In this final part of the permaculture series, Karen takes you through the turning wheel: the seasons in the garden, the seasons of the year, and the seasons within ourselves.

Recorded from the back veranda as Beltane approaches, the episode opens with what’s happening in the garden right now: bottlebrush full of birds, borage buzzing with bees, strawberries ripening, and the hard reality of losing hives to Varroa. Karen explains why the four English seasons don’t fit here on Wiradjuri land, and shares the six seasons she learned at Greengate Farm, along with how to find the signs of seasonal change where you live.

She then walks through her Tarot timing cards for the seasonal self: Cups for spring, Wands for summer, Pentacles for autumn and Swords for winter. Along the way you’ll hear about preserving, honey garlic, winter solstice fires, crystals in the garden and the herbal teas she makes for clients.

To close the series, Karen reflects on the seasons of life, the autumn harvest queen, and why growing a garden that feeds you and others is an act of radical self-realisation, because you cannot be controlled when you can feed yourself.

✨ Beltane retreat: Sunday 8 November at Cindy’s Yoga Studio, Wodonga.  You can book here [https://www.soulfulnwild.com/retreats]. 

Catch up on the full series, starting with Episode 26: [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2CegJAl2snUgysnAVwjRA9] Start Where You Are.

To watch the full powerpoint presentation on Karen's website to see the steps she speaks of in this series of podcasts click here. [https://www.soulfulnwild.com/videos#permaculture] 

Permaculture: Part 4: The Turning Wheel: Seasons, Cycles and Self

In Part 3 of the permaculture series, Karen walks you through the zones of her Albury cottage garden, from the house itself out to the bush, and into a zone of her own making.

You’ll hear why Zone 1 is all about putting what you use every day right where you walk. There’s the orchard with its mulberry (planted for a childhood memory), the “pear” that turned out to be a quince, and bramble berries and passionfruit picked with a morning coffee. Karen shares how her veggie beds were moved up beside the house after a broken foot, and how the old crop area became a bee meadow full of borage, strawberries and colourful heirloom corn for her Wheel of the Year rituals. There are also the cumquats that were moved into barrels and turned into brandy-soaked, chocolate-dipped Christmas gifts. She also talks about neighbours planting natives along the nature strips to create a wildlife corridor up into the bush.

Then there’s Zone 6, the inner landscape: slowing down, letting the seasons show you what’s needed, and why creativity flows when you slow. Karen finishes with some honest advice on seed saving in the suburbs.

Permaculture: Part 3 - Walking the Zones

In Part 2 of the permaculture series, Karen talks about designing with the land: really looking at it and tapping into it, both practically and energetically, rather than just plonking a house on a block.

She shares how Albury’s rainfall, westerly winds and hot summers shaped her choices, and why the growing season here is a bit of a catch-22: the warmth arrives just as the water runs short and food gets cheap. You’ll hear how she flipped her little kit home front to back to catch the winter sun, and how retaining walls on a steep block slow the water down. She also tells the story of a broken foot that made her completely rethink her garden, leading to everything she needs now being on one level and a bee meadow where the veggie beds used to be.

Karen also shares the five rules that guide her system, including “everything must have more than one purpose” and the all-important hammock time, along with her 12 elements, the goddess nooks, and the hard-won lesson that you don’t have to do everything.

Next episode: Walking the Zones.

Permaculture: Part 2 - Designing with the Land

This is Part 1 of a series of episodes on different aspects of permaculture, and it’s where it all began for me: Start Where You Are – From Cape Weed to Cottage.

A sloping, triangular block on the edge of Albury that nobody else wanted. No trees, an old farm fence, and nothing growing but cape weed. I’d driven past it for a year, but the moment my feet touched the ground, I knew.

In this episode I share the real, up-and-down story of turning that block into my little cottage and garden. There’s the dome house dream I had to let go of, the container home the council said no to, and the builder’s quote that came back $100,000 over budget. Then I found a tiny kit home called the Weekender, flipped it to face north, and spent a winter in a caravan with my dog before finally moving in.

I also talk about the year I spent studying permaculture on an organic farm, and how it taught me to slow down and live with the rhythm of the seasons. I share my vision for this place as a sanctuary for rest, ritual, yoga, gatherings and healing, and how I honour the spirit of this land.

The message is simple: you don’t need to have it all at once. Start with what you’ve got, and keep refining as you go.

Coming up in this series: designing with the land, the permaculture zones, the seasons and cycles, and Zone 6, the inner landscape, where permaculture becomes a spiritual pathway.

Want to see the block, the house design and the whole process? Head to the Resources page at www.soulfulnwild.com [http://www.soulfulnwild.com/] and click on Videos to watch my full permaculture design presentation. This is the specific link for presentation I mention https://www.soulfulnwild.com/videos#permaculture 

Go Deep, Stay Wild 🌱

Permaculture: Part 1 - Start Where You Are, From Cape Weed to Cottage

In 1997 I packed my bags for Dharamsala, the home in exile of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to study Tibetan medicine and astrology at the Medical and Astrological Institute. I didn’t fully know why I was going. I just knew I had to.

This episode isn’t a lecture. It’s stories: the people, the places, the moments that stayed with me for nearly thirty years. That includes a celebration I’ll never forget, and a gold ring and earrings made for me by a man who walked out of Tibet with His Holiness.

Sometimes spirit puts us exactly where we need to be, and we only see why years later. This is one of those journeys.

Tibetan Medicine: Memories about the journey.

In this follow-up episode, I'm sharing even more ways to protect your home and your energy. We cover using copper at the corners of your property to work with electromagnetic frequencies, protective crystals beyond selenite (including black tourmaline and hematite), the fascinating history of witch bottles, garden layouts that double as energetic protection, and even Tibetan mandalas — drawing on my own studies in Dharamsala at His Holiness's Medical and Astrological Institute.

Whether you're setting up protection for the first time or looking to add a few new tools to what you already do, there's something here for you. Have a listen, and let me know which idea you're most drawn to trying.

Spiritual Protection Part 2: More Ideas On How to Protect Your Space

Should we be buttoning ourselves up in sacred bubbles of spiritual light in order to feel protected from negative energy? Or should we be moving through the world like spiritual warriors emitting love and light wherever we go?  

It seems that many people have strong opinions about 'protection', and in this episode, Karen shares her thoughts on the how and why of protection, acknowledging that different times require differing strategies. As always, a few things to think about and use or not - as you see fit. 

Karen has studied many forms of spiritual and energetic healing, initially exploring the Radiance Technique and Reiki. For many years she worked under the guidance of a team of Healing Guides and has also explored Trance Healing.  

For more information and bookings go to her website www.soulfulnwild.com

Spiritual Protection: Part 1 - Should We Be Doing It and If So, How

We've passed Samhain, we've passed Yule — so where are we in the Wheel of the Year right now? In this episode, Karen explores the quiet, gestating stretch of deep winter through the Tarot (hello, Hermit and Moon energy), then turns toward the first stirrings of Imbolc — The Star, The Magician, and the flame we're all quietly tending before spring.

Karen shares a simple at-home spread for checking in with what's still resting inside you, walks through the Tarot cards of Imbolc, and shares details on her upcoming half-day Imbolc retreat at Cindy's Yoga Studio in Wodonga on Sunday 9 August — original Tarot spreads, ritual, movement, meditation and journaling to mark the season's turn.

Links:
Imbolc Retreat: https://www.soulfulnwild.com/retreats
Beginner Tarot course: https://www.soulfulnwild.com/online-resources

From Stillness to Stirring: Deep Winter, Tarot & The Call Forward

People can get really bent out of shape as Christmas gets closer. For some it's about the busy social schedule, for others it's about the pressure of family gatherings, the additional expenses or choosing the right gifts. Doing a bit of a mental rejig can be helpful, and to that end, here is a short guided visualisation that could support you to offload the pressures of the year that has been as you tap back into the spirit of Christmas.   Karen is an experienced therapist who incorporates tools like meditation, cards, hypnosis and coaching into her practice with clients. To check out the offerings go to www.soulfulnwild.com [https://www.soulfulnwild.com/]

A Christmas Relaxation

There's a fair bit going on in the world of bees at the moment. The pesky varroa mite is wending its way across our continent and choices are having to be made on an individual and industry level on how to respond to it. Treat with chemicals, or use the 'Bond Method' and trust the bees ability to self-manage. Pollination of food crops will be impacted so food security and the cost of food to us consumers, along with the actual quality of honey in the years to come. It's a thing. What can we do and how can we help?  In this episode Karen shares what she knows about the current 'state of play' and shares her thoughts along with some interesting links for those of you who would like to explore a little more.  www.wheenbeefoundation.org.au/about-bees-pollination/ and www.happierbees.com/kenyan-top-bar-hives/and the link for Les Crowders version of the Kenyan Top Bar Hive is here as well www.bee-mindful.com/plans. If you'd like to contact Karen directly you can do so via the contact form on her website https://soulfulandwild.com.au/contact

The Honey Bee Situation

Practical Spirituality: Real conversations on a range of topics that relate to living well on planet earth as a spiritually focussed person. Concepts and ideas to consider, along with some tips and to

The Soulful and Wild Show · Zencastr

The Soulful and Wild Show

Practical Spirituality: Real conversations on a range of topics that relate to living well on planet earth as a spiritually focussed person. Concepts and ideas to consider, along with some tips and tools to help you live a happier, more considered life.