Situated on the edge of the largest forest complex of South Africa, we’re an intentional community – that’s a community that has come together by intention rather than by chance – committed to collaborative regenerative living in a way that is mutually supportive and cooperative.
The decision to live on the land came out of the intentional choice to take responsibility for our part in the intractable systemic challenges we face in our current times by creating spaces and opportunities for ourselves and future generations to lean and live into. Read more about how we bring this into our day to day life under our principles and practices.
Finding a place was a journey in itself with many visits, experiences, observations and dialogues with the land, its living beings and with each other. It was a process of deep listening and sensing and it was not always clearly audible or visible where we were being guided. We visited the area and other surrounding pieces of land on numerous occasions during different seasons of the year until we kept finding ourselves collectively drawn to and called by this magical place of possibility on the edge of the Knysna forest.
Our intention
… is to show respect for, responsibility to and gratitude for the land and our fellow species.
Given the specific location of our land and our South African context, our intentions become actions in four main areas: By tending to our Food Garden we embed ourselves in the cycles of nature, perceive them, learn from them and eat healthy food that strengthens our body, mind and spirit. Looking at the bigger picture of society and economy, the relationships between the living beings and the land are the foundation for diverse collective life offering space and opportunities to explore what choices will contribute to the society and economy we would like to see for our future generations. To be more intentional about all aspects of our life is the essence of how we embody change in this Learning Landscape and we invite family, friends, guests and participants to share this experience in visits, workshops, camps, immersions and learning journeys. With Forest restoration on this piece of land we intend to take responsibility for maintaining biodiversity by reducing non indigenous invasive trees and expanding the indigenous forest. In doing so, the needs of the living earth and of future generations become the guiding principles of our actions, fuelled with creativity and insight.
Scroll down to get an impression of what is going on at Forest Song.
Food Garden
“To remember how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to remember and connect to ourselves.”
(Soul of the Soil)
In 2022 we started by observing the lay of the land and realised that a pocket between the two main cottages would be most suitable for growing food.
An initial phase of clearing the dense bush and extensive digging out of bracken roots up to 1 meter under the topsoil needed time and patience resulting in a huge pile of biomass which was progressively burnt and the ash was cycled back into the compost heaps.
Swales and hügelbeds were established within a few months and with much generosity and support from the seedswop group and neighbours gifting us with seedlings, horse manure, chicken manure, banana trees, cow manure and wood chips the first veggies and herbs started to flourish.
The garden design and layout is continually inspired by permaculture principles and the daily rhythm and seasons are guided by biodynamic practices.
Forest Restoration
“You don’t need to do everything. Do what calls your heart; effective action comes from love. It is unstoppable, and it is enough.”
(Joanna Macy)
While making the deliberate decision to live on and work with this particular piece of land, we had a sense of the extent to which the land had previously been disturbed and used for invasive non-indigenous plantations for extraction.
Living with and walking the land for the first two years, we became increasingly aware of the scars on the land, of how many invasive trees were interspersed in the tiny strip of indigenous forest along the river and the intensity and speed at which a spread of invasive non-indigenous blue gum, pine, blackwood, black wattle, bugweed and bramble had been left to grow rampant and is currently presenting an increasing fire risk.
Particularly the dwellings had become overgrown. If left untouched, we would soon find ourselves in the middle of a dense mixed non-indigenous forest. Therefore focusing on fire safety was imperative and creating a defensible zone around the cottages – our zone 0 and 1 – became a top priority. In order to do this, we started uprooting the saplings and small trees with the tree popper and then steadily continued to ringbark gum, wattle and blackwood and remove pine.
By clearing these invasive trees, the naturally occurring indigenous trees such as Cape Beech, Cape Ash, Keurboom, Bitou bush and many more start having a greater chance of survival and space to grow. In several areas we planted the Keurboom as a pioneer and also planted a selection of fruit and nut trees adjacent to the vegetable garden.
Learning Landscape
“We are naturally mimicking the people in our lives. If nature was your mentor, how would that change the way you look at it?”
(Claire Janish)
While we live in an incredibly beautiful, wild place, we were faced with an overflowing septic tank when we got here and lettuce that neither grew nor died. Throughout the year we experience heavy rains that wash away the little humus we have, trees that literally grow over our heads, and much more. In our everyday lives here, we are invited to deal with many issues that we have never had to worry about before.
We have to and want to learn new things every day, question our habits, unlearn where necessary and make conscious choices about our behaviour. In this respect, we live in a learning landscape. The social and economic field that opens up when living and working together provides a learning edge for all individuals and sharing resources is also an opportunity within this learning landscape.
Our intention is to open our place up to more than merely the small circle of residents here and involve other people in possible learning journeys. At the moment, we mainly have family members and friends joining in, who visit us and with whom we have stimulating or provocative conversations about what we seek to bring into the world here.
For the future, we envision a wide range of learning opportunities, experiential open days, youth camps, immersions, rites of passage or more hands-on skills like wilderness emergency first aid or designing a permaculture garden.
Foundation for Diverse Collective Life
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see”.
(Henry David Thoreau)
Working, living and sharing the same geographic place tends to be perceived in a veil of fantasy, utopia and harmony. We realised from the start that living in a community takes a large amount of effort and energy. Differences in opinions and approaches, expectations of others and oneself and too little or unclear communication lead to misunderstandings, disappointment and surging emotions. But this is precisely the reason we choose this social form of life because of the inherent opportunities for growth and expansion that exist in the diversity and the coming together. In exploring the creative tension I experience with others and within myself, I see myself mirrored by others and confronted with myself.
Only through relationships can I question my views and beliefs and review whether they truly serve us. Monthly reflections, striving for open, regular and clear communication, actively seeking conversation when disagreements arise, Dragon Dreaming as a different format for planning – these are some of the tools we use to strengthen the social and relational field, to engage with each other and to be alive.
Something that already requires so much empathy and active effort at the relational level between two people (parties) becomes increasingly complex when we extend it to the societal level: Especially when it comes to questions such as “How much do you contribute and how much do I contribute?” – “Where is the line between yours and mine?” – “How much do I have to pay and how much do you pay?” – “Who decides how things are done?” – strong emotions and existential fears come to the surface.
Inequality and injustice, caused by South Africa’s history, are palpable in every encounter in every place. The land of Forest Song is the foundation, and creates the space where we can lean into, explore and practice new ways of interacting, being in relation at eye level, working partnerships or business relationships based on personal agreements. Our wish and goal is to live diversity as an enrichment and expansion rather than as a threat.
