Here, there, now, later

 Permaculture is inspired by nature, people and cultural practices around the world.  It is an ethical approach that stresses cooperation and positivism.  In Permaculture Two- Practical Design for Town and Country in Permanent Agriculture, Mollison takes cues from the Aborigines of Australia for ideas of how to create a modern 'permanent culture'.  As with many aboriginal cultures, the Aborigines of Australia have/had skills, cultural rules, intimate knowledge of their local region and keen observation skills.  Their culture, philosophy and connection to the natural world were how they lived in balance with the ecology of the area for years and years before colonization.

"The Aborigines of Tasmania left to their descendants a legend of "true signs"- something that happens to you here means something else is happening there.  Something that happens now means something else will happen later." pg. 3  Bill Mollison, Permaculture Two

Volcanic rock depression used for collecting sea salt, NW Hawaii

I went to a lovely slideshow at the Tivoli theatre in Creston this week.  It was an exposition of Kootenay photographers put on by Wildsight.   One of the photographers, Jim Lawerence, put the following quote in one of his slideshows.

"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." John Muir

Camas leichtlini - photo by Rebecca Best

We need to learn the 'true signs', to realize and rejoice that people, nature and time are all interconnected.

When you plant a tree now, what will happen later?

When you help your neighbour here, what is happening there?

How can our actions here and now change the there and later?