July 9-13  Mud Magic: Earth and Fire--Natural Building and Earth Healing in the Cazadero Hills

Get down, get dirty and get covered in mud in the beautiful Cazadero Hills, for a magical five days learning the ancient building skills of the ancestors.  We’ll work with cob—sculpted clay, sand and straw, as well as light straw clay and natural plasters to learn practical skills we can use in building low-cost, low-carbon, beautiful structures.   We’ll learn truly down-to-earth skills, from shelter-sculpting to reading the landscape, tracking, and reading nature’s oracles for messages about our own life’s purpose and direction. 

In this workshop we’ll have a special focus on earth and fire—building an earth-sheltered rocket stove and cob oven, and plastering a masonry heater.

There will be time to relax, meditate, walk with the sheep, and share ritual and celebration, as well as music, story-telling, and fun.

Creating shelter and working directly with natural materials can become a deep metaphor for shaping and sculpting our lives.  Learning to build with our hands empowers us to manifest our visions and make our dreams real.

Who is this for:

Anyone interested in natural building, at any level of experience. 

Architects, designers, builders and landscapers who want to learn natural building techniques.

Homesteaders, back-to-the-landers who want to learn to build low-cost, low-impact stoves, structures and dwellings.

Artists and sculptors looking to expand your techniques.

Teachers and youth workers who want to learn techniques to use with young people and students.

Partial list of topics:

An overview of natural building projects, materials and techniques.

Design considerations.

How to choose the right materials for your situation.

Passive solar, thermal mass and insulation.

Theoretical understanding and hands-on experience with a range of natural building techniques, including cob, straw-clay, poles, and natural plasters.

Stoves—rocket stoves, masonry heaters, cob ovens—how they work, considerations in design, sites and materials.

Integrating spiritual practice and ritual with every stage of the work.  Building as meditation.

A deep experience of connection to earth and community

Location:

Golden Rabbit Ranch in the Cazadero Hills

Accommodations:  camping, limited indoor sleeping spaces in rustic structures. 

People of varied abilities are welcome, but the terrain is rugged and accommodations rustic!  Please contact us if you have questions.

Cost:  $500-$750

Some work trade available.

Early registration:  before June1  $450-$700   

http://www.earthactivisttraining.org/july_2014.html

Contact: earthactivisttraining@gmail.com