Ep 82 Su Dennett - going lateral in bare feet, prioritising ritual & patterning over institutional education

Absorb permaculture wisdom from an elder who encourages us to look up to the sky and then act out across the earth, in unison with others and with dirt beneath our bare feet.  Su Dennett lives at Meliodora a 2.25 acre, 35 year old  permaculture demonstration property she has established with her partner David Holmgren.  She is a force - as strong as she is  soothing. This conversation pushes us to connect with self, place & community & to create a life that is small, localised, abundantly rich and with community shared responsibility for the village. SummaryWomen being in their powerGrowing up just after the war more or less self sufficient as her life foundationThe value of learning through adversityHer journey to living a ‘feeling’ ‘human’ lifeLessons learnt while living in Europe - growing food and connecting to the earthGoing lateral rather than climbing to the top which is futile and disconnectingBuying marginal land in the country rather than a city block to avoid a mortgageLetting kids learn by ‘osmosis’ through doing rather than ‘teaching’The limitations of the school systemlearning about nature and the patterns of life before we learn about everything elseWhile there are limits to a seasonal life, this does not have to be limitingOur focus needs to be on the limitless growth areas of communityLearning to be alongside those who think differentlyBeing alienated from nature requires a pathway to get back in - family and household economies are the baseline for that Even the village fool had a role to play The intellectual is only one part of usAvoiding a sanitised world for the sake of a diverse gut healthLiving expansivelyBegin with bare feet - stop isolating ourselves from the earthLockdown silver liningsRemoving the back fence to create communitySharing your excess as a stepping stone to relationshipsLooking for the positives in what otherwise felt like negatives - bikes over cars, simple peasant foods, seed sharing, Discovering a happier state with simplicityExploring ONE thing at a timeA lateral existenceRespecting earth, water, air by actively considering them and slowing downWomens place is in the home but so is mens and childrensHow much is enough? Why don't we sit on the floor more, live in smaller spaces, White mans burden of ownership - but how we transition away from it is the challengeLearning about our own cultural heritage in order to understand our first nations heritageRespecting elder wisdomReintroducing rites of passage to honour all stages of life Building support networks for our youthAvoiding sanitisation from food to ideasYou cannot become a well grounded individual if you don't suffer adversity - endless happiness is farcicalFulfilment is about being valued, thinking laterally, be an individual.ReferencesMelliodoraTransition towns movementRetrosuburbiaArtists as FamilyThanks to our podcast partners:Wwoof AustraliaNutrisoiBuy the BookFuturesteading - Live Like tomorrow mattersSupport the show