Visualizing Your Future Farm – A Guided Meditation with Barbara Decré

Guided Meditation Script:

• Take a deep breath and a deep breath out. Again in. And out. Are your eyes closed?
• Picture yourself standing on your land. Take a look around to your left and right, straight in front of you and behind you.
• You notice the topography. Where is your land sloping? Where is it high? Where is it low?
• Is there water? And where does it flow from and towards?
• Look around and find the crops. What are you growing this year? And how far along are those crops? Can you see the colors changing? Can you hear the wind in the crops?
• I would like you to kneel down and grab a handful of soil at your feet. Observe it. Feel it in your hand. Is it dark? Is it wet or is it dry? Can you see life in it?
• Stand back up and notice the weather. How hot is it today? Is the sun shining? Has it rained recently?
• Look around and find the animals on your land. Where are they and what are they doing? Are they grazing? Are they flying? Buzzing? Can you hear them sing or call each other? Can you smell them? How many are there and what do they do on your farm?
• Look around and see the trees. Where are they planted? Where are they growing? Do you know who planted them and why? How are they used today on your farm? How are they benefiting you and the work you do? Do they provide habitat for anything? Critters. Birds. Insects. Do they grow fruits or nuts? And who gets to eat them?
• Look around at the buildings. How old are they? How long have they been here? Do you know who built them and why? What is happening inside? What activities are going on? Who is in there?
• Look around and find the people. Who else is around you and what are they doing? Are they working and helping you? Are they visiting? What’s your relationship to them and how are you helping each other?
• I would like you to take a deep breath in. And a deep breath out.
• We have now traveled five years in the future. You’re standing in the exact same spot. Look around again. And what do you see?
• What about the crops? What do they look now? Are they the same that they were five years ago? Are you growing different things now and why? What colors are you now seeing on your farm? Can you hear the crops moving in the wind? Can you smell them?
• Once more, let’s kneel and touch the ground. Grab a handful of soil and feel it. Is it wet? Is it dry? What color is it? Is it alive? Has it changed? It’s been five years since you last saw it.
• Stand up and observe the weather. How different is it than it used to be? Has it rained a lot this year? Has it been really hot? Can you feel the wind on your body?
• Look around and find the animals. Where are they on your farm today? Are they different than they used to be? Are there more animals than they were before? Are there different species? Can you hear them play? Move? Graze? Hunt? Sing? Buzz? What did they smell like? What is their role in this ecosystem? Why do they do for you, your farm and your community?
• Look around at the trees. Five years have passed. Did you plant trees over the past five years? And if so, where and why? And how big are they now? Are they producing? When do you expect to be harvesting from those trees? Are they already providing benefits to your farm? Are they catching winds? Providing some shade and habitat?
• Look around at the buildings again. Five years have passed. Have new buildings gone up? And what is happening inside? Have activities changed? Are people in there? What are they doing? Are they the same people that were here five years ago? Are there new people? Are there more people? What do they do? How do you work together?
• Take another deep breath in. And out.
• We have traveled again into the future, 15 years into the future. You’re standing in the exact same spot. Look around. Look around at your land.
• Notice the water and the topography. Where is the water flowing from and where is it going to? What is happening in this water? Can you see life? Can you see current? How much water is in there? Is it more than it was before? Or less? How’s the weather affected this water on your land? Has it rained a lot? Has it flooded even? Or has it been really dry? How are your crops doing in this weather?
• What do those crops look like now? How different are they than they used to be? Have you planted new fields? If so, where and why? Do they look different? Are the crops in? When did you plant them? What are they producing now and when can you harvest them? Can you hear the wind rustling the leaves? Can you smell?
• Let’s kneel again and touch the earth. Grab some soil in your hand and feel it. Is it wet or dry this year? Is it dark? What color can you see? How different is it than it used to be 15 years ago? You’ve probably done a lot to try and improve your soil…
• Now look at the animals again. What are they doing? Where are they? And how are they contributing to the health of your systems? How big are the animals you have on your farm now? And how many are there? How small are they? Are they flying? Singing? Grazing? Buzzing? Observe them.
• And now look at the trees. 15 years have passed. Where have you planted trees? And when was that? How many did you plant, and for what purpose? What are they doing today for your farm? How big have they become 15 years into the future? Once more, look at the buildings around you. It’s been 15 years. Are some of the old buildings still there? Have you renovated them? Have new buildings come up? And have activities changed inside? What is happening in there that didn’t used to before? And look at the people, the people who are working inside those buildings and walking your land. Who are they and what is their role in this system? What activities and enterprises are they involved in? How are they participating in the health of your farm? How is your relationship with them? How have you helped them and have they helped you? Were they here before, 15 years ago, when you first envisioned this place? What has changed?
• Now take another deep breath in. And out. We have traveled into the future again. 30 years into the future. You are standing in the exact same spot looking around at the land.
• Remember the topography. But look at it now. How have the activities you have implemented on your farm affected the landscape? How are things different now than they were 30 years ago? Can you see the impact of your decisions on the landscape and on your farm? 
• Look at the weather and the water. How are things now, 30 years into the future? What have you done to adapt to changes? What crops are you harvesting now, 30 years into your future? Are they new, or are they the same than they used to be? Where do they go once you harvest them? Who benefits from them? Who do they feed? Have new markets emerged since you first started growing those crops? Have you had to replace them? Have you changed the things you were doing from 15 years ago or 30 years ago?
• Once again, kneel and grab a handful of soil. Feel it against your skin. Observe its color. Is it dry? Is it wet? Is it dark? Is it light? How much life is in a handful of your soil? Look back. Think about all the things you’ve done to get to this point to regenerate the soil on your farm.
• Stand up again. Find the animals. Are animals still around on your farm? And if so, where are they? What are they doing? Are they different than they used to be? How big are they? How small are they? What did they bring to your land? And what do you offer to them? Are they grazing? Running? Calling? Singing? Buzzing? Observe them. Notice how different they are now than they were 30 years ago. What new species have been able to come back to the land because of the work you’ve implemented? What species have been able to stay here because you’ve provided them home?
• And now look at your trees. It’s been 30 years. How big are those trees now? Have you had to remove some? What happened to them? And the crops. What kind of crops are the trees growing now? Are you harvesting nuts and fruits? Are you harvesting berries or branches? Are you benefiting from the shade they provide? Are you being protected from the elements? Have they affected the water flow on your land? How has the landscape changed because you have planted those trees?
• Find the buildings. It’s been 30 years. Which buildings are still there, and which ones are gone now? Which ones have been renovated and changed? What is happening inside those buildings? What activities were there before that are no longer part of your farming? What new enterprises have you implemented? Are there new businesses growing out of those buildings, new ideas, new opportunities?
• And who is taking on these new activities? Who are the people on your farm? It’s been 30 years since you first stood here envisioning this future. Who was there with you then and who is there with you now? Are they the same people? Are they different? Where do they come from and why are they here? How old are they? Are there children here now? Are some of the adults on your farm people who spent time here as children?  And if so, how old are they now?
• How old are you now? 30 years of planning, designing and hard work have brought you to this day, to this landscape. Take it all in. Deep breath in. And deep breath out.
• Keep your eyes closed. Deep breath in. And out. 

Take some time. Let the memories, the ideas, the thoughts flow through your mind. Let your brain focus on the ones that make the most sense, that are the most exciting, that got your attention. And when you feel ready, take a minute to write them down. Write down what sparked joy, what sparked excitement, what brought up questions or new ideas. Let these ideas, thoughts, and visions be your guiding light through the design process. Come back to these visions often and make sure that the decisions you make are aligned with this future you took the time to visualize.