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Experiences with the Metaphysics of Nature
During my few years as an organic farming consultant, I became aware that if the farmer, or
whole family, were constantly sick, the land and livestock struggled to be healthy. Always, the
farmer and his or her family were the hinge-pin of the conditions of the soil and the livestock. I
also noted that so many farmers battled with Nature on a daily basis. For many, farming was about
battling the weeds, the insects and the weather, along with the various political issues over which
they held great anger, but could do nothing to control, other than verbally vent their wrath. With this
negative energy, their troubles grew and multiplied.
My decade on the foothills of Mt Arthur had taught me that the farm was my meeting place with
Nature. I took this very seriously. I considered myself as the student, with the Spirit of the Land as
my teacher. This served me very well. I agree that knowledge from other sources has a strong place
in agriculture, but I strongly contend that it should not be considered infallible.
When we regard the farm as a complex of energies, with the most complex – the farmer – as the
matrix of the energies, we would be wise to understand and integrate these many energies into a
compatible amalgam. Agriculture is always going to be a matter of forcing growth if we are unable
to comprehend that the 99% of life that we cannot see is very deeply involved within our methods
of farming.
I will share one last aspect of the metaphysics of Nature. I had given a talk in a country town in
Victoria, Australia, when I was approached by a farmer. He told me that he had 1,000 sheep and
5 sheepdogs. His problem was the dogs. If let loose, they wandered off the property, and/or would
work the sheep, so they were fastened on running chains next to their kennels where they would
bark incessantly, driving him and his family crazy. What would I suggest?
I made the usual suggestions, and he had tried them all to no avail. Then, I asked him if his dogs
were educated. He replied that yes, they were trained sheepdogs. I asked again if they were educated. This time he asked me what I meant. I asked him if he had ever actually told the dogs what
he wanted of them, what they could, and should not, do? He had never even thought of such things.
‘They’re just dogs’, he said.
Because he was obviously full of anxiety and turbulent thoughts, I told him frst of all to wait
until he was quiet and calm in his head. When he was internally quiet, he should let the dogs off the
chains and allow them to frst run off their energy. Then, calling them to him, he should walk slowly
around the boundary of his farm. All the time he should be focused, consciously telling his dogs
that this is their boundary and they do ‘not’ cross without his permission. Next, he should tell the
dogs that he does ‘not’ want them to work the sheep without his permission. As he walks the boundary with no stray thoughts at all, he should tell them that in return for obeying these requirements,
they would no longer be kept on chains. They would be free, so long as they followed his rules. This,
I told him, is yours and their education.
I told him that he was the creator on his farm, and it was his choice to make. He huffed a bit and
puffed a bit, but we parted on friendly terms. About 8 weeks later, I received a letter from him. No
email in those days! He explained that he had thought I was crazy, but he had nothing to lose by
giving it a try. To be fair to him, he said it took 4 weeks to quieten his mind, but he managed it. He
did as I had told him with the dogs, and with great trepidation did not chain them during the day.
Only at night. He was stunned that during those 4 weeks, the dogs had not once strayed or worked
the sheep … and they had stopped the endless barking. Needless to say, he was very grateful.
Under my prompting, he changed his relationship with the dogs to a greater and more accepting
one. By doing this, he changed the behaviour of the dogs to a partnership with him, rather than in
opposition to him. In other words, he moved their energy from Chaos to a Balance with both him
and the farm.
CONCLUSION
Every farmer has choices. It is far too easy to follow the crowd. Nature speaks to us, we are one
energy, one consciousness, something which is outside of conventional thinking. Humanity has
Experiences with the Metaphysics of Nature
During my few years as an organic farming consultant, I became aware that if the farmer, or
whole family, were constantly sick, the land and livestock struggled to be healthy. Always, the
farmer and his or her family were the hinge-pin of the conditions of the soil and the livestock. I
also noted that so many farmers battled with Nature on a daily basis. For many, farming was about
battling the weeds, the insects and the weather, along with the various political issues over which
they held great anger, but could do nothing to control, other than verbally vent their wrath. With this
negative energy, their troubles grew and multiplied.
My decade on the foothills of Mt Arthur had taught me that the farm was my meeting place with
Nature. I took this very seriously. I considered myself as the student, with the Spirit of the Land as
my teacher. This served me very well. I agree that knowledge from other sources has a strong place
in agriculture, but I strongly contend that it should not be considered infallible.
When we regard the farm as a complex of energies, with the most complex – the farmer – as the
matrix of the energies, we would be wise to understand and integrate these many energies into a
compatible amalgam. Agriculture is always going to be a matter of forcing growth if we are unable
to comprehend that the 99% of life that we cannot see is very deeply involved within our methods
of farming.
I will share one last aspect of the metaphysics of Nature. I had given a talk in a country town in
Victoria, Australia, when I was approached by a farmer. He told me that he had 1,000 sheep and
5 sheepdogs. His problem was the dogs. If let loose, they wandered off the property, and/or would
work the sheep, so they were fastened on running chains next to their kennels where they would
bark incessantly, driving him and his family crazy. What would I suggest?
I made the usual suggestions, and he had tried them all to no avail. Then, I asked him if his dogs
were educated. He replied that yes, they were trained sheepdogs. I asked again if they were educated. This time he asked me what I meant. I asked him if he had ever actually told the dogs what
he wanted of them, what they could, and should not, do? He had never even thought of such things.
‘They’re just dogs’, he said.
Because he was obviously full of anxiety and turbulent thoughts, I told him frst of all to wait
until he was quiet and calm in his head. When he was internally quiet, he should let the dogs off the
chains and allow them to frst run off their energy. Then, calling them to him, he should walk slowly
around the boundary of his farm. All the time he should be focused, consciously telling his dogs
that this is their boundary and they do ‘not’ cross without his permission. Next, he should tell the
dogs that he does ‘not’ want them to work the sheep without his permission. As he walks the boundary with no stray thoughts at all, he should tell them that in return for obeying these requirements,
they would no longer be kept on chains. They would be free, so long as they followed his rules. This,
I told him, is yours and their education.
I told him that he was the creator on his farm, and it was his choice to make. He huffed a bit and
puffed a bit, but we parted on friendly terms. About 8 weeks later, I received a letter from him. No
email in those days! He explained that he had thought I was crazy, but he had nothing to lose by
giving it a try. To be fair to him, he said it took 4 weeks to quieten his mind, but he managed it. He
did as I had told him with the dogs, and with great trepidation did not chain them during the day.
Only at night. He was stunned that during those 4 weeks, the dogs had not once strayed or worked
the sheep … and they had stopped the endless barking. Needless to say, he was very grateful.
Under my prompting, he changed his relationship with the dogs to a greater and more accepting
one. By doing this, he changed the behaviour of the dogs to a partnership with him, rather than in
opposition to him. In other words, he moved their energy from Chaos to a Balance with both him
and the farm.
CONCLUSION
Every farmer has choices. It is far too easy to follow the crowd. Nature speaks to us, we are one
energy, one consciousness, something which is outside of conventional thinking. Humanity has