ABSTRACT
The Goethean method is presented in an accessible way as a series of practical steps that guide the reader into a deeper relationship to any aspect of the farm. Using the example of working with a plant, this chapter takes the reader on a journey that can help them to develop, what Goethe called, new organs of perception. At the heart of this method is developing and utilising human faculties, such as imagination and intuition, in a disciplined way that allows them to play an insightful role in a holistic understanding of the land and of ourselves. The four elements of earth, water, air and fire are used to assist with feeling each of the shifts in consciousness that are involved in the Goethean approach. This journey challenges the reader to step outside their usual preconceptions and, through a type of phenomenology, allows them to experience subjectivity in a new way. The experience sheds light on Goethe’s idea of delicate empiricism as an approach to scientific understanding. For agroecology, the Goethean method can give a fresh view of land and how it can be worked with – what its needs are and how to enter into collaboration with it. This need not replace other approaches, but may accompany other forms of exploration for a fuller understanding of the being that we collaborate with, when we engage with land.
