Message URL: http://www.curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=2261613

The Farm - The Ultimate Classroom for Real-Food Culture!
(Cheeta: Cultivate Healing Environments - Enlighten Thru Arts!)

24.) Deepening young people's connection to Nature at Angelic Organics Learning Center and High Mowing School.

Date:   6/24/2015 12:44:05 PM ( 9 y ago)

September 6, 2019 -

"... the animal-oriented agricultural system as it has evolved over two centuries in America makes a more efficient use of available land to provide essential, high-quality protein, with fewer surplus calories, and at a lower cost, than any other system that has presently been devised."[15]
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Comment:

The long-term history of the American farm is typically a complimentary mix of animals, crops and possibly some orchard as opposed to modern-day mono cropping on one hand and confinement dairy operations on the other - both of which have proven to provide inferior food products and destruction of ecology.
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June 16, 2019 -

"The future of farming in America is in a new type of farming, in farming that balances the personal, the interpersonal, and the moral and ethical dimensions of life, in farming that balances ecological integrity, economic viability, and social responsibility. These new farmers know that bigger farms haven't resulted in better lives not for farmers nor for society in general. Instead, the trend toward bigger farms has threatened the sustainability of American agriculture. The future of farming in America is linked very closely with the future of America's small farms."[14]
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June 24, 2015 -

My first connection with Angelic Organics was by way of their documentary film: "The Real Dirt on Farmer John"[1]

If you haven't seen this then I highly recommend it! It is very harmonious with Cheeta.

Through my connection with the Biodynamic Association in America I received notice of a "new post"[2] that is also very harmonious with Cheeta. The farm is possibly the ultimate classroom! It is mostly what the children's schools at Cheeta will be based on.

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February 4, 2019 -

Greetings Fellow CureZone Readers!

If you like to "put (real) food on your table" or even "go out to eat" and if you value real freedom then I think there are couple things you may want to know that assures the continuation of both real food and real freedom. Both real food and real freedom come from the same source. A source that up till now you may not have been fully aware of and/or fully appreciative of. If so, that is completely understandable - based on that fact that most Americans do not live close enough to this source. And if they did live close in a geographic sense there is another aspect to this source that has been deliberately made obscure so that the American Individual does not think about it.

The "source" I refer to is our American soil. What is your response to that? ......... Is soil simply "dirt" to you? ........ Is it just some (common) ground that you may occasionally walk on? ......... Be honest about how you regard and/or don't regard the soil. Unless you are a farmer I wouldn't expect you to have great regard for soil. After all - unless you are a farmer you probably don't have to be concerned at all about soil, right? .........

Whatever your awareness may be of soil I am reasonably certain that it could grow into a greater awareness, a mush greater and more meaningful awareness with truly great implications! I am one Individual who would truly love to see the awareness grow to a fullness that bears good fruit and gives all of us many blessings.

Why do I say this? I am aware of a tremendous loss of many blessings that the American people have enjoyed in previous generations that came from and/or where based upon the soil. One most recent loss is the soil-based integrity of real organic agriculture that was originally developed for improving the soil and that defined organic agriculture as soil-based. The history of organic agriculture began with Biodynamic agriculture and which included homeopathic remedies to restore soil fertility. In distinct contrast to this we now have the hydroponic based corporations that are not at all about soil-based agriculture and separate from the true source of organic agriculture. Hydroponics is an absolute disconnect from the source of organic agriculture and consequently it can not really qualify as any kind of "organic" agriculture . However it legally "qualifies" according to the present day interpretation of the Federal United States definition of "Organic" and consequently the American people have lost a considerable amount of their connection with the soil. Additionally - the American people do not know the difference between a hydroponically raised vegetable and a soil-grown vegetable just by appearance. This is a case of "adding insult to injury."

There are many other examples that could be presented regarding loss of soil in agriculture. However, as I mentioned above, "there is another aspect to this source that has been deliberately made obscure so that the American Individual does not think about it." The other aspect is in regards to our original Right to self-government. Self-government is derived from our Right to live free from foreign government - just as our Founding Fathers had envisioned for us when they declared our independence on July 4, 1776 - which is the first Organic Law. The Right to be a "free inhabitant" on the soil/land in each and every state/State in the Union as declared in the second Organic Law. What was the second Organic Law? ......... This second Organic Law of The United States of America is the likely beginning of where we can grow in our awareness of the need to recover our soil jurisdiction.

If these seeds of truth regarding the American soil lands on good soil in your hearts and mind then what this author has presented so far may be sufficient to begin acting on it on some way. One way is to begin researching and verifying the truth of these points. I suggest searching for the "second Organic Law" and for the "free inhabitant".
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July 23, 2015 -

The idea of "The Farm As The Ultimate Classroom" deserves to be elaborated upon. Some of why is referred to in a most recent blog post at my "Chef Jemichel blog"[3]

Briefly stated (with intent to expand upon this thought) real-food culture makes it possible to have a real future.

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September 6th 2015 -

"... go into an orchard, pull the branch of an apple tree towards you, and start biting into an apple without picking it ... You can feel how alive the fruit is, and you experience a sense of plenitude and joy, which the tree itself is communicating to you, because it is linked to the earth and to the sky and draws forces from both. While you are eating, you are in direct contact with a current of pure energies. Through its fruit, the tree has put you directly in contact with the universe."[4]

The Cheeta Farm vision includes fruit orchards: apples, citrus, avocado, etc.

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September 16th, 2015 -

Naturally the fruit orchards will have a colony of bees. "Bees represent the sixth race of man, the race of the future, the new culture"[5]

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December 18th, 2015 -

"The farm" as "the ultimate classroom" is not only in support of a "real-food culture". It makes a real connection with the earth possible!

"Our body has close ties to the earth; it is a child of the earth."[6]

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February 12th, 2016 -

"Benefits of a Biodynamic Education" -
Another real life example of a deeper, more meaningful education that can be had for young people in "The Ultimate Classroom"!:

"... I have students who would never want to farm or garden—and yet the garden has provided them a platform for place. They now understand that you have to care for something and that it goes through cycles."[7]

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August 2nd, 2016 -

Also regarding Rudolf Steiner on education:

"... truly human change would not be possible unless a sufficient number of people received an education that developed the whole human being"[8]

The farm-as-classroom offers the most natural environment for child development in its wholeness. Children go through developmental stages, the first of which is likened unto animals.

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March 21, 2017 -

Another thing that the "farm as classroom" has that the former "school house" does not have is microbial-rich "dirt"!

“It is only recently that we have unintentionally cut (our microbial co-partner species) out of our lives in our modernized world of antibiotic-administered, formula-fed, cesarean-delivered babies growing up in urban environments, surrounded by hand sanitizers and antibacterial soaps. In doing so we have compromised our own health. A new biology is emerging, demanding a different way of thinking about what it means to be human, to be whole, and to pursue a healthy life on earth for ourselves and our children."

Just to be able to walk barefoot through the fields, around the raise beds as well as the compost piles is an "education" in and of itself and at the same time those who walk this way are attuning their whole "biosphere" in harmony with the frequency of the earth! "Medicine" doesn't get more natural than this!
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August 11, 2018 - Just A Note - For Now -

"... Steiner’s thoughts on the seven life processes[12] are appropriate as a starting point for conversations on how a life-promoting, varied and ‘nourishing’ education can be formed."[11]
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May 17, 2018 - This study found that children’s vegetation exposure in their proximal residential environment increased brain volume and improved cognitive function. ...

... It is the first study of its kind to show that growing up in a greener home environment has measureable benefit on children’s memory and attention with corresponding evidence of positive changes to related cerebral structures. This data goes a long way toward showing that being in nature is more than just a “feel-good” experience.

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This appreciation of the “healing power of nature” began to be investigated as an academic pursuit in the 1970s by researchers such as Rachel and Stephan Kaplan, who developed the Attention Restoration Theory (ART).7 Their theory, which asserts that spending time in nature improves mental fatigue and concentration, has been supported by many studies. These cognitive improvements are just one benefit of greenspace exposure, with other validated effects including reduced levels of depression and anxiety (both individually and epidemiologically), improved immune system and cardiovascular function, and reduced mortality.

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Conclusions

The amount of greenery surrounding children’s homes has been shown to affect their cognition on an anatomical and functional level, with statistically significant effects on neuroanatomy and related working memory and attentional task performance. This should be noted by clinicians, parents, and teachers as well as anyone who works with pediatric populations with cognitive deficits, academic, or behavioral underperformance, and anyone who wants to maximize cognitive potential.[9]
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Children in the "Cheeta village" will be totally surrounded by "greenery"! And so much more than this as their lifestyle will be an intimate relationship with a full spectrum of "greenery" given that they will be growing up on a farm that is completely integrated into their daily life.
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May 27, 2018 - Definition of Agroecology -

Agroecology = Ecological Farm Management
Agriculture and ecology=Agroecology

Agroecology Is the study of Agriculture wearing the glasses of ecology.

Ecological agriculture, generally defined, is the attempt to maximally harmonise agricultural management with Mother Nature so as to -
a) restore ecological health
b) produce the highest quality products that are as expressive of unique sites as possible
c) create the most positive impact economically, environmentally and socially.

The term “ecological agriculture” is an umbrella term for all of these alternative farming systems.

The centerpiece of agroecology is the understanding of a farm or even simply a crop field as an ecological system. Thus, key ecological phenomena, such as soil fertility (including nutrient and water availability, humification, mineralization, etc.), biodiversity (species diversification, competition, succession) and disease /pest/ weed management (predator/pest interactions, immunity, resistance) are studied carefully and in relationship to one another in order to analyse their interactions.[10]
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December 23, 2018 - Readings -

Biodynamics
A good introduction may be found at the ATTRA website:
https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub-summaries/?pub=290

"Culture and Horticulture: A Philosophy of Gardening", by Wolf D. Storl -
"Storl sees industrial agriculture as having caused the demise of the family farm. We’re moving, he says, toward a food dictatorship and a return to (corporate controlled) feudalism."[13]

Karen Davis-Brown, essay from the Biodynamics Journal: "Healing the Earth is Healing Ourselves"

Heinze Grotzke, essay from the Biodynamics Journal: "Healing the Earth through Biodynamic Agriculture"
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Footnotes:

[1]http://www.angelicorganics.com/ao/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=148&Itemid=182

[2]https://biodynamicsbda.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/deepening-childrens-connection-to-nature-at-angelic-organics-learning-center/

[3]
http://www.curezone.org/Blogs/fm.asp?i=1721503

[4] http://www.prosveta-usa.com/fruit-can-put-us-in-touch-with-the-living-forces-of-nature_2015-09-06

[5] http://us11.campaign-archive2.com/?u=36e1929b913daa1ccbf270e27&id=e540bd8f24&e=cb715dbd8a

[6] http://us11.campaign-archive2.com/?u=36e1929b913daa1ccbf270e27&id=583dafaa68&e=cb715dbd8a

[7] https://biodynamicsbda.wordpress.com/2016/02/11/benefits-of-a-biodynamic-education/

[8] https://www.rsarchive.org/Download/Soul_Economy-Rudolf_Steiner-303.pdf

[9] Greenspace Exposure Improves Cognitive Performance in Children - Evidence for effects on brain volume:
https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2018-05/greenspace-exposure-improves-cognitive-performance-children

[10] E1-Introduction to Biodynamics:
http://www.triptolemos.net/?product=introduction-to-biodynamics

[11] http://arvema.com/tekster/How_I_Teach_Anthroposophy.pdf

[12] Breathing, warm­ing, nutrition, circulation, maintenance, growth and maturation, and reproduction:
http://www.anthromed.org/Article.aspx?artpk=453

[13] A 3-page book commentary: ucanr.edu/sites/Shasta_College_Master_Gardener/files/230488.pdf

[14] http://web.missouri.edu/~ikerdj/papers/Smfmfed.html

[15] https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/protein-building-blocks-of-the-body/
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Keywords:

Angelic Organics, The Real Dirt on Farmer John, Biodynamic, classroom, school, learning, teaching, agriculture, nature, food, culture, future, bees, children, farm, agroecology, the seven life processes, small farms

 

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