Why do Patterns even Matter?

Why is Permaculture Focused on Pattern Literacy?

What is a Pattern?

Patterns are things that repeat in a predictable way.

My Story: Pattern literacy is both basic and foundational, so if you don’t recognize it readily, you can make grievous errors. For example, in my first garden I placed the rows pointed downhill which in a dry hot climate promotes run off, erosion, drying of the land and overall stress in the garden - I didn’t see the overall pattern and how to interact with it so I couldn’t setup my garden properly. As soon as I began studying Permaculture with Geoff Lawton, I quickly recognized my issue and literally tore up my entire spring garden, reset it, and replanted it. How else could I have shown images of the garden to my classmates in Geoff’s course? I had to do it the right way!

What other patterns are they?

Pests are part of a Pattern - just wait a few days and see if something comes to remove them. If your soil, plants, and system are healthy, something will come to rescue your plants. Whenever a plant is stressed they are either calling for an attack on themselves or a rescue from an attack. Recognizing the signs and patterns of each is vital to managing a garden wisely.

There are MANY Patterns - some just seem like Organized Shapes, but even these have purpose.

WAVE example - Sound, Light, Vibration. off/on, night/day, winter/summer, heart beats, breathing (chest rises and falls), the rise and fall of land, the meander of streams and rivers (slows the water and increases the life capacity and cycling), waves on the ocean (starting with a hurricane spiral and ending in a spiral), waves of sound, vibration, pleasure pain are all on a spectrum of waves - all viruses and tumors have unique frequencies they resonate at - the Pulse of On Off that makes a wave defines EVERYTHING on this Planet. Day Night. Summer Winter. Male Female. Predator Prey. Good Evil. Tides. Life. Plot/Story.

Maybe getting carried away here, BUT You See the Point or the Pattern that is ;)

Grow Abundantly, Learn Daily, & Live Regeneratively,
Matt Powers