A Seasonal Practice in Attention, Soil, and the Imagination

This small-group series is an invitation and exploration into the practice of expressive agriculture—working with soil, plants, and seasonal rhythms as a way of cultivating attention, perception, and imagination.

Meeting monthly at Orkestai Farm, participants engage in a blend of hands-on farming, time in the surrounding woods, reflective exercises, and group dialogue. The farm and landscape become a living classroom where learning unfolds through direct participation with land and living systems.

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

Time on the land continues through solo wandering, observation, journaling, groups exercises and shared reflection, allowing participants to explore how perception shifts when we slow down and attend more closely to the living world.

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

Participation is limited to 8–12 people in order to maintain depth of experience and meaningful dialogue.

Rather than focusing on theory, the series emphasizes direct encounter with land and season, 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 and gardening skills, but the development of a grounded capacity to bring what is discovered inwardly and on the land into outward manifestation and purpose—allowing intuition, 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.  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.

FINANCIAL INCLUSION POLICY:

Orkestai Farm is deeply rooted in the belief that wholesome, local, and organically grown produce should be available to everyone; this also includes access to quality agricultural and arts programming.  Nevertheless, we acknowledge the many challenges that arise in translating this belief from theory to practice.  We invite anyone interested in joining our community to contact us, regardless of their socio-economic circumstances or other factors.