Down the Mountain | 2023 NW Permaculture Convergence

Down the Mountain: Course Correcting our (R)evolution

What does it mean to come down the mountain? What does it look like to drop to our knees, humbly walk and admit that we don't have all the answers?

The theme of this year's NW Permaculture Convergence is accepting feedback and self-regulating, with the goal of course-correcting our (r)evolution.

Since March 2020, many seeds of (r)evolution have been sprouting. We've risen up against racial injustice, weathered intense climate change, battled a global pandemic, witnessed worldwide oppression, and experienced intense division, even between people and movements within the same political standpoints. Along the way, we've learned new lessons and skills, and if we're lucky — experienced the beauty of repair.

The permaculture principle of "applying self-regulation and accepting feedback" comes after we observe and interacted with the system and are ready to improve it. We've observed the tactics of our activism and our evolution over the last several years, and now it's time to improve them. From division to solidarity, from cancelation / separation to unity and understanding. The path down the mountain is painful yet necessary if we truly want to live in the world we are all longing for.

This year's Permaculture Convergence focuses on exactly that. How do we accept feedback from the people, culture, community, land, and relationships in our lives? How do we integrate and self-regulate with our own nervous systems within our relationships, communities, cultures, and the land to build solidarity?

These questions and more will be explored at the 2023 NW Permaculture Convergence. We'll come down the mountain inspired and ready to take action to improve our own lives and the world.