The Adventures of Permaculture Willi (“P-Willi”): The Glowing Labyrinth.
New Myth #55 (Pilot / Kickstarter) by Willi Paul, Planetshifter.com Magazine
Akin to Superman’s Phone Booth or Harry Potter’s Magic Wand, the neighbors are “tre-amazed” with “P-Willi’s” “Earth Observatory in a Yurt” and her vibrant Food Forest digs; just dandy with the strange modem noises, seed sharing raves and the free veggies bursting for the taking from her garden each Sunday on her hillside exploratria overlooking the Bay.
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P-Willi’s Garden Plan
P-Willi’s Garden Index1 – shower2- kiwi3 – alternating lemon tree and blueberry bush swale4 – 1st wetland (both wetlands and pond provide water for lots of insects, and attract frogs, lizards, dragonflies)5 – steps between swales/paths6 – alternating feijoa tree and pepino bush swale7 – 2nd wetland8 – duck and catfish pond9 – avocado10 – plum11 – mulberry12 – cherry13 – hammock: possibly the most important tool in the permaculturist’s toolbox. strategically located over a mint patch it wafts minty freshness as it sways over the herbs.14 – greenhouse15 – workbench16 – compost bins17 – apricot18 – peaches |
19 – bird coop20 – DIY methane digester21 – yurt22 – rabbit hutches over worm bins23 – laundry line24 – grape and pea arbor of bamboo25 – bamboo grove hangout26 – rocket-stove-cob-oven-bench-mandala-garden27 – apple espalier fence28 – mixed food forest of almonds, tree collards, chayote, insectaries29 – tool shed30 – rainwater cisterns31 – Greywater biofilter (from laundry on opposite wall of residence) which feeds the grape arbor and bamboo grove via buried irrigation lines32 – rooftop photovoltaic panels33 – bird forage yard, defined by thorny blackberry hedge34 – grapevine fence |
P-Will’s hands are galloping up her snap peas trellis but her ears are ponged to her cell phone, ready to ping in the front left pocket of her bib overalls. “Mr. Some Body” down in East Oakland needs to text back a sharing time to the singer and text master permie in the Berkeley Hills!
“You guys are sooo cute!” she cries. “I love your velvety flowers. Thank you!” P-Willi talks to her plants every day.
Back in the Yurt, P-Willi is video skyping with her activist pal Ziggy in Prague. It was hella late there!
“Ducks dig around for bugs and worms, eat “duckweed” that floats on pond surfaces, and old bread and crackers people give ’em,” she crooned.
“Oh, I thought they ate fish poop!?” beamed Ziggy.” I zeally miss that hammock and the mint.
“Station Zero.” How is the fruit coming along? Any peaches yet?” called-out Ziggy.
“Just budding. You look marvelous in that tie-dye, girl!” said P-Willi.
“Gracie. Have fun at the Sharing Expo at People’s and the meditation at the Labyrinth tonight.” Ziggy smiled and logged-off.
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P-Willi flips around the yurt, psycho pow wow style, “Full Moon Dogs” by Steve Tibbetts blending along the tight wood chip path, in the circular food forest and garden that feeds her family and neighbors, hugging the perimeter fence.
She is pondering how to get extra tables for the upcoming Seed Sharing Transformer at the Yurt next week when Caymen’s special ring tone burps up a text.
“I found him at People’s Park,” squawked Caymen.
“See you at the Expo,” winked P-Willi.
Berkeley Sharing Expo sharing expos bring all the benefits of sharing Stories, Skills, and Stuff in one fun event. and share garden produce, arts and crafts supplies, books, toys, and clothes. We have music, bike repair, videos, and other demos as well each time. WHERE: Events are at People’s Park, downtown Berkeley. You can shop on Telegraph before or after the Sharing. Quarterly Expos are on the 3rd Sunday in March, June, September, and December. Meet your neighbors, help keep things out of the landfill, and learn something new.
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People’s Park in Berkeley, is a park located near the University of California, Berkeley. The park was created during the radical political activism of the late 1960s. Today, People’s Park is a free public park. Although open to all, it is mainly a daytime sanctuary for Berkeley’s large homeless population who, along with others, receive meals from East Bay Food Not Bombs. Public toilets are available, and the park offers demonstration gardens, including organic community gardening beds and areas landscaped with California native plants, all of which were created by volunteer gardeners.
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“I love the Expo,” Shouted P-Willi! “Such a peaceful and subversive stretch!”
P-Willi scans the sea of tables, strollers, and multiple races, looking for an elderly African American guy pal of mine with “a map” in his back pack.”
They walk past a woman wearing a “NEW ALCHEMY not RADIOACTIVTY” tee-shirt and jut up the main hill witnessing either a huge rummage sale or the awakening “of the local Transition movement.”
“There he is!” relayed P-Willi.
“You know the Mayor of People’s Park!” exclaimed Caymen.
“Wait here. Right back.” She was off.
P-Willi returned with a shoe box. Inside wrapped in leather, was a huge crystal.
“It’s for the cleansing ceremony – and the beaming at the Labyrinth.”
“Let’s hit Café Yesterday for some joe!” said Caymen.
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It’s all “Hippies and Texties” in this place,” laughed Caymen. At the Cafe this afternoon the permie teens blue screened into an old couch after locking up the mountain bikes out back. P-Willi whipped out her tablet and booted the dented and stickered machine into the local Wi-Fi.
“Can’t wait to update Permaculturewilli.com with news about the crystal map and the gathering at Labyrinth tonight.
At last count, our Hero had signed up for 220 listservs – thank gosh for the message filter system she designed and installed last year that filters content with her key words.
“Could the crystal play the same role as a legal deed to a specific place?” typed P-Willi.
“Where does the crystal belong?” asked Caymen.
“The center of the Labyrinth?” typed P-Willi.
They did not know of this at the café but a power source will be recharged by the Bay through their trust and Permie vision.
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A Labyrinth is generally synonymous with maze, but many contemporary scholars observe a distinction between the two: maze refers to a complex branching puzzle with choices of path and direction; while a single-path Labyrinth has only a single, non-branching path, which leads to the center. A Labyrinth in this sense has an unambiguous route to the center and back and is not designed to be difficult to navigate. Labyrinths appeared as designs on pottery or basketry, as body art, and in etchings on walls of caves or churches. They have been used historically both in group ritual and for private meditation.
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As much time that P-Willi spends online chatting and helping to design the new world with her Brazilian Indian Tribal friends, her father in the Artic Research Station and many others in the permaculture scene, her main environmental goal these days is to is to revitalize an ancient Labyrinth that sits fallow along a stretch of San Francisco Bay near the Berkeley Marina.
Locals in Albany and Berkeley called this old spiritual place the “Thumb Print,” and Caymen is quick to point out that historically there are more beer cans and burnt-out butts from mad teen parties and the homeless than opportunities to walk the Labyrinth and meditate.
“This is needs to be cleaned-up and spiritually re-charged,” whispered P-Willi.
“Wisdom and weed pulling are not free, babe!” coached Caymen.
Like her mythic Yurt, the Labyrinth is an energy source and focus point and another Zone 0. It’s a place to care for and to apply the permaculture values, to meditate and grow inward and out. Like a Tree of Life on a horizontal plane, the human hands make a soul journey. Caymen loves to regenerate space and collaborate with people.
“It symbolizes a Campbellian journey where everyone in the prayer community are Heroes. It is labor and reward in one trip!” exclaims P-Willi.
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The “transition duo” as P-Willi’s Mom likes to call them, always seem to have a vision. And permaculture values usually help guide their projects – including Care for the Earth, Care for People; Observe and Connect.
The currently “closed eye” Labyrinth has a shady spiritual past, playing host to all kinds of vibes, including 60’s hippies, mushroom pickers and lovers with a one track mind. To P-Willi and her rather far-flung circle, the space could be a landing pad for folks coming to check-out Berkeley, the state of the planet, each other and themselves.
The strategy is to plant a specific type of phosphorescent plant (related to the carrot) between the stones that will glow in the dark – but unnoticeable for day time visitors.
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A month later:
“This is weird. It kinda functions like a fire pit,” said Caymen.
“Sparks rise to stars.” laughs P-Willi.
“Our friends come at dusk and watch the Lady start glowing, and we do our circle-in-hands ritual,” smiled P-Willi.
“Can’t wait for the storytelling to start!” P-Willi
“No texting permitted in the Labyrinth!” sings Caymen.
“Just good lovin’, coos P-Willi.
“Here is the evening song,” gushed P-Willi. I am still seeding and sliding the tune!”
I’m coming out of my skin
Kicking out sin
Dreaming about the compost bin
Burrowing with your next of kin
We’re coming to the texting-end
Not gonna bend
No coal to lend
Make the futures blend
Light
Super Light
Launch pad my soul
Labyrinth’s Alter Orbit
shedding
molting
turning
melting
flowering
over you
Don’t let our father’s blindness
Black out the sky
Open your heart
And shed your skin
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Thank you:
Garden Design: Jeremy Watts
Permaculture Willi Illustrations: Jack Wiens
© Planetshifter.com Magazine 2014
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