Patterns:  mind reshaping at its last week

Well the pattern chapter has been quite something. First of all when you get to this chapter of the course you understand what Bill Mollison has done creating the curricula of the 72 hr course with this pattern. I must say I started out the course with one thought on my mind, and actually have always had this idea since I brought Bill Mollisons Designers manual: why put the pattern chapter at number four if patterns are the basis of a good design, are the basis of nature layout?

Why make us first think about concepts and methods of design and then pattern. Now it’s all clear and I want to share my thoughts on this point.

If I were to hear anyone talk to me about patterns, out of the blue, I would for sure be impressed by the theoretical notions he would express. A pattern though in conscious design is not a pattern per se, it’s a model we derive from natural or dreamt world that is used as a template.

But what do you do with it? Well if you’ve understood how the concepts and methods of design work, you’re in, and have your mind undergoing a thorough reshaping.

Now I understand, that only after having handled the importance of breaking it all down into elements and resources, niches, in relation with space and time viewed as a strategy, and then putting it back together with zoning and interaction with sectors under a functional view, only then if we speak about pattern it all starts to really fall back in place.

After this method of breaking it up, even breaking up commonsense concepts that we may know or have studied, reassembling them then together with a new pattern, the world starts to look different. It’s really incredible and sometimes you have to stop to think about what you are undergoing, you watch reality with just a little shift in your way of reassembling the information that has always been in front of you and the world is different.

You start seeing the energy flows through a landscape, or in your office, I mean even in a room energy flows, there are sectors and zones.

Geoff Lawton may be a good teacher, I can’t compare him with others for now, one thing though I can say is he’s teaching the right topic, and that makes him very significant. I think good teachers in permaculture have the advantage their students will always remember them for they are those who opened their eyes. You’ll always remember the person that walked you down a new path that changed your life.

Thanks to all the founders, teachers, researchers in permaculture, you’ve put together a great system!