My Rule (in progress)

My monastic rule is intended more as a guide than an inflexible mandate, but if it is carefully developed, I should naturally adjust to follow it closely.

Guiding principles

  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Respect and Admiration for Nature in all its forms
  • Humility and Compassion in thought and deed.

Methods

Physical Isolation-

  • Leave hermitage for walks with dogs regularly, and for errands, seldom.
  • Welcome guests, but seek company rarely

Digital Isolation-

  • Update blog regularly so people don’t worry and to share without distracting interaction. Facebook an update once a month or less.
  • Participate in digital fora that relate specifically to the Guiding Principles.
  • Keep abreast of current events through one scanning of headlines of reputable news sources, and two or three articles/day max. One Pandemic data check per day.
  • Stream music selectively and occasionally when it will support focus or contemplation. Alternately, active listening is acceptable.

Simplicity-

  • Keep a schedule, which seems best dictated by the needs of the animals in my keep.
  • Once weekly spend time sorting and reducing a class of items that is excessive.
  • Do not multitask, rather be present in even mundane tasks.
  • Savor simple, seasonal foods, and avoid junk.
  • Self care such as sleep and exercise to support health, focus, and routine.

Connecting with Nature

  • Care for rescue dogs and canary
  • Care for non-releasable Starlings
  • In Springtime, help Centre Wildlife Care by accepting baby birds to raise-release.
  • Be a steward to wildlife in the area, providing and improving valuable habitat and encouraging others to care for their corner of the Earth, too.
  • Take time to observe and appreciate nature.
  • Study science and art based in Nature.
  • Reduce footprint by staying put, reducing consumption and leveraging purchases to support green business, using delivery services like UPS and FedEx, buy bulk when possible, burning firewood, recycling, composting.
  • Plant trees and deep rooting forbs.
  • Educate and promote environmental ethics through my work.