John Prine and Teaching Yurts!

It’s All Thanks to John Prine!

2020 has been a transformational year without a doubt. When crisis and uncertainty are presented we have a choice whether to use it as an opportunity to grow and expand, or to flee or contract. No judgement here. The art of living is about eventually recognizing what to do when! For us at CSNT we decided it was time to make the move! Make that dream a reality!

There I was, driving home from the local food co-op, contemplating a global pandemic, a falling stock market, volatile politics, wondering when or if I would ever be able to get students to Germany to learn Kneipp Therapy again. And then the news of musician John Prine’s death, It was all just too much! The radio DJ cued up a song that turned me around, The lyrics ” Blow up your TV, throw away your newspaper, Go to the country, build yourself a home…” In that moment the answer resonated in my being like a  bell!

It took us from April to September to get finances in order and find the right piece of land. Really the land chose us, we let her go once, but she called us back. A skinny little 8.2 acre strip of land on sweet quiet Marrowstone Island, Washington, full of wetlands and berries. A ferry ride and short drive from Seattle, a stone’s throw from Port Townsend, and in the rain shadow (more sun)! A perfect place to invite students to learn herbs, Kneipp, natural therapeutics, sustainability, any practices that help increase compassion and consciousness in our world!

Here are some images from the amazing process of moving from site selection to preparing a space for the teaching/retreat yurt I feel such gratitude for those that came out to help. Particularly Dr. Erin Vicha, as she knew exactly what to do and how to do it and did it very well!

What’s Ahead?

As soon as the yurt arrives, we’ll need all hands on deck to put it up. If you’re interested in helping, please contact us on the contact page. For each hour you put in, you’ll receive an hour of class time! I’m thinking it will be some day in December, but right now I can’t be more specific. Pacific Yurts is experiencing “COVID related production delays”, so we just have to sit back and be patient. So 2020!

Once the yurt is up, we will need to build a small bathroom space, insulate the floor, and install electricity. Eventually we will go off-grid, but initially, we’ll go with the local power company. We will use composting and dry toilets to minimize the impact on the wetlands and groundwater. After the yurt is set, then we can start on the teaching greenhouse, and herb/forest/food/flower gardens! In 2-3 years, we will also build our personal primary residence on the site.

Classes start in Spring 2021,  and as soon as we have have them scheduled we will post them on our website and FB page. The first one will be an Intro to Kneipp therapy, and will likely be the first weekend in March. We are hoping to have camping facilities on site for those that want to spend the night. Because of COVID we will be limiting that first class to just 6 students, unless conditions change.

We are so excited to finally have a space of our own! it has been difficult to find a space that is affordable, and understands the needs of presenters who are hydrotherapists, herbalists, etc, and that would have suitable indoor and outdoor learning environments (i.e. scent free, herb gardens, forests, sea, sustainable practices, composting, good food and water).

The yurt will also be available to rent if you would like to teach a class there or if you are a presenter for alternative building, we would love to partner with any cobb, or other alternative building teachers. We have a lot of land and can see many possibilities for living with it . Please contact us on our contact page if you want to reserve a date for 2021 or discuss other partnerships.

Again, I sit in such gratitude for this new chapter. Thank you to all! Thank you John Prine for your inspiration!.