Greetings Human Beings! The twelfth song of the Plant Songs project is called Flowform.
If you’ve been reading this blog, or if you’re a friend a mine, you might know that I’ve got a ritual of hiking the Pocket Road trail on Mount Beacon three times a week. I’ve been doing it since late February. It’s heart exercise, but much more than just cardio exercise, which was my original reason for starting the practice. It’s developed into Heart exercise, into Feeling exercise, much more of a spiritual practice.
Rudolph Steiner (1861-1925) was the originator/propagator of Biodynamic agriculture, and Waldorf education, among other things. I don’t really know that much about him. But my understanding is that Biodynamics was developed to save us from losing the knowledge and traditions that were being forgotten due to chemical agriculture and reductionist science. It includes things like planting according to the moon cycles, special compost preparations; strange practices that science seems only recently to be catching up to in understanding. Steiner said “The Heart is not a pump.” Rather he thought it was an important organ of perception, of feeling sense. I think I’m beginning to understand!
Another interesting thing in biodynamics is the use of water flow forms; specially constructed forms that charge water with energy as it flows through them. It is said that such water is more nourishing and that it carries the memory of the flow form long after it has passed through it. It occured to me over time on my hike that the water from the Mount Beacon reservoir passes through perhaps a mile of beautiful natural amazing flow forms as it cascades down. It’s getting super charged and super oxygenated.
I recently learned that Beacon’s water supply comes from three reservoirs and two wells. I’m not sure about proportions, but I will conclude that perhaps a fifth of Beacon’s water supply comes from the Mount Beacon reservoir, and gets this special charge on the way down. And I enjoy believing that this portion of our water carries that energy through the treatment process and reaches our faucets with a special charge. This contributes to the specialness of Beacon. When I take a cold shower, I often think of the water flowing down the mountain, gettng super charged on its way to me.
Of course hiking by this water a few times a week has tremendous benefits. There’s something called negative ionization. It is experienced when you sit by a waterfall, or walk in a healthy natural ecosystem, etc. Negative ions are said to increase oxygen flow and contribute to one’s general well-being. One doesn’t need to be familiar with flow forms or negative ionization to experience the benefits of a hike in nature or a sit by flowing water. I’m amazed at how often my state is transformed by my hiking practice; headaches and body aches dissipate, negative thought patterns are disrupted, extraordinary feelings arise. One would think I’d be bored of the same trail three times a week for eight months, but the opposite is true. Each time I’m flooded with excitment and gratitude, and there always seems to be new things to perceive. Earth is such a magical place.