⌇A Meeting of the Hearts⌇

✿     I create from my CORE.     I create from JOY.     I create from LIGHTNESS.     I create from LAUGHTER.    I create from SINCERITY.     I create because of how RIPE  IT  MAKES  ME  FEEL.

When I create, it comes from joy, ripeness, and sincerity. It does not come from a place of pressure. When I am pressed to create and perform, it doesn’t feel aligned. When I put pressure on myself to create simply for money, it feels even worse.

⌇One day I was told to “find the others…”⌇

I was journeying through the Pacific Northwest with my partner when we — heavy hearted and dismayed at how our quest for land to start our homestead had been turning out — stumbled upon a hotel just past the Bridge of the Gods. Inside there was a woman with long grey hair and twinkling eyes. As I was checking in, my partner decided to take a phone call outside.

The woman’s energy shifted immediately. Suddenly a penetrating, wise, and somewhat serious look took over her initially light and cheery disposition. She said she could feel my heart and my love for nature. She could feel my generosity of Spirit and my pain.

She said she had lived in nature for many years. Simple, free, yet vulnerable to the natural forces of wind and rain. She didn’t go into much detail about how long and why she lived without a sturdy shelter, electricity, or access to grocery stores.

But she did pick up a pen and look somberly into my eyes.

She began speaking about the responsibility we all shared for the manufacturing of the things in our world. “We are connected,” she explained, “and we all have taken part in creating the toxicity of the land.”

“And, we will all take part in the healing of it, if we so choose.”

And then she told me to “find the others.”

There are many walking this path.  We all have our roles.  We are gifted in some facets of life and struggle in others.  Like pieces to a puzzle, we are here to fill the void spaces within each other’s lives.  Not one gift or life experience is better than another, for all were born of Spirit with purpose and intention.

There are some who have garnered the resources to create this vision, and these are the clients I have. Perhaps they may not know how exactly they can play a part while they work their jobs or are retired, but they happily funnel their resources into the creation of a beautiful new earth.

And so it is said from an energetic perspective, that if we hold a certain frequency long enough, we will magnetize those who can assist us in seeing the visions through. They need us as much as we need them in this life; by divine will we find each other.

This is more than a client and worker relationship. We are communing with God’s will directly.

I seek to prepare you for the day when the “others” come.  When they lay a beautiful opportunity on your doorstep.  When they need your divine assistance, and you need theirs. ✿ 

⌇Here is the process…⌇

1. 20-minute phone conversation to see if the client is a correct fit for you.

There are numerous things you could talk about during this phone call. I like to get a basic idea of what the potential client is desiring.  Important questions:  How much land are you looking to cultivate? Is it cleared, wooded, super-dense jungle, etc.?  What is their main reason for wanting to install a food forest? I like to take this opportunity to convey to the client that we will be on a learning journey together as we cultivate their soil-mate.  We are going to be creating a relationship with one another, as well as the land, over the course of some time.  This should be a positive growing experience for everyone involved.

After this phone conversation, pay attention to how you feel in your gut and heart space. If you feel calmly excited, confident, or a buzz of vital energy flowing through you, this is great sign!

Note: It is absolutely acceptable (and healthy) to say no to clients who make you feel less than empowered. You should be in your element as you speak with potential clients. You should not feel like you are under attack or find yourself in fight-or-flight/defense mode. If there are doubts or wobbles within your energy field, please tune into yourself and see if they are correlated with your own feelings of self-doubt or are being emitted by the potential client.

Stand firm in your self-confidence by anchoring into your vision. Your intention. Your experience and understanding. There are many seen and unseen forces guiding you.

2. Preliminary Surveys, Process Overview, and Pricing

No matter how many properties you have worked on...all will have their own unique trials as well as gifts. Even in the same neighborhood. It is important to have a beginner's mindset and to assure yourself "it's okay to make mistakes!"

Clients deeply appreciate feeling heard and understood. These sample surveys are designed to ignite the creative sparks within them, as well as provide relevant information about their general desires, budget, topography, future infrastructure etc. These surveys are the springboard upon which you may interact further with your clientele in person.

An exercise I enjoy providing the client:  list your 10 dream goals, if money was no object. These goals are lighthouses for the implementation of the project. They will keep you both on the path if/when issues come up. There is nothing wrong with making mistakes, but you must be in alignment with the general purposes of the project and not make careless mistakes. 

The general "why" and "how we are going to get there" is important. As a permaculture designer, you know much of the work happens in the design process. It behooves all members of the project to know as much information about what they are desiring to do from the outset.

Do not let doubt or limitation infiltrate your mind. Uproot them immediately. Of course, if someone is trying to grow a mango tree in USDA hardiness Zone 3a, you will have to tell them no (unless they have a very advanced subterranean greenhouse that can effectively mimic a tropical climate year-round!) Otherwise, consider that much of what the client desires is possible! You are here to inspire them, to stoke the fire that is within their heart. You are working together for a beautiful purpose, and it is important to encourage each other throughout the process.

3. An in-person walkthrough
It is important to be fully present with your clientele as you craft their vision with them. It is also important to see what potential advantages and disadvantages are presenting themselves to you. Observe. Intuit. Connect. Integrate.

I like to record walkthroughs on my phone in my voice memo app. People often have many questions. It is good to point out different observations so you can remember them later.

4. The design process: proposals and final draft

Using the information you discovered from the surveys, walkthrough, maps, and research, create a design proposal. Design proposals are useful to create clarity and a sense of thorough understanding and familiarity for both the designer and client.

You can craft this in multiple ways, but it is important to have the fundamental aspects of the proposal laid out clearly:  client's brief, what will be planted and where, mapping, earthworks, budgets, etc.

Proposals can also be an extremely educational tool. I recommend at least giving a few sentences to expound upon any idea they may not be familiar with (like the zones).

Once the proposal has been approved, draft the design electronically or by hand. Make sure it is clear and the client knows they can ask you any question and you will be able to have a straightforward answer.