Earth Time Winter 2024
Bird Language and Expanded Awareness
9-week exploration (drop-ins welcome)
Mondays 3:00-5:15pm, Darebin Parklands
Bird Language Deep Dive
After a sell-out Autumn term, we are staying in the realm of birds for another term.
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 fourth term, Earth Time is a weekly pause point, a community committed to showing up, observing, enjoying and connecting to nature, together. Numbers are capped at 12 participants.
“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
Winter Term Dates 2024: July 29 to September 23
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 is always somewhat spontaneous and weather dependent, but this is what to expect:
July 29: Awakening to the world of birds
August 5: Singing back
August 12: Breaking down the 'wall of sound'
August 19: Full body presence
August 26: Becoming the bird
September 2: Cause and effect
September 9: Expanding the edges of the body
September 16: Quiet mind
September 23: Wrapping the bundle
FAQ:
Can I still drop in casually? (updated)
Yes, absolutely! Each week will stand alone. However, from week 3 onwards it is highly recommended that you have attended already week 1 and/or 2 or have some prior experience in nature connection. See below for more information.
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 from Earth Time Bird Language Autumn 2024
“Emily is a wonderful facilitator and her program fosters a satisfying and enlivening connection to nature and to community. Bird language is like a portal to the voice of mother nature. She is speaking to us all the time and it's friggin' epic to take the time to listen and understand just that little bit more. The nine weeks is a beautiful immersion into a greater awareness. Under Emily's expert tuition, the birds have taught me so much.”
—Katia Krassas
“These Mondays have been the anchor point in my week. Helping me ground myself and to remember that I am part of a greater whole. I've made new friends – bird and human, and expanded not only my knowledge but awareness of bird languages and behaviour. I'm very grateful for the community of co-creation and bird nerdery. Thank you.”
—Luna Darling
“Earth Time has really helped me to maintain my nature connection into the colder months and notice the beauty of this transition. Having a regular place to visit with a tribe of lovely humans has been one of the highlights of my my week. Em is a gentle, knowledgeable and intuitive mentor who offers guidance to deepen your awareness of the natural world and grow connections with birds and other beings.”
—Cristie Butler
“Bird language time with Emily has been such a treasure in my week! A precious opportunity to connect with community and learn about ways to attune to the patterns and behaviours of birds, and through this deepen my relationship with nature.”
—Grace Jane
“I signed up to this because I wanted support to connect to nature more than I was doing on my own. I got that in spades, as well as connection to a like minded group of people who also inform and inspire me in their own ways. Within one session I was already noticing more, and over the course of attending more sessions I've been able to engage more with nature in my regular life, even as the cold of winter has descended!”
—Rachel Bucknall
“Emily ran a beautiful and balanced series of sessions. I was able to go much deeper into my understanding and embodiment of nature connectedness. Thank you Emily.”
—Carolyn Shurey
“Earth Time was sacred, and helped to bring the magic of nature into my busy urban life. I highly recommend this, especially if you are one who doesn't feel like you have time for this.”
—Belinda
Cost/drop-in policy (updated):
Drop-ins are welcome (unless sold out) and occasional attendance could be ideal for those wanting some more nature time in their week. Weeks 1 and 2 are open to all. From week 3 onwards it is highly recommended that you have attended already in week 1 and/or 2 or have some prior experience in nature connection. Once you have attended you will be given the booking link for future weeks, or you can contact emily@naturesapprentice.com.au.
Attending the whole series will allow a much deeper dive and is recommended for those committed to improving their bird language skills.
Full Term pass: 9 sessions: EARLY BIRD (before July 2): $210
Full Term pass: 9 sessions: $225
Half Term pass: attend any 4 sessions: $110
Single session: $30
Passes must be used this term.
If you are interested in joining mid-term, it's preferred that you have some experience with nature connection through Nature's Apprentice or elsewhere. Please email emily@naturesapprentice.com.au for the booking link.
Cancellation Policy
Refunds on term and half term passes available until 7 days before term starts, minus $25 admin fee.
Passes must be used this term.
No refunds on drop-in passes.
If you can no longer make it you may onsell or gift your ticket at no extra cost. Please let us know the name and email address of the person who will be taking your place.
Note that there are a number of scams on facebook at the moment with people pretending to sell tickets. Please only buy tickets through the Nature's Apprentice website or from someone you know.
“One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began”
Red-browed finch photo credit: Martin Stringer Photography