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Shelter / Re: Scandinavian green roofs
« on: March 07, 2009, 11:22:26 AM »
very cool. the birch bark makes perfest sense, as it takes a long time to rot. it is common to find a fallen birch tree where the actual wood has rotted away, but the bark still forms a tube. the bark can last years longer than the wood.
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Transition Tech / Re: Literacy
« on: March 06, 2009, 11:00:56 AM »
i see you rail against lettered literacy with fairly eloquent prose.
do you find this ironic?
certainly, there is more than one kind of literacy. we all descend from tribes that told stories around the fire. the ability to read and write does not threaten that at all.
wordsworth read the message in the land and wrote it in poetry that can evoke tears. poetry is an oral art, even in written form. it should be read aloud, and shared.
i, for one, would mourn that loss.
do you find this ironic?
certainly, there is more than one kind of literacy. we all descend from tribes that told stories around the fire. the ability to read and write does not threaten that at all.
wordsworth read the message in the land and wrote it in poetry that can evoke tears. poetry is an oral art, even in written form. it should be read aloud, and shared.
i, for one, would mourn that loss.
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Transition Tech / Re: Literacy
« on: March 04, 2009, 05:49:28 PM »
do we have to throw out the baby with the bath water?[/b
i freely accept that 'civilization' has been a bad idea. perhaps, as douglas adams suggests, "it was a bad idea coming down from the trees in the first place." but literacy is a divine gift. the art of writing was a gift from the gods in many mythologies.
if we have to give up the cumbersome atributes of civilization, do we have to lose our gifts too?
giving up literacy means losing keat's and shelley, wordsworth and coleridge, shakespeare and goethe, the beowulf poet and homer. and the list goes on and on and onand on...
i freely accept that 'civilization' has been a bad idea. perhaps, as douglas adams suggests, "it was a bad idea coming down from the trees in the first place." but literacy is a divine gift. the art of writing was a gift from the gods in many mythologies.
if we have to give up the cumbersome atributes of civilization, do we have to lose our gifts too?
giving up literacy means losing keat's and shelley, wordsworth and coleridge, shakespeare and goethe, the beowulf poet and homer. and the list goes on and on and onand on...
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Birthing & Caring for Children / Re: struggles with school
« on: March 01, 2009, 11:52:11 AM »
i was a teacher for many years...now retired.
i have lost faith in public education. today it exists to make 'good consumers'. we are 'dumbing down' our kids in public school.
i always taught an enriched program and encouraged kids to think and question everything. i often got in trouble for 'colouring outside the lines'.
i think that public school could be a useful element in a child's education, but not alone. it's easier in urban centres, due to the extra resources, like museums and galleries and sush.
i would highly recommend:
the teenage liberation handbook:how to quit school and get a real life and educationby grace llewellyn
it is aimed at older kids, but is an excellent book for ideas.
it i
i have lost faith in public education. today it exists to make 'good consumers'. we are 'dumbing down' our kids in public school.
i always taught an enriched program and encouraged kids to think and question everything. i often got in trouble for 'colouring outside the lines'.
i think that public school could be a useful element in a child's education, but not alone. it's easier in urban centres, due to the extra resources, like museums and galleries and sush.
i would highly recommend:
the teenage liberation handbook:how to quit school and get a real life and educationby grace llewellyn
it is aimed at older kids, but is an excellent book for ideas.
it i
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Rewilding Mind & Heart / Re: Social Anxiety Disorder
« on: February 27, 2009, 07:37:12 PM »
"Bikerdruid, do you think its possible for someone to take Meds, improve their life then slowly ween themselves off them?"
yes. i have weaned myself off the meds a few years ago. i relapsed and went back on the meds and have been put on disability. i will again wean myself off them in the next couple of years. hopefully retirement will assure no further relapse.
yes. i have weaned myself off the meds a few years ago. i relapsed and went back on the meds and have been put on disability. i will again wean myself off them in the next couple of years. hopefully retirement will assure no further relapse.
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**READ HERE FIRST** / Re: Direction of this website?
« on: February 24, 2009, 07:25:11 PM »The greatest threat to rewilding is simple.. property ownership(land). you cannot afford to purchase suitable land to become independant without large amounts of money. You cannot gain large amounts of money without significant investment of you time and efforts into civilization. you cannot maintain any property you have without regular payments of taxes etc..
As long as property ownership exists, independant people will never exist, for even if one generation is able to aquire the necessary property, their offspring will never be able to hold that property without reentering society in order to aquire the money to do so.
fortunately, i think there are some ways around this. in vermont, once you own land, you do not have to pay property taxes if you are unemployed. as well, if you are lucky enough to inherit land or money, the tie you are forced to maintain with civ could be greatly minimized. but even if i spent a relatively short period of time saving money to buy a chunk of land, and then had to work two weeks a year to pay the taxes, i think it would be better for me than staying poor in the city, trying to rewild there.
clearly, your overall sentiment is correct, but i don't think it's insurmountable, and certain situations are far worse from a rewilding perspective.
i can see that the idea of private property is contrary to the idea of rewilding. however, it is a reality. it is hard to accomplish much in life without working for it. that's the trap of civilization, but we are all caught in it. in canada there is a lot of 'crown' land, which is essentially 'unowned'. problem is that most of it is in the north, where life is hard without permanent housing, which is not allowed on crown land.
an option might be 'mobile' diggs. a camper and truck can move from campground to campground. i think any plan would require a minimum of 'doing time' in the system to make some money a few weeks a year.
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Land / Re: Heirloom seed website
« on: February 24, 2009, 03:49:34 PM »
here's another site for heirloom seeds, in canada. these are suited for northern gardens. he provides many open-pollinated varieties of veggies, flowers, herbs and ancient and traditional grains. he also provides a short history of the varieties.
http://www.prseeds.ca/
http://www.prseeds.ca/
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Spiritual Technology / Re: Rewilding and Paganism
« on: February 21, 2009, 05:53:09 PM »
i think that most of our native european traditions, there are beings other than human. the dwaves, trolls, and giants in your norse traditions, and the sidhe in irish traditions being but a few.
they have all the human virtues and vices though, mirrors of ourselves.
they have all the human virtues and vices though, mirrors of ourselves.
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Fauna Food / Re: Slingshots?
« on: February 21, 2009, 02:49:41 PM »
when my dad first told me to not aim, but to just point, he had to explain. he asked me, "when you point your finger at something, how do you know your pointing AT it?"
i answered with, "i just know."
"perfect," he said," then just point your sling."
i was deadly with marbles.
i answered with, "i just know."
"perfect," he said," then just point your sling."
i was deadly with marbles.
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Fauna Food / Re: Slingshots?
« on: February 21, 2009, 09:55:27 AM »
i used a slingshot when i was a kid. they're pretty cool. mine was willow, bits of innertube and the old tongue fro a shoe. if i could shoot stuff with that, the new gum rubber and high tech things should work great.
it takes a while to get used to them though.
like my dad taught me, "don't aim, point and shoot." it works.
it takes a while to get used to them though.
like my dad taught me, "don't aim, point and shoot." it works.
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Rewilding Mind & Heart / Re: Social Anxiety Disorder
« on: February 18, 2009, 09:22:38 PM »
i have sufered from social anxiety disorder for years. i retired from teaching early because of it. strange thing is, i have always been extremely social and outgoing. i throve in social situations. weird that it would happen to me,. but it did.
in my case, the meds did help. i live a pretty quiet life these days. i live in the bush and really hate having to go to town, but it doesn't hold the same fears that it did.
in my case, the meds did help. i live a pretty quiet life these days. i live in the bush and really hate having to go to town, but it doesn't hold the same fears that it did.
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Fauna Food / still in hawaii, speqtuer?
« on: February 17, 2009, 09:18:42 PM »
sounds great, man. but, you speak in past tense. was it just an exercise, or are you still there?
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Seasonal & Bioregion Strategies / Re: Phenology (aka Natural Observations)
« on: February 17, 2009, 09:04:51 PM »
man, we're still in winter. although the days are getting longer and the sun stronger, it was still -24c this morning. it will be at least another month before there will be any 'spring-like' stuff happening. but, i'll keep you posted.
(north peace bioregion 56n 118w, alberta)
(north peace bioregion 56n 118w, alberta)
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Spiritual Technology / Re: druidry is the ideal rewilding spiritual path.
« on: February 16, 2009, 05:18:46 PM »
my ancestors were indigenous to ireland and by reclaiming druidry as the spirituality of my ancestors, i honour them. by living as a druid in the north of canada, i honour my ancestors and the spirits and ancestors of my valley. visit with balm trees rather than oaks and honour my native land with that of my ancestors.
although i have been a member of the order of bards, ovates and druids for many years, my ritual and practices are a blend of those of neodruidry, local native culture and as inspired in communion with local spirits, the trees, the animals and others that live in the valley with me.
i'm a very fortunate man.
although i have been a member of the order of bards, ovates and druids for many years, my ritual and practices are a blend of those of neodruidry, local native culture and as inspired in communion with local spirits, the trees, the animals and others that live in the valley with me.
i'm a very fortunate man.
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Spiritual Technology / Re: druidry is the ideal rewilding spiritual path.
« on: February 16, 2009, 11:19:43 AM »
glad to see we have a discussion started here.
i believe that the druids were preceltic. the druids were not a celtic priest hood, but were pre-existing. much of the scholarship places the origons of druidry in ireland. the irish mythologies indicate that there were druids in ireland before the celts (milesians) arrived. the fir bolgs and the tuatha de dannan both had druids.
i choose to use the word druid, because it reclaims my native spirituality.
i do live in the woods and the trees are very important to me. they provide shelter, heat and cooking fires and provide for many of my needs.
unfortunately, there are no oaks, but my woods are lovely none-the-less.
i believe that the druids were preceltic. the druids were not a celtic priest hood, but were pre-existing. much of the scholarship places the origons of druidry in ireland. the irish mythologies indicate that there were druids in ireland before the celts (milesians) arrived. the fir bolgs and the tuatha de dannan both had druids.
i choose to use the word druid, because it reclaims my native spirituality.
i do live in the woods and the trees are very important to me. they provide shelter, heat and cooking fires and provide for many of my needs.
unfortunately, there are no oaks, but my woods are lovely none-the-less.
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