teach each other how to adapt to different conditions I and others are one (understand crops by understanding your own body); you are what you eat, eats Applying KNF principles and techniques for waste management at large gatherings and festivals Lactic acid bacteria is the emergency response team that can correct both soil and gastrointestinal imbalance How the COVID lockdowns are affecting the way people think about food, farming, and gardening Indigenous microorganisms for no-smell compost toilets and hog operations Looking for the different phases of plant development in order to supplement the needed nutrients: leaf growth, root and flower, seed and fruit Utilizing KNF techniques in the developing world using locally available rice, sugar, fruit, plant matter, animal bones, and dairy or bean milk, and some form of alcohol Oriental Herbal Nutrient: a tincture of fermented garlic, ginger, cinnamon, licorice, and angelica Natural pest management Resources David’s website: https://www.ballaghbotanicals.co.uk/ for access to a free online course in how to make Korean Natural Farming preparations The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming by Masanobu Fukuoka Sepp Holzer's Permaculture: A Practical Guide to Small-Scale, Integrative Farming and Gardening by Sepp Holzer Cho’s Global Natural Farming An Introduction to Korean Natural Farming Chris Trump Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web by Jeff Lowenfels What a Plant Knows: A Field Guide to the Senses by Daniel Chamovitz Creating a Forest Garden: Working with Nature to Grow Edible Crops by Martin Crawford Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible by Jorge Cervantes

“In order to rise to the challenge of addressing the global emergency known as climate change, we need to access and build a relationship with our higher soul. This connection fosters a life where we truly take stewardship of the planet and our relationship with other beings, and to the best of our ability, manifest love, kindness, and compassion for self, others, and the world. This leads us all to a better life.” Dr. Eben Alexander spent over 25 years as an academic neurosurgeon, including 15 years at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital, the Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.  Over those years he personally dealt with hundreds of patients suffering from severe alterations in their level of consciousness. Many of those patients were rendered comatose by trauma, brain tumors, ruptured aneurysms, infections, or stroke. He thought he had a very good idea of how the brain generates consciousness, mind and spirit. In the predawn hours of November 10, 2008, he was driven into coma by a rare and mysterious bacterial meningo-encephalitis of unknown cause. He spent a week in coma on a ventilator, his prospects for survival diminishing rapidly. On the seventh day, to the surprise of everyone, he started to awaken. Memories of his life had been completely deleted inside of the coma, yet he awoke with memories of a fantastic odyssey deep into another realm – more real than this earthly one! His older son advised him to write down everything he could remember about his journey, before he read anything about near-death experiences, physics or cosmology. Six weeks later, he completed his initial recording of his remarkable journey, totaling over 20,000 words in length. Then he started reading, and was astonished by the commonalities between his journey and so many others reported throughout all cultures, continents and millennia. His journey brought key insights to the mind-body discussion and to our human understanding of the fundamental nature of reality. His experience clearly revealed that we are conscious in spite of our brain – that, in fact, consciousness is at the root of all existence. His story offers a crucial key to the understanding of reality and human consciousness. It will have a major effect on how we view spirituality, soul and the non-material realm. In analyzing his experience, including the scientific possibilities and grand implications, he envisions a more complete reconciliation of modern science and spirituality as a natural product. He has been blessed with a complete recovery that is inexplicable from the viewpoint of modern Western medicine. In this episode… The story of Dr. Alexander’s near-death experience and the subsequent journey into the nature of reality, the mind-brain connection, free will, and debunking conventional science’s denial of the existence of consciousness Dr. Alexander’s most powerful lesson since coming out of his coma has been the power of going within. Meditation is the first step to putting the little “ego-mind” in time-out, and helps us get in touch with aspects of ourselves that are more connected with other beings, and connected with the universe at large. That’s the best way to manifest the loftiest world of the dreams of our higher soul. The Life Review: a common feature of reported Near-Death Experiences where boundaries of self disappear and your life is presented to you from the emotional perspective of those around you (reinforcing the Golden Rule) Past-life accounts from children have been validated through historical research This material world is where our souls actually make progress, not the in-between spiritual realm Reincarnation was very accepted in the early days of Christianity, but the concept was written out by Constantine at the Council of Nicaea Several examples of people having NDEs and making miraculous full recoveries from deadly traumas and illnesses Darwinian concepts of evolution through competition (ideas that bled into our social and economic systems) versus evolution via collaboration and cooperation Meditation as a technique to get in touch with our higher souls, as well as a scientifically proven tool to lower stress and blood pressure, improve sleep and productivity, enhance the immune system, generate inner peace and assist with interpersonal conflict Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s vision—echoed by those from the NDE world and the meditating community— of the evolution of all consciousness toward a higher level of oneness and connectedness and love, a utopian world for all of life on Earth—shifting the focus from the “ego-mind” toward the universal higher good It’s time to shift our identification away from individual nation-states and toward a global vision focused on the highest good of all beings; it’s time for us to wake up and care for each other and realize that a polarized society isn’t healthy and will sooner or later collapse under its own weight Resources http://ebenalexander.com/ Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife by Eben Alexander The Map of Heaven: How Science, Religion, and Ordinary People Are Proving the Afterlife by Eben Alexander Living in a Mindful Universe: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Heart of Consciousness by Eben Alexander and Karen Newell Seeking Heaven: Sound Journeys into the Beyond Audio CD by Eben Alexander and Karen Newell of Sacred Acoustics https://galileocommission.org/ The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer https://www.sacredacoustics.com/ University of Virginia Division of Perceptual Studies Inner Sanctum Center (One Mind: United in Hope and Healing) Why Jesus Taught Reincarnation by Herbert Bruce Puryear Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda Dying To Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing by Anita Moorjani My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor The Phenomenon of Man by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin The Science of Near-Death Experiences by John C. Hagan III Efficacy of Binaural Beat Meditation Technology for Treating Anxiety Symptoms: A Pilot Study (abstract)

“Your food just feels good when I eat it”…this is the refrain Jennifer Maynard hears again and again from customers eating the meals she produces from her regenerative agriculture farm and assembles through her meal kit business—meals based on the Longevity Diet. Jennifer has done her homework when it comes to food that works with the human body. She has traveled to several of the blue zones—areas with a high concentration of people over 100 years old—and discovered not just what they eat, but how they live and grow their food as well. Jennifer worked in the Biotech and Pharmaceutical specialty medicine areas for over 20 years. After putting two decades of her passion into changing people's lives through modern medicine, she felt her knowledge and experience would be better served focusing on "Food as Medicine." Even though progress has been made with medicine, the battle with chronic illness is being lost. In order to address this, she founded Greater Greens, a regenerative organic farm, as the first step to bringing this movement front and center and to help focus on the root of our health challenges. Once the farm was fully operational, she co-founded Nutrition for Longevity, a farm-to-fork meal kitting company that focuses on bringing nutritionally tailored meals to the masses direct from her farm. In this episode… Phytonutrients and the connection between soil and human health, including our response to stress The soil microbiome is the plant’s immune system, much as the human gut microbiome makes up a huge part of the human immune system Practices that have led to the reduction of organic matter in U.S. soils from 11% to 1% Techniques Jennifer uses on her farm, Greater Greens, to produce high quality, phytonutrient-rich foods The critical role of native insect populations in maintaining agroecological balance The power of the consumer in making the shift toward regenerative agriculture Ways to get more nutrient-dense foods into our local communities How farms with healthy soils are far more resilient with regard to climate change We can begin to support farmers interested in transitioning to regenerative agriculture using carbon credits Kids actually WILL eat vegetables…produce that is grown in living soil is far more appealing than conventional veggies! Centenarians in the Blue Zones tend to be regenerative agriculture farmers, utilizing ancient techniques practiced by the indigenous populations Resources Nutrition for Longevity, Jennifer’s meal kit service Greater Greens on Facebook and Instagram Jennifer Maynard on Instagram Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming by Paul Hawken The Longevity Diet: Discover the New Science Behind Stem Cell Activation and Regeneration to Slow Aging, Fight Disease, and Optimize Weight by Valter Longo

Microbes make the world go ‘round. In regenerative agriculture, we rely on microbes to supply our crops to with the nutrients they need to flourish. On a larger scale, microbes play the role of the Earth’s immune system, springing into action when disasters such as petroleum spills assault her waters. Today we talk about the magic of microbes in the soil, oceans, and human body. Dr. Patricia Tavormina is a research scientist who's worked on the Human Genome Project at the University of California, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill at Caltech, and a dozen things in between. She's an occasional educator at local community colleges and a passionate advocate for greater science communication. When there's not a global pandemic underway, you can catch her doing outreach at Earth Day events, K-8 classrooms, and library lecture series. In this episode… How environmental microbes act as the planet’s immune system, supporting the Gaia theory that the Earth is intelligent Patricia’s work at petroleum spill sites The human microbiome Symbiants in the body and in the soil Metaorganisms The Porter Ranch gas leak near Los Angeles, California Speculations on our ecological future Resources Aerovoyant: The Industrial Age, Volume One by Patricia Tavormina Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer Patricia on Twitter: @pltavormina Giuliana Viglione: What did we learn from the Deepwater Horizon disaster? Sharon McNary: After Aliso John J. Berger: Can soil microbes slow climate change? Anthony Finbow: How Microbiomes could save the planet Ram Swaroop Meena et al: Impact of Agrochemicals on Soil Microbiota and Management: A Review Anne Armstrong, Marianne Krasny, and Jonathan Schuldt: Communicating Climate Change: A Guide for Educators

We are wired to perceive information from the natural world around us— it’s how we have survived as a species. The problem is we have shut it off, influenced at an early age by the adults in our lives. We all have the ability to tend our reciprocal relationship with the plants and the Earth. Kami McBride is the author of The Herbal Kitchen and has developed several online courses that facilitate the skills and confidence building to use herbs in day-to-day life for health and self-care. Kami’s 30+ years of teaching herbal medicine is steeped in her calling to inspire culture that embraces taking care of our bodies with healing herbs, a deep connection with the earth and a lifestyle that passes this knowledge on to our children. Kami has taught herbal medicine at University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing, and the Integral Health Masters’ program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. She has helped thousands of families gain confidence using herbs for disease prevention and self-care.  In this episode… Accessibility of herbal medicine versus the pharmaceutical model Effect of the disconnect from ancestral lands and foods Plant and earth communication is a continuum Our ability to connect with and see the world is incredibly profound between ages 1 and 3 Remembering our own “door”, the unique way we experience and interpret information from the natural world Ways to begin opening ourselves to plant communication—and the role of gratitude We can’t protect what we don’t deeply love Including Mother Earth in decision-making—listening to the land and including her voice in the discussion Full-spectrum herbal learning Bringing forth the Earth’s message for humanity When you make a deep connection with a plant, herbal medicine becomes personal embodied experience that goes so far beyond memorization People are being called to bring our culture back into right relationship with Nature Resources Kami’s plant communication course: www.plantwisdom.online Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer https://bioneers.org/ The Herbal Kitchen by Kami McBride

Have you ever tried to experience your yard, a garden, a woodland…the way a child does? Have you ever had a simple experience of a tree or insect without naming it or judging it or creating a narrative around it? Brigit Strawbridge Howard has rediscovered the pure delight and joy of doing just that—tuning in to the frequency of the natural world and experiencing nature on nature’s terms. Brigit Strawbridge Howard is a wildlife gardener, naturalist, and bee advocate. She writes and campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity, and is the author of Dancing with Bees: A Journey Back to Nature. Brigit lives with her husband, Rob, in rural Dorset, England. With regard to designing your garden or property, according to Brigit…”If you’re benefiting bees, you’re benefiting EVERYTHING in your garden!” In this episode… The moment Brigit realized she had more than an average passing interest in bees… Pollination via Sonication There are 350,000 species of flowering plants on the planet—each with their own pollination needs The art of experiencing Nature like children do—with presence, without analysis or the need to label The role of bees as teachers Bee alchemy Tuning into the bees—a different state of mind Industrial beekeeping What we can do to support bees and other pollinating insects Brigit’s wildlife garden Resources The Life of the Bee by Maurice Maeterlinck Dancing with Bees: A Journey Back to Nature by Brigit Strawbridge Howard The Bees in Your Backyard: A Guide to North America's Bees by Joseph Wilson Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer Soul Soil Podcast Patreon Page Soul Soil Grow and Glow package

“Parenthood is EASY!” said no one, ever. Raising children to be conscious, kind, sustainably-minded adults can be extra challenging in an age of global ecological collapse, and in a country characterized by immediate gratification, polarization, and single-use EVERYTHING. Today we talk with Shannon Brescher Shea about how to bridge our desire to be part of the solution, with being caretakers and models for the little people in our lives. Shannon Brescher Shea is devoted to telling authentic stories about green living and parenting. She's the author of the environmental parenting advice book Growing Sustainable Together: Practical Resources to Raise Kind, Engaged, Resilient Children and writes the parenting blog We'll Eat You Up, We Love You So. After receiving a master's degree from Oxford University in Nature, Society, and Environmental Policy, she worked for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and U.S. Department of Energy. She biked from New York City to Washington D.C. to raise money for climate change advocacy, protested the Keystone XL pipeline when she was pregnant, and led family community bike rides. Shea has bylines in numerous publications, including the Washington Post, Sierra Magazine, Scary Mommy, and Romper. She lives in the Washington D.C. suburbs with her husband and two kids. In this episode… Mom Guilt: the struggle between spending time on climate activism vs. being present for your children The many aspects of sustainability that arise in a family’s daily life that are all teachable moments Lessons children can learn from working in gardens (see article below) Kids who garden are more likely to try new foods! Psychological benefits to spending time outdoors (especially for children diagnosed with ADHD) Teaching kindness to children in words and action, especially regarding those who are different or have different circumstances Introducing children to environmental action in a playful way that empowers them to influence the power structures that affect us all Helping kids want less stuff by limiting their exposure to advertisements and helping them think critically about them Bringing awareness to the way the activities we choose to engage in impact the people, community, and world around us; making conscious choices Resources Growing Sustainable Together: Practical Resources to Raise Kind, Engaged, Resilient Children by Shannon Brescher Shea https://welleatyouupweloveyouso.com/ How gardening can help build healthier, happier kids by Shannon Brescher Shea (Washington Post) Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner Soul Soil Podcast Patreon Page Soul Soil Grow and Glow package

If you can commit to serving fresh fruits and vegetables every time you serve food— to yourself, to others, and especially to children, you will feel better, you will look better, and your community and loved ones will thrive. Food security is national security, and supporting the US farmers who grow our produce is a vote for healthy bodies and healthy economies. Today we talk with Lori Taylor of The Produce Moms, a community of passionate fresh produce advocates with a mission to inspire everyone, especially children, to eat more fruits and vegetables. For ten years Lori sold fresh produce to over 300 grocery stores throughout the US. Today, Lori and her team are fully focused on educating consumers about fresh produce, introducing them to produce brands, engaging the produce industry with consumers in inspiring conversations, and promoting public policy to protect and increase the availability of fresh produce at American schools. Lori is a top child nutrition lobbyist and grassroots activist in the US with a staunch focus on bringing more fresh-form fruits and vegetables to USDA School Meals as well as food insecurity nutrition programs such as SNAP and WIC. Her policy work in D.C. includes Farm Bill and Child Nutrition Reauthorization. Lori is the host of The Produce Moms Podcast, a seasoned Keynote Speaker and is currently writing her first book. Lori resides in Indianapolis, IN with her husband Chip, their two sons Joe and Mac, and their Great Dane. In this episode… How The Produce Moms got started Don’t overthink it—one step in the right direction is how you start addressing these issues 94% of the farms in the US are family-owned Food security is national security The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program within the Federal School Nutrition Program Food is culture Producing more using less is the secret to sustainability in our agriculture systems No one cares about the planet the way that growers do Technology in agriculture Whole Foods named “regenerative agriculture” the top food trend of 2020 Double up food bucks—stretching the SNAP and WIC dollars at farmers’ markets Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program empowers both students and the local food economy Only 2% of the fruits and vegetables served in schools are “fresh form” or raw Monthly produce challenge calendar Resources The Produce Moms website The Produce Moms Podcast The Produce Challenge Calendar lori@theproducemoms.com Soul Soil Podcast Patreon Page Soul Soil Grow and Glow package  

Today we have the opportunity to glimpse what it means to stand for community and healing in the midst of the fallout of Western extractive corporate interests. Lexie Gropper is a biologist dedicated to deepening her understanding of the life cycles, with a passion for the processes of decomposition leading to fertile grounds and new opportunities. She dedicates her energy to the cultivation of plants, fungi, bacteria, relationships, community, and healing. Lexie has been living in the Ecuadorian Amazon since 2014. She lives on her family's reforested edible jungle, a literal island in the middle of a sea of deforestation and ongoing contamination from petroleum extraction, cattle ranching, and cash crop monocultures. The name of their project is Amisacho Restauración, where they've dedicated themselves to three direct lines of action with communities in their region: restoring ecosystems, restoring health, restoring community.  In this episode… About Amisacho Restauración, reforestation, and education Rescuing ancient soil building practices such as terra preta The history of resource extraction in Sucumbios, Ecuador The ongoing 27-year legal battle between the indigenous population of Ecuador and Texaco (formerly Chevron) for the crime of ecocide and challenges of watching a corporation exploit loopholes in the legal system to avoid responsibility for damages Involvement with Environmental Reparations Committee, organizing social approaches to environmental restoration and reparations The health therapy program which sends health specialists trained in permaculture, biomagnetism, and holistic psychotherapies to support cancer patients in areas affected by the contamination of the waterways by petroleum industry byproducts Growing mycomedicinals (medicinal mushrooms) and donating tinctures to help support the remote indigenous population Offering courses in soil regeneration and returning indigenous forest microbes to the land The magickal mystickal Wood Wide Web, bokashi and biochar Biomagnetism Resources Support Amisacho Restauración in donating seeds and mushroom medicinal tinctures to Sucumbios Reparation Committees. Paypal: abgropper@yahoo.com www.amisacho.com; email: info@amisacho.com; facebook: amisacho https://www.facebook.com/AmisachoRestauracion/ Instagram: amisacho_restauracion https://www.instagram.com/amisacho_restauracion/ Amazon Frontlines Reusing the Resource: Adventures in Ecological Wastewater Recycling by Carol Steinfeld  Toolbox for Sustainable City Living: A do-it-Ourselves Guide by Scott Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew Earth Repair: A Grassroots Guide to Healing Toxic and Damaged Landscapes by Leila Darwish Radical Mycology: A Treatise On Seeing And Working With Fungi by Peter McCoy Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods by Sandor Ellix Katz The Soil Keepers: Interviews With Practitioners on the Ground Beneath Our Feet and The Ground Rules: A Manual To Reconnect Soil and Soul by Nance Klehm Soul Soil Podcast Patreon Page Soul Soil Grow and Glow package  

How do you feel when you get out in nature? What happens to your mental state when you spend some time in your garden? Today we chat with Heather Kelejian about her role as Executive Director of the Ability Garden, a place where horticulture therapy is available to a number of populations for the purpose of supporting the healing of emotional wounds, motor skill development, sensory stimulation, improving social interactions, navigating life changes and trauma, and connection with nature. Heather is a North Carolina native, growing up in Chapel Hill and Charlotte who has called Wilmington home for 23 years. A love of plants and being outside came from a childhood spent with her Grandmother, who had a bountiful garden every year. Heather has an English degree from UNC – Chapel Hill and has pursued graduate studies in both Gerontology and Public Administration. She has worked with the Ability Garden since 2003, initially as a Master Gardener Volunteer, a Horticultural Therapy Intern and Program Director, and eventually as Executive Director. Heather is a member of the Coastal Compost Council, the Carolinas Horticultural Therapy Network, and the Voyage and Wellness Committee. Her passion is finding ways to bring people and plants together. In This Episode… Heather’s path to horticulture therapy The populations she serves and skills they foster through the Ability Garden—socialization, vocational experience, nutrition and water quality education, fostering connections, learning how to nurture a living being Working with students flagged for behavior issues Using garden tasks as metaphors for life Addressing grief, instilling a sense of accomplishment and ownership Gardens to bring community members together and help establish a group identity Bringing all the senses into the garden, using the garden space for physical therapy patients Exposing urban individuals to nature; addressing fears of dirt, bugs, snakes, etc Importance of observing the inherently abundant nature of a natural system Resources https://abilitygarden.org/ https://therapeutic-hort.ces.ncsu.edu/ Walt Whitman Tulipmania: Money, Honor, and Knowledge in the Dutch Golden Age by Anne Goldgar The Overstory by Richard Powers Soul Soil Podcast Patreon Page Soul Soil Grow and Glow package

In today’s episode, we talk to Coordinator Stephanie Morningstar and John Deloatch (JD) Giraldo of the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust. Their vision is to advance land sovereignty in the northeast region through permanent and secure land tenure for Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and Asian farmers and land stewards who will use the land in a sacred manner that honors our ancestors dreams - for sustainable farming, human habitat, ceremony, native ecosystem restoration, and cultural preservation. Stephanie Morningstar, of the Oneida Nation, is an herbalist, soil and seed steward, scholar, student, and Earth Worker dedicated to decolonizing and liberating minds, hearts, and land- one plant, person, ecosystem, and non-human being at a time. Stephanie is the Coordinator of the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust, grows medicines and food for her community at Sky World Apothecary & Farm; and mobilizes knowledge for Indigenous-led climate change and food sovereignty research projects for Global Water Futures. John Deloatch Giraldo is an Earthworker that focuses on connection to the land, healing with the land and education of how natural systems work. He is guided by Freedom Loving Plants, also known as weeds, and the stories of ancestral plants. His dream is to have green spaces where people can pass on family and cultural traditions as well as create new experiences. He believes it’s critical to have spaces where people can pass on their stories and ways of being in respect to Mother Nature, especially for people who are migrating from different Mother Lands to those who are being raised here so they can maintain a sense of culture, tradition and sovereignty. Resources https://nefoclandtrust.org/ Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman Lilith's Brood: The Complete Xenogenesis Trilogy and Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood  by Margaret Atwood The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer: The Ultimate Guide to Producing High-Quality Herbs on a Market Scale by Jeff and Melanie Carpenter To learn more about the Grow and Glow package mentioned in today's episode, visit https://www.soulsoilpodcast.com/offerings/grow-and-glow-package To learn how to become a Patreon and support the show while getting extra resources and support, visit https://www.patreon.com/soulsoil  

Woodland Harvest Mountain Farm is a woman-owned, 16-acre, off-grid educational regenerative agriculture farmstead nestled in the mountains of Appalachia. Since 2004, they have welcomed more than 2500 volunteers, held workshop gatherings, provided respite to activists, held healing space for their beloveds, and organized countless parties for work, teaching, learning and leisure. They have opened their land to hundreds of "strangers" (who they now know and love and honor as their community farm family) who each have helped create this dreamstead space to share. Each season they move closer toward self-reliance and resilience. Elizabeth West and Lisa Redman are activists, homesteaders, permaculturalists, educators and Earth lovers who weave their experience with the opportunities of the present to create an abundant, inclusive alternative to the status quo. Woodland Harvest isn’t just a place, it’s a state of mind…a place to drop out and tune in! In this episode… About Woodland Harvest The impact of off-grid immersion on visitors Defining resilience Balancing the intellectual with walking the walk Early influences Nonviolent activism Diving into folk medicine Planning for relocalization of resources Raising children in a new way The importance of fun 😊 Resources The Empowerment Manual and The Earth Path by Starhawk Shelter, Home Work: Handbuilt Shelter, and The Half-Acre Homestead: 46 Years of Building and Gardening by Lloyd Kahn Barbara Kingsolver Toni Morrison Alice Walker Octavia Butler Howard Zinn Noam Chomsky