The 13th Principle

Permaculture’s great. It really is. Such a concise and simple set of principles to follow to create healthy, regenerative landscapes and heal the planet. And not only do these principles heal the earth, they heal us. For, as we treat the planet, so do we treat ourselves. It’s impossible to do otherwise.

Perhaps that should be the 13th Principle.

That’s what this article is about,
finding the necessary 13th Principle.

It may not seem necessary to you, but it’s necessary to me…for the integrity that’s in it, the congruity with natural processes. There are undoubtedly purists getting ready to have a fit about this, already. But Nature is not a purist. She’s more weird, creative, flexible and fluid than we can imagine. So if we need a set of guiding principles to get back to our Original Understanding of Nature…and at this backwards stage of our development, we certainly do…then they should at least be as reflective of Nature as we can possibly make them.

And that’s why I believe12 principles is just wrong. It needs to be 13.

12 is a masculine number. It’s the number of the dominator culture. Even. Controlling. Divisible into equal parts. Straight lines, right angles. Deuteronomy& monoculture. Might makes right. Hierarchy. 

13, however, is a Prime Number. It’s odd. It cannot be evenly divided into sensible, whole numbers. Weird, scary and mysterious, 13 is exactly like Nature, and the Divine Feminine. Which is exactly why it terrified budding misogynists, oh so long ago now.

The Moon orbits Our Earth 13 times a year. The words Moon and Month are synonymous. 13 months, of 28 day cycles pull not only on the tides, but on women’s bodies. Our menstrual cycle evolved to be in sync with the Moon. Ovulation on
the Full Moon and menstruation on the New Moon. To see the obvious connection between women’s bodies and the endless cycling of life, death and rebirth? That was too much for the woman-haters. They had to demonize it and distract from it every way they could.

They changed the very structure of how
we measure time, itself, because the natural way it proceeds seemed
too female for their liking. They disguised this femaleness and created a sick culture of woman and planet hating, degrading, exploiting. It seems stupid now, to be so afraid, because it is. But they were mortified by Woman & Nature. (And mostly still are.) They used a lot of hysterical arithmetic to redistribute those 28 “extra” days across only 12 months, necessitating a leap year. Just so they wouldn’t have to acknowledge the menstrual connection.

All the absurd superstitions about the number 13 are nothing more than extensions of this fear mongering & demonization. They didn’t just change how we measure time, they changed how we perceived the Divine Mind. Turned it right around, from a female multiplicity to a male singularity. Masculinizing and singularizing the gods was a long process, but they did it. Even women have become afraid of female processes. Because the way we perceive the Divine Mind is also how we treat the Earth, our selves & each other.

We used to all ovulate on the Full Moon and bleed on the New Moon, but the relatively recent advent of electric lights changed all that. It threw our Natural Lunaception into the bin. We were already in mass fear, confusion and denial about it because of patriarchy, but artificial light at night separated us even more from our physical reality. The gradually turning light/dark cycles of the Phases of The Moon regulate our serotonin/melatonin cycles, which, in turn regulates the tides of our hormones. Now, we’re all out of kilter. In many more ways than this. But this is pretty basic.

So if Permaculture is a way to get back in touch with the natural processes of this planet … and it is … then it seems like the Principles should be just as reflective as the Moon. I mean, The Farmer’s Almanac still follows the Moon. Our understanding of it’s influence on how we plant never went totally away, despite popular opinion to the contrary. The world in general should go back to a Lunar calendar, for the truth in it.

That’s probably not going to happen.

But Permaculture could be a model. It already is a model, but there’s always room for improvement. By adopting a 13th Principle it can be even more congruent with the natural processes of Earth and have even more integrity.

So the question remains…what should it be?

Let’s look at the 12 Principles. Get some ideas.  

The 12 Principles

1. Observe and interact
2. Catch and store energy
3. Obtain a yield
4. Apply self regulation and accept feedback
5. Use and value renewable resources and services
6. Produce no waste
7. Design from patterns to details
8. Integrate rather than segregate
9. Use small and slow solutions
10. Use and value diversity
11. Use edges and value the marginal
12. Creatively use and respond to change

What should number 13 be? Something all encompassing of the other 12, perhaps? The way there are 12 members of a jury and the Judge is 13?

Maybe something like I suggested at the beginning of this, “As we treat the planet, so do we treat ourselves.”

I kinda like that.

Principles #1 #4, #6 #8, #11 and #12 are, at least on the surface, somewhat more esoteric than the others. Since I’m putting out feelers here, and mostly looking for responses, I’m just going to discuss my proposed #13 in relation to these six. I can always expand on it later.

So…you ready?

Observe and Interact

This is more objective than my proposed I Am The Planet, how I treat it is how I treat myself, for we are one. It has the Interact part, because learning to interact with Earth Energy is very much like learning to dialog with your subconscious mind. Totally possible, but still a process. Where it differs from #1 is that it leaves the observation part for another level of understanding. Because to observe, one must be separate. Objective. But if the Body of the Planet is you, then objectivity becomes irrelevant, compared to feeling. It’s not one vs the other though. You can, and should have both. Each in its own time and place. Learning to unsuppress and feel your feelings is a huge step forward in the healing process and to feel the Planet’s feelings…? Ooo! That changes everything. Imagine if everybody did that.

Those hideous drills, constantly boring into Her? Ow! That hurts! STOP!

The billowing toxic fumes?

The mountains of disgusting garbage thrown all over Her?

If we treat the Earth the way we would treat ourselves, because we know there’s no difference between us, none of these gruesome things would be possible.

Apply self regulation and accept feedback. 

 As a mere human, learning how to apply self regulation and accept feedback is a pretty big deal. The more advanced we become in our personal growth and development, the easier these things start to become. But even when we’ve gotten quite good at it, we’re not perfect and sometimes slip up. Which is fine.

But think about how Earth applies self regulation and accepts feedback. It’s on a cosmic level. The forces of Gravity, the Weak and Strong Nuclear Forces, Electromagnetism, Centrifugal Force…plus all the self regulating forces contained in the dirt, water, air that we’re only just beginning to understand. It’s huge! So, if you are the planet…and you are…then you are this, too.

We…not just us humans, but every soil organism, fungus, fish, bird, reptile, mammal and plant… are all living extensions of a living planet who is, Herself, a living extension of the larger Solar System, Galaxy, Universe, Goddess, etc…

It’s All Self Regulating. Reponses and reactions to stimuli are the acceptance of feedback. And it happens without whining, self aggrandizement or being a drama queen. It just is.

If you understand yourself to be a naturally occurring extension of all that, which means you are all that, then the notion of applying self regulation and accepting feedback takes on a whole new aspect. It’s just what you do. And you don’t need a guiding principle to remind you of it.

Produce no waste. 

 Nature does not produce waste and when we know we are Nature, then neither do we. Shit, dead bodies, decay in general are not waste. They are part of the life, death & renewal cycle. Food for another iteration. When you are the Earth, you understand the death of your body is simply part of a living cycle. That it’s food for the perpetual, continuity of Life. When you know you are the earth and treat the earth as you would like to be treated yourself, you can feel the holiness of becoming food.

And when you can feel the holiness of being part of the cycles of life, death & regeneration, and feel it for real, with total acceptance, gratitude and awe, then you do not produce garbage. Or if you do, because it cannot be helped within the context of this insane culture, then it is no big deal to figure out good and creative ways to incorporate it into something good, useful and beautiful. 

Integrate rather than segregate. 

 Mother Nature makes no value judgements. She embraces everything, lets it run its course, whatever that may be. We like to think of this as Free Will, and foolishly assume it’s exclusive to humanity. It’s not.

Humans get all caught up in ideas of what each type of eco-system is supposed to be. Deserts are this, salt marshes are that and meadows are the other. We’ve devised all sorts of rules for what plants and animals can be allowed to exist in any of them. And, as the most invasive species, ever, humans are still quick to label other species Invasive – even when the so called invasion is the result of human activity. Invasive activity. A bit of integrity around this would be a nice change.

Because eco-systems are not static displays in a museum. And we are not the curators. They are living, growing, expanding communities that do not stay the same over time. When pioneer plants move into deserts, to start the healing process, for example, self-proclaimed Departments of Nature Conservancy panic and launch campaigns to eradicate these “invasive weeds.” Which is simply eradicating the recovery process. Because the desert must not be allowed to change. And when the invasion is clearly the result of human activity, like pigs in Hawaii, it’s still the pig’s fault. They’re the invaders.  

I’m not trying to say pigs in Hawaii aren’t destructive. They are. What I’m talking about is the overall mindset.

When a culture is based on segregate rather than integrate, as ours is, all kinds of destruction is the inevitable result…on every level, not just on “the environment.” (The scare quotes are to demonstrate that, in this worldview, even the environment is segregated from what is considered real life. It has a label. It is an issue. It’s part of a political stance. How backwards.)

But Mother Nature is Integrative. Totally integrative. Her view of pigs in Hawaii is undoubtedly quite different than ours. Where we are agog and aghast, She looks at it more along the lines of –

“Hmm…now that’s interesting. I wouldn’t’ve thought to put that there. This is really upsetting the apple cart. Well, no matter. I guess it was time for a change. Lets’s see what happens…”

Because destruction is an integral part of the creative process. And the destruction of Her beautiful Paradise is not nearly as upsetting to Her as it is to us. She knows there’s a lot more where that came from.

Again, not making excuses for wanton destructive behavior. Not at all.

If humanity had the mindset of Integrate rather than Segregate, because it understood itself to be an extension of Nature, rather than an ignorant, bumbling and clumsy wannabe conqueror of Her, none of the environmental disasters would’ve happened in the first place. When we treat the Earth as we would treat ourselves, we’re not idiots.

Use edges and value the marginal. 

 When you’re painting a wall with a roller, the wet edge is the place from which you proceed. And you always want to do it in a way that assures you have a good, solid wet edge to work out from. That gives you the best and most even coverage.

It’s the same with the edges, the borderlands, the marginal people, places and things we encounter. These are the interfaces from which new life and activity can spring forth.

It’s these interfaces that create possibilities of exchange, enrichment and growth. The place where two different ideas, ecologies or communities can co-mingle, creating yet another. Edges and margins generate diversity. The more edges and margins, the more diversity. And the more diversity, the more successful is Life.

Life, as an Entity.

The Creative Force, Mother Nature, the Divine Mind…whatever you want to call
Her.

And when we know we are the Earth, know we are the forces of Life, personified, as yet another individual, then straight highways lose their appeal. Too goal oriented. Not enough of an edge. We want meandering, serpentine pathways, for they create more edge, more productivity, more Life. We want overlap, co-mingling. And are horrified by sterile, clean cut edges and jarring right angles. Sterility is a lie. It’s not possible outside of a vacuum. Yet the concept of sterility persists as if it’s a lofty, worthy and attainable goal. It’s just another form of fear, denial and, yes, stupidity.

Life is messy.

Messy like a Genius.

And when we know we are the Earth, the funky, weird, outside the box things that polite, mainstream society cannot tolerate are our solace.

Creatively use and respond to change. 

 Change is the only constant, so there’s no point in getting upset about it. Disruptions happen, barriers are thrown up, we lose our internet, our house burns down, whatever. It’s all very upsetting, traumatic even. Trauma, in turn, has a way of overtaking our psyche, taking on a life of its own, becoming our identity. It becomes habitualized, folded into the reality of our
daily lives. We are creatures of habit and when our habits are unceremoniously shoved aside, for some annoying reason, we don’t like it. Some of us throw huge temper tantrums about it.

Change is hard for control freaks.

In a dominator culture, Control is seen as a virtue. And trauma is the driving force behind so much of it. The co-respond-dance between trauma and control spins out into endless combinations of sickness, more and more delusion, artificial solutions for artificially created problems and a constantly failing grasp on reality that becomes more pronounced with every generation. It’s crazy.

But how do other species respond to change?

When a volcano erupts, do the rabbits, wolves, frogs, bears, cicadas, magpies and raccoons have a conniption fit? Do they get angry and vow to seek
revenge against that evil mountain? Put that bitch in her place?
No. They run for their lives and are happy if they manage to get
safely away. Whew! That was close! Then they pick up where they left off. No big deal. A new area to explore. The plants aren’t so lucky, getting burnt to a crisp. But does Life stamp her foot and
cry “No fair!”? Of course not. She says, “Ooo! Nitrogen!
New stuff gets to grow up out of this magma. Once it’s cooled off,
that is.”

Or what about Earth, Herself?

When Pangaea started breaking apart, different pieces of Her floating off to other
parts of the sphere, did Mother Earth get pissed off? I seriously doubt it. The change was probably exciting. New places, temperatures and seasons to create from? How fabulous! Change is awesome. Change is where it’s at!

What about the permaculturist in her garden? Does she lament the fact that all this lush new growth is killing off her beloved stand of sedums? They like full sun, and now they’re getting shaded out and suffering. Does she get angry at the new growth? Of course not. She loves it!
It means her food forest is thriving. She still may mourn the loss of the sedums, if she cannot transplant them to a sunnier location, but she knows this is how it goes. Life, death, new growth. Change.

It just goes on and on. We’re the only ones who have a problem with it, or ridiculously think we can somehow put an end to it. Forstall it somehow. Outsmart Death. Conquer Nature. It’s all so much ado about nothing. It’s all made up. Fear and hysteria for the sake of fear and hysteria. It’s total insanity, yet considered intelligent, advanced, complex. The stupidity of it is embarrassing. We can’t even solve our own idiotic, made up problems, how do we think we’re going to get rid of Death, or conquer Nature? Why would anybody even think that could be, in anyway, a good idea? Even hypothetically?

When we know we are the Earth, know that we are Everything…not in the arrogant, megalomaniac, control freak way of the dominator culture…but in the way of Earth, the Solar System, Galaxy, Universe, then we can embrace change as the inspiring event it actually is. And that makes our life a whole lot better and easier.

In conclusion.

This is just the beginning. But for now, it’s a good place to stop. I’m going to write
more on this. Put this idea of being the Earth in the context of the other six principles, too. See what comes through. For that’s what writing it felt like…like something coming through.
It started out as what seemed like a clever, pithy idea and almost instantly turned into something more along the lines of channeling. It feels like the outline for a much larger piece. This feels like something I was born to write. Because honestly? I do know I am the same as Earth, Solar System, Galaxy, Universe, etc. I’ve known it for a long time, in various ways along the years. More so today than even last month.

This doesn’t mean I’m 100% free of all human absurdity. Far from it. While I was working on the Change section, my writing software went all wonky on me and I got really angry. I hit Ctrl A, Ctrl C and then Ctrl/Alt/Delete and was at least able to get back to my desktop. Re-opened the file, and it was ok. Whew! Because it was almost finished. Losing it would’ve made me go nuts. But the old me would’ve gone REALLY nuts. The new me, who knows she is an extension of Earth, did feel fear, translated as anger, but I was able to remain calm, fix it and was soon laughing about it. Because it happened while I was writing about how hysterical we humans are in the face of change. It was funny. I love when that happens!

And I say this, not to brag about how spiritually advanced I am, because I’m not. I find the very idea of being “spiritually advanced” abhorrent. It’s a big part of the problem. A huge part of the problem. We are better than them, therefore we get to kill them. No, I say this to demonstrate how, even – or especially – when we’re on to something, we will always be given the opportunity to see how much more we have to learn. Because it really does go on and on forever. It doesn’t ever end. There is no being done. And as well it shouldn’t be.

So, I would love any and all respectful discussion on any part of this that speaks to
you.

xxoo,

Anna