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The Monolith That Watches Over Us
The Power of PlaceJust about now, (the Solstice, the longest day of the year, Dec 21st, at least here in the southern hemisphere), a 50-metre high monolith rises high in the valley above us, here at...
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What It’s Like Being Censored
JP Sears has been a family favorite for a few years now. My wife first turned me onto him a few years ago with his classic video, “How to be Ultra Spiritual” and his spoof on how to irritate people by...
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Slowdown Post #15: Almond Harvest!
During lockdown we had time to pick almonds. You don’t actually pick them, you use long sticks or PVC pipe, and wack them off the branches so they land on a tarp. Just don’t get hit as they fall. It...
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Slowdown Post #14: Wood Chopping and Stackin
Stoking up for the winter, Conner splits and Jess stacks, nearing the end of a few day’s farm workout plan. Poplar dries quickly, and is quick to light, but its only good for a fire starter. Hardwoods...
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Fulfilling our Mission, and Our Passion
Before lock-down, here on the South Island of New Zealand, we were quite busy renting out our accommodation to AirBnB guests from all over the world. We enjoyed meeting people from Italy to the US,...
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Slowdown Post #13: “Hayice” Climbing!
During lockdown Level 4, we eyed the farmer’s hay bales, the next field over, and received permission to take ice axes and crampons to them “as long as we didn’t tip any over on us”. It was remarkably...
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Slowdown Post #12: Apple Press v 1.0
Jess and Conner rev up for our first round of cider making. This version had a few design flaws that was solved with our later version, which you’ll see soon. Mainly we had to beef up the cross beams...
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Slowdown Post #11: Working with Micro Hydro Power
Our micro hydro intake with the first layer of cement anchoring in place. Notice the newly installed anchor points for the next layer of anchoring material. This intake still has no water passing over...
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Slowdown Post #10: Sweet chestnuts
Sweet chestnuts are part of the bounty at Mountain Spirit during lockdown. North America saw a blight that eliminated the sweet chestnut tree from the whole continent, although through the American...
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Lockdown/Slowdown Post #9: Drying Berries!
Rosehips and Hawthorne berries dry in the autumn sun. Pick before a frost and dry the rosehips berries, then use a food processor to break them up to make a tea very high in vitamin C. You have to...
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Lockdown/Slowdown Post #8: Micro Hydro Install
Drilling holes into a perfectly good micro-hydro intake box! Conner, our helper and wonderful person during lockdown helps me add anchor points which will help hold the micro hydro intake to the...
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Kirtana Performs 1st Time on New Zealand’s South Island
Mountain Spirit near Wanaka, will be hosting Kirtana, a California-based singer/songwriter will be who performs at events with speakers such as Eckhart Tolle, Gangaji and Geneen Roth. She comes to the...
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El Albergue grows into Organics/Sustainability
Joaquín Randall, owner of El Albergue in Ollantaytambo, shares, in the recent video, the latest developments evolving around experiential educational stays, sustainability, organics and cultural...
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The End of the Everest Myth
By Katie Ives From Alpinist Magazine We all know the Myth. We’ve heard it told and retold hundreds of times, in “motivational” speeches exhorting audiences to “climb your personal Everest,” in press...
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12 REGLAS Para Tocar en una Banda
Banda Chimu Inka, Cusco, Circa 2003 1 . Cada uno debe desempeñar la misma pieza . 2. Observar los signos de repetición sólo si lo que acabas de jugar era interesante. 3. Si toca una nota equivocada ,...
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Listen to the Music – Change the World
The Creation of a Song Can Change the World Doobie Brothers’ Tom Johnston and Elvis Costello in Queenstown, New Zealand, April 2014 I’m here to kindly challenge a comment Doobie Brothers...
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An Introduction to Awakening
The tide turns By Zen Gardner The waking up process is a very personal experience. Once we become aware of the existence of a fabricated world we thought to be real and that our true nature is anything...
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The Pursuit of Happiness
Read 10 practices to a happier you This recent Outside Magazine article shows what many of us already have known, but is confirmed here again – That not only living a healthy lifestyle contributes to...
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New Zealand Singer Loving Life on the Road in N. America
By Lucy Ibbotson Otago Daily Times Van Riel in Bodie California Lake Hawea, New Zealand singer-songwriter Anna van Riel, between gigs on her sustainable house concert tour across North America, plays...
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Mindfulness in the Mountains Program Runs a Second Year
Buddhist Refuge and Mountain Spirit Institute Collaborate again on Mindfulness Program By R. Richards, Mountain Spirit Founder Lama Willa Miller Collaborates with Mountain Spirit on Mindfulness in Mtns...
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