Earth Apprentice 2024

More than just a gardening course. More than just a homesteading course. More than just a bio dyanamics course. More than a permaculture course. 

A course taught by gardens, microbes, plants, rivers, dew, soil, landscapes, human bodies, emotions, constellations, the moon, planetary movements, insects, ecosystems and many more in collaboration with Julia Yelton, Heather Mac and Miriam McCormack.

Happening one Saturday a month, over 10 months, The Earth Apprentice Course focuses on establishing relationships between human students and the more than human world as experienced teachers. We will use methods and understandings from bio dynamics, permaculture and pagan teachings, as well as deep listening practices and seasonally appropriate energetic modes of interbeing. To book for the course, follow this link. 

Students will follow the seasons in their modes of learning, mapping themselves and seeing the mirrors of the human body in the living world that surrounds them. They will start to learn from the true experts in resilience and sustainability, plants, landscapes, microbes. They will learn how to act in reciprocity and come to appreciate the gifts they can bring to the table in thanks for the many gifts their ecosystems serve them. 

Sounds amazing. What can I expect though?

Happening over 10 months (March to December), on the 3rd Saturday of each, the course will include:

- garden tours

- practical activities (eg compost making, biodynamic stirs)

- seasonal preparation, reflections and information

- learning about and from different plants, ecosystems, microclimates

- learning about fermenting and working with plant extracts for health

- learning about the ways landscapes communicate with humans

- tapping into inner wisdoms and knowledgeways

- learning about the ebb and flow of seasonal energies

To book for the course, follow this link. 

This course aims to remove the hierarchy of western human learning structures, decentralising the process, removing the idea of the human expert and replacing it with equal relationality between two ecosystem members, learning each others' languages. Humans as conscious and reciporical members of the living world, interacting with intention to create more beautiful and thriving gardens, homes, communities, regenerative projects, in collaboration with their plant, animal, fungi, microbial, landscape, water, stone kin.What if we could learn from a microbe? What if we could learn their language and communicate in reciprocity? What if we could learn from trees? Weeds? Fire? Rivers? The blood of our ancestors?

Each day will be structured around a ritual cyclic arc based structure. 

We will start by grounding in

We continue to harvest and transformation sessions

Then we sit with deep learning and up skilling

We return to the earth in service and reciprocal practice

We finish the day by reflecting and preparing to re-enter the world as changed beings

Bios

Julia Yelton, a creative homemaker and designer, mother, grandmother, and lifelong student for earth advocacy is also a “way shower” for other seekers committed to walking lightly on this unique planet. After some 35 years of teaching many of the earth sciences and practices, Julia's passion is to explore the farthest edges of this amazing world and beyond. Forever stretching the boundaries of discovery into the natural and the ethereal, her life work aims to inspire and teach by example.

Heather Mac is a witch, a poet, a parent and an animist. She coordinates and stewards seeds for the Cygnet Seed Library as well helping to grow other non-monetary and gift economies. Heather is an experienced permaculture educator, community facilitator and farming/gardening mentor. She walks alongside her clients as they learn how to connect, listen to and engage in reciprocity with the land they live on. Heather believes in the power of stories and cultural change as a way for humans to transcend our paradigm of exploitative relationships with each other and our living world. 

Miriam McCormack is a passionate student and caretaker of all things fermenting, a lover of language & communication, a devotee of deep listening who has brought her exploration of agriculture, permaculture and landscape into her holistic psychotherapy practice. Miriam has travelled, worked and studied all over the world and weaves curiosity and play into her work and inquiries. She is a gardener, a cook, a goat milker, a hiker, a meditator and is on a mission to reclaim the true essence of culture, relationship and hospitality. 

Let's talk about children. 

This course deliberately flies against many of the structural stories about how things are in the world, hierarchies and knowledge as a silent, rationalised pursuit are out. As such, if your children are the impediment to you being able to regularly attend the course, please get in contact (via email listed below). While we cannot promise anything, it matters to us that we work to accommodate parents and their child rearing. Raising children is part of our lives and part of how we serve the earth. 

Let's talk about money. 

The course is available at $980 for early bird sales (until Jan 24 2024) and after that for $1100. There is also an option to pay in 2 payments of $550. 

We will be offering a discount of 20% off the total cost for multiple bookings from the same household.

We are offering a 4 stage payment commitment plan too.

If you would like to discuss payment plan options, please contact us via happyvalleypermaculture@gmail.com

We will be offering 1 half scholarship for this course. Please get in contact via happyvalleypermaculture@gmail.com to enquire about this opportunity. Applications for the scholarship close Dec 16 2023. Any unsuccessful applicants for the scholarship will be able to purchase the course with the early bird price past the cut off date. The awardee will be contacted before solstice to be told of their success.

To book for the course, follow this link. 

A note about refunds:

A non-refundable deposit of $250 is set aside from your course payment to reserve your spot. Even if you cancel your booking, we retain this $250.

No refunds at all will be offered for cancellations after 20/1/2023. 

This is to allow for the fact that we need a certain number of students to run this course financially.