A Walk on the Pagan Path
MeadowMoon June 1st, 2010
My husband and I have made a very important decision this month and it is a decision that will no doubt change life as we have known it for many years. We have decided that we will become farmers. Now for many of you, this may not seem like that big of a deal, but I can barely contain myself with all of the emotions I am feeling. As my husband starts the planning process and obtaining the necessary equipment, I find myself thinking of all the possibilities. Some of the things that I find myself thinking about may be strange to others. However, it is the natural mental process that I am going through so I am just rolling with it.
Along with farming much of our land for income, we will have our own garden that will be quite larger than we have ever had. I find that I have a growing list of things I want to learn to do that I have never found time to learn before. I want to learn how to can vegetables. I want to learn to make jellies and jams. I want to build my own personal greenhouse and grow many of my own herbs and flowers. We have already discussed bringing aboard some chickens and learning how to start a compost pile. All of this talk about this and that makes me want to learn more about cooking more meals from scratch. All of this is new to me and I realize that this is excitement of doing something new. I know that it will be a lot of hard work.
While I stand outside looking at the land around us, I also feel the excitement of other things. I can’t help but smile thinking how this will increase our spiritual awareness of our immediate surroundings. We are about to embark on something new that will connect us with the earth in such a way that many people are unfamiliar with. Our appreciation of the earth and what it can do for us with tender love and care will be strongly heightened. As we tend to our land, we will have ample time to converse with the Gods/Goddesses as they use us as a tool to take care of the land. Not only will our connection strengthen in this way, but I also imagine our family connection will become stronger as well.
As our sons grow older, I feel living on a farm will provide them the tools they need to grow into incredible young men. I see so many positive outcomes for them that I have not had a moment to worry about any negative possibilities. Both of my parents were raised on a farm. I remember the stories they would share with me. I also remember them being poor but able to survive. They shared a bond with their families that I didn’t understand. Now that I am older, I get it. They had to depend on each other. They had to work together. Their view of life was simple and wasn’t interfered with by all the technology we have so conveniently today. They didn’t take for granted the food they ate or the land beneath their feet. For the land that they rest on and played on also provided them with their meals and income. They wasted nothing and found uses for everything. They were also very spiritual. They said their blessings before every meal and every night before bedtime. They prayed for a good harvest and rain if needed. They provided what they could to the land, and the land provided back tenfold.
I want that life. Maybe not so much the poverty part of it, but I want the understanding of life and earth that a farmer has. I want to see firsthand how everything is connected in such a way that I never realized. As I put my energy into planting a seed, I want to see that energy return by producing food. I want to learn how to take care of myself and my family in such a way that we no longer 100% rely on others. Technology is great, but we have become so dependent on it.
As always, I would enjoy hearing from any of you on this month’s article. Are you a farmer or have you considered it? Do you find that there is a spiritual connection with the act of farming? Anything you wish to share will be great. I can’t wait to hear from you.
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Hi,
I can understand how you feel. I would love to farm but we dont own enough land, although we do have a large garden and a few fruit trees to provide for our family. I love the spring for being able to get back into the garden. To know that I am going to provide some nourishment for my family by planting the seeds and caring for the garden brings me joy. Also there is nothing I love to see more then my kids eating fresh blackberries off our vines or watching them eat sugar pees straight from the plant. I know where that food came from and it was as fresh as could be. Letting my kids help me plant and weed gets them even more excited about the food the garden produces. They are excited to eat vegetables, I taught them to eat the lettuce right from the garden like bunnies. They dont need any dressings or additives to get them to enjoy vegetables!
For me I find a serenity in gardening. There is a peace in hard work and getting dirty and seeing a garden thrive.
Good luck to you and your family in your farming endeavor!!
Sarah Philbrick-Djerfi
Hello my friend,
Thank you for sharing this part of your life with us. I feel the same way. For many years while my kids were growing up we lived this way though not exactly on a farm. We live in a small town on a very large lot but that did not keep us from living the simple life. We grew our own food and I canned much of it. I canned veggies, fruit and jam mostly. I froze a lot of what I grew also and dried some. I used to make fruit roll ups for the kids which they loved. What I didn’t grow I bought at local fruit stands or gleaned from local farmers to can. I loved having a garden and still do. There is nothing quite like eating peas off the vine or fresh tomatos off the vine as my son used to do. We had a compost pile. We raised chickens. We had all kinds of pets for the kids. We had a pygmy goat, bunnies, geese, turkeys, ducks, cats and dogs. I also loved hanging clothes on the line. I used to cook meals for a month at a time. I had a list of ways to save money up on the fridge to help me live as frugally as possible. Those were hard times financially but I didn’t really notice because we were rich in the most important ways. We taught our kids to love the simple things in life and they have turned out to be amazing adults. They all know how to garden, cook, sew, can, make bread, etc. Living this way is not always easy but it is sooo rewarding. I love it! We now have two and a half acres in the mountains that we plan to move to. Then we can live our dream completely. I hope to raise goats and chickens and my husband wants to raise highland cattle. We hope to grow everything we need and be as self-sufficient as possible. We even plan on planting our own orchard. I plan to grow my own herbs to make my own own medicines. Check out the books by Mary Jane Butters and also her magazine called Mary Janes Farm. I think you will really like them. Good luck my friend. You are going to love farm life.
Love and light!
Julie~
Amazing… So happy to hear you are giving yourselves and your sons these opportunities. I grew up on a farm and I truly believe I am a better person for it, and more Earth-wise. These are survival skills they will be learning (and you too). It is the sort of information that never goes out of style, that never will not be needed anymore.
Congratulations.
I live on the farm that my mother grew up on and I spent many a summer here with my G-Parents. I learned so very much about Earth Stewardship form those 2 Elders. I trailed behind my Mammaw in the garden and was always amazed that my Pappaw could fix anything. He was a self taught welder and repaired his own tractors and the house he built and barn he built with his own 2 hand still stands.
I am glad you are getting your children involved. So many young people today have lost touch with what is real. Some of them think our food comes from the local supercenter!!
I have Rhode Island Red Chickens and they ar a great source of entertainment for me and my partner! As well as giving great bib brown eggs!! If you are wanting to preserve food the Ball Bluebook is an excellent teacher. I am assuming you live in a rural area where their are probably Elders. Talk to some of the ladies, if they still can “apprentice” with them. I learned alot from my Mammaw.
Yes there will be lean times, but I do not feel the poverty of it. I feel as a person that is in touch with our Mother I am so much richer for it. Imagine this… if there is ever a huge war in our homeland… whom do you think the most important people will be? Growers of food, healers and those of us that know how to survive with very little. I send you many blessings in your farming adventure and a word of wisdom… Don’t try to do so much at once. Every season my partner and I add to the farm and the gardens.Read Mother Earth News and Grit magazines. The Fox Fire books are an excellent source of info as well. If you have a library close see if they carry them. A group of students went to the Appalacians and talked to Elders about the “old” ways of life. Enjoy!! If you need any more info, feel free to email me. Blessed Be~