The Honorable Harvest: A Model of Deep Respect for the Living Earth
Changing Seasons…
As August becomes September, I notice the changes I look forward to all year. The way that the Goldenrod begins to glow in the late afternoon light. The apples that ripen on the branch and fall to the ground and begin to decompose. The deer trails in the tall grass leading to and from those same apples. The spicy smell in the air, the deep burgundy of the Staghorn Sumac berry clusters, and the blackberries in the thickets. The sugar maples that begin to fade into orange even in mid-August and the soft hum of the crickets.
This is a time of harvest, when the life force that has been so freely given by the Sun, digested and transformed by the plant people, is transformed into food that we can eat and give thanks for. What a wonderful time for foraging, and deepening our relationship with plants we share the land with.
Hunting and Gathering
Late summer and early autumn is also a time when hunters begin to make preparations for the annual journey into the woods and fields, hoping to fill their freezers with meat for the winter. Foraging and hunting can be done any number of ways. Some ways can be harmful, taking more than is needed, or harvesting without reverence and respect. Others can be beneficial, helping to manage populations such as white tail deer by providing necessary pressure, or by discovering, monitoring, and cultivating endangered or native plants.
The difference is made by the person, and how they choose to engage with the plants and animals they are in relationship with. Whether you are picking blackberries or bow hunting, the honorable harvest is a way to approach these timeless human endeavors so that your impact is helpful and not hurtful. It is an ethical framework for approaching hunting or gathering with great reverence and respect for the lives of the beings harvested for your survival and wellbeing.
An Animate World
In her book “Braiding Sweetgrass,” Potawatomi elder and botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer discusses the importance of language in shaping our relationship with the “more than human world.” Rather than referring to animals and plants as objects and using the word “it” when referring to them, she suggests he/she/they or them. Notice the difference:
“I heard there was a bear here. Where is it?”
Versus…
“I heard there was a bear here. Where are they?”
What happens when we start to see our relatives in the “more than human world, not as objects but as subjects? What if we shift our perspective and see the earth as full of gifts rather than commodities? We all need to eat. When we reflect upon our need to eat from the perspective of an animate, deeply connected world, this means we are eating our relatives, we are eating people. They may be carrot people or deer people, but they are still beings who live, feel, and communicate in their own unique ways. How do we then grapple with our need to consume these beings?
A time tested approach is to do so with respect. With reverence. With great care, and great gratitude.
The Honorable Harvest
The Honorable harvest is a series of ethical guidelines that can help guide our approach to hunting and/or gathering with reverence and respect. These suggestions support a more animate world, guided by a sense of reciprocity and gratitude.
Never take the first one: Those blackberries look sweet and delicious! Pause. Don’t be greedy. Leave the first one for someone else. Slow down. Leaving the first one is a practice of forbearance, self control, and respect. It helps us slow down and appreciate this being with mindfulness.
Ask permission: For some folks, talking to blackberries or white pine trees may feel strange at first. We’ve been conditioned to see this as crazy. In my experience it isn’t crazy at all. In fact, speaking to the “more than human world” is one of the ways that I have found to be most powerful in deepening my relationship with the earth. Asking permission again shows respect. You have to wait and listen for an answer. We aren’t assuming that everything is ours for the taking. Sometimes we may get a “no”, and let be. That is good.
Listen for the answers: This requires patience and non-attachment. Be willing to let go and move on. Listening also helps develop our intuition and inner sensing.
Use everything that you take. Don’t waste: This is a big responsibility. Especially when hunting. You may not have the time, the energy, the skillset, the support, or the capacity to do this the right way. Think long and hard before stepping into the deer woods. When foraging, using everything you take shows respect for the plant being you have harvested.
Be grateful: Charles Eisenstein has pointed out that we are born into gratitude. For years we are cared for by others, without the ability to move, eat, wash or provide for ourselves. We are all cared for and given the lives we now have. Human beings are so dependent on others for so long. What would it be like to see each moment as a platter of earthly gifts as Kimmerer calls it?
Minimize harm: Be gentle, be skillful, be ethical. In all hunting and gathering, seek for a clean and ethical harvest. Be sure that you are 100% certain of any and all plants or fungi that you are harvesting. Don’t harm yourself! If you are hunting, only take the shots you feel absolutely confident will ensure a clean and swift kill.
Take only what you need: Be mindful and respectful of the other beings that may also need food. Be aware of your needs and avoid gluttony.
Never take more than half: We want to leave the land more vital and bountiful than we found it. We want to leave plenty for others, both human and more than human.
Share with others: One of the best things about the honorable harvest is having the opportunity to share what you’ve gathered or hunted with your friends and loved ones. This is part of the gift economy, where when we are abundant, we share what we have, and when we are in need, hopefully, will be gifted from those who are in abundance. This is also called a circular economy and is common among hunter-gatherer cultures.
“Take only what is given.”: How do you know what is given? This requires discernment, presence, and self-awareness. If we aren’t sure, it might be best to move along. Some hunters believe that when an animal presents itself to us broadside, and seems to wait and pause, that this is a possible sign that the animal is offering its life so that we may eat. Taking only what is given is a lifelong inquiry.
By embracing the Honorable Harvest, we can cultivate a profound connection with nature and approach gathering and hunting with mindfulness, respect, and gratitude. This ethical framework not only shapes our interactions with the natural world but also deepens our understanding of the interconnectedness of all life.
