The greatest change we need to make is from consumption to production, even if on a small scale, in our own gardens. If only 10% of us do this, there is enough for everyone. Hence the futility of revolutionaries who have no gardens, who depend on the very system they attack, and who produce words and bullets, not food and shelter.
– Bill Mollison

I haven’t had this feeling since I left Australia four years ago and got on a plane to the United States. That feeling of standing at the edge, about to take the leap. One of those turning points in life where you know this fork in the road is going to take you down a drastically different path. It was a lot more terrifying back then, leaving my homeland, I had less trust in myself and the unfolding of the journey back then. Fears of money, not knowing anyone, the uncertainty of it all were loud. Now all I feel is excitement. I’ve persevered, determined to stay true to the vision of how I desire my life to be, now finally it feels like the vision is materializing in front of me. I see this fork, this Costa Rica adventure, as the fruition of it. I feel prepared, ready for the NuSeed Gathering. A 5-day transformational retreat in Costa Rica at a permaculture community in the jungle, February 17th-21st. Hosted by Numundo and VerdEnergia Pacifica, the retreat connects leaders in the fields of permaculture and natural building with entrepreneurs and life designers to carve out new pathways to purpose-driven, holistic living. It is designed to crystallise your vision for 2017 and beyond, to ground your impact on the world into reality.

A view of VerdEnergia in Puriscal, Costa Rica.

I grew up in Sydney Australia, 30-minutes from the thick of it, the hustle and bustle of the city life. I then moved to Brisbane for university, then Melbourne, San Francisco and finally New York. A city boy background, through and through. In 2015, living in the heart of Brooklyn, hustling as a bike messenger and life coach, in the middle of another life-episode of consuming countless documentaries, it suddenly dawned on me at a new level. I was completely disconnected from my energy resources. If the lights went out, if the food supply chains stopped, I’d be clueless. Further, I saw how my habits of behaviour were continuing to contribute to the materialistic, consumption based model I’d been raised in. A feeling of urgency was thrust upon me, one I couldn’t ignore any longer. This was the start of my exploration into sustainable living. For the next year I Wwoofed and worked on farms across New Mexico and California, continually venturing into unfamiliar terrain and learning a lot. And then I found NuMundo. All the ingredients of travel, adventure, community and purpose whilst learning the fundamentals to a sustainable, connected lifestyle. The opportunity had presented itself, I signed up for the Permaculture Course and NuSeed Gathering at VerdEnergia Pacifica.

My next step is getting certified in Permaculture Design!

So, what are the main reasons I believe this is crucial knowledge at this time.

  1. We Need to Heal our Earth.

Gaia, our home, is in trouble. She has absorbed the impact of humanity’s carelessness for some time and it’s starting to show. Climates are changing, temperatures are rising, the degradation of microclimates across the the globe are increasing at stunning rates. There’s no hiding from this anymore. I believe we are at the forefront of a significant shift in sentiment sweeping across the Western World, people are waking up to this, there is a call-to-action, an opportunity to change the momentum of this at a grassroots level. The skills to birth new ideas and lead holistically can be found at Nuseed.

  1. Learning How to Cohabitate and Co-create.

We also need to heal our connections with each other. Teamwork is the catch-cry of many work environments, we learn to work in small teams for large companies to complete a particular task. Simultaneously, many of us are taught to compete with each other, that there isn’t enough, to scramble over each other to possess more. Making deep, authentic connections with another human being is something entirely different. Speaking truth, being vulnerable, being truly felt and seen by another. These are things practiced in tribes and communities. From a foundation of unity, love, brotherhood and sisterhood we can feel inspired to create effectively together.

  1. When You Shift Your Environment, You Shift Your State.

One of the most efficient ways I’ve found to get into that state of excitement, where you feel anything is possible, where visions and inspirations come flowing to you, is to radically shift your environment. I got bit with the travel bug early, I was lucky to have parents that saw the benefits of travel. This led to many overseas backpacking adventures in my twenties. Never have I felt more alive than being in a foreign country, with little money, perhaps little comprehension of the language and little clue of where I was. You become present, resources come to you you never knew you had, old lingering thoughts of home magically resolve themselves, you open up to new perspectives. In this state, anything is possible. Add to the mix nourishing food, music, movement and ceremony and you have the ingredients to crystallize an inspiring life path deeply into your being. It’s why thousands of people seek festivals, ceremonies and pilgrimages year after year. It is powerful. At NuSeed we seek to honor ancestral wisdom and rejuvenate our bodies.

There are many offerings at Nuseed, all designed to transform, educate and integrate. Here’s a little of what to expect:

  • Practical Hands-on Self Sufficiency – Hands-on permaculture activities, natural building classes, medicinal healing plants and green technology such as biodigesters, building a rocket stove and solar energy systems. Kitchen wizardry including growing cacao, making chocolate, raw foods and fermentation.
  • Life Design and Entrepreneurship – Launching your career as a social entrepreneur, the intersection where passion meets market needs meets natural skills. A movement that is turning into a thriving industry. Using technology to launch your project, crowdfunding and fundraising, from marketing to execution, event production to project management, these are some of the topics covered. Leadership development and pathfinding sessions are also included. Find your true voice, choose partners well and solidify empowered communication within yourself.
  • Network Building – Seed & plant exchange opportunities and train to become a Numundo Ambassador.
  • Holistic Health – Join yoga & acroyoga classes to heal and invigorate. Non-violent communication and authentic relating is also included.
  • Celebration – Join in the fun and celebrate life with us through ceremony, medicine music and a fire circle.

Yoga workshops will be offered at NuSeed.

So where do I see all this going? I believe what I’m learning is a new lens in which to see the world. I see it as an essential mindset shift that is gaining global momentum. We need to turn this ship around. I believe, as a millennial, as an earth guardian, we’re at the front line. My visions take me on many different exciting paths. This year I’m focusing on permaculture and bioconstruction classes across Central America and the USA, with thoughts of how to combine this type of ecology with exponential technologies coming online. Perhaps even a deeper exploration into South America, helping NuMundo Impact Centers build and develop along the way down. Maybe I’ll even take it all back to Australia one day. The opportunities are vast. If this growing industry is something you’re excited about, like I am, then I invite you and hope to see you at this event.