2014 Summer Courses at The Nature Institute in Ghent, New York (USA). Reading in the Book of Nature: Enlivening Observation and Thinking Through Plant Study. June 29 to July 5 When we read, we participate in meaning – the meaning that is inherent in the text. It is not enough to know word definitions and grammatical rules to read. Similarly, when we observe and strive to understand the natural world around us, it is not enough to know names and an array of characteristics. Rather we must try to see the relations between, say, parts of a plant and understand how a plant relates to its environment. What is a plant expressing through its unique way of being? Can we begin to fathom the deeper meanings that are present in the living world? This is no simple task, because it demands a new kind of relational knowing that moves from a clear understanding of details to a perception of processes and interconnections. In this course we want to take steps in learning to read in the book of nature through:
- exercises in flexible thinking;
- careful study of plants in the local surroundings;
- clay modeling with a focus on metamorphosis.
- Morning seminars from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm
- Lunch break from 12:30 pm to 2 pm
- Afternoon activities from 2 pm to 5:30 pm
| | |
