< Ascension 5 >
There were seven farmers who each had their own property. Each had their own
products or produces that they were growing and offering back to others. They
lived close together, so they formed a co-op amongst themselves. Each one of
them was independent, yet they found that when they put their collective
energies together, they were stronger, and they were more efficient.
There was one farmer who grew wonderful corn … large, succulent ears of corn on his land. And, when it was time to harvest, he would go out in the fields and collect all of the ears at one time. Then he would put these on trucks or other means of transportation, and he would ship his corn off to a central location that was managed by one of the other seven farmers. At this central facility, his ears of corn would be processed. Some would be canned, some would be wrapped, some frozen, and others dried for sending out to market later.
There was the second farmer. This farmer grew beautiful, beautiful strawberries. They were a sight to behold. They were plump, and they were red, and they were delicious. Like the corn farmer, this farmer would plant his seeds at the same time each year, and then he would tend to his crop. He would pick out the weeds… he would shoo off the bugs. And, when the time was appropriate, this second farmer would harvest his crop of strawberries, and they would be sent to the farmer who managed the central facility for the co-op. At this facility the fresh, ripe strawberries would be processed. Some would be made into juices. Some of the strawberries would be frozen. Others would be put into different forms where they could be stored and distributed and shipped out at the appropriate times.
There was the third farmer. He grew wonderful melons and delicious cantaloupe so sweet that when tasted it would make the mouth tingle. He, like the other farmers, would also add his love to the crop. He was diligent each day in going out, tending to the fields, assuring that the crops had the proper moisture, that they had the proper nutrients. And when it was time for harvest, he would bring in his crop of melons. He would send them off to the central processing facility that was managed by one of the seven in the co-op. From there the melons were put into all sorts of different forms, some to be stored, some to be sent to market immediately as fresh produce, some to wait until the appropriate time.
There was the fourth farmer who grew vegetables. He grew lettuce and broccoli, cauliflower, and radishes. All of these crops that he grew were so fresh, and they were so filled with the love of Gaia, the love of Spirit, and the love of the farmer that you could literally smell them, even before they were cut open. You could smell this aroma of freshness, of nature coming through, even when the crops were growing in the fields. You could smell the crispness of the lettuce. You could smell the strong scent of the radishes. You could literally sense the freshness.
And, when the time was right, this farmer of the produce gathered his crops up. Like the other farmers, he would send it to a central processing facility that was managed by one of the other seven farmers. From there it was packaged in many, many different forms. Some of his produce was stored, and others were sent to market immediately.
There was the fifth farmer who grew carrots in the ground. This farmer loved to go out and put his hands in the dirt, and feel Earth itself, and feel the carrots. When he pulled them from the ground to inspect them, he loved the texture and the feel. He loved the firmness of these carrots. He loved the texture of the stalks, the sensation of the vegetable itself.
And, this farmer also loved the work that he did and put his heart and soul into it. And, when it was time, he too went out and put his hands in the dirt and harvested the crops. His carrots were sent to the central processing facility that was managed by one of the others. The carrots were put into many different forms, some as juice, some as fresh produce, others to be frozen for later use.
There was yet another farmer. This sixth farmer grew onions. And, these onions, he knew, would be used to flavor and to enhance and to bring forth a passion when mixed with other foods. They would be used to make fine meals. They would be used to bring life to foods that might otherwise carry many nutrients but be somewhat boring in taste. His onions were so large and so succulent that it made not only his eyes tear up, but also the eyes of any who ate his onions. And, like the others, when it came time for harvest, he would gather up his crops, and they would be shipped off to the central processing facility. They would be changed into many different things, some stored for later use, others sent off to market immediately.
And, there was the seventh farmer, the one who managed the central processing facility for the co-op. Now, this farmer also raised chickens. His chickens were treated with great honor and great care. These chickens then delivered wonderful eggs, eggs that supplied protein and nutrients, eggs that helped people wake up in the morning and give them the appropriate type of energies through the day. The hens joyfully produced eggs over and over again for this farmer. Each day he would collect the eggs, and they would be sent to the central processing facility that he managed. Some of the eggs would be sent to market immediately. Yet many others would be changed in nature for storage and distribution at the appropriate time.
All of the farmers sent their harvest to the central processing facility, which oddly enough was located at the very furthest point of all the farmers' lands. All the goods were being shipped there, for this was the most efficient way at the time. Collectively, the farmers could be more efficient and more profitable. So, everything was sent to one location, and then resent to market or stored.
Now, at a certain point the farmers learned of a new processing machine. This machine allowed each individual farmer to process his crops at his own location. This seemed like a true breakthrough in technology. No longer did the carrot farmer have to send his goods to the chicken farmer for processing. No longer did the one who grew the strawberries have to send them to a central processing facility. Each individual farmer could process their own goods and deliver them immediately to market.
So each of the farmers invested in one of the new processing machines. These new machines were smaller and lighter and less expensive than the large machines at the large central processing center. The new machines were convenient. They were fast. They could respond to the changing needs of the harvest. It was no longer necessary for the farmer to plant and to harvest all at one time. Rather, it could be done in stages. The farmers could plant seeds in small plot of land one month and another plot another month. The new small, on-site processing machines could handle this much better and more efficiently than the large machine.
So, all seven farmers in the co-op agreed that each would have their own new high-speed, high-tech processing machine. They would continue to work together, for they felt there was strength when they were connected. So, they hired an expert who came in and set up what you would call an "intranet system" between the farms. This intranet system allowed each farmer now to communicate with the others automatically. The carrot farmer could see how many pounds of melons the melon farmer was harvesting. They could access each other's information. It was very fast and very efficient. Based on the information that was coming in over this intranet system, they could measure and monitor and adjust their own planting and harvesting so all of this production would complement each other.
Now, the seven farmers in this co-op made a large change, dear friends, when they moved from a central processing center where goods were stored and shipped. They made a large change when they each took over their own processing, but yet were connected by intranet.
As so many of you know, they had problems with this intranet system. It was frustrating at first. There were some who cursed. There were some who wanted to go back to the old ways. Some were afraid of this technology. They felt it did not have the grounded energies of the old ways. There were some who were not so willing to learn how to use their new processing machines. They were used to putting their goods onto a truck and sending it off to the central facility.
And, now they had to take responsibility for their own harvest and for their own processing. They had the assistance of all the others in the co-op through the intranet, but it frightened them to a point. But, each worked with the others. They shared information. They got together on a regular basis to discuss the pros and the cons, how to get through the difficult and challenging times. They learned the software capabilities of this system. They learned how to make their processing systems run very smoothly.
Soon production increased like never before, like they could never have imagined. They were much more efficient. Their shipments now to the market were done on an "as-need" basis - what you would call a "just-in-time" system. There was no longer the need for massive storage and freezing and packaging. Their products came from the fields, went through processing, and were shipped directly to the market. With the information provided by the intranet system, they understood how to plant, harvest and process on an as-needed, just-in-time basis.
The farmers got together a year or so after they implemented this new system. They got together over strawberry juice. And, they chuckled. They chuckled amongst themselves at how daring they were transition to this technology. They chuckled at the difficult, challenging days … the days they lost money, the days that they would much rather have retired from farming than go forth with this new technology.
But, they chuckled now, because they were much more efficient. They were much happier, and they were able to pursue new activities now. They chuckled, and they said, "Could you have imagined just one year ago where we would be now?" They all shook their heads "no." They could not possibly have imagined where they would be in their new way of doing things, because there was nothing to compare it with in the old days. When they sat and planned for their new method and their new technologies, they just had a glimpse and a hope of what it could do for them, how it could make them better, more productive farmers.
But, they chuckled now - a year later - with the understanding of what had really happened and how it had transformed them. It made them so much more responsible and productive. Each of them now owned their own crops and processors, everything from start to finish. But, yet they were still in this co-op together.