kt shepherd permaculture
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Home
  • Blog

The Five Elements As A Design Tool

9/12/2022

2 Comments

 

Earth, Air, Fire, Water & Spirit -
​Reflection, observation, decisions, & resilience 

I created the first version of this tool in 2013 after participating in Starhawk’s Earth Activist Training PDC (Permaculture Design Course) in California. Throughout the time there I gained knowledge and practice in connecting two of the most important areas of my life - Earth based spirituality and permaculture design. 

I asked myself - 

‘How can my spiritual self and practice inform my permaculture design work?’ 

In the years since, my Five Elements tool has evolved as my work as a permaculture practitioner & educator has progressed. This post is a basic outline of my own current tool, which can be used and developed in a way that works for other permaculture practitioners’ own style of designing. 

Earth

Picture
​In the North
​Midnight


As the designer, how can I remain grounded and focused while implementing the design?
Do I need to address the fertility of the project in order for healthy growth? 
How will the project within the design grow? 

Air

Picture
In the East
​Dawn 


How can I use meditation and breathwork to enhance my wellbeing as a designer for this project?
What spiritual and physical aspects of air could influence the design?
How is the wind, ventilation or other aspects of air, present in the design? 
What are the key aspects of communication about and within the design? 

Fire

Picture
​ In the South
Midday


How can I ensure that I balance my own energy needs as the designer?
How can I use my creativity as a core aspect of this design?
How is the sun or other aspects of fire, present in the design?
How will energy and transformation be directed in the design?

Water 

Picture
In the West
Sunset/Twilight


How can I ensure that my emotional wellbeing as a designer is a function of the design?
What are my key emotions about this design?
How is water present in the design?
How can I support the flow of this design? ​

Spirit 

Picture
In the centre

How can my spiritual practice support me as the designer?
What is the overall vision about this design? 
What is it about this design that gives me meaning? 
How are the other four Elements connected?

Resources 

For more information about the Five Elements, I can recommend the following resources 

Sacred Earth Celebrations - Glennie Kindred
The Fifth Sacred Thing (fiction) - Starhawk
The Earth Path - Starhawk 
Earth Pathways Diary
2 Comments
amy stretch-parker link
18/2/2023 07:22:54 am

This is really wonderful KT. I'll definitely be using this tool in my designs.

Reply
PicsArt APK link
7/3/2024 09:07:17 am

Such a captivating post! Your thoughts on creativity really got me thinking. I wanted to share with you an article I stumbled upon on PicsArt's website about the <a href="https://picsart.apkflames.com/"> Picsart Mod APK </a> . It offers a fascinating perspective on how technology is revolutionizing the way we express ourselves creatively, which resonates with the themes you've explored here.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Welcome to my blog. Here I aim to share everyday examples of how permaculture can provide healing and regeneration for ourselves, our communities and our planet.

    Contact Me 

    Connect with my social media or send me an email 

    Search My Blog


    Archives

    January 2025
    September 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    November 2023
    October 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018


    Categories

    All
    Accessing Permaculture
    Activism
    Alan Charlton
    Book Review
    Children In Permaculture
    Chronic Illness & Disability
    Climate Justice
    Community Projects
    Creative Dying
    Creative Event
    Creative Life
    Designing For Ourselves
    Designing How We Die
    Diploma In Applied Permaculture Design
    Earth Based Spirituality
    Edible Garden
    Fair Shares
    Kt Shepherd Doodles
    Kt’s Illustrations
    Kt's Permaculture Garden
    Local Event
    Neurodiversity
    Patterns In Nature
    Permaculture Course
    Permaculture Ethics
    Permaculture Event
    Permaculture Tool Review
    Permaculture Tools
    Permaculture Women
    Social Media
    Water
    Wheel Of The Year
    Wild Garden

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.