WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.040 --> 00:00:04.480 Good day to you and welcome to Compass Finding Spirituality in the 2 00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:08.240 Everyday. I'm Ryan Dunn. In this episode, we're joined by 3 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:11.860 Edith and Randy Woodley who share their unique journey 4 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:15.405 in integrating spirituality, environmental consciousness, 5 00:00:16.105 --> 00:00:19.945 and community living. They manage the Eloheh Indigenous Center 6 00:00:19.945 --> 00:00:23.625 For Earth Justice on their 10 acre farm. And in this 7 00:00:23.625 --> 00:00:27.119 conversation, we're gonna talk about pursuing contentment 8 00:00:27.339 --> 00:00:31.119 over happiness as we explore ideas like sustainable 9 00:00:31.340 --> 00:00:35.019 land management, the interconnectedness of all 10 00:00:35.019 --> 00:00:38.800 living things, and serving the broader community 11 00:00:39.019 --> 00:00:42.735 of life. We'll hear about their farm's harmonious integration with nature, 12 00:00:43.035 --> 00:00:46.095 their advocacy for small scale sustainable farming, 13 00:00:46.555 --> 00:00:50.095 and their own practical advice for connecting with the environment 14 00:00:50.315 --> 00:00:53.755 even for urban dwellers. The Woodleys also discuss their 15 00:00:53.755 --> 00:00:57.410 book which is called Journey to to Eloi, and they share their 16 00:00:57.410 --> 00:01:01.010 personal stories that highlight the deep spiritual lessons they've 17 00:01:01.010 --> 00:01:04.450 learned along the way. Join us as we explore the 18 00:01:04.450 --> 00:01:08.085 profound insights of Edith and Randy Woodley on creating 19 00:01:08.085 --> 00:01:11.905 a balanced, harmonious life in tune with the natural world. 20 00:01:13.565 --> 00:01:17.185 We're going to talk about life and living well, some 21 00:01:17.485 --> 00:01:21.330 kind of light existential topics with the Woodleys. So as 22 00:01:21.330 --> 00:01:24.930 we are talking about life, we're recording this on a Tuesday morning for 23 00:01:24.930 --> 00:01:28.150 y'all. What does life look like for the Woodleys today? 24 00:01:29.810 --> 00:01:33.330 Oh, my gosh. I'm not sure you really even wanna know 25 00:01:33.330 --> 00:01:36.795 that. You can give us the, 26 00:01:37.034 --> 00:01:40.554 the Instagram version if you so choose. Yeah. So, 27 00:01:41.274 --> 00:01:45.115 well, I retired 2 years ago from teaching 28 00:01:45.115 --> 00:01:47.935 at Portland Seminary, and 29 00:01:49.569 --> 00:01:53.070 I I haven't been busier in my whole life since then. 30 00:01:53.530 --> 00:01:56.350 So, we have our farm here. We have our schools. 31 00:01:57.610 --> 00:02:01.149 We speak at places all around the country and Canada. 32 00:02:02.345 --> 00:02:06.185 I'm writing books. Edith's finally writing a book. We 33 00:02:06.185 --> 00:02:09.944 just got our book done together. I'm writing I've already started a 34 00:02:09.944 --> 00:02:13.705 new one now. Just getting the contract for that. And, oh, we've 35 00:02:13.705 --> 00:02:17.450 got lots of things going on. I I 36 00:02:17.450 --> 00:02:20.970 teach every now and then at the Center For Action Contemplation down in 37 00:02:20.970 --> 00:02:24.330 Albuquerque. And then on top of that, 38 00:02:24.570 --> 00:02:28.350 family wise, we've got currently 3 of our 4 39 00:02:29.145 --> 00:02:32.985 grown kids living on the campus with us here. So that's and and and a 40 00:02:32.985 --> 00:02:36.665 grandson. So, that makes life, interesting, you 41 00:02:36.665 --> 00:02:40.505 know, dealing with adult kids. Sure. Yeah. I 42 00:02:40.505 --> 00:02:44.170 don't know. Life's a little bit crazy around here. Well, you 43 00:02:44.170 --> 00:02:47.950 know, this morning, it was fine. You know, it's we're just kinda 44 00:02:48.010 --> 00:02:51.770 plugging right along. We got up. We had our coffee. We 45 00:02:51.770 --> 00:02:55.370 able to just do do our thing that we do in the 46 00:02:55.370 --> 00:02:59.150 morning, and, you know, just kinda 47 00:02:59.505 --> 00:03:03.125 get our day going, ate breakfast, you know, 48 00:03:03.345 --> 00:03:06.705 and just kinda get moving with the day, doing 49 00:03:06.705 --> 00:03:10.385 laundry. We're, getting ready to go to, 50 00:03:10.785 --> 00:03:14.239 Albuquerque on Friday. And so, you know, 51 00:03:14.239 --> 00:03:18.080 getting everything situated with, you know, the house and with 52 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:21.920 our kids and with our staff and, you know, all those 53 00:03:21.920 --> 00:03:25.620 different things that you have to do to before you leave home. 54 00:03:25.795 --> 00:03:29.555 Yeah. And, making sure our critters are taken care 55 00:03:29.555 --> 00:03:32.915 of while we're gone. We have a dog 56 00:03:32.915 --> 00:03:36.355 and, 4 cats. 57 00:03:36.355 --> 00:03:40.194 Four outside cats that live outside, and then our daughter 58 00:03:40.194 --> 00:03:43.760 has 2 cats that are inside cats. And, 59 00:03:45.500 --> 00:03:49.120 so, yeah, it's just, you know, and chickens. Mhmm. 60 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:53.325 So, you know, it's just, you know, all those basic every morning things that 61 00:03:53.325 --> 00:03:57.125 a person does. Basic life on the farm. Yeah. Yeah. I think we have 62 00:03:57.125 --> 00:04:00.565 to name that part of your existence is living life on the farm 63 00:04:00.565 --> 00:04:04.165 and, in feeling that sense 64 00:04:04.165 --> 00:04:07.864 of connection with the the life around something like that. 65 00:04:09.500 --> 00:04:13.260 You mentioned the books you're working on, the book that has brought 66 00:04:13.260 --> 00:04:17.040 us together is Journey to Aloha. And a lot of times 67 00:04:18.060 --> 00:04:21.419 when many of us speak about life, we defer to a 68 00:04:21.419 --> 00:04:25.185 language around happiness where, oh, well, I'll just 69 00:04:25.185 --> 00:04:28.865 be happy when blank happens or I just want to 70 00:04:28.865 --> 00:04:32.625 be happy in life. In journey to Aloha, you talk about 71 00:04:32.625 --> 00:04:36.385 life in a pursuit of well-being or pursuit of wellness. Can 72 00:04:36.385 --> 00:04:40.139 you talk to us a little bit about the difference between happiness and 73 00:04:40.139 --> 00:04:43.840 well-being? Yeah. And, it's pronounced Elohay? 74 00:04:44.220 --> 00:04:47.660 Elohay. Thank you. Yeah. Elohay. It's a Cherokee word, basically 75 00:04:47.660 --> 00:04:51.065 meaning a wholeness and, well-being and, and 76 00:04:51.065 --> 00:04:54.425 everything's kinda as it should be. Not it's not perfect, 77 00:04:54.425 --> 00:04:57.945 but, you know, there are remedies to sort of work things out. 78 00:04:57.945 --> 00:05:01.544 Yeah. So Elahay is our the name of our farm. We're 79 00:05:01.544 --> 00:05:05.245 Elahay Indigenous Center For Earth Justice and Elahay Farm and Seeds. 80 00:05:06.270 --> 00:05:09.570 And, and our, organization is called Eilahy 81 00:05:09.790 --> 00:05:12.770 slash eagle swings. So that's our legal entity. 82 00:05:14.430 --> 00:05:18.045 Yeah. So, you know, it's 83 00:05:18.125 --> 00:05:21.885 kinda like, you know, that the thinking like, oh, I'll just be happy when 84 00:05:21.885 --> 00:05:23.585 I win the lottery. Right? Right. 85 00:05:27.245 --> 00:05:30.960 Well, real quick on that note. This morning, I was 86 00:05:30.960 --> 00:05:34.720 sitting with my grandson. The lottery. No. Oh, I can't And you 87 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:38.480 still made time for this. What noble people. This morning, I 88 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:42.160 was sitting with my grandson. He's got a head cold, and so he didn't go 89 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:45.965 to school this morning. And so I'm sitting with him. He's sitting at 90 00:05:45.965 --> 00:05:49.425 the table working on some, Legos. 91 00:05:49.645 --> 00:05:53.405 And I'm eating my breakfast, and he's sitting there. And he just leans over, and 92 00:05:53.405 --> 00:05:57.245 he goes, you know what? Money don't bring 93 00:05:57.245 --> 00:06:01.060 you happiness. I says, that's true. 94 00:06:01.060 --> 00:06:04.740 Money don't bring you happiness. He says, but family 95 00:06:04.740 --> 00:06:07.960 does. Mhmm. I said, yes. Family, 96 00:06:08.580 --> 00:06:12.280 you bring me happiness. Your mom brings me happiness. 97 00:06:12.705 --> 00:06:16.485 All my family brings me happiness. And he goes, okay. 98 00:06:17.824 --> 00:06:21.205 And so, you know, he 99 00:06:22.145 --> 00:06:25.505 he just said it right there. You know, for me, 100 00:06:25.505 --> 00:06:27.044 family brings me happiness 101 00:06:30.090 --> 00:06:33.930 and the wholeness of my family. And even though they go through 102 00:06:33.930 --> 00:06:36.590 struggles every day, it's still 103 00:06:37.610 --> 00:06:41.445 they're my children. We have 4 children, 6 104 00:06:41.445 --> 00:06:45.065 grandkids, and they all bring me happiness. And 105 00:06:45.605 --> 00:06:49.145 I don't see how a person can't be happy 106 00:06:49.445 --> 00:06:53.125 if they have family. Okay. Well, all families aren't black. No. 107 00:06:53.125 --> 00:06:56.680 That's true. All families aren't, you know 108 00:06:56.919 --> 00:07:00.280 but we're not put together either. Right. We are 109 00:07:00.280 --> 00:07:03.879 far from being put together. We have a lot of ups and 110 00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:07.560 downs in our family. But, overall, my 111 00:07:07.560 --> 00:07:11.325 family brings me happiness. So we're situated here on 112 00:07:11.325 --> 00:07:15.085 10 acres. Part of that we leave for the, 113 00:07:15.245 --> 00:07:18.925 wildlife. We leave a we kinda have the 114 00:07:18.925 --> 00:07:22.765 middle section, and then we leave the the top end and the 115 00:07:22.765 --> 00:07:26.530 bottom end, both for the animals to wander and sleep and do 116 00:07:26.530 --> 00:07:30.230 all the things that they do. They're part of 117 00:07:30.690 --> 00:07:34.210 the picture here too. They're part of the whole context. The Yes. The 118 00:07:34.210 --> 00:07:37.970 water, that we distribute and use to grow plants 119 00:07:37.970 --> 00:07:41.295 and then the plants themselves. And, you know, it's sort of, 120 00:07:41.695 --> 00:07:45.455 and then we we are part of a bigger family. We have a community that, 121 00:07:45.775 --> 00:07:48.355 we are involved with. And so 122 00:07:49.695 --> 00:07:53.215 being happy is not just about what I get out of 123 00:07:53.215 --> 00:07:55.910 it. Being happy is, 124 00:07:57.650 --> 00:08:01.410 how we struggle and live 125 00:08:01.410 --> 00:08:04.950 and come through and work through, the larger context. 126 00:08:05.090 --> 00:08:08.785 Right? With the whole community of creation, what I call the whole community 127 00:08:08.785 --> 00:08:12.405 of creation. And if, 128 00:08:12.945 --> 00:08:16.705 if that if we stick with it, right, if that works and we 129 00:08:16.705 --> 00:08:20.385 all work together, then my happiness actually becomes sort of a 130 00:08:20.385 --> 00:08:23.990 byproduct of that. But, it's 131 00:08:23.990 --> 00:08:27.830 certainly not, you know, the prime product. We're not just trying to 132 00:08:27.830 --> 00:08:31.510 get what we can for ourselves. Yeah. And I don't think human beings were made 133 00:08:31.510 --> 00:08:34.970 that way. I think, you know, if we wanna look at the the Genesis 134 00:08:35.334 --> 00:08:38.855 stories in the beginning is a really good example of this perfect 135 00:08:38.855 --> 00:08:42.534 harmony and balance and this whole idea of, you know, the 136 00:08:42.534 --> 00:08:46.214 the the balance between, you know, the sun and the moon and the 137 00:08:46.214 --> 00:08:50.040 wind and the the waters and the animals and the 138 00:08:50.040 --> 00:08:53.640 flying things and all of those. And and then, human beings 139 00:08:53.640 --> 00:08:56.779 are created, to basically be caretakers 140 00:08:57.399 --> 00:09:01.160 of all of that. And we're the sort of most qualified for it. 141 00:09:01.160 --> 00:09:04.705 We've got these, you know, fingers and thumbs and and, the 142 00:09:04.705 --> 00:09:07.525 brain to do that. And and so 143 00:09:08.385 --> 00:09:11.285 the first command is, tend the garden, 144 00:09:12.145 --> 00:09:15.985 to toil the soil, to take care of the garden. And, I look 145 00:09:15.985 --> 00:09:18.645 at the garden as the whole community of creation. So, 146 00:09:20.100 --> 00:09:23.940 the first command wasn't make yourself happy. Mhmm. The 147 00:09:23.940 --> 00:09:27.620 first command was, like, you're in this whole community of 148 00:09:27.620 --> 00:09:31.459 creation now. Serve it. Right. Find out, you know, 149 00:09:31.459 --> 00:09:35.285 what it needs. Bring the balance back. Bring the harmony back when 150 00:09:35.285 --> 00:09:38.885 it goes out. And and if you wanna look at it, you know, this, the 151 00:09:38.885 --> 00:09:42.645 the the eating from the tree that we have, you know, this this 152 00:09:42.725 --> 00:09:45.625 we've mythologized so much is is really a misuse 153 00:09:46.509 --> 00:09:50.050 of our role as human beings. We it's a misuse of the land. 154 00:09:50.750 --> 00:09:53.949 There are certain ways that we're supposed to take care of the land and and 155 00:09:53.949 --> 00:09:57.790 something we're not supposed to do. And and so, that's a lesson for me. And 156 00:09:57.790 --> 00:10:01.595 so it doesn't matter if, like, I'm actually tending the soil and 157 00:10:01.595 --> 00:10:05.435 taking care of all the little critters underneath and all the ones above and and 158 00:10:05.435 --> 00:10:09.035 not trying to take everything for myself, but, you know, leaving for 159 00:10:09.035 --> 00:10:12.630 them as well. Or if I'm working on the 160 00:10:12.630 --> 00:10:16.310 problem of, human trafficking or missing and murdered indigenous 161 00:10:16.310 --> 00:10:20.070 women or or or making wells for people who need water 162 00:10:20.070 --> 00:10:23.690 or whatever it is, when I'm serving the, 163 00:10:24.390 --> 00:10:28.090 whole community of creation and whatever aspect I'm called to do that, 164 00:10:28.205 --> 00:10:31.405 then I'm fulfilling my purpose as a human being. That's what I was made to 165 00:10:31.405 --> 00:10:34.785 do. And that's really more of what well-being is. 166 00:10:36.685 --> 00:10:40.465 Was there a point in each of your lives respectively where 167 00:10:41.150 --> 00:10:44.830 you had almost an realization that life 168 00:10:44.830 --> 00:10:48.350 was more than the pursuit of happiness, but life was 169 00:10:48.350 --> 00:10:50.130 more of the, 170 00:10:52.270 --> 00:10:55.945 circular encouragement of, of a 171 00:10:55.945 --> 00:10:58.524 sense of well-being, not just for yourselves, but for 172 00:10:59.945 --> 00:11:02.125 for the creation or for the world. 173 00:11:04.585 --> 00:11:07.964 I'm kinda an old guy, so I'm a boomer. 174 00:11:08.024 --> 00:11:11.750 Right? And, and so but it 175 00:11:11.750 --> 00:11:15.110 was during our days, you know, when as a a young person 176 00:11:15.110 --> 00:11:18.570 in junior high and high school that the whole environmental 177 00:11:18.709 --> 00:11:22.550 movement started. The Earth Day started in I think it was 178 00:11:22.550 --> 00:11:25.675 1969 or 70, something like that. And, 179 00:11:26.454 --> 00:11:29.815 and that's when I began to really be aware that, you know, there's something going 180 00:11:29.815 --> 00:11:33.274 wrong here. And so I've been concerned about that ever since. 181 00:11:34.375 --> 00:11:38.055 And, and that that was the the old hippie days. Right? So 182 00:11:38.055 --> 00:11:41.690 everybody were earthies back then. Everybody was like, I grew up in a 183 00:11:41.690 --> 00:11:45.450 community that had a lot of, hippies. I was right next to Ann Arbor, 184 00:11:45.450 --> 00:11:48.830 Michigan, which is sort of like the hippie capital of the Midwest. 185 00:11:49.210 --> 00:11:52.970 And, and and so everybody was talking 186 00:11:52.970 --> 00:11:56.665 about it, you know, like, the ozone layer and how to not 187 00:11:56.665 --> 00:11:59.885 pollute and all those kinds of things. And and so 188 00:12:00.665 --> 00:12:04.505 but I think even before that, I was at a the only time I ever 189 00:12:04.505 --> 00:12:08.265 went to a church camp, and and there was a full blood native guy that 190 00:12:08.265 --> 00:12:11.625 was, a Ojibwe guy who was sort 191 00:12:11.625 --> 00:12:15.330 of taking me under his wing, and he was talking about those 192 00:12:15.330 --> 00:12:18.470 kinds of things and showing me, like, here's how you, 193 00:12:20.130 --> 00:12:23.490 harvest Sassafras root and and and to say a 194 00:12:23.490 --> 00:12:25.910 prayer and those kinds of things. And so, 195 00:12:27.395 --> 00:12:31.155 you know, I guess it you know, and and and actually, I'm 196 00:12:31.155 --> 00:12:34.915 kinda working my way back. My mother is very much 197 00:12:34.915 --> 00:12:38.675 what I would call an environmentalist before the anyone ever knew 198 00:12:38.675 --> 00:12:42.139 what the word was, I think. She's very close 199 00:12:42.139 --> 00:12:45.899 to, creation, the birds, and the 200 00:12:45.899 --> 00:12:49.740 animals, and the plants, and greenest thumb of anyone I've 201 00:12:49.740 --> 00:12:53.420 ever known, both indoor and outdoor plants. And we grew up with a 202 00:12:53.420 --> 00:12:56.905 giant garden, and and so I think, probably just, 203 00:12:58.105 --> 00:13:01.865 through osmosis watching her talk to plants and 204 00:13:01.865 --> 00:13:05.305 animals and birds and things was from as a kid, that was sort of, 205 00:13:05.305 --> 00:13:08.985 like, flew me in that there was something more than myself going on. I wanna 206 00:13:08.985 --> 00:13:12.350 help you. Let's see. I was 207 00:13:13.050 --> 00:13:15.630 my moment came when, 208 00:13:17.210 --> 00:13:20.670 later in life. It 209 00:13:21.050 --> 00:13:24.490 it happened when I was outside with our oldest 210 00:13:24.490 --> 00:13:28.155 grandson. He was just maybe 2 years 211 00:13:28.155 --> 00:13:30.895 old. And I was 212 00:13:32.395 --> 00:13:36.075 picking, we have on our farm. We 213 00:13:36.075 --> 00:13:39.515 were we had some berry bushes, and I was out there picking some with 214 00:13:39.515 --> 00:13:43.279 him. And a story came to my mind. 215 00:13:44.779 --> 00:13:46.639 And in that story, 216 00:13:48.540 --> 00:13:51.899 is a story that my brother told me when I was a 217 00:13:51.899 --> 00:13:55.695 kid. And, within 218 00:13:55.695 --> 00:13:58.915 that story is where we were out picking berries, 219 00:13:59.695 --> 00:14:03.475 and my brother said, stop. And 220 00:14:03.695 --> 00:14:06.595 he said, you got to leave the top 221 00:14:07.870 --> 00:14:11.490 for the winged animals and the bigger animals 222 00:14:12.270 --> 00:14:16.110 and the bottom for all the smaller animals so that they have another 223 00:14:16.110 --> 00:14:19.330 day to live. And we pick in the middle. 224 00:14:20.685 --> 00:14:23.645 And then we can there's a bunch of bushes here, so we can go on 225 00:14:23.645 --> 00:14:27.405 and we can we still get what we want, but we're also leaving 226 00:14:27.405 --> 00:14:31.085 stuff for the animals. All the 227 00:14:31.085 --> 00:14:34.065 animals. The bugs, birds, etc. 228 00:14:35.180 --> 00:14:38.779 And so it was like, okay. That's my brother. 229 00:14:38.779 --> 00:14:42.620 Okay. Yeah. Whatever. He's always saying stuff like this. It was like, okay. Okay. Okay. 230 00:14:42.620 --> 00:14:44.940 We'll do what you said. And then 231 00:14:47.355 --> 00:14:51.035 yeah. You know, I was doing all this stuff already, you know, 232 00:14:51.035 --> 00:14:54.175 doing gardens with Randy and all this kind of stuff. But 233 00:14:54.795 --> 00:14:58.315 and, yeah, I knew there was something going on with the 234 00:14:58.315 --> 00:15:02.149 earth, and I knew the weather's, you know, started 235 00:15:02.149 --> 00:15:05.910 to change, and, and it's not for the good. 236 00:15:05.910 --> 00:15:09.750 There's more hurricanes, more tornadoes, more earth you know, all these 237 00:15:09.750 --> 00:15:13.509 different things are happening. And the 238 00:15:13.509 --> 00:15:17.135 summers are getting hotter. The winters are getting 239 00:15:17.135 --> 00:15:19.315 weird also. So, 240 00:15:21.695 --> 00:15:25.475 but I just didn't really think much about it 241 00:15:26.095 --> 00:15:29.795 until that moment when my 242 00:15:29.855 --> 00:15:33.360 brother told me that story, 243 00:15:33.660 --> 00:15:36.480 it hit me as I was picking 244 00:15:37.580 --> 00:15:39.040 berries with my grandson. 245 00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:44.700 I noticed that when talking about the farm, you say you 246 00:15:44.700 --> 00:15:48.475 live on the middle of it And and 247 00:15:48.475 --> 00:15:52.235 you leave the the top and the bottom. Is that where that terminology comes 248 00:15:52.235 --> 00:15:55.855 from? How did that story? Well, I think that happened naturally. 249 00:15:55.915 --> 00:15:59.595 Yeah. It was just the way the farm was laid out. But And it wasn't 250 00:15:59.595 --> 00:16:03.190 a farm. It hadn't been a farm for 35 years. We're we're this is our 251 00:16:03.190 --> 00:16:06.950 3rd farm. We've started from scratch. We're kinda experts at starting farms now. And 252 00:16:06.950 --> 00:16:10.650 I'm not not talking about running them, just starting. Let's start. And 253 00:16:11.430 --> 00:16:15.190 so, but it kinda the way the the land is laid out 254 00:16:15.190 --> 00:16:18.995 is that there's a hardwoods and a big plum thicket up on the top 255 00:16:18.995 --> 00:16:22.755 end. Part. Yeah. And then a sort of a, scrub forest, 256 00:16:22.755 --> 00:16:26.135 if you will, down on the bottom. Probably, 257 00:16:26.515 --> 00:16:29.795 I don't know, 2 acres on each side maybe, and then we sort of had 258 00:16:29.795 --> 00:16:33.459 the The middle part. Yeah. The, 6 acres, 259 00:16:33.459 --> 00:16:36.820 4 or 5, 6 acres in the middle and it's not exactly laid out that 260 00:16:36.820 --> 00:16:39.700 way. But then we've also created a a sort of a, 261 00:16:40.740 --> 00:16:44.420 a walkway about a probably about 20, 30 yards 262 00:16:44.420 --> 00:16:47.835 wide, section next to the road where we 263 00:16:48.155 --> 00:16:51.515 we fenced it off and put brush up against it. And so 264 00:16:51.515 --> 00:16:55.035 the animals who want can kinda walk up and down the 265 00:16:55.035 --> 00:16:58.635 property without having to, you know, worry about seeing humans. 266 00:16:58.635 --> 00:17:02.070 But like the deer now, they just they just kinda walk all over. They just 267 00:17:02.070 --> 00:17:05.750 walk everywhere. But Yeah. But that's just kinda how it happened. But, yeah, you 268 00:17:05.750 --> 00:17:09.589 brought that up. It's, it's interesting that it well, it kinda goes with 269 00:17:09.589 --> 00:17:13.430 her story, doesn't it? Mhmm. It it kinda does. Pick up the middle. Yeah. But 270 00:17:13.430 --> 00:17:16.994 it's just something that, you 271 00:17:16.994 --> 00:17:20.595 know, it just hit us. It just hit me at that point in 272 00:17:20.595 --> 00:17:24.435 life, in my life. And that's when it was, as 273 00:17:24.435 --> 00:17:27.015 you were saying, that kind of little moment. 274 00:17:28.355 --> 00:17:30.615 And, from that point on, 275 00:17:31.890 --> 00:17:35.730 everything changed for me. Yeah. I started looking 276 00:17:35.730 --> 00:17:38.870 at creation in a whole different way, 277 00:17:39.650 --> 00:17:41.670 and I started looking at 278 00:17:45.125 --> 00:17:48.885 the animals and the plants and the trees and even the 279 00:17:48.885 --> 00:17:52.404 bugs and the spiders and, you know, all these things 280 00:17:52.404 --> 00:17:55.705 that, you know, I didn't like. 281 00:17:57.049 --> 00:18:00.669 You know Mhmm. Creepy crawly things and but 282 00:18:00.809 --> 00:18:04.570 they're all a part of creation. Yeah. 283 00:18:04.570 --> 00:18:08.010 We've And so it's like they all have 284 00:18:08.010 --> 00:18:11.485 this role to play. Yeah. We've all been 285 00:18:11.485 --> 00:18:15.325 taught, you know, we've been taught over the years from our elders how 286 00:18:15.325 --> 00:18:18.765 to respect life in general, you know, even the 287 00:18:18.765 --> 00:18:22.285 spiders. When you see a spider in your house, grab a Kleenex 288 00:18:22.285 --> 00:18:25.860 and take it out and tell it not to come back in the house. You 289 00:18:26.020 --> 00:18:29.640 you're you're welcome, but not inside the house, you know, kind of the thing. 290 00:18:30.179 --> 00:18:33.940 And so and we talked to, you know, the hawks when, you know, don't eat 291 00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:37.695 our chickens. We need the chickens. You know? We need those eggs. You 292 00:18:37.855 --> 00:18:41.455 can eat all the mice you want, but, you know, not the chickens. 293 00:18:41.455 --> 00:18:45.294 And so, yeah, it's just, we we realized 294 00:18:45.294 --> 00:18:49.054 that we're part of the we're just a part of this 295 00:18:49.054 --> 00:18:52.600 whole thing. It doesn't belong to us. We're not the 296 00:18:52.820 --> 00:18:56.520 central feature of it all, but we are a part of it all. And so 297 00:18:56.820 --> 00:19:00.200 when we go to a place like this, our land, we just 298 00:19:00.580 --> 00:19:03.695 sort of look and we say, how do we sort of bend it to our 299 00:19:03.695 --> 00:19:07.395 needs without breaking it from its other purposes, without 300 00:19:07.695 --> 00:19:11.475 robbing from, you know, all the other creatures that that share this land? 301 00:19:11.695 --> 00:19:15.535 Yeah. And, you know, there's it's just amazing what, 302 00:19:15.855 --> 00:19:19.020 the rewards that you have by Right. Seeing the different, 303 00:19:19.980 --> 00:19:23.820 birds, eagles and hawks, and woodpeckers, and songbirds, and 304 00:19:23.820 --> 00:19:27.660 hummingbirds, and, you know, deer and elk and all the rest that that 305 00:19:27.660 --> 00:19:31.395 come around just to to enjoy. Not only that, but, you know, we're 306 00:19:31.395 --> 00:19:34.835 seeing, when we moved on to this property, we're 307 00:19:34.835 --> 00:19:38.595 seeing, nature, like, plants 308 00:19:38.595 --> 00:19:42.240 and flowers, you know, the original, 309 00:19:42.779 --> 00:19:46.539 what do you call it? Native plants. Native plants Mhmm. Yeah. Coming back onto the 310 00:19:46.539 --> 00:19:49.600 property because, you know, we've cleared areas 311 00:19:50.299 --> 00:19:53.760 and, kind of some invasive plants or just 312 00:19:53.820 --> 00:19:57.285 totally unwanted weeds and stuff like this. You know? 313 00:19:57.445 --> 00:20:00.565 We cleaned them all up and everything. And then all of a sudden, the next 314 00:20:00.565 --> 00:20:04.265 spring, boom. We're getting these beautiful native 315 00:20:04.325 --> 00:20:08.105 plants are coming back. And it's just like you know, this is 316 00:20:08.245 --> 00:20:11.830 all of creation, and, you know, we're just caretakers of 317 00:20:11.830 --> 00:20:15.530 it. We don't lord over it. We don't, you know, 318 00:20:15.750 --> 00:20:19.590 make it do what we want it to do. We let it be the 319 00:20:19.590 --> 00:20:22.890 way the creator made it. So 320 00:20:24.044 --> 00:20:27.725 there's a sense of relationship in that. And in fact, the the ten 321 00:20:27.725 --> 00:20:31.565 values that that you lay out in the book, a lot 322 00:20:31.565 --> 00:20:34.705 of them center on being mindful about our relationships 323 00:20:35.404 --> 00:20:39.059 to different things. Has there been 324 00:20:39.059 --> 00:20:42.760 some ways that, running the farm or farms 325 00:20:43.140 --> 00:20:46.680 has impacted your relationships with people, 326 00:20:46.740 --> 00:20:50.440 especially in terms of building community or being part of community? 327 00:20:51.965 --> 00:20:55.485 Yeah. I think it's, the the the hardest task has 328 00:20:55.485 --> 00:20:58.625 been to integrate people from the city 329 00:20:58.845 --> 00:21:02.545 to sort of, like, understand, like, for example, when we have our ceremonies 330 00:21:02.685 --> 00:21:06.380 out here, that they're they're so related to 331 00:21:06.380 --> 00:21:10.140 the land that we're on. Right? Rather than just being some sort of out 332 00:21:10.140 --> 00:21:13.920 of context thing. And so, some people kinda get that. 333 00:21:14.300 --> 00:21:17.900 Like, when we have our schools, for example, we have these 4 day schools, 334 00:21:17.900 --> 00:21:21.514 and and people connect with the land and each other, and they they 335 00:21:21.514 --> 00:21:25.115 understand the the whole, atmosphere of respect 336 00:21:25.115 --> 00:21:28.894 and reciprocity in our relationship to, you know, 337 00:21:29.195 --> 00:21:32.575 and the these this land being our relative and, 338 00:21:34.049 --> 00:21:37.809 but it takes a while sometimes for Western thinkers to 339 00:21:37.809 --> 00:21:41.650 sort of allow themselves to let that happen to when we first 340 00:21:41.650 --> 00:21:45.250 sort of started moving this direction, you know, we said you know, 341 00:21:45.250 --> 00:21:48.715 people said, well, what are you doing? We're like, well, we're giving people 342 00:21:48.715 --> 00:21:52.554 permission to love the earth again because we're all made to do that. 343 00:21:52.554 --> 00:21:56.335 We're all made to to learn from and love this, 344 00:21:56.875 --> 00:21:59.835 land that we've been put on by creator and, 345 00:22:00.955 --> 00:22:04.730 wherever that land is. And so, to to learn 346 00:22:04.730 --> 00:22:08.170 how to take care of it is really important, and to learn how to understand 347 00:22:08.170 --> 00:22:11.850 it as your relative is is really important. So I 348 00:22:11.850 --> 00:22:15.610 think that's the biggest sort of contrast and the 349 00:22:15.610 --> 00:22:19.165 biggest challenge. But, for us 350 00:22:19.625 --> 00:22:23.405 for me personally, I I don't really see 351 00:22:24.105 --> 00:22:27.705 people as much as individuals anymore. I see them as people who are 352 00:22:27.705 --> 00:22:31.430 in a a context, a wider context, and and I always wonder what 353 00:22:31.430 --> 00:22:34.010 that context is and how it affects. Yeah. 354 00:22:38.230 --> 00:22:41.990 I wanna talk about he brought up the word individual, a part 355 00:22:41.990 --> 00:22:44.565 that pricked me or stood out to me. 356 00:22:46.325 --> 00:22:49.625 In what you wrote was, in 357 00:22:50.085 --> 00:22:53.925 paying attention to increasing friendships and in 358 00:22:53.925 --> 00:22:57.560 family. And within that you have a subsection 359 00:22:57.700 --> 00:23:01.540 about rejecting individualism, which 360 00:23:01.540 --> 00:23:05.000 is pretty counter cultural in, 361 00:23:05.620 --> 00:23:09.335 in the context in which we exist. Can you share what it looks like 362 00:23:09.335 --> 00:23:12.795 a little bit to reject or healthily reject individualism? 363 00:23:17.735 --> 00:23:21.035 For me, it's like individualism is 364 00:23:21.655 --> 00:23:25.400 you just say you take the farm. Right? And you're 365 00:23:25.400 --> 00:23:28.380 like, okay. I'm gonna make it the most beautiful, 366 00:23:29.080 --> 00:23:31.340 productive looking farm. 367 00:23:32.840 --> 00:23:36.434 So I am going to bring in, and I'm 368 00:23:36.434 --> 00:23:39.815 gonna clean it all up. I'm gonna get rid of, 369 00:23:40.674 --> 00:23:44.115 all these invasive plants. I'm gonna, you know, 370 00:23:44.115 --> 00:23:47.794 spray stuff on it and, kill all the weeds, 371 00:23:47.794 --> 00:23:51.280 and I'm gonna make it very pristine. 372 00:23:52.460 --> 00:23:55.980 Spray fertilizer. And I'm gonna make it so that 373 00:23:55.980 --> 00:23:59.280 everything grows the way I want it to grow. 374 00:24:02.300 --> 00:24:05.924 And then when I look at it 375 00:24:05.924 --> 00:24:09.605 as a group collaborative, whatever, you know, 376 00:24:09.605 --> 00:24:13.365 bringing other people in, we're not just bringing 377 00:24:13.365 --> 00:24:16.265 other people into our space, 378 00:24:18.160 --> 00:24:22.000 we're inviting them to be a part, not to look 379 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:25.060 at the space and go, oh, look how beautiful I made this. 380 00:24:26.080 --> 00:24:29.460 No. It's like, oh, look what 381 00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:33.475 we as a group can do 382 00:24:34.575 --> 00:24:37.795 to make this a beautiful place and not 383 00:24:37.934 --> 00:24:41.315 pristine, because we're not just doing it for, 384 00:24:42.255 --> 00:24:45.970 you know, humans. We're doing it for the animals around us and the birds and 385 00:24:45.970 --> 00:24:49.650 the bugs and stuff like this. So let me give an example what she's 386 00:24:49.650 --> 00:24:53.490 talking about. So so, people take their weeds out every year 387 00:24:53.490 --> 00:24:57.270 after the flowers bloom. Right? Well, there are lots of bugs, 388 00:24:58.165 --> 00:25:01.605 good good helpful bugs that make their winter homes in 389 00:25:01.605 --> 00:25:05.145 those stalks of those flowers and other things. 390 00:25:05.445 --> 00:25:08.345 The roots, in the ground start to 391 00:25:09.205 --> 00:25:12.645 deteriorate and go back compost back into the 392 00:25:12.645 --> 00:25:16.320 ground and create a richness for the soil, which creates more beneficial 393 00:25:16.860 --> 00:25:20.380 bacteria underneath. But you look at it and you go, 394 00:25:20.380 --> 00:25:23.840 oh, there's a bunch of weeds all over this place. Right? Mhmm. 395 00:25:24.700 --> 00:25:28.060 And and the the bottom line is no. We're concerned about 396 00:25:28.060 --> 00:25:31.735 everything, not just how we look or how for ourselves. 397 00:25:32.275 --> 00:25:35.495 Also, we don't really burn brush piles around here too much. 398 00:25:36.355 --> 00:25:40.195 We create these brush piles and, set 399 00:25:40.195 --> 00:25:43.635 them to one side and and so that the quail and the rabbits and the 400 00:25:43.635 --> 00:25:47.440 squirrels and the mice have a place to to go. And so, yeah. 401 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:51.200 And and so the farm doesn't look like, when you see the pictures 402 00:25:51.200 --> 00:25:54.720 of, you know, the the couple with the 403 00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:57.540 pitchfork and the farm in the back and the red bars. 404 00:25:59.065 --> 00:26:02.605 Yeah. And and but, I think 405 00:26:03.144 --> 00:26:06.904 if we were individuals, you know, very individualistic about 406 00:26:06.904 --> 00:26:09.804 it, then that's what we'd be concerned with. But 407 00:26:10.290 --> 00:26:14.050 so we're probably the most individualistic country that's 408 00:26:14.050 --> 00:26:17.410 ever lived in the history of the world. Right? We are just 409 00:26:17.410 --> 00:26:20.850 totally people about ourselves. Everybody's living, you 410 00:26:20.850 --> 00:26:24.654 know, 2.2 2 children in their with 411 00:26:24.654 --> 00:26:28.255 their garage in the suburbs. And, you know, and we've created spent 412 00:26:28.255 --> 00:26:31.635 so much money trying to create this nuclear 413 00:26:31.695 --> 00:26:34.914 family and, you know, and I think it actually has created 414 00:26:35.659 --> 00:26:38.640 sort of a schizophrenia, social schizophrenia. 415 00:26:39.580 --> 00:26:43.340 You know, everybody trying to get to work and back and and, you 416 00:26:43.340 --> 00:26:46.799 know, rush and beep your horns and just Get your kids 417 00:26:46.940 --> 00:26:50.715 to sports and dance recitals and, 418 00:26:50.715 --> 00:26:54.335 you know And it's like everybody's gotta have their own individual 419 00:26:54.395 --> 00:26:57.995 thing going on and and, just not 420 00:26:58.475 --> 00:27:02.320 I don't wanna be driven that way, you know. I mean, yeah, it 421 00:27:02.320 --> 00:27:05.440 feels good when I get something for myself. You know, I'm not saying that that 422 00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:08.960 doesn't feel good, but, that's not a very 423 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:12.500 sustainable future when I just think about myself. 424 00:27:13.645 --> 00:27:17.325 It's when I think about everything else in context when I begin to go, 425 00:27:17.325 --> 00:27:21.165 oh, we may have a future after all. And then And so it's 426 00:27:21.165 --> 00:27:24.525 not just a rejection of self, but it is a sense of 427 00:27:24.525 --> 00:27:28.299 participation in something larger than one 428 00:27:28.600 --> 00:27:32.280 person? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, happiness, like I said, is a is a byproduct of 429 00:27:32.280 --> 00:27:35.900 the big picture, not not the prime product we strive for. 430 00:27:36.679 --> 00:27:40.280 And as we have schools and other people come on the 431 00:27:40.280 --> 00:27:43.765 property, you know, we we tell them about all these things, 432 00:27:44.305 --> 00:27:46.645 and we're inviting them into 433 00:27:47.985 --> 00:27:51.665 to be a part of what we're doing. Not to 434 00:27:51.665 --> 00:27:55.450 look at it as this pristine place, but as a part of 435 00:27:55.450 --> 00:27:59.049 this it may look chaotic. It may look Sorry. No. I 436 00:27:59.049 --> 00:28:02.809 can't. It may look chaotic or it may look, you 437 00:28:02.809 --> 00:28:06.409 know, not very well trimmed up and stuff like this, but it 438 00:28:06.409 --> 00:28:10.215 doesn't need to be that way. And people need to 439 00:28:10.215 --> 00:28:13.435 understand that when you come together like this, 440 00:28:14.615 --> 00:28:18.315 it's gonna be chaotic, and it's gonna be not, you know, pretty 441 00:28:18.375 --> 00:28:22.200 and sometimes. But, you know, as long as that 442 00:28:22.260 --> 00:28:25.560 togetherness is there and we're thinking together 443 00:28:25.620 --> 00:28:29.080 about the whole body of creation, 444 00:28:30.420 --> 00:28:33.800 then it just you kinda get out of that individualism. 445 00:28:34.595 --> 00:28:37.895 And think about that sort of metaphor, if you will, for people. 446 00:28:38.995 --> 00:28:42.515 You know, we're messy. Right? Our lives are all messy and everything. But if we 447 00:28:42.515 --> 00:28:45.495 stick together, you know, in community together, 448 00:28:46.275 --> 00:28:50.010 it it it may not be pretty as, like, the outside appearance when we 449 00:28:50.010 --> 00:28:53.710 first met. Right. You know? But, but it's more real, 450 00:28:54.250 --> 00:28:57.610 and it's and something of more value comes out of 451 00:28:57.610 --> 00:29:01.305 it. When you have groups come out to work at the 452 00:29:01.305 --> 00:29:04.905 farm, are there certain activities that seem 453 00:29:04.905 --> 00:29:08.285 to awaken in them, 454 00:29:08.745 --> 00:29:12.205 a sense of participation in the whole community and that, 455 00:29:12.425 --> 00:29:14.620 that rejection of individualism? 456 00:29:15.960 --> 00:29:19.740 Yeah. And and we don't just have work groups. We also have schools. So, 457 00:29:20.600 --> 00:29:23.559 but even in the schools, they we have them work an hour just so they 458 00:29:23.559 --> 00:29:25.580 kinda get their hands in the dirt. Right? So, 459 00:29:27.184 --> 00:29:29.205 yeah, I I think, 460 00:29:31.265 --> 00:29:34.625 you know, they there's when we I 461 00:29:34.705 --> 00:29:38.545 well, talk about what you do with the schools. That's a good 462 00:29:38.545 --> 00:29:41.445 example, probably. So what I do is I 463 00:29:42.660 --> 00:29:44.920 I give them I talk. 464 00:29:46.260 --> 00:29:49.700 We on the day that I do a lot of teaching 465 00:29:49.700 --> 00:29:53.220 is, I have them sit around, I tell them my 466 00:29:53.220 --> 00:29:56.980 story, tell them about, how I 467 00:29:56.980 --> 00:30:00.395 view creation, And 468 00:30:00.395 --> 00:30:03.755 then, and then they go out, they get their hands 469 00:30:03.755 --> 00:30:07.295 dirty, and they get a sense of actually 470 00:30:07.755 --> 00:30:11.515 understanding what it's like to work a 471 00:30:11.515 --> 00:30:15.350 farm, work the land, and being not just that, but 472 00:30:15.350 --> 00:30:18.870 being a part of it. Right? Helping the 473 00:30:18.870 --> 00:30:22.390 plants have more space to grow within their beds of 474 00:30:22.390 --> 00:30:25.130 growing, you know, like getting rid of all those little unwanted, 475 00:30:25.910 --> 00:30:29.210 weeds and stuff, or whatever else needs to be done. 476 00:30:29.985 --> 00:30:32.805 And so they get that hour with their hands 477 00:30:33.665 --> 00:30:36.645 doing the actual work. And then 478 00:30:37.265 --> 00:30:40.725 then there's a break and then so on. And then later in the afternoon, 479 00:30:41.905 --> 00:30:45.690 I tell them that they, they're gonna go, 480 00:30:45.690 --> 00:30:49.529 and they're gonna sit on the land anywhere on the 481 00:30:49.529 --> 00:30:52.990 property that they want. They can just go. 482 00:30:53.210 --> 00:30:56.805 They sit. They they have to leave everything behind. 483 00:30:57.025 --> 00:30:59.685 They can't take any bags. They can't take their phones, 484 00:31:00.785 --> 00:31:04.385 or nothing. Pencil, paper, nothing. They just go and 485 00:31:04.385 --> 00:31:07.745 sit and experience creation in 486 00:31:07.745 --> 00:31:11.480 its wonders. Listen to the wind. 487 00:31:12.420 --> 00:31:16.260 Listen to the bugs that fly around you, or that 488 00:31:16.260 --> 00:31:19.400 are crawling, the ants, you know, and 489 00:31:19.780 --> 00:31:23.300 sit quietly. Calm your mind. Take 490 00:31:23.300 --> 00:31:26.825 deep breaths. And you've heard of that, 491 00:31:27.225 --> 00:31:30.664 that term, forest bathing, right? And that's 492 00:31:30.664 --> 00:31:34.345 what I have them do. I just have them go 493 00:31:34.345 --> 00:31:38.105 out. Do whatever you need to do, but just 494 00:31:38.105 --> 00:31:41.460 go out, empty your mind, and just experience 495 00:31:41.460 --> 00:31:45.080 creation in its whole, and see what 496 00:31:45.300 --> 00:31:49.140 the creator speaks to you. And 497 00:31:49.140 --> 00:31:52.835 it and it may not be, oh, here. This is 498 00:31:52.835 --> 00:31:56.435 what I want you to learn. No. It's gonna be in a form of a 499 00:31:56.435 --> 00:32:00.275 butterfly, or it's gonna be in a form of an ant, or 500 00:32:00.275 --> 00:32:03.815 even a spider. And 501 00:32:06.070 --> 00:32:09.850 so that's, then they come back, and then I have them share. 502 00:32:10.470 --> 00:32:13.990 And the first time I did this, they were very reluctant to 503 00:32:13.990 --> 00:32:17.510 share. And there's this one 504 00:32:17.510 --> 00:32:21.195 guy, he, first time, he's 505 00:32:21.195 --> 00:32:24.554 like, yeah, well, he was very skeptical about 506 00:32:24.554 --> 00:32:28.394 it. But, he's the leader of this one 507 00:32:28.394 --> 00:32:32.075 group that comes twice a year, that 508 00:32:32.075 --> 00:32:35.789 brings a group here. And, but 509 00:32:36.330 --> 00:32:40.090 over the past several years that he has been coming and he's been 510 00:32:40.090 --> 00:32:43.929 participating in that every time, he 511 00:32:43.929 --> 00:32:47.645 has changed. He is like, 512 00:32:48.664 --> 00:32:51.804 this is beautiful. He's learning from 513 00:32:52.424 --> 00:32:56.265 all of this of creation, and just being 514 00:32:56.265 --> 00:32:59.870 able to sit quietly and listen 515 00:32:59.870 --> 00:33:03.710 to what the creator is speaking to him 516 00:33:03.710 --> 00:33:05.490 about. And, 517 00:33:07.549 --> 00:33:11.230 so it's just it's really amazing to 518 00:33:11.230 --> 00:33:14.995 see how people who live in the cities or in bigger 519 00:33:14.995 --> 00:33:18.375 towns and stuff like this, and don't really get out into nature, 520 00:33:20.195 --> 00:33:24.035 and what they come back and 521 00:33:24.035 --> 00:33:27.590 experience. And 522 00:33:27.810 --> 00:33:30.790 they're just like, this is just beautiful. 523 00:33:32.690 --> 00:33:36.450 Yeah. And if we think about our own happiness, you know, creator 524 00:33:36.450 --> 00:33:40.210 actually did some remarkable things that most 525 00:33:40.210 --> 00:33:43.365 people don't know about. But when you get your hands in the soil, 526 00:33:44.465 --> 00:33:48.305 there's, you know, there's something that releases hormones in us that, 527 00:33:48.305 --> 00:33:51.825 you know, that that make us feel good. And and it's the same thing with 528 00:33:51.825 --> 00:33:55.620 being out in the forest. The forest actually release some sort 529 00:33:55.620 --> 00:33:59.400 of, endorphin producing chemical 530 00:33:59.860 --> 00:34:03.380 that makes us feel better from being out there. And so, we're 531 00:34:03.380 --> 00:34:07.160 actually made to be doing these kinds of things. 532 00:34:10.085 --> 00:34:13.605 Are there some ways, that you can think 533 00:34:13.605 --> 00:34:17.445 of where maybe somebody 534 00:34:17.445 --> 00:34:19.685 is in an environment where they, they can't, 535 00:34:21.420 --> 00:34:25.179 on a daily basis, jump into a completely natural 536 00:34:25.179 --> 00:34:28.880 surrounding, whether you able to fully immerse in forest bathing, 537 00:34:29.659 --> 00:34:33.119 on a daily basis, are there other ways that they can begin to 538 00:34:33.420 --> 00:34:36.719 practice the harmony way or embody some of those values? 539 00:34:37.265 --> 00:34:40.785 I, I have told people on 540 00:34:40.785 --> 00:34:44.545 several occasions that, you know, someone would say, well, you know, I don't 541 00:34:44.545 --> 00:34:48.005 live I live in apartments, and I live in the middle of a big city, 542 00:34:48.065 --> 00:34:51.179 and, you know, how do I do it? I said, well, you know, you have 543 00:34:51.179 --> 00:34:54.620 parks around you. And even if they're not accessible to 544 00:34:54.620 --> 00:34:58.140 you, sometimes just opening up your 545 00:34:58.140 --> 00:35:01.755 windows sometimes and getting some fresh air, letting 546 00:35:01.755 --> 00:35:05.454 that sun hit you, and 547 00:35:06.154 --> 00:35:09.994 try to quiet your mind through all that, sometimes you can 548 00:35:09.994 --> 00:35:13.454 do that also. Mhmm. And, you know, 549 00:35:14.410 --> 00:35:18.170 you'll see a fly come flying into your window, or you 550 00:35:18.170 --> 00:35:21.930 know, an ant or something on your windowsill or something, and that's a part of 551 00:35:21.930 --> 00:35:24.910 creation. Yes, you're in the city, 552 00:35:25.530 --> 00:35:29.295 but you know, I said, I've 553 00:35:29.295 --> 00:35:32.035 told people to look for 554 00:35:33.615 --> 00:35:36.995 creation no matter where you live. 555 00:35:37.855 --> 00:35:41.695 Yeah. You're part of a ecological, you know, environment, no matter where 556 00:35:41.695 --> 00:35:45.349 you are. You you look around you, there's gonna be birds, there's gonna be, you 557 00:35:45.349 --> 00:35:49.190 know, other kinds of maybe rodents or whatever else. But there's 558 00:35:49.190 --> 00:35:52.710 there's there's an environment where you're at and you're part of it. So the 559 00:35:52.710 --> 00:35:56.470 question is really, like, how do I actually make it more beneficial for all of 560 00:35:56.470 --> 00:36:00.224 us? So, but I've also told people, hey. You know, 561 00:36:00.224 --> 00:36:03.665 just I mean, if nothing else grow a tomato plant on your backyard, in your 562 00:36:03.665 --> 00:36:07.425 backyard. Port. You know, porch or whatever patio or that. Yes. 563 00:36:07.425 --> 00:36:11.109 Yeah. Because you're you're a part of of making 564 00:36:11.109 --> 00:36:14.790 something come to life and help nourish it, and and it nourishes you 565 00:36:14.790 --> 00:36:18.470 too. And so now there's a relationship. Right? Then you save the seeds from 566 00:36:18.470 --> 00:36:21.670 that, and you pass them on to your neighbor, and and you have them do 567 00:36:21.670 --> 00:36:24.915 it, you know. And now you've got a community of people growing 568 00:36:25.295 --> 00:36:29.135 tomatoes or whatever it is, you know. Yeah. So, we 569 00:36:29.135 --> 00:36:32.815 shouldn't let the fact that all people don't live in, you know, have 10 570 00:36:32.815 --> 00:36:36.255 acres out in the country like us stop us from enjoying 571 00:36:36.255 --> 00:36:39.580 creation. There's always ways to find creation 572 00:36:40.200 --> 00:36:43.720 if you really wanna find it because it's 573 00:36:43.720 --> 00:36:44.220 everywhere. 574 00:36:47.960 --> 00:36:48.860 That is good. 575 00:36:52.635 --> 00:36:56.395 Farming is, is communal work and certainly you're 576 00:36:56.395 --> 00:37:00.075 inviting more people into, the practice and 577 00:37:00.075 --> 00:37:03.835 the awareness. Where are some spaces where people 578 00:37:03.835 --> 00:37:07.609 can, in a sense, visit what what you're doing or find out 579 00:37:07.609 --> 00:37:11.130 some more information? Yeah. Well, we're 580 00:37:11.130 --> 00:37:14.269 Eloheh.org. Elohay is spelled Elohehheh. 581 00:37:19.005 --> 00:37:22.605 And, Eloheh.org is our our website, and we have 582 00:37:22.605 --> 00:37:25.184 actually volunteer sign ups there. 583 00:37:25.964 --> 00:37:28.224 And people can reach us through email, 584 00:37:30.045 --> 00:37:33.825 the Elohehseeds.com. That's seeds, plural, 585 00:37:34.920 --> 00:37:38.680 elohseeds.com. You can order 586 00:37:38.680 --> 00:37:41.799 our seeds. We grow open pollinated seeds that are 587 00:37:42.119 --> 00:37:45.800 plants are loved and none of them are GMO or 588 00:37:45.800 --> 00:37:48.755 genetically altered or almost all of them are, 589 00:37:49.475 --> 00:37:53.095 heirloom breeds, and a lot of them are Native American heirloom breeds. And 590 00:37:53.235 --> 00:37:56.995 so, yeah, you can find out more about our farm there too. And and then 591 00:37:56.995 --> 00:38:00.775 people who aren't near us, you know, there's something called, WOOF, 592 00:38:03.020 --> 00:38:06.860 World Wide Organization of Organic Farming, I think it's called something. 593 00:38:06.860 --> 00:38:10.060 WULFF F Farming. Yeah. In, WULFF USA. And, 594 00:38:10.460 --> 00:38:13.260 anybody can go volunteer on a farm. If you don't have one around you, look 595 00:38:13.260 --> 00:38:16.515 up WULFF and become a Wolf volunteer. And even if it's just for a day 596 00:38:16.515 --> 00:38:20.355 somewhere, a lot of farmers need help. So and now the other 597 00:38:20.355 --> 00:38:23.494 thing is that, you know, farming is, 598 00:38:24.275 --> 00:38:28.070 there's farming and there's industrial farming. And you don't even have to 599 00:38:28.070 --> 00:38:31.030 be a large place. You can be just small place like ours and still be 600 00:38:31.030 --> 00:38:34.790 an industrial farmer. That means you're using chemicals. That means you're not concerned 601 00:38:34.790 --> 00:38:37.130 about the rest of the community of creation. 602 00:38:38.310 --> 00:38:41.925 And, you know, that that's kind of farming we don't need more 603 00:38:41.925 --> 00:38:45.765 of. Don't volunteer for those places. But find people 604 00:38:45.765 --> 00:38:49.385 who are doing, organic or organic practices, 605 00:38:50.565 --> 00:38:54.405 small farms. United Nations did a study. It says we no longer 606 00:38:54.405 --> 00:38:57.940 need industrial farms. The false small farms can actually save the 607 00:38:57.940 --> 00:39:00.660 world and feed the world. They produce more, 608 00:39:02.020 --> 00:39:05.480 nutrient rich packed foods. They produce less, 609 00:39:06.180 --> 00:39:10.005 chemicals and less destruction to the overall community creation. They employ 610 00:39:10.005 --> 00:39:12.805 more people, etcetera, etcetera. So if, 611 00:39:13.845 --> 00:39:17.385 if we all would put our lobbying efforts 612 00:39:17.605 --> 00:39:21.444 and our, our energy into small farms, we could feed the whole 613 00:39:21.444 --> 00:39:25.240 world. And healthy non depleted 614 00:39:25.300 --> 00:39:28.440 soil is a great carbon capture as well. Yeah. Definitely. 615 00:39:30.580 --> 00:39:34.120 Yeah. Well, Woodley's, thank you so much for joining us on the Compass podcast. 616 00:39:36.155 --> 00:39:39.535 Look forward to touching base more with you in the future. Okay. 617 00:39:40.075 --> 00:39:42.734 You take care. All right. Thank you so much. Bye. 618 00:39:44.555 --> 00:39:47.915 All right. Well, blessings to you on your own journey to 619 00:39:47.915 --> 00:39:51.560 Eloheh and towards contentment. Do you want more compass? 620 00:39:51.560 --> 00:39:55.080 Well, check out another episode, episode 125 with 621 00:39:55.080 --> 00:39:58.840 Abigail Broca about everyday spirituality is going to be a good 622 00:39:58.840 --> 00:40:02.220 one. So is episode 93 about experiencing 623 00:40:02.645 --> 00:40:06.425 God in nature with Victoria Lors. While you're listening, 624 00:40:06.645 --> 00:40:10.484 leave a rating and or review. The compass podcast is brought to 625 00:40:10.484 --> 00:40:14.005 you by United Methodist Communications. You can check out 626 00:40:14.005 --> 00:40:17.609 all of our episodes and get show notes and relevant links 627 00:40:17.609 --> 00:40:21.450 at umc.org/compass. And that's 628 00:40:21.450 --> 00:40:25.290 all for this week. We'll be back with a new episode in 2 weeks time. 629 00:40:25.290 --> 00:40:27.230 So I'll chat at you then. Peace.