17th Quarterly Newsletter from the Ziraat Council

FANA-FI-GAIA

Samhain, October 31, 2025

17th Quarterly from the Ziraat Council

Notes from the Council

Aija Bruvere

Greetings from the Ziraat council,

This time of year in the Northern hemisphere the focus is on harvesting and in some cultures, like my own (I have strong Latvian roots), this would be considered the best time for foraging in nature to partake in its bounty.

Garden and forest have so much to offer! A mindful walk in nature can be not only be ,relaxing but also productive.

The picture below illustrates what a successful few hours in the forest would allow one to gather and bring. The joy and sense of achievement associated with a subsequent home-made meal that consists of young potatoes and mushroom (chanterelle) sauce is quite unique for the fall season. In my childhood, I always looked forward to exploring the forest under the guidance of my parents, as I was learning to recognize which mushrooms are the good ones as well as where they are most likely to grow. This shared tradition of mushroom picking has been a great way of passing on the knowledge from one generation to the other.

During summers spent in the countryside, I would learn from my grandmother about gardening, about herbal teas and the right time to harvest each specific kind of plant as well as how to dry them and preserve them best. From those days, my favorite tea is one made from linden blossoms, with the strength of summer sun and sweetness of honey captured in it.

In a way gardening is taking the art of recognition of plants one step further than just foraging; it is about taming the plant, about nurturing it, observing it and finally harvesting it when the time is right.

A relevant perspective from Ziraat reader, part 2: “Ziraat is a heart-based approach to gardening and food production outwardly, and to spiritual growth inwardly. The heart, like the earth, is regarded as sacred soil to be prepared for planting. Rocks and roots are removed; last year’s stubble is plowed under. New seed is placed in the furrow. Sunshine and rain attend the turning of the seasons, and the ancient cycles of sowing, growth, fruition and harvest are realized in ourselves and in our gardens and farms.” —Moineddin Jablonski (1996)

Now I live in Australia on the other side of the world, and I often miss these plants from my childhood. I miss, for instance, the joy of mushroom picking and tastes of my childhood that was spent in Latvia. But for me those times of connecting with nature in childhood, foraging for mushrooms, learning about plants, working in the garden, have made me appreciate the beauty that lies in honoring the land and the power that comes from creating a special sacred connection with it. Perhaps my appreciation of Ziraat and ability to recognize the divine in nature and its cycles stems from the time I spent with my grandparents just learning about nature and observing. I have never fully forgotten that sense of wonder.

Most probably because of this early connection, I recognize how important it is to talk about these aspects, about nature, about elements, about sacred space. We should be able to learn more from the elders in our tradition, about their lived experience of Ziraat.

Now that every mobile phone has a powerful camera maybe we could record those conversations more often and share the knowledge widely?

For instance, I had a great conversation regarding this with Pir Shabda in his garden in the Bay Area a year ago:

https://youtu.be/jrmBOUxAGHg

Likewise in a short segment with Arjuna in Sydney, he tells us how working in the garden has shaped his understanding of Elements:

https://youtu.be/MLrLdjThZrQ

Also, in very similar spirit in a segment called “Coming to our Senses,” Darvesha has shared her thoughts on nature:

https://youtu.be/LgNrhz0CxnQ?si=ZuefBvgWuW3KRHQD

By sharing these short videos we are hoping to start a bit of trend - a dedicated YouTube channel where our elders in the Sufi tradition can tell us more about their connection to the land, about their sacred practices, about what they find is most special and meaningful in simple things like gardening, or farming bees, or even on that special nature walk.

A few videos are already there, maybe they will inspire you to add yours to the collection, you can follow the Ziraat YouTube channel for more, @Ziraatpractice is our channel name on YouTube

I hope in the month to come more meaningful conversations happen around Ziraat, Sufi practices and around gardening, composting and farming as a spiritual practice!

On behalf of Ziraat council

Aija (in Australia)

Excerpt from Ziraat Reader

The Meaning of Ziraat

by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan

“The soil is glad to bestow upon us her produce providing we release some of it to her as compost or organic waste or even in the form of seaweed. The secret in triggering off a communication with the nature spirits is invocation, an age-old practice. It is plugging into the signature tune of each being or archetype and observing a sensitive respect for the laws or principles that they represent and an understanding concern for their wishes.”

From Ziraat reader (pages 55 -56) download here: https://www.ruhaniat.org/index.php/ziraat-resources

Ziraati Changemakers

It’s worth noticing this inspiring organization in Australia– Planting Seeds–that works to protect biodiversity by planting seeds. They have this wonderful project that helps to provide food for pollinators in urban areas.

Another of their projects is the B&B Highway

- Bed & Breakfasts & Biodiversity for birds, bees and butterflies threatened by habitat loss. Planting Seeds’ goal is to regenerate passageways or native vegetative corridors in urban areas for pollinators. They aim to link ‘B & B’s’ or ‘pollen booths’ for pollinators’ rest and revival which is vital for the conservation of biodiversity and sustainability, whilst fostering education and engagement.

https://www.ps.org.au/about-us/our-work

Keeping Up

Let’s continue with our focus on gardens and gardening with a few suggestions for keeping up.

A short impactful feature on Permaculture at Findhorn with Craig Gibsone who is a permaculture and ecovillage designer and educator, as well as a potter, and much involved in community life. https://youtu.be/Ma1XuthCQvY?si=n1LT-kRJBRQeZTHP

If you haven't seen it yet, watch this 2016 documentary from Australia. It's available free on Youtube: A Simpler Way: Crisis as Opportunity

is a feature-length documentary following a community in Australia. A community coming together to explore and demonstrate a simpler way to live in response to the global crisis.

https://youtu.be/XUwLAvfBCzw?si=1nsF8kXygpu47GlB

And another story about rejuvenation of the land coming from Australia: https://youtu.be/-4OBcRHX1Bc?si=_x6bMuBVmXT1KB5w

8 Incredible Permaculture Gardens | Ideas & Inspiration for Gardeners (2025) ideas for gardening in small spaces

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEnB0NLUlq0

20 minutes of inspiration on How to create a garden that looks gorgeous and supports wildlife:

https://youtu.be/l7VGjBOby5I?si=V6MhvzGOwX0v38K-

Practice

When building and sustaining a meaningful daily practice the where becomes important indeed. Guidance for choosing and creating a special place for spiritual practice and the invitation to join in comes from Arjuna in North Bondi, Sydney Australia:

https://youtu.be/GbTW3YO-bl8