Dehesa- The word comes from the old growth multifunctional agrosylvopastoral systems of Spain. The dehesas of Spain (Montados in Portugal) are examples of ecosystems where humans play a constructive role, maintaining and improving the landscape to benefit wilderness, all its inhabitants and humans equally. The area of land belongs to the village/cohabitors in common.

Forests seem permanent and natural. Few are. For at least 6,000 years men and women have shaped the woods. The forests as we know them are products of craft/art-ing.

Up until our time a forest was not a wilderness. From it might be harvested timber, firewood, tanbark, charcoal, fence and hurdle poles, splints for wattle, grass to pasture sheep, goats, cattle, horses, bison and more, acorns to fatten hogs, honey from beehives, ink from oak galls. In return, the users left the dung of the grazing animals.

A good dehesa looks like a park. The principal trees are oak, and under the trees are grasses and many more forage plants.

No one gets individually rich on a Dehesa, yet all live well. It requires a complex code of use allied to half a dozen crafts (or more) in a system of care and protection for all who come after. This has been going on since the bronze age and before. Since the Neolithic age crops have been planted among the trees.

Owl can see that which others cannot, which is the essence of true wisdom

Our body and wings

Our talons of self sustainment

Meet the Sensei

The Journey

 Working for a living= merely surviving

Career-ing= inspiring for a short time

Art-ing/crafting vocation-ing= awakened radiantly happy living a full filling life.

Since humans began to build and settle down, there have been two versions of the world; the world made with wood, and the world made with coal and oil. One lasted 12 to 15 millenia, the other has lasted about 250 years so far, and is crumbling into non being.

Humans arose through the exercise of memory, reason and skill in a world that was warming and blooming. Memory gave to reason its material and skill proved a thought to be true (or not). Skill suggested a turn of the wrist, memory preserved it, reason compared it.

The human attributes-courage, faithfulness, patience, fortitude, prudence and honor were forged where the faculties met, in the making of home in the world.

Human beings learned from the woods around them. The more the people worked with the oak, the more the oak taught them what it could do.

When we talk about prehistoric Britain we tend to think of Stonehenge. What we seldom realize is that Stonehenge is by no means unique. Most of the henges that have been excavated were largely or entirely made of oak posts.

The shapes and patterns of all the henges are called entropic because it is thought that they were created within the eyes itself.

The human mind grew through the knowledge born of Art, of Craft, and in order to make, our ancestors had to imagine. In order to imagine, they had to make. Between thinking/imagining and making (art-ing/crafting) the world we know emerged.

To imagine and to make (art, craft) are reinforcing pairs that awaken your spirit to life a big talented full-filling life.

_____________________________________________________

The journey

Crafting Dojo Opportunities

Service and volunteering dojo

Throw coins into the sacred pond

We are re-enchanting our world by honoring and celebrating everybody and everything while Art-ing a good life for all.

About aatl

Owl- wings and body

Our Renunciations

Our Animal Tribe

Our Human Tribe

Our heritage