Aaron in Maine, USA

alone in Maine on this Global Grace Day , Emilia launching off to Brazil soon. I am at the Carpenter's Boatshop on Pemaquid Point. They are a spiritual community, founder spent 4 years at Findhorn, have run into a carpenter, Steve, who worked for my former life's work, the non-profit Rippleffect out on Cow Island. My friend Andrew introduced me to this place a few weeks ago and it is a beautiful secret, the apprentices do not pay for their time here. They are given room and board, and the fruit of the work, the amazing wooden boats, provide 40% of the income needed to keep the place afloat. The other 60% is fundraised by the charismatic founder , Bobby, who survives his amazing wife Ruth, struck by a brain tumor a few years ago.

I attended the Farmer to Farmer conference this past weekend, 250 organic farmers in Maine gathering to swap stories and ideas and energy. It was very powerful; I felt home with everyone. Huge numbers of young people, and so inspiring to see. Saw my old high school friend Ken, who moved to Brooklyn, summers on Nantucket Island, and was a rapper for a decade. He is now farming with draft horses on the New Beat farm. Hip Hop Farmer, baby. Had a dream last night I was shot under the right collar bone by a .22 in an urban gang fight. My ruffrida friends didn't want to hear me whine, so I mostly kept it to myself. Went into the dirty apartment's small tiled bathroom, took my shirt off and looked at the little bloody hole in the stained toothpaste splattered mirror. So vivid. I fingered at it a bit, hurt, but I knew I'd be ok. Decided to get back to work. Woke up.

Yesterday I went to visit Mark Fulford, the Garlic Guru . He is the father of Galen Shaw, the co-Founder of Biomatrix Water of Findhorn whom I will work with later this month. Mark lives far off the land (strangely lived in a Copperthwaite yurt for 20 years (but doesn't know him), read below) and is a true homestead farmer. He and his wife grow medicinal herbs, have orchards, chickens, and he is experimenting with an ancient technique newly discovered of planting rice and wheat in a manner that uses 1/10 the seed and half the water of conventional methods. It is called SRI and was rediscovered in the Phillipines, freeing them from Monsanto's clutches. The poor Fillipino locals chased the local Monsanto rep from their land 3 years ago, telling him that if he returned, he would not leave alive. MArk and I transplanted winter wheat plugs all afternoon while we spoke. We discussed the project that I will be supporting with Galen and Mark, a full cycle farm in China offering agricultural products and eggs, with 10,000 chickens, growing grain and bedding onsite, solar and geothermal refrigeration, and water and wast management in a truly sustainable manner. The human workers health and life situation is even being considered as part of the farm's health (not common in China). Feeling honored and so excited to be at the table for these dialogues

The weekend before was spent on North Haven [island] with Jen Porter (Gigi's goddaughter), her husband Dieter at their farm project, my brother and his new girlfriend may work on Jen's farm. They are funded by a well to do gentleman out there, reviving 18th century farmland, which stares across the Fox Isle Thorofare, a nice little inlet between two islands, now looking at the 3 newly erected wind turbines that will power the island communities.

Tomorrow I drive to Castine, outfit the kayaks for a paddle Downeast Maine into the millpond of Dr. Bill Copperthwaite, yurt foundation guru and handmade life professor. My friend Andrew will come with. I will spend a whole day ensuring that our safety gear is in order and we have what is needed to come home safely from a jaunt on the brisk Atlantic this time of year. She is a fickle mistress, that briny dark blue green Mother Ocean.

It will be good to see Bill again, been many years. He lives a dream that is an inspiration to many, a daily prayer, his industrious life akin to the rhythms of the deer and beaver and bobcat that make his land home.


I am sore and hairy and have not had time for yoga or meditation, still getting over my flu/ cold. Thinking of my team and their journeys, what a huge tapestry of energies this part of the journey is weaving, eh?

Aaron