User:Bob Crombie
Bewildering
1 What is bewildering? 2 The Way of Wyrd 3 History of bewildering 4 Is bewildering the same as guerrilla gardening or bush regenerating? 5 All about “How to bewilder.” 6 References
1 What is bewildering?
Bewildering is making provision for wildness in our lives by planting appropriate vegetation, removing rubbish, obstacles and weeds, and creating habitat wherever we can thus facilitating the process of allowing other species to live with us in our backyards, suburbs, cities, industrial areas and rural areas and create healthy surrounds for people
Bewildering is a very deep human response to our relationship to our world especially our immediate environment that recognizes our place in it, our dependence upon it, and our responsibility to it. It is more than a charming term; it is a term for charming. It is not just such things as planting trees, greening, cuddling koalas and saving whales. As Bewilderers, we would enhance the place where we live to make it as healthy as possible and allow for as much wildlife as possible to share it with us.
‘Bewilder’ is an old term meaning ‘to become connected to life, the source, the spirit, God, Nature through being wholeheartedly in nature’ and essentially ‘charmed by Nature’. If one became bewildered, especially if it happened unexpectedly and they were untrained in these matters, they would often become confused for their world would be different in that state and they might not know how to be their usual selves in it. They have been bewildered. For those in the know such as druids in the old times, this would be a highly desirable state to be in and one that was sought after. It was only later that the confusion aspect was developed and it became used as a derogatory term to discourage people from becoming connected to life, nature, the source, the spirit or God in this way.
The term is extended here to include the sense of ‘making wildness’ and thus making provision for the opportunity for us to become bewildered and thus to increase our health and wellbeing, open our hearts and embrace our rightful place in the world as a part of Nature fully connected to it, dependant upon it and responsible to it.
2 The Way of Wyrd
Bewilderers may very well see themselves as following the Way of Wyrd. ‘Wyrd’ is a wonderful old Anglo-Saxon word for ‘fate,’ ‘worthy’ and ‘to make happen’. It is closely linked to being ‘wise’ and ‘connected to nature’. This was before it was spuriously connected to magic and witchcraft and used in a negative and derogatory manner in much the same manner as the term bewildered was.
Much of our philosophy of the Way of Wyrd has been taken directly or paraphrased from Brian Bates’ book The Way of Wyrd1 and we are most grateful for his wonderful work, which we have adapted to our needs.
Bates says that, “every culture has at some time in its history evolved teachings and techniques that enable individuals to transcend the layers of conventional reality and experience a vision of their future, a way to understand themselves, their lives and their place in the world and incorporate this vision.” Bewildering and the way of wyrd are ways we can do this in our present society.
‘Wyrd’ the dictionary says is a wonderful old Anglo-Saxon word for ‘fate,’ ‘worthy’ and ‘to make happen’. It is closely linked to being ‘wise’ and ‘connected to nature’. This was before it was spuriously connected to magic and witchcraft and used in a negative and derogatory manner, in much the same manner as the term bewildered was, and became our modern concept weird meaning ‘something strange, bizarre or supernatural.’ This deliberate contrivance was used to take people away from the Way of Wyrd and direct communion with Nature.
But Bates says that its reality is older and greater than this. He says, “Wyrd refers to our personal destiny, that aspect of our life that is so deep, so all-pervasive and so central to our understanding of ourselves and our world. It connects us to all things (physical, mental and spiritual), thought, emotions, and events in the Cosmos through the threads of an enormous, invisible but dynamic web.
Everything in the Cosmos is connected to the strands of an all-encompassing web in a way that far surpasses in ambition our web of interaction, interconnection and interdependence in our scientific, ecological view. This image extends our notion of cause and effect to encompass individual life events and being as well as physical and biological phenomena, nonmaterial as well as material events and phenomena, and challenges the very cause and effect upon which our scientific, ecological theories depend. It gives as much significance to the human body, mind and spirit and its visions and aspirations as it does to the material, ecological world. In the Way of Wyrd the Web of Life now encompasses human thoughts, feelings, emotions, vices and virtues, aspirations, dreams and responsibilities. In acknowledging this, it behooves us to be fully responsible for ourselves and our actions and our intimate connection and interdependence with Nature and the Cosmos.
Today, through a deep connection with Wyrd we are inspired to see our lives in a new and empowering way. It restores our experience of the healing power of Love, Nature, and creativity. It is about letting into our lives the guidance of an extended universe of body, mind and spirit and acting in accord with this.”
3 The history of bewildering
The concept of bewildering began to develop in Bob CrombieGuerrilla gardening from Sutherland, in Sydney, NSW Australia. In 1974 when Bob was working for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service as a Ranger Naturalist in Royal National Park, he was very impressed by a book by George Adams called “Birdscaping Your Garden.”2, which assisted people to design and develop their garden to attract birds. Bob immediately thought, “Why only birds?” Why not attract all sorts of animals to your garden to live there? Why not “Animalscape Your Garden”? He immediately set about developing a set of principles and means to attract wildlife into one’s backyard and facilitate their living there – animalscaping - and began teaching this. In 1983 he changed the name from “animalscaping” to “ecoscaping” to broaden its concept.
Bob was invited over the years to talk to many groups on Ecoscaping and he practiced it in his own backyard and suburb. His backyard appeared on a couple of TV shows in the 1990s and in the ABC TV Gardening magazine``` illustrating this concept.
In about 2006, Bob formed a group at Sutherland called The Bewilderers with whom he bewildered many areas around the Sydney suburbs Sutherland and Kirrawee. The first members were Russell Kilbey, Chin Lee, and David Santilli. Together they have bewildered many places in Sutherland; developed a community walking track and rainforest/swamp/pollution treatment pond/woodland/meadow; rehabilitated a critically endangered ecological community of Sandstone Shale Transition Forest at Sutherland; and turned a public recreation park of lawns and trees (Pollard Park) at Kirrawee Station into a heritage sample on the national register of Critically Endangered Ecological Community Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest with many rare plant species established; planted many trees; and established many beautiful gardens. One of their favourites is the “Wall of Bewilderment” in Glencoe Street, Sutherland where they have transformed the walls of the Glencoe Street Railway underpass into a garden and ongoing work of art using wall pots and wall climbing plants and a work of art making provision for passersby to become bewildered.
On 27th February 2008, Bob was invited to give a talk on “Verges” to the “Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens and National Herbarium” in Sydney. He took this opportunity to broaden the concept of the talk and changed the topic to “Bewildering,” which he ensured the Friends would cover all the aspects of verges they wanted and more. By this time Bob’s concept of “ecoscaping” had become more wholistic incorporating our human presence more fully becoming “bewildering.”
4 Is bewildering the same as guerrilla gardening or bush regenerating?Guerrilla gardening
Bewildering is sometimes spoken of in the same breath as guerrilla gardening and bush regenerating but they are not the same thing? Guerrilla gardening is gardening on another person’s land without permission. Guerrilla gardeners may well be bewildering through their activities but bewilderers may be bewildering with or without the full permission of the landowner. Sutherland Shire Council took it upon them selves to fully support the activities of the Bewilderers when they began their activities within the Shire even though permission was not asked for initially.
Sutherland Shire Council has one of the largest volunteer Bush Regeneration groups in the world and some of the activities of the Bewilderers certainly fitted the role of bush regenerating. However, as you will see from the notes that follow on “how to bewilder,” bewildering is much, much more than bush regenerating and regards bush regenerating as just one particular form of bewildering.
The Bewilderers believe that the Sutherland Shire Council, and all other Councils, should have a Bewildering Section, which is responsible for managing the activities of volunteers as they carry out a range of bewildering activities within the Shire such as regenerating land as urban bushland, bewildering local parks, industrial areas, schools, shopping centres, verges, and vacant lands, etc., that is, bewildering space wherever it is possible throughout the Shire. Managing flower gardens in local parks and shopping centres certainly falls within this brief, as does the establishment of community vegetable gardens and orchards.
5 All about “How to bewilder.”
This section is covered through the contents of Bob’s talk on Bewildering given to the “Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens and National Herbarium” in Sydney on February 27th 2008. The notes are given largely in point form.
So what is bewildering?
Wild Life is essential not a luxury. Wild Life allows us to watch things live, to not be alone, to touch the earth, scratch about in soils, breathe the scent of plants and flowers, let off steam, connect with other people and connect with Life. Wild Life is Therapeutic.
Wild Life, parks, green space and greenery in cities represent a minor public investment with a huge payoff.
Parks and Wild Life help people to take care of themselves so cities don’t have to spend as much on social, medical and safety services trying to fix their problems. Parks and Wild Life provide essential services we shouldn’t refuse, but we do.
Plants specifically provide the following services:
1. water infiltration 2. air pollution treatment - vegetation filters pollution and traps tiny particles of dust and soot reducing airborne particulates from vehicles. Green lung effect – plants cleanse the air of dangerous chemicals (e.g. SO2, NO2, CO) 3. air conditioning/ameliorating temperature - leaves shade and cool hard surfaces cooling their surrounds 4. Calming and communing effect on people; less stress, aggression, violence, and crime, litter and graffiti; more calm, safe, communal 5. Essential to human physical, social, psychological and spiritual well-being 6. Connection with Nature – very important!
How do we strike a balance between Nature, Culture and Progress while being knocked about by the waves of change? Once we embrace the idea of Change or Progress in Nature, we undermine the prevailing conservation goals, which emphasize preservation of the past when what we need is continuity with the past. Our goals needs to change and progress. Do we: recreate the past; preserve the present; or usher in the future?
We need to acknowledge: • the essential services provided by Nature, and • the extent to which living organisms are now bound to us • that our towns and cities, industrial areas and farms are now important ecosystems, and • that we should do more to accommodate the species that are now obliged to live among us.
SPACE - Verges, boundaries, and wasteland are opportunities for increasing ecodiversity and amenity
Where do we have SPACE in our community to create OPPORTUNITIES for NATURE and REWARD ourselves with environmental services, re-creation, beautification, amenity, health, sense of place and fertile ground for our imagination?
New opportunities (spaces)
Roadside verges Factory fronts School yards Grounds of public buildings, e.g. universities, churches Sides of premises Median strips Special road gardens Front yards Roof tops Roofs (lichen, grass) Walls Easements – power, water, stormwater, transport, etc. Open up your imagination and SEE.
We can expand the concept of these opportunities to include
Nature conservation – urban bush, movement corridors, habitat, rare species conservation Community – gardens (vegetable, flower, native), orchards, parks, re-creation, places to connect with each other and our environment Beauty, amenity, sense of place Urban runoff control and infiltration Pollution treatment
URBANITY becomes BEWILDERED WASTE and WILDLIFE become SERVICES/FUNCTIONAL ORGANS
Bewildering is creating new spaces for Wildlife as functional organs serving ALL LIFE.
• Widen verges and narrow roads, one way streets, single lane streets; ramp gutters rather than curbs • Create wide wild median strips along roads • Create roadside features, planters, tree bays, etc • Build them into our architectural designs and plans, e.g. cluster or pod housing development; houses-hollow bricks for bats and wasps, roof top gardens, window boxes, etc • Reorganize our present services to become multi-service e.g. transport corridors • Use porous paving where possible
We are only limited by our Will and Imagination
ECOSCAPING
We can Ecoscape rather than Landscape
Landscaping works with what you want and imposes that on the area chosen with little regard for the ecology of the area. Ecoscaping recognizes the ecological factors of an area and works with them.
Ecoscaping –conserving, building, reconstructing and enhancing Wild Life habitat and conserving species:
1. Use local providence where possible – know your local ecology 2. Food - making provision for as many links in the food web as possible 3. Water – bird baths, backyard ponds, clean creeks and urban ponds 4. Roosting and nesting structures, e.g. nesting boxes, mounds, wasp tubes, bee and wasp wood, etc 5. Shelter – rocks, logs, dead wood, hollows, thick vegetation, etc 6. Layers in the vegetation not just fixating on trees – trees, shrubs and herbs; fungi, litter and logs 7. boulders, rocks, sand and gravel 8. Easy on the mulch – use groundcovers 9. Think ‘Meadows’ rather than ‘Lawns’ 10. Think food, water, shelter, pollination and dispersal, symbiosis, essential services 11. Do not be a Native Plant Chauvinist – many exotic species are excellent resources for native animals. Colour, size, appearance and perfume very important for people (e.g., annuals). Permaculture, gardening and bush regenerating are subsets of ecoscaping. 12. Recognize, value and conserve sense of place.
Problems and issues
Various laws, regulations and approvals to consider and possibly change Old conservation and management principles and bureaucratic inertia Management and maintenance of over-riding functions such as underground sewer, power, telephone, water, overhead power and communications, etc Weeds and weed seed banks Vandalism Rubbish dumping OHS issues Visibility and safety Car accidents Parking and access across Attitudes/beliefs/self interest Ignorance, insensitivity, poor taste, egos Funding
Levels of management
State and Federal Governments, industry Local Councils Groups – private, corporate, clubs, etc. Schools Individuals
Promotion
Education Council and government support Community involvement: in local and regional planning; voluntary work Research, record, map and report on local wildlife Celebration – local, regional and national e.g. bogong moth festival, lawn grub festival, Gymea lily festival Adoption Competitions – gardening/bewildering groups make special provision and prizes, photo comps Schools, towns, districts adopt local species and reserves and celebrate them and the local natural and seasonal phenomena Think tanks
Get into it! Bewildering
We have: Bush Regenerators
Now we need Bush Makers Verge Regenerators Home makers
But best of all – BE WYRD
Become a BEWILDERER
Our Motto: Be Wyrd and Bewilder
5 References:
Adams, George. Birdscaping your Garden. A Practical Guide to Backyard Birds and the Plants that Attract Them.
Bates, Brian. The Way of Wyrd. Tales of an Anglo-Saxon Sorcerer. Hay House, Carlsbad, California. 1983.
ABC TV. Pamela Laing’s Design Your Garden. Gardening Australia Collector’s Series No. 2.