Ceremonial Chicken Harvest: Honoring the Cycles of Life
Sept 29th, 1130-2pm. The You Enjoy Life homestead in North Boulder. *Homemade lunch with fresh sourdough and other homestead goodies served at the end.
About the workshop
Join us as we honor the cycles of life and take a closer look at death. We will create a ceremonial space and an educational container where those interested can be part of this intimate process. Together, we will talk about death, share what is coming up for us, and be guided in a practice that has been happening as long as life itself. These ceremonial harvests aren’t about “getting it right,” but about being intimately connected to a process that so many of us are sheltered from.
If your soul is yearning to truly learn where our food comes from, or if you’ve been curious but perhaps squeamish at the thought of taking the life of an animal—a sacred creature, heck, a dinosaur really—this may be the right class for you. You will have the opportunity to participate in the harvesting and processing of some of our chickens.
We will be, as they say in Boulder, in a deep process, only the process we are participating in is not just of the spiritual and emotional, but of the physical act of taking a life and having a more connected understanding of what has been long since forgotten by so many.
So often, we see death in our society as something bad, wrong, or something to hide from and pretend doesn’t happen. It’s easy to go to a grocery store and buy meat, becoming so disconnected from the life cycle of the animal that we trick ourselves into believing no life was taken. But whether or not we see it, a life is lost. Someone, be it human or machine, is involved in that process, and deep down, however unconscious, part of us knows what has happened.
I don’t believe that everyone should harvest all their own meat—some of us feel an affinity for it, others believe it to be necessary—but I’ve come to recognize the profound impact that taking a life can have on a person and the relationship they cultivate with the natural world and the food they consume. To be part of this process, to honor the life of an animal, to move toward rather than look away, can be a deeply moving and beautiful experience.
Eating isn’t just a physical act; there’s an energetic experience happening beneath the surface. The life of the animal—how it was raised, harvested, processed, and cooked—all play a role in how it affects us.
This is the perfect class for anyone wanting to connect more deeply with the cycles of life and understand where their meat comes from. Even if it feels like an edge for you, you will be in a supportive environment and met wherever you are.
“Joshua and Aja opened up their life to us on their beautiful homestead and just shared the ways they live in harmony with their animals and the land. They are so deeply rooted in the methods they showed us; it was amazing material that came through them, rather than was “taught” to us. It was hands on and we always left with our stomachs full of the most delicious in-season snacks, as well as balms and tinctures to take with us. ”
How It Works
We will begin the class by gathering for an open conversation about death, the cycles of life, and how they relate to our own journeys of becoming, growing, and re-wilding ourselves.
We’ll discuss the life of the chickens—you’ll see where they lived, how they were raised, and the key role they play on our homestead.
You’ll learn about and have the opportunity to participate in the process of culling, plucking, gutting, and butchering the chickens. While physical participation is optional, there will be chances to engage in different parts of the process.
After the harvest, we’ll come together to share any thoughts or feelings that arise and have time for further questions.
We will then enjoy a communal meal of local, homemade foods, including fresh sourdough bread, ferments, chicken soup or stew, and whatever else is fresh and ready to serve.
““I stopped eating meat about a decade ago out of concern for the way we treat the animals whose products end up in our grocery stores. I found our society’s disconnection from the living beings that we consumed disturbing, frustrating, and quite sad. It was important to me that if I were going to consume an animal, I could stand behind the humans or environment that supported that animals life. So I took Yoshua up on an offer to see what a more humane and connected process could look like, and I’m very glad I did. This course is an opportunity to experience playing a direct role in the natural cycle of life, death, and energetic transformation in a positive environment with a human who deeply respects his animals. It is intense, as taking a life should be, but I’m beyond grateful to have had this experience and taken away both a deeper connection to animals we tend to forget are sentient beings and practical skills for when I decide to raise and harvest animals myself. Would recommend for anyone, meat eater or not.””
What’s included:
2.5 hour immersive workshop.
Hands on guidance for each step of harvesting chickens humanely.
A communal meal. (I’d say vegan options but I don’t imagine any vegans would come to a chicken harvest, though what do I know?)
When:
Sunday, September 29th, 1130-2pm.
Cost:
$85 per person. 10 people max.
*Cancellation/Refund Policy. This class is non-refundable however if there is a wait list we will do what we can to get your ticket sold to someone else and give you a refund, though we can’t make any promises.
About Yoshua and Aja:
Yoshua Greenfield has been foraging for food for over 15 years, engaged in homesteading for 8 years, and cooking ever since his mom told him, “If you don’t like my cooking, then do it yourself!” He carries a deep passion for teaching others to find inspiring and simple ways to deepen their connection to the things they consume. As a lover of all things nature, he spends much of his time tending to various foods and animals around our home, hiking barefoot in the woods while foraging for medicinal and edible plants, and fermenting and preserving just about everything under the sun. For 7 years, he hosted an alternative cooking show that attracted millions of viewers but eventually left that world behind to focus on connecting with place and community, using food as a vehicle for inspiration, connection, growth, and well-being.
Aja Rose has spent many years in the health and wellness space and has dedicated the past 4 years to immersing into herbal medicine, wild foraging, and gardening. She is deeply passionate about connecting with the ‘medicine of place’ and forming reciprocal relationships with the spirits of the plants and trees we feel naturally drawn to. Some of her dearest plant allies are Pine, Yarrow, and Rose. Currently, she is most inspired by planting and working with native plants to support local ecosystems. She also loves anything related to food, especially anything she grows or buys locally.
Collectively, we have been tending to the land together for nearly four years, recently welcomed our first child, and hold a deep reverence for the sacred land we inhabit (but never truly own). We have discovered that the magic lies in the mundane, the medicine in our connection to place, and the sacred joy and profound peace that comes from being in a state of deep reverence, in a place of careful listening. After noticing how many people in and around Boulder have been feeling deeply burnt out by what we call “the healing trap”—a never-ending cycle of always looking inward to find more things wrong with ourselves to “improve”—we sensed a growing desire of more people wanting to learn practical skills that are inherently healing. We like to say that healing always happens when we are present and listening. In this way, as we move away from the self-obsessed culture of trying to constantly heal things we were told were wrong, we begin to give back, to engage in actions that support not only ourselves but also the people and land around us.
Location:
10 minutes from downtown Boulder, this 5-acre farm property nestled against the foothills is a collaborative project with a friend and has a long-term vision for raising animals, growing food, fermenting/preservation, community farm dinners, sacred rest retreats, kid sanctuary, and overall living classroom for how we can live more harmoniously with this sacred land. You will have the opportunity to see it in its beginning stages and hopefully be apart of our community for many years to come!
