The Destiny Engine

(the 17th season)

Text

FAERIE
CAMP
DESTINY
Monday, January 27, 14

In May of 2013, a Cultural Engine team from West Philadelphia
landed at a Radical Faerie Sanctuary in Vermont.
The following is a story of their warm season with Destiny.


(re-printed from the 2013 Destiny STAR report that preceded our season on the land)

a Cultural Engine lands at Destiny
Cultural Engines weave community. They weave a powerful story of interconnection &
love — one of a service to Life, & to one another, fueled by Love. And, like the living
patterns on Earth, after which every Cultural Engine is modeled, they make more (&
more kinds) of themselves possible, by growing regenerative culture. All the while,
Engines feed & nourish bodies & souls, by bringing people together over healing foods,
healing arts, & healing practices — they weave as well, people to place, by more deeply
connecting communities to local foodsheds, art projects, & to one another. Hopefully,
we are effectively painting a picture of a living system that enhances holistic community
— & as well one that strengthens larger ecosystems of many communities, that feel
linked & stronger together.
Essentially, we consciously co-create. We tend our minds, bodies, & spirits through focused
action & service to Destiny Community. We continue beautiful work already begun.
We make stronger our community's capacity to take care of itself in authentic and
loving ways. We grow a community-of-practice, that nurtures our beings, & the land.
We heal & deepen our connection with Mother Earth. We help one another fulfill
individual & collective goals, & continue growing a culture of greater resilience. We
source more & more of our community's needs locally, and cultivate living systems that
grow potentially limitless nourishment on our land.


(continued from Destiny STAR report...)

In physical form this work
looks like re-shaping garden
beds for maximum water
holding; converting a few
more to perennial beds;
cultivation & care of the
existing garden; beginning the
terraforming of the lower
meadow in preparation for an
edible & medicinal forest
garden; & upstream erosion
control. For the land, we
vision abundant gardens; rain
water harvest; wildcrafting;
plant nurseries; perennial
vegetables; edible, medicinal
terraced gardens with herbs,
fruits, nuts & berries; and a
deeper & deeper local-food
culture that includes foraging
& preservation.


Contents
Establishing Daily Rhythms
Start at the Heart
Tarot Gardens of Destiny
The Creek
The Patio
The Vegetable Garden
Terraforming
The Archipelago
Perennials
Lower Meadow
The Rocket Range
Gratitude

(continued from Destiny STAR report...)

The richness of the Engine's offerings grow with
all of our skills, insights, & experiences added. We
hold space for co-created explorations in nature
connection, herbal awareness, wild foraging, yoga,
cooking, permaculture, regenerative design, peermentoring, & rites quests on the land. Feel
something you want to add to the Engine's
offerings? Welcome, please, & thank you.

evenings from the patio

In practice, we affirm Life in all it's expressions &
forms; and we link & weave our efforts at Destiny
to all of our connected Home communities. We
process the yields of the land into food for our
bodies. We build soil. We enrich the forest. We
enlist plant & animal spirits. We practice our core
gifts & discover or develop new ones. We map
resources & learn from the life-growing practices
of our regional neighbors. The Engine season
will run from June through September. We
welcome you to co-create the Destiny Engine
with us.
See you on the land. <3 .


In early, spring,
the gardens were wild...


We mowed the meadow &
foraged for wild vegetables.

Establishing
daily rhythms...


Our Goals included:
- Local, renewable fuel sourcing
(propane reduction strategy)
- Low-cost / Low-impact living
- Locally sourced materials of all kinds
Our Tools included:
- Rocket stoves
- Hand (garden) tools
- High nutrient, foraged, wild veggies
(plentiful dandelion, sheep sorrel,
chickweed, chives, lobster mushrooms)
Our Meals included:
- rocket stove-grilled cheese
the ‘Rocket Cheese’
- (a lot of) dandelion & garlic
- chickweed salad
- fresh herbal infusions
- soaked, sprouted beans
- local eggs

And sometimes, we had dessert...


So... Where to begin on 160+ acres of Faemily land in Vermont?


Start at the
Heart


Organizing Principles:
Start In, Work Out.
Establish Areas of Focus.
Respect Community Values.
Develop Outdoor Living.
Celebrate & Feature Water Flows.


Garden Visioning
First, we walked & documented the land -- identifying intersections of existing
communal land use patterns & natural beauty.
Then, we mapped them, & selected those areas nearest to the kitchen to focus on
first -- the ones in the center of our daily use patterns.
From there emerged a vision of a many-gardened landscape...

‘The Tarot Gardens of Destiny’
*point of clarification -- the following is a vision brought forward by the Engine
& did not arise from Destiny Community consensus process*


PROPOSED TAROT GARDENS OF DESTINY
BY THE CULTURAL ENGINE
CEREMONY
GARDEN

SHOWER
GARDEN

SUNSET
ROCK

SHOWER

PLATFORM
GARDEN

WORK
SHED

HOPS ALLEY
UPP
(SE ER CR
ASO EEK
NA
L)

LOW

VEGETABLE
GARDEN

LAGO
CHIPE

PORCH GARDEN

THE AR

WAT E R F
ALL C
(S E A S O N R E E K
AL)

FOREST

FOREST

HIGH

KITCHEN

DRIVEWAY
GARDEN

TEA
HOUSE
CIRCLE

KITCHEN
GARDEN
SWALE
GARDEN

DINING

WATERFALL
GARDEN

MAYPOLE
GARDEN

CRONE
GARDEN

YOGA
GARDEN

CREEK
GARDEN

GARDEN
KITCHEN

S

IC
EPT

S WA

LE

LOWER MEADOW
ENTRY
GARDEN

ZONE 1
ZONE 2
ZONE 3
ZONE 4

map credit: Manifest Love

COUNCIL
CIRCLE
LOWER MEADOW

2ND POND

21 + 0 gardens with which to play

MOTHER GARDEN/
DIVA STATION

The Creek


before...

‘by all means,
weed the creek.’


a riparian ecosystem
is born...


A day in the life...


The Patio


The Creek Garden
(after two moons)


again,
the before...

after.


The Vegetable Garden


Terraforming
The Destiny gardens exist on a slope that was clearcut. The
soil is thin, & the speed with which water moves across the
land is fast. Rather than move across, we want to gently hold
water deep in the landscape, throughout the growing season.
Stemming from these landscape observations over the course
of the season, we recognized the need to re-contour the
garden to better retain water, soil & nutrients.
After re-contouring, in preparation for next growing season,
we sheet-mulched the newly terraformed beds with
cardboard & composted cow manure -- for slow,
easeful building of soil fertility over time.

Remember this?


The Archipelago


before...


place-making.

thank you, rock.


Perennials


Sea Kale

Comfrey

Yarrow

King Henry


Turkish
Rocket

rhubarb


herbs.
new kitchen garden.

hops in the fall.


Lower Meadow
(brush clearing & bed prep)


the Rocket Range


boil your kettle in 7 minutes -or your kindling back.

Gratitude


to our grandmother,
the Crone


to our father, the sky

&
to our brother the sun


to our Mother Earth

to the Destiny Engine team:
Pashananda
Hugz
Leigh


Manifest
&
wildRose

& to the Destiny Community,
for its vision, commitment & grace -and for welcoming us Home.


The Destiny Engine

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