A Seasonal Practice in Attention, Soil, and the Imagination

Where—and how—do we direct the energy we carry through our lives?

For some, it shows up as restlessness.
For others, a quiet sense that something is missing—more time outside, more presence, more connection.

At Orkestai Farm, we’ve been sitting with that question.

And our answer is not abstract.

It’s land-based. Seasonal. Physical. Shared.

At Expressive Agriculture: Field Practice, time on the land and with each other becomes a way of working with attention—through soil, plants, weather, and the rhythms of the growing season.

Simone Weil wrote:
“The highest ecstasy is rapturous attention.”

Field Practice

Field Practice is a small-group, experiential course designed to bring together physical work, reflection, and shared experience.

This is not a lecture or something you passively attend.

It’s a space where you will:

• Work directly with soil, plants, and seasonal cycles

• Spend time outdoors in all conditions

• Develop attention and presence through lived experience

• Engage your inner life through a relationship with the physical world

• Participate in simple, grounded nature-based practices

Over time, participants begin to notice something subtle but real:
how attention deepens, how perception shifts, and how inner and outer life begin to feel more connected.

How the program unfolds

Meeting monthly at Orkestai Farm, participants engage in a blend of hands-on farming, time in the surrounding woods, reflective exercises, and group dialogue.

During the growing season (May through November), each session begins with work in the fields—planting, tending, harvesting, or simply observing the evolving life of the garden. These practices ground the day and invite participants into relationship with the seasonal cycles shaping both land and human life.

From there, time on the land continues through solo wandering, observation, journaling, group exercises, and shared reflection—creating space to notice how perception shifts when we slow down and attend more closely to the living world.

Across the arc of the program, the experience follows the rhythm of the agricultural year—from the emergence of spring growth, through the vitality of summer, and toward harvest and reflection in autumn.

Participation is limited to 8–12 people to support depth of experience and meaningful dialogue.

Who this is for

Field Practice is for people who:

• Want to spend more intentional time outdoors

• Are curious about working with the land, with or without prior experience

• Feel a pull toward something more grounded, but aren’t quite sure what that looks like yet

• Value small groups, continuity, and shared experience

This may not be a fit if:

• You’re looking for quick answers or immediate results

• You prefer purely classroom-based learning

• You’re not interested in being physically engaged with land and weather

• You’re looking primarily for therapy or discussion-based processing

At its core

Expressive Agriculture: Field Practice is an invitation into a deeper, more embodied relationship with land, self, and community.

Rather than focusing on theory, the series emphasizes direct encounter—allowing soil, plants, weather, and time to shape the learning as much as any formal instruction.

Over time, the aim is not only personal insight or practical skill, but the development of a grounded capacity to carry what is discovered here into daily life—allowing attention, imagination, and ecological awareness to inform how we live and act in the world.

Times and Dates:

Saturdays 9am-Noon

May 23, June 6, July 25, August 15, September 19, October 24, November 7

Class is Rain or Shine, unless extreme weather conditions prevent us from gathering, or circumstance at the Arboretum necessitate a chance in schedule.  In the case of a cancellation, we will make up the class the Sunday after the scheduled class. 

Instructors: Alethea Vasilas and Joshua Marcus, Orkestai Co-Directors

Our approach has developed through many years of working with land, agriculture, mentors and personal exploration, all of which have taught us experiential practices that invite deeper relationship with the natural world. At Orkestai Farm we are interested in how tending soil and spending time in nature can shift perception and awaken imagination.

This is not a drop-in workshop but an ongoing monthly practice.