Civilization is a mental/material world of culturally transmitted illusion. It is suicide on a vast historical scale. It is indeed a self-fulfilling prophecy of linear increase until the final exhaustion is reached. The behavior of the swelling tumor body fails all tests of common sense and of feelings that come from the heart. When we look out upon the earth at the confusion and the dying, the results of this pattern of behavior cannot be denied. We are living out the dissolution, the degeneration and the separation on a psychological level. We are living it out on a social level and a political level and we are existing within the body of an organism that is experiencing it on a planetary level.

The conditioned illusion of the "march of progress" will fade as desperation begins to enter even for First World populations. The exponential increase of linear growth is now entering the phase in which we will see forms- mental, social, political and industrial- begin to shatter. The swelling energies of the trends of history triggered, centuries and millennia in the past, are reaching their logical culmination. As the swelling energies exceed the ability of the pre-arranged forms to contain them, the forms will disintegrate. The growth of population, the increasing prevalence of poison, the rise in background radiation, the increase in severe weather disturbance from the greenhouse effect, the increase in conflict from the militarists rabid to corner the last resources; these and many other trends of increase will ultimately insure the demise of the final world empire.

As the crises increase, the world military order of empire will attempt in the last gasp, to consolidate, to save itself, but it cannot for long. It will fall. If one destroys what feeds them, even over a length of one hundred centuries, one will finally starve.

The period that we are entering is unprecedented, there are no roadmaps for us within the culture of civilization. There will be crises within crises, within crises and the outer boundaries will be the whole body of the earth: the ozone layer, the atmospheric greenhouse gases, the macro-ocean currents and whole bioregional ecosystems. Fragmentation and sudden crises will be the hallmark of the age.

There is a valid roadmap and that is our birthright as organic and cosmic beings. We each enjoy a nature as cellular organisms and we all enjoy a nature as life on earth, enabled by cosmic conditions on that scale. Are we to believe that this beauty, joy and intelligence that we experience is confined simply to the earth? Are we to believe that there is not an energy moving toward healing, wholeness and experiential, sensory, visual, aural, and spiritual beauty in this cosmos that even exceeds the limits of our perception? When we see our wounds heal, when we see the pioneer plants cover the injured soil, when we see the sun's rays from the heart of the solar body transformed into the beauty of an old growth forest or other matured life, can we not see that the pattern leads toward wholeness, happiness and beauty? Organic life is our birthright and our roadmap is the cosmic pattern.

We are estranged from the whole life. We suffer from separation and to the degree that we cannot recognize that source of suffering, it increases. We need release the contraction, the defense, the barrier and re-unify. The forces and patterns that have enabled life on earth, flow when the patterns are resonant on all levels. We cannot expect sufficient power from the sources unless we are centered and balanced personally, socially and then the human group is set within the life of the earth in a balanced way. If our minds can expand so that we can see the severity of the crisis on its planetary and solar scale then we can also understand the pattern. When remission of cancer is achieved by affirmation and visualization it comes about by the cell receiving intelligent communication- "inspiration"- from the whole intelligence. Where we exist, in this here and now, on the earth, we cannot simply balance person- tribe- watershed. The organic disturbance is planetary. The energies need be spread to many points of reception over the earth. Those receptive tribes need achieve resonance on both material and non-material levels.

We must start from here, from the point of our own awakening, not as a person socially defined but as a human ecologically defined. The reality of cosmic perspective- that is our awakening. Being here, in the real cosmos, we are not separate. This is our destiny, to awaken to the cosmic identity of Gaia. If we accomplish our aim of reintegrating human culture with the life of the earth then our activities will, in important ways, structure the new culture. As we organize ourselves to aid the life of the earth, social structure, ritual and practice will flow from that.

We will return to the earth and our needs will be met by the earth. From our permacultural base we can derive food, oils, flours, fibres, waxes, woods, medicinal plants, brewing agents, lubricants, fuel, dyes, glues, wood for construction, soaps and other items. We humans need food, shelter and love to survive on earth and our new culture can provide that.

The last section of this book is a roadmap for the material plane. If we follow the map and move toward the sources of life we will become spiritually informed, resonantly. We are returning home but our absence has been lengthy. We will need introductions. I have created, with advice from the elders, a permaculture of a place, a watershed. I am presenting this in the form of a "case study" but it is only a guide, a suggestion. This is a suggested guide to creating your introduction. You must create your own in your place, to the place our grandchildren and great-great grandchildren will inhabit. We are going to marry each other and we are going to join our mother the earth. Our guide is our collective great grandchild who stands afar in paradise. At this cusp of the age, at this moment of opportunity, it is time to commence the acquaintance.

This is indeed a new age and a time of decision. Persons of all tribes and all races who are moving toward balance and unity are separating out from the suicide pact. This is the palpable reality. When all falls into disintegration, with all the species on earth involved, race, creed, geography and such are immaterial, only that which has prospect of continuance becomes real. This then means that our sense of reality must change. We will trade our lives as ciphers in mass, industrial society for an opportunity to meaningfully participate in cosmic creation, spiritually, intellectually, socially and ecologically. Irrespective of the final outcome, we will reap immediate challenge and enjoyment. Our lives will become more real and fun. We will return to the earth and create peace among us, for the children. We will create a human focussed society that emphasizes the expansion of human Beingness. Human abilities, talents and human focussed activities will be important rather than marginalized as in the present culture of materialism that focuses on social power and on the production of material goods. In order to succeed we must focus on the children as our most important task. Simply creating a positive emotional base in our culture and raising children in that environment will help them immensely when they face the increasing difficulties of their generations.

Our focus is on the living things. This is our cultural reality. We will become informed about the life of the earth, we will be involved with living things on a daily basis. Houses, freeways and factories as a focus of reality will fade away. Living things are the cosmic reality on earth. The growth and condition of life is our focus. We live on watersheds and in bioregions. These areas are organisms on their level of being just as the earth is an organism on its level. Our basic reality is sun, soil, water and air because those four items and their conditions are the basic reality of life on earth. We focus upon the condition of those life giving elements.

When we live at the top of our watershed and are expanding downward, a basic test of our culture and the legitimacy of our occupance on earth will be that pure air and water are emitted from the area that we inhabit. This is a simple and real test. This does not mean that we have to go to the tops of high mountains. Many rises, hills and ridges are at the top of their local watersheds.

Because rock conditions soil, it is important to know the geology of one's place. In the valuable book, The Secrets of the Soil, Tomkins and Byrd report on several people in different locations who have discovered and used crushed rock from unique rock deposits as amazingly beneficial soil conditioners.¹ There are no doubt many of these deposits of uniquely balanced minerals scattered over the earth.

Knowing the "bones of the mother" also leads us to other knowledge. Through our dowsing and other sensing abilities we will come to know the circulation of energies within the hard body of the earth. This relates to aquifers, springs, underground streams and rivers and it also relates to the finer chi energies of the earth and places of power. Dowsing for underground waters is an easily learned ability. Probably the premier work in this area is the book Supersensonics, by Christopher Hills.² Other works giving instructions in dowsing techniques are also easily obtained. The dowsing ability is not confined to water but is an ability whereby one's area of consciousness that deals with that talent can inform a person of answers to many questions such as the most efficacious herb to use in specific healings, the location of minerals, the paths of the various earth energies, as well as the course of underground streams and rivers.

Geology books and academic studies can serve as introductions in this matter but observation (with all senses receptive) over time, is the final source of knowledge.

The mosaic of life that exists on the surface and which is integral with the energy flows of the hard body must be known intimately. On the watershed of the San Francisco River, the location of our case study, these mosaics of large biotic zones, or life zones, are divided in a general way by elevation and the areas where two zones intermingle, which are called ecotones, are especially important because there, the diversity is even greater. Some lore of the birds and animals can be found in books. If the life in one's place is not completely gone, older people may know some lore of the wildlife. Here again there is no substitute for observation. One reason is that birds and animals do have individual characters which are sometimes very pronounced and generalizations about whole species are only that- generalizations.

The natural history of one's area may be difficult to discover depending on the length of colonization by empire and the use that culture has made of the land. Generally, much was eliminated before any systematic gathering of biological information was begun. Some academic sources are usable, some information can be gleaned from historical libraries and works written by first settlers. On the watershed of the San Francisco River, trappers were early arrivals and several left journals. A meat hunter who sold game animals to the miners and also several early ranchers left books about their experiences. From these types of sources one gains an occasional plant, vegetation or animal description to begin putting together a picture. To gain a sense of the truly teeming life on a broad scale, one can search out studies such as Farley Mowat's Sea Of Slaughter. (Bantam 1986), about the north Atlantic coast or Peter Mathiesson's Wildlife In America (1959). The bibliographies of this type of book offers further sources that are helpful.

Understanding the natural history of the area helps understand the potential of the land and helps understand the climax ecosystem that may, but probably does not now exist.

Understanding the human occupancy of one's watershed is imperative. Again, unless there are Native people who either live now- or have cultural memories of how their ancestors lived, one must resort to books. This applies to all who have lived in the place, not simply the last native group.

Other historical sources also may offer some clues to the native ethnobotany. Not only foraging systems but knowledge of the entire life ways of native people need to be focussed upon. Tools, materials, migration patterns, sacred places, "myths" and much more is of interest to those who expect they and their great-grandchildren will live with the place.

Identification manuals for plants, trees, birds, animals, mushrooms, fish and any other life forms in one's place are a must. It is important, at least initially, until we develop our own language, to use latin names for precise identification as common usage names vary from person to person and region to region (and even between some garden seed catalogues that do not use latin names).

One should be out on the earth much of the time identifying food plants, medicinal herbs and generally beginning observations. Watching the plant habits is essential. Where do they grow, the north slope, south slope, canyons, ridgetops? What soils do they like? Dig into the soil, examine it periodically in different areas to keep track of soil moisture through the seasons. Smell the different soils, taste them, become familiar with them. Watch for plant associations. Notice the patina of plant groups. This often tells of underground water courses, soil types and even favorite spots where birds or animals visit often and drop seeds. If one is in a heavily impacted area, search for places that are difficult for livestock or people to get to and study that relatively undisturbed area intently. If one is in a place that is completely obliterated, try to find areas in that watershed that are somewhat natural and use them to get ideas for a permacultural restoration at the place that has been obliterated.

Begin to create seed inventories. Store them carefully with adequate note of plant description, place of residence on the watershed, date and other relevant information. Excellent books exist which explain wild seed gathering and wild plant propagation. There are books such as American Wildlife And Plants: A Guide To Wildlife Food Habits, by Martin, Zim and Nelson (Dover, 1951) which can greatly aid our practice of observation. This will also give us clues to the creation of wildlife habitat. In this matter one should not ignore "Fish and Game" bureaucracies. Though they focus on species important to the "trophy hunting" industry, they often have some information on other species. There are now a few books, pamphlets and magazines focussing on ecological restoration. These are very useful.

One of the important considerations that we will have is to help Gaia feed herself so she can feed us. To help her ingest sunlight we will be making effort for the climax ecosystem to restore itself. In those areas where there is no ecosystem remaining we will use permaculture. This method builds in complexity, aid to the soil and aid to the general life. Then we will live from that increase.

With the world-wide damage from empire there is no way that Gaia can return to her pristine condition. We're discussing scar tissue in the case of obliterated zones. In view of the geographic transfer of plants, animals, diseases and all the rest in the past ten thousand years, what our effort must be is to simply create a facsimile ecosystem that is as complex and as close to the original as possible using what genetic materials we have at hand. Many of these species may have been unknown to the original climax ecosystem. Then we must let Gaia do the further healing growth. Hopefully the weeds will help us by overgrowing the civis problem, the villages, towns and cities that do not fit in the solar budget and are extorting other life to subsidize their energies.

There is no reason that some of the remaining energies of the empire cannot be used to assist in our transition to balance. Indeed, we would hope that the entire remaining energy of civilization could be used so. The "time of purification" is now upon us. We need move swiftly. We have solutions. This must be made clear to those who will respond. Though we must use whatever strategies we can to resist the destruction of the best that remains, the forward direction of our solutions are not political, religious or ideological- they are simply the patterns of life.

The permaculture that follows is a case study. It has been created as an example, an introduction. Please use it in gaining ideas to help our mother, the earth, in your place. As we all tune into the frequency, we will be in touch.

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