Coming Alive to Nature Courses
“Nothing will produce an effective change but the fresh transformation that has already begun in the human mind.” — Lewis Mumford
About the courses
Since 2002,The Nature Institute has offered courses that emphasize immediate experience and practice. Participants practice observation: observation of natural phenomena, observation of thought processes, and observation of how we form judgments about the world. And this observing always involves doing—getting out into nature and observing and drawing plants; painting elements of a landscape; drawing geometric forms that “track” a progression of thought. By weaving together reflection and observation, taking in and actively creating, science and art, we bring ourselves into inner movement, and transformation begins. Our own process of knowing becomes more transparent and nature shows herself from new sides.
Gaining a deeper understanding of nature involves a widening of our inner horizons. While it is one thing to acknowledge that nature is dynamic, interconnected and whole, it is another matter to experience, articulate, and respect these qualities in our interactions with nature. How can we perceive and understand life dynamically?
Nature Institute Winter 2023 Intensive:
The Wisdom of Animals — Exploring their Dynamic Forms and Behavior
A Workshop with Craig Holdrege, Henrike Holdrege, and Jon McAlice
February 24 - 26, 2023 (Friday/Saturday 9 am to 5 pm; Sunday 9 am to 12:30 pm)
Our interactions with nature will become ever healthier, and support a productive co-evolution of humanity with the natural world, when they are based on a deeper understanding of nature. Can we truly see and experience nature as dynamic, interconnected and whole? That is an underlying question that will inform the week’s activities. The work will include careful sensory observation and just as careful attention to how we think about and judge the phenomena we are observing.
In this short course we will explore how everything within an animal is interconnected and expresses a deep wisdom. We will take up the challenge that Goethe formulates in these words:
“The agreement within the whole makes every creature what it is…. Every creature is one tone, one shade of a great harmony that one must study as a whole if the particulars are not to become dead letters.”
We will also work to gain a better understanding of the differentiated nature of animal behavior: What is instinct, what are drives, what is desire in animals?
Please register by February 17 by emailing Kristy King or calling the institute at 518-672-0116 between 8:30 and 12:30 weekdays.
Nature Institute Spring 2023 Intensive:
Plant Observation and the Living World
A workshop with Craig Holdrege, Henrike Holdrege, and Jon McAlice
April 21 - 23, 2023 (Saturday 9 am to 5pm, Sunday 9 am to 12:30 pm)
In a time that calls for the human mind to become ever more flexible, dynamic, and context-sensitive, the humble plant can become a potent teacher. This workshop will include careful sensory observation of early spring’s emerging plant life and just as careful attention to how we can learn to be with the phenomena we are considering in an alive way.
Please register by April 13 by emailing Kristy King or calling the institute at 518-672-0116 between 8:30 and 12:30 weekdays.
Daily schedule
Morning seminars from 9 am to 12:30 pm
Lunch break from 12:30 pm to 2 pm
Afternoon activities from 2 pm to 5:00 pm
Course staff
Craig Holdrege is a biologist, educator, and the director of The Nature Institute.
Henrike Holdrege is a mathematician, biologist, educator, and co-founder of The Nature Institute.
Jon McAlice is a senior researcher and educator at The Nature Institute.
Course fee
Sliding scale: $400 – $600 Fee includes materials, as well as morning and afternoon snacks.
Farmers and apprentices may apply to the Scholarship Fund of the Biodynamic Association for a scholarship; please go to http://biodynamics.com/scholarships.
Course location
The Nature Institute is located near the hamlet of Harlemville (town of Ghent), New York, and is nestled at the foot of the Taconic Hills. Our neighbors include the 400-acre biodynamic Hawthorne Valley Farm, the Hawthorne Valley School (a K-12 Waldorf school), and the Hawthorne Valley Farm Store.
Lodging and meals
We can refer participants to local families who rent rooms ($30 to $50 per night) upon registration. You can also find a list of motels, bed & breakfasts, and camping grounds here. We provide morning and afternoon snacks. Course participants will be responsible for all other meals. The Hawthorne Valley Farm Store has extensive organic food and deli selections and is within walking distance of The Nature Institute.