ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses biodynamic ecology, the third field of Ruskin Mill Trust's method of Practical Skills Therapeutic Education. It visits Pishwanton (East Lothian) and Clervaux (North Yorkshire), where Ruskin Mill's RISE centres support adult participants with learning differences and difficulties using farming, community and festivals. The chapter discusses the importance of nature for mental health and different dimensions of connection such as embodied experience, engagement with animals, connection across time (the rhythms of the agricultural year) and connection across the different elements of the farm. It also introduces biodynamic agriculture, which stands at the origins of today's organic farming movement. A conversation with the Trust's founder Aonghus Gordon goes deeper into these dimensions, in particular the therapeutic possibilities of young people's relationship to specific animals. The chapter also discusses the inspiration Ruskin Mill draws from William Morris’ commitment to practical engagement.
