Part 1
By spirit I refer to the non physical: thoughts, prayers, forces, energies, etc – but is spirit inside or outside? singular or plural? To illustrate: does spirit refer to: A) life force/energy in nature – eg Gaia (the notion that the earth is a living organism); and/or B) individual spirits – eg fairies and/or spirits that take care of trees, plants, rivers, etc? In my world, folks generally readily agree to A, but there is a wide divergence with reference to B.
A further clarification: there are different agricultural paradigms. The conventional one is the NPK approach (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), characterized by: an analysis of what nutrients a crop requires for optimal production, a soil test of what is already there, and then one can make up the difference with fertility inputs. It is a mechanistic/industrial model: inputs & outputs. In the sustainable/organic paradigm, agriculture is seen as a complex interaction among humans and various life forms – both physical and non. With reference to the above, this paradigm generally includes A – but not B.
I note that I am hesitant writing about spirit/spirituality (I’ve been working on this post for weeks – and have ambivalent feelings). I finally decide to write not analytically – but rather to share my experience with this topic. Here goes…
I grow up on a farm in a Mennonite community in Canada. In my Mennonite history class in high school, we are taught that our people have been and are innovative farmers – but there is no instruction of agricultural principles or practices. There is definitely no mention of spirit (except for the Holy Spirit – in church). It seems we are expected to absorb how to farm by doing the work – we have “chores” to do from an early age.
In school, I love reading to learn about different cultures and I do not expect to stay on the farm. I head for the city, but after 2 years in Mennonite Bible College, I am ready for something new. I go on a Junior Year Abroad program to the University of Nigeria in West Africa. One of my courses is on Traditional Religions of West Africa, taught by a Nigerian catholic priest. He takes us on trips to see witch doctors (now known as shamans – a good example of changing paradigms). Although I am very christian, I like these guys – they are colorful characters and respected in their villages. It dawns on me that they are the spiritual leaders in the community – a link between the physical and the spirit world. I note that everyone (even the christian students at the University) wear amulets, which have been charged with power by a shaman. While visiting students in their homes, I become aware that in this culture, spirits are very real – for example, they are given food and drink at the beginning of every meal. Fertility rituals, as in blessing the soil and crops, are performed every year – but what really impresses me is how spirits are an integral part of daily life.
When I return home, the memory fades – and so does my christian paradigm. I don’t know how to incorporate spirits into this paradigm. For the next decade, I flounder through a nihilistic phase…
