I began expressing my big Cancer emotions through writing at a very young age. For me, the unique act of writing is what allows me to process and evolve fully
.
Today, my weekly missives follow themes that weave between the literal fields of my work in the Gemmo Forest, our family homestead garden, and the energy field we all experience.
My life now follows the rhythm of the land. From spring through fall, I can be found outdoors, hands in the dirt, working alongside her husband, Joachim, to tend our 7,500-square-foot family garden or with local volunteers caring for Gemmo Forest.
When the cold sets in and the fields rest, I return indoors, where I rekindle my love of writing by the wood stove, always with my faithful calico, Ruby, curled close by.
Growing asks you to remember the part of yourself the world has conditioned you to forget.
Dear Reader
I honestly don’t believe there is anything more delightful in the midst of July than to wake to a soft, steady rain. The muted shushing of drops running off foliage and the sharp, clear birdsong pierce my heart. Not wishing to miss a moment of this sensory feast, I quickly assembled tea and berries on my breakfast tray and made my way to the porch. Rain is summer’s greatest gift to all living beings. Coming in a close second is the moment it pauses, the first glimpse of sun piercing through cloud cover, and every plant shimmers in the light. July is yet young, making these moments all the more precious.
As it was Tuesday, I could only linger so long; intern Lucie would soon arrive to put in a few hours. Like each day she works here, she will no doubt round the corner of our house with a bright smile and an eagerness to dig into whatever needs tending.
Tiger Eye Beans and Nasturtiums
This morning, I have a particular experiment in mind, a practice for her to test out. Instead of making the rounds in the usual fashion, creating a list of what needs tending, I have a slightly different ask. Would she, on her forest-and-garden tour, instead attempt to look through a different lens? Rather than noting all the many projects that seem to compete for her attention, might she flip her perspective and make a list of what can instead wait? What can simply be?
Ask any grower in July what needs to be done, and they will say, everything. That is because we have been conditioned to see ourselves as managers rather than collaborators of the land we cultivate. Collaborators know they have partners; managers bear the burden of responsibility. Beginning each day with that burden is not only a joy-stealer but also leads you to miss the very essence of all that growing can offer.
I’ve had the good fortune to have worked with two interns and dozens of volunteers. It doesn’t take long for anyone to learn to plant, weed, and mulch, but cultivating presence and supporting their ability to see themselves as collaborators takes time. That is because it is not a skill but rather a way of being. My learning curve has been coming to understand that it is the most important lesson I can extend. You can learn to sheet mulch on YouTube, but you need to work side by side with someone who sees through a different lens to broaden your perspective on your relationship to the natural world. This is a core skill to develop not only on the farm or in the garden but for life.
When I proposed this practice to Lucy, she was, of course, game to try because that is who she is, but not without lingering a gaze at me with arched eyebrows. It’s a practice I tell her, adjusting how we see ourselves in this thriving environment. Are we attempting to dominate nature, or are nature’s children learning to tend? The theme of domination entered when growing became agriculture, and a system of beliefs not in alignment with nature was imposed. This set of beliefs or values came from the industrial age, which never recognized nature as a partner but rather as a force to be conquered and controlled.
Examining how I came to hold a very different perspective than most of my peers, I was led to recover EF Schumacher from our bookshelf. His 1973 publication, Small is Beautiful, is a mighty source of wisdom we lack today. Schumacher has this to say,
There can be no doubt that the fundamental principles of agriculture and industry, far from being compatible, are in opposition.
Agriculture is primary; industry is secondary. Human life can continue without industry. Whereas it can not continue without agriculture.
His thoughts from 1971 are far from the current trajectory and the collective belief that technology will save us. While it has it's benefits because of it we have forgotten the use of our hands to make and create along with our place in the natural order of living systems.
When I participated in the Hannah Grimes Business Lab, I learned the astounding failure rate of small farms nationwide. I was told and believed at the time that farms fail because they aren’t run as businesses. Good bookkeeping delivers success. I won’t argue that it is a contributing factor. But now, 3.5 years in, I believe small farms fail because farmers have been conditioned to dominate rather than co-create with nature. When working with rather than against, we are more likely to see the value in this suggested orientation:
Man’s management of the land must be primarily oriented to three goals: health, beauty and permanence. The 4th goal, the only one accepted by experts, productivity, will then be attained as a by-product.
Now back to dear Lucy and her practice, which she fell into with ease. Imagine the freedom this provided her, realizing over time that it's less about managing and more about allowing. I can see in her what I have discovered myself, that growing asks you to remember the part of yourself the world has conditioned you to forget.
With Lucie as a source of inspiration, I've begun to outline the Gemmo Forest Growing Growers program. Much to share next week about what’s ahead, but this missive has grown long and my bare feet ache to wander. So I’ll close for now and make my way outdoors to meander down some clover paths, observing our bee friends hard at work. If I’m especially lucky, I’ll spot the newest garden addition, the tiniest milk snake ever, out for her afternoon sun bath.
Energies I will be noting in the week ahead:
Monday the 13th the Sun with begin its transit through Gate 62 and the theme is details, small actions, precision. With Mercury still Rx in Cancer it's a great opportunity to contemplate relationships in your life that could use some refinement.
Tuesday the 14th is the New Moon also in Cancer. I've heard this called a pivot point by several Astrologers. What pivot will you make?
Wednesday the 15th,Uranus forms a sextile with Neptune and begins the line up of four outer planets ( Jupiter, uranus, Neptune and Pluto) over the coming days. This period is being referred to as the basket or bowl and the start of a shift in consciousness.
Copyright @2025 Gemmos with Lauren Hubele You are receiving this email because you have shown interest in Lauren's work Our mailing address is: Gemmotherapy with Lauren Hubele 180 Hurricane Road Keene, New Hampshire 03431
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
Field Notes from Lauren
Lauren Hubele
I began expressing my big Cancer emotions through writing at a very young age. For me, the unique act of writing is what allows me to process and evolve fully
.
Today, my weekly missives follow themes that weave between the literal fields of my work in the Gemmo Forest, our family homestead garden, and the energy field we all experience.
My life now follows the rhythm of the land. From spring through fall, I can be found outdoors, hands in the dirt, working alongside her husband, Joachim, to tend our 7,500-square-foot family garden or with local volunteers caring for Gemmo Forest.
When the cold sets in and the fields rest, I return indoors, where I rekindle my love of writing by the wood stove, always with my faithful calico, Ruby, curled close by.
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. ~African Proverb Dear Reader It’s crazy HOT here, as in so many places in the world. Garden projects begin at first light and, when possible, are completed by 10 am. Given the short window of time, it's been a bit of a triage system, my attention going to what is most desperate. In the spring, planting is top priority; in the summer, it’s always watering and harvesting vying...
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. ideas are not “out there” waiting to be discovered, but are tools—like forks and knives and microchips—that people devise to cope with the world in which they find themselves. ~Louis Menand, The Metaphysical Club, A Story of Ideas in America Dear Reader When it’s Thursday afternoon, and I don’t have a throughline for my weekly missive, I know I’ve likely been looking in all the wrong places, missing the obvious storyline right before me. And so,...
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. Garlic bridges ancient wisdom and modern science as a protective ally – nourishing our bodies, healing soils, and guarding gardens in an era that needs its resilient spirit more than ever. ~Jay Drysdale Dear Reader I honestly don’t know how I have lived 66 years without experiencing garlic scapes, yet somehow I have. I actually had never even seen a scape until my first beds of garlic produced them last season. Whether it is possible for me to...