April 14, 2019
Grande-Digue - Seventeen eager participants attended the workshop led by Rosemary Tayler and organized by the Pays de Cocagne Sustainable Development Group in the village of Grand Digue just north of Moncton, New Brunswick, along the Northumberland Strait.
The group's mission is to engage citizen participation towards the sustainability of Cocagne's watershed communities.
The one-day program focused around two basic principles of biodynamic agriculture – timing is everything and connecting with the elementals. One of the group activities was to take part in an astro-drama session where individuals represented various planets, including the Sun and the Moon. As participants walked at different speeds around the Sun, they could see when planets were in opposition, conjunction or square relationship with each other. A demonstration of how a planet appears to travel backwards (retrograde) was also performed.
“Right there participants started to use the calendar.” said Wiebke Tinney, Coordinator for the Cocagne group. “We worked through several examples and compared the upcoming planting season and the one last year to better understand the different rhythms of the Moon.”
In the afternoon, the group went outside to try to connect with nature. Three general areas were chosen – the garden, the forest and the water. This activity was done in silence. Later, people shared their inner experiences in pairs and then briefly with the group.
Wiebke acknowledged how satisfied people were with the workshop and the presenter. “It was a wonderful event,” she said. “People were very grateful for this learning experience.”
