It's been a very busy season here at the Ranch. Sometimes in this environment it can feel like seasons are reversed: while the Northern states of the US are experiencing slowdown, we are experiencing winter & shorter days in a different way. This is our season of motion, albeit in a quiet, inward kind of way. It is critical to make use of cool days and restful nights, before the winds of spring and the brutal heat of summer force us to take rest.

With that being said, I've been sadly behind on updating this page. I hope to return soon to this online space with more pictures and in-depth musings about our work here, but for now I'll share just a few moments of work with you all.

This past week we planted an abundance of olive tree cuttings, and are crossing our fingers that they will take root even in the cooler weather. We amended more soil with horse & human manure, fed the chickens quite well on abundant scraps, and are preparing to cull our aging flock this week to open coop space to a new family of birds in the spring. The cycles of life & death, of generation & decay are so beautifully evident when living this way.

We are (finally) laying pipes for a legitimate greywater system: the grey water from the house will soon water nut trees we hope to plant soon, beans, squash, and whatever other companion food plants wish to grow.

There is more, and I hope to come back and share it with you, along with some images very soon. Finding the time to sit at the computer with our growing family and wonderful guests has been difficult, but I know that it's valuable to share this adventure and so very much plan on being more present soon.

How has this season of sacred inwardness felt for you? Are you able to take the space you need?

#RanchoDeLaLibertad #RegenerativeAgriculture #Permaculture #Earthworks #ClimateJustice #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #LandRelations #LandWorship

Hello!

My name is Siin, one of the stewards of Rancho de la Libertad, a pioneering regenerative agricultural project in the Mojave Desert near Joshua Tree, California.

Our mission is to steward and regenerate this once flourishing arid grassland, since abused by extractive settler actions and completely desertified. We feel passionate that engaging thoughtfully with our existing ecosystems is one of the primary ways we can take meaningful direct action against climate change.

It is also important to recognize that climate change is happening, and so our secondary mission is the creation of a sovereign community providing food, energy, housing, and teaching and engaging in mutual trade relationships with other community members. We cannot exist alone through inevitable shifts in our climate & political situations, but we also cannot afford to outsource any longer our action and energy to solutions that are not rooted in the Here and Now of our own ecosystems. We abide by the tenet of "shrinking our world", rigorously focusing our energy in place, and therefore expanding greatly our impact on the land and our community.

Rancho de la Libertad is a place for humans to come and detach from the reactionary and often exhausting world we live in, to touch the earth and hear its hatmonies, and to thoughtfully utilize their curiosity in a secure, supportive communal environment.

I will be posting updates regarding our regenerative work, and I'm sure some commentary related to climate activism and the general State of Things. If that sounds appealing to you, give us a follow! Feel free to reach out anytime to chat or ask questions if that feels right. We are not experts. We are here to learn as much as to share, and welcome feedback and thoughts on what we're doing here.

Thanks for having us!

#RanchoDeLaLibertad #ClimateDirectAction #ClimateChange #RegenerativeAgriculture #Permaculture #Sanctuary #LandWorship