Tracking Nature (concurrently running seasonal, guided nature self-study cohort groups — weekly meet-ups)
Tracking Nature is something we all do already. We check the weather and temperature. We water the plants. We figure out where the closest, cheapest gas station is when the tank hits "E."
The way our minds work can be compared to a computer's operating system — think of the lists we regularly keep, how we adapt to changing plans, and how we prioritize. Roshiki Arbor aims to improve your capability for "tracking nature" — in other words, to "upgrade" the nature-related lists on your mental operating system, as much or as little as you're interested in.
Tracking Nature is a guided self-study program. It includes a weekly meet-up, activities to complete, and feedback consultations, along with a few simple daily and weekly routines that take very little time. The program can be expanded to be as in-depth or intensive as you like, or have time for.
There is an academic-style component that can be worked through at whatever pace is easy and enjoyable. Coursework runs in several-week blocks that continue on an ongoing basis without overlapping. Empiricism is an extremely valuable tool, but nobody wants to treat every moment of life as a science experiment — there is more to it than that: there is art, and there is living. Different seasons bring different subjects to the forefront for examination, and they're more likely to be found right outside your door than in a book or an image online.
Roshiki Arbor provides templates for common subjects and priority items, along with ideas for approaching them, for a clearer, simpler, and more comprehensive ability to track nature. In our opinion, it's a genuinely useful ability — to follow and notice more, to understand how it might affect us, or simply to see more of what we want to see. Examples include the seasons, the tides, weather, the sky, and a better knowledge of wildlife, hunters, and birds; learning which plants are edible (or not) or useful for crafts, tools, or other personal interests; and understanding how we relate to all of it as people.
Consultations aren't limited to an academic setting — they may also be offered or available out in the field.
