The Destiny Engine

FAERIE

Text

(the 17th season)

CAMP DESTINY

Monday, January 27, 14

In May of 2013, a Cultural Engine team from West Philadelphialanded at a Radical Faerie Sanctuary in Vermont.

The following is a story of their warm season with Destiny.


(re-printed from the 2013 Destiny STAR report that preceded our season on the land)

a Cultural Engine lands at DestinyCultural Engines weave community. They weave a powerful story of interconnection & love — one of a service to Life, & to one another, fueled by Love. And, like the living patterns on Earth, after which every Cultural Engine is modeled, they make more (& more kinds) of themselves possible, by growing regenerative culture. All the while, Engines feed & nourish bodies & souls, by bringing people together over healing foods, healing arts, & healing practices — they weave as well, people to place, by more deeply connecting communities to local foodsheds, art projects, & to one another. Hopefully, we are effectively painting a picture of a living system that enhances holistic community — & as well one that strengthens larger ecosystems of many communities, that feel linked & stronger together.

Essentially, we consciously co-create. We tend our minds, bodies, & spirits through focused action & service to Destiny Community. We continue beautiful work already begun. We make stronger our community's capacity to take care of itself in authentic and loving ways. We grow a community-of-practice, that nurtures our beings, & the land. We heal & deepen our connection with Mother Earth. We help one another fulfill individual & collective goals, & continue growing a culture of greater resilience. We source more & more of our community's needs locally, and cultivate living systems that grow potentially limitless nourishment on our land.


(continued from Destiny STAR report...)

In physical form this work looks like re-shaping garden beds for maximum water holding; converting a few more to perennial beds; cultivation & care of the existing garden; beginning the terraforming of the lower meadow in preparation for an edible & medicinal forest garden; & upstream erosion control. For the land, we vision abundant gardens; rain water harvest; wildcrafting; plant nurseries; perennial vegetables; edible, medicinal terraced gardens with herbs, fruits, nuts & berries; and a deeper & deeper local-food culture that includes foraging & preservation.

Contents

Establishing Daily Rhythms

Start at the Heart

Tarot Gardens of Destiny

The Creek

The Patio

The Vegetable Garden

Terraforming

The Archipelago

Perennials

Lower Meadow

The Rocket Range

Gratitude


(continued from Destiny STAR report...)

The richness of the Engine's offerings grow with all of our skills, insights, & experiences added. We hold space for co-created explorations in nature connection, herbal awareness, wild foraging, yoga, cooking, permaculture, regenerative design, peer-mentoring, & rites quests on the land. Feel something you want to add to the Engine's offerings? Welcome, please, & thank you.

In practice, we affirm Life in all it's expressions & forms; and we link & weave our efforts at Destiny to all of our connected Home communities. We process the yields of the land into food for our bodies. We build soil. We enrich the forest. We enlist plant & animal spirits. We practice our core gifts & discover or develop new ones. We map resources & learn from the life-growing practices of our regional neighbors. The Engine season will run from June through September. We welcome you to co-create the Destiny Engine with us.

See you on the land. <3 .

evenings from the patio


In early, spring, the gardens were wild...


We mowed the meadow & foraged for wild vegetables.

Establishing daily rhythms...


Our Goals included:

- Local, renewable fuel sourcing(propane reduction strategy)

- Low-cost / Low-impact living- Locally sourced materials of all kinds

Our Tools included:

- Rocket stoves- Hand (garden) tools

- High nutrient, foraged, wild veggies(plentiful dandelion, sheep sorrel,

chickweed, chives, lobster mushrooms)

Our Meals included:

- rocket stove-grilled cheese the ‘Rocket Cheese’

- (a lot of) dandelion & garlic - chickweed salad

- fresh herbal infusions- soaked, sprouted beans

- local eggs


And sometimes, we had dessert...


So... Where to begin on 160+ acres of Faemily land in Vermont?


Start at the Heart


Organizing Principles:

Start In, Work Out.

Establish Areas of Focus.

Respect Community Values.

Develop Outdoor Living.

Celebrate & Feature Water Flows.


Garden Visioning

First, we walked & documented the land -- identifying intersections of existing communal land use patterns & natural beauty.

Then, we mapped them, & selected those areas nearest to the kitchen to focus on first -- the ones in the center of our daily use patterns.

From there emerged a vision of a many-gardened landscape...

‘The Tarot Gardens of Destiny’

*point of clarification -- the following is a vision brought forward by the Engine & did not arise from Destiny Community consensus process*


LOWER MEADOW

LOWER MEADOW

PROPOSED TAROT GARDENS OF DESTINYBY THE CULTURAL ENGINE

FOREST

FOREST

TEAHOUSECIRCLE

MOTHER GARDEN/DIVA STATION

COUNCILCIRCLE

CEREMONYGARDEN

CRONEGARDEN

MAYPOLEGARDEN

GARDEN KITCHEN

YOGAGARDEN

HOPS ALLEY

SHOWERGARDEN

PLATFORMGARDEN

LOW

HIGH

VEGETABLEGARDEN

SWALEGARDEN

ENTRYGARDEN

PORCH GARDEN

DRIVEWAYGARDEN

THE A

RCHI

PELA

GO

CREEKGARDEN

KITCHENGARDEN

SUNSETROCK

WORKSHED

SEPTIC SWALE

UPPE

R CR

EEK

(SEA

SONA

L)

WAT

ERFA

LL C

REEK

(SEA

SON

AL)

KITCHEN

DINI

NG

SHOWER

2ND POND

WATERFALLGARDEN

ZONE 1ZONE 2ZONE 3ZONE 4

21 + 0 gardens with which to playmap credit: Manifest Love


The Creek


before...


‘by all means, weed the creek.’


a riparian ecosystemis born...


A day in the life...


The Patio


The Creek Garden

(after two moons)


again, the before...


after.


The Vegetable Garden


Terraforming

The Destiny gardens exist on a slope that was clearcut. The soil is thin, & the speed with which water moves across the

land is fast. Rather than move across, we want to gently hold water deep in the landscape, throughout the growing season.

Stemming from these landscape observations over the course of the season, we recognized the need to re-contour the

garden to better retain water, soil & nutrients.

After re-contouring, in preparation for next growing season, we sheet-mulched the newly terraformed beds with

cardboard & composted cow manure -- for slow, easeful building of soil fertility over time.


Remember this?


The Archipelago


before...


place-making.

thank you, rock.


Perennials


Comfrey Yarrow

King Henry

Sea Kale

Turkish Rocket


rhubarb


new kitchen garden.herbs.


hops in the fall.


Lower Meadow(brush clearing & bed prep)


the Rocket Range


boil your kettle in 7 minutes --or your kindling back.


Gratitude


to our grandmother, the Crone


to our father, the sky

to our brother the sun

&


to our Mother EarthMonday, January 27, 14

to the Destiny Engine team:

PashanandaHugz

Manifest

wildRose&Leigh


& to the Destiny Community, for its vision, commitment & grace --

and for welcoming us Home.


The Destiny Engine

Design

Transcript of The Destiny Engine