We join morning circle a couple of minutes late, but quickly slot into place around the symbolic Children’s fire. There is a sense of magic in the air, as though the earth is holding us… “the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred” , as Goethe so eloquently put it (see full quote on the uncivilized ideas page).
Pete starts work today on the compost loo – a poetic full circle (or should that be expanding spiral?) from exactly a year ago, when he was campaigning to build a compost loo at Alma. I, meanwhile set to work on cleaning the loos. Somehow, every job has it’s metaphorical teachings, from the conscious clearing an preparation of land in the garden, the planting of precious seeds, to the scrubbing and processing of our shit.
The sun is warm, and the wind is still… Embercombe feels quiet without all the guests; more like a family. It functions with all the bumps, cracks, and smooth flowing elegance of a family.
We eat lunch outside, on a large table, compiled from the usually separate picnic-style tables. We realise how different it feels to be all sat together, we agree, it feels somehow better.
Discussions about the film continue to open doors and create connections.
I plant carrot seeds in toilet rolls. We marvel at the trays of soil in front of us, which carry the year’s supply of carrots and tomatoes for all of the hundreds of visitors and residents here at Embercombe. Such intelligence within these seeds…
After work, the younger members of the community gather in the shared office to use the internet, watch online films and use facebook. We check our emails, but somehow it all feels irrelevant, here in this natural space. I wonder what would life be like without email? What would the quality of my communication with the world look like?
Pete and I are finding our groove with the filming – I am a reluctant and self-doubting student today. He is frustrated. .. I want to film, but keep getting the colour-balance wrong. It’s harder than it looks… Luckily, Pete is a natural, and enjoys the techie-ness of it all. Thank goodness one of us does!
Source: Uncivilized
