Earth Time Autumn 2024
Bird Language and Expanded Awareness
9-week exploration (drop-ins welcome)
Mondays 3:00-5:15pm, Darebin Parklands
Bird Language Deep Dive
This term, we turn our attention to birds.
Birds: vocal, colourful and abundant even in the city, these charismatic backyard buddies are also powerful guides to the more subtle layers of nature observation.
At any moment of the day, bird activity, or lack of it, allows us to sense what is happening in the landscape beyond what we can directly see or hear. Attuning to birds' voices and behaviour, we can deduce the presence of other animals, predators, plants and seasonal changes. We pick up the more subtle ripples of energy moving through the landscape, invisible like the wind, but just as real. To others it can seem like magic, but the information is all there, waiting for us.
With practice we can be in this state all the time, with a sliver of awareness tuned to the movements of currawong, wren, python and fox. Becoming more diffuse, we feel the earth as an extension of our body. The mind stills and quietens. This natural state is our birthright.
To reach this point we need to engage in the 'four windows of knowing': sensing, feeling, imagining and thinking.
And so we will be learning about birds and the local ecology through a combination of observation, record-keeping, research, discussion and embodiment. And we will be quietening our minds and expanding our awareness through practices that are effective at bringing us into a deeper silence and greater relationship to the natural world.
About Earth Time
Now in its third term, Earth Time is a weekly pause point, a community committed to showing up, observing, enjoying and connecting to nature, together.
“Don’t just look at nature from afar – saturate yourself with it.
Get out on the edge of life and let the waves of the wilderness wash over you.
Feel the power, listen to the crashing roar, let the wind buffet your body and sweep the cobwebs from your brain.
Immerse yourself in nature’s symphony and let your senses burst with joy.”
It is a rare gift in the modern world to find time to sit, undisturbed in nature. To step out of the gushing torrent of middleworld tasks, and sink back into that other, more ancient stream. Earth Time.
We know we are wired to experience indescribable awe and wonder at the natural beauty of the wild, to 'revel in the now' as Tom Brown describes. It can feel like the easiest and most natural state in the world. Other times, frustratingly unreachable.
The discipline to keep up a practice takes work. To carve out regular Earth Time in our culture is a radical act, and a challenging undertaking. Too often it is squeezed between other commitments, or exchanged for sleep, social time or exercise. Or it is sacrificed for something else we 'should' be doing. Perhaps worst of all, is to emerge from a powerful encounter in nature with no one to share it with.
What if we didn't have to do it alone? What if we didn't have to choose between the precious timelessness of sitting in nature, and the bustle of community, celebration and belonging?
It doesn’t happen overnight, but consistent commitment to these practices changes how we show up in the world. We become a part of our local environment rather than a visitor to it. Wilder. More attuned. We smell the change of season before we see it, and feel the arrival of a raptor before we hear it. Becoming a ‘walking sit spot’, we go through life with increased awareness, a quieter mind, more motivation, focus, empathy and compassion.
“I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one.”
Are you ready to add some regular Earth Time to your week?
Program info
Mondays, 3:00-5:15pm, Darebin Parklands (note, we start half an hour earlier than last year)
Autumn Term Dates 2024: April 22 to July 1
We meet rain, hail or shine, by the barbecues/toilets at Darebin Parklands.
This is for adults or older teenagers. Babes in arms welcome.
Please arrive from 2:50pm as we will start promptly at 3:00pm.
If you are running late please text Emily on 0436115128.
Optional preparation reading:
Schedule: (updated 21st April):
April 22: Birds as messengers of the forest (Sold out)
Pause: No class April 29
May 6: Quiet mind and expanded awareness (Sold out)
May 13: Threads of connection and recognition (Sold out)
May 20: Baseline and concentric rings (Sold out)
May 27: Deepening awareness (Sold out)
June 3: Observation, inference and intuition (Sold out)
Pause: No class June 10
June 17: Seasonal variation (Sold out)
June 24: Group awareness and mapping (Sold out)
July 1 (new date): Wrapping the bundle
FAQ:
Can I still drop in casually?
Yes, absolutely! Each week will stand alone.
I don’t know anything about birds, should I still come?
Yes! This is not about ‘twitching’ or learning bird facts. All levels of experience are welcome.
What to bring
something to sit on at your sit spot (e.g. waterproof cushion, small picnic rug, or waterproof jacket)
binoculars if you have them
field guides if you have them
timepiece (watch, or your phone on flight mode)
waterproofs if it’s raining (though we won’t sit for as long in rain)
warm clothes + a blanket if you need
notebook and pen
water bottle/snack if you need it
Facilitator
Emily Coats
Emily has been a part of Nature's Apprentice since 2021 and remains grateful for the opportunity to share with the world her bubbling passion for deep nature connection, ancestral skills, and soulcentric nature practices such as Vision Quest. She is particularly drawn to practices that awaken full sensory awareness, quieten the mind, and enliven body and Soul, and feels that a reweaving of these capabilities back into our culture is essential medicine for these times in which we live. Emily's teachers include master tracker Tom Brown, nature connection expert Jon Young and Australian bird language teacher Andrew Turbill, as well as multiple sit spots she has come to love over the years.
Emily has a diverse background including dance, philosophy, maths, environmental activism, policy, renewable energy modelling, software development and counselling.
She lives on Wurundjeri country in Eltham and loves to escape to the bush and sink into Deep Time, practice her skills and apprentice to the mysteries of the wilds.
Testimonials
"Emily's facilitation for Earth Time is both generous and inclusive. I really enjoyed the sense of play and curiosity that she encouraged in our inquiries, and the emphasis on learning through listening and holding space for each other’s experiences. I always walk away from each session with more curiosity and feeling like I’ve deepened my connection with nature, fellow humans, and myself."
— Dennis Liu
"Emily is wonderful facilitator, her patience, dedication, anecdotes and support were second to none. Thank you Emily and all those involved. I look forward to working with and learning from Emily again soon.”
— Xander Donnelly
Cost:
Drop-ins are welcome (unless sold out) and occasional attendance could be ideal for those wanting some more nature time in their week.
Attending the whole series will allow a much deeper dive and is recommended for those committed to improving their bird language skills.
Single session: $25
Half Term pass: 4 sessions: $90
Full Term pass: 9 sessions: $180
Passes must be used this term.
We’re now sold out! Email emily@naturesapprentice.com.au to join the waiting list
“One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began”