Accept Feedback

Accept Feedback ~A Living Breathing Resonance

One of the most humbling, mystical, and sometimes uncomfortable of the permaculture principles is this one: Accept feedback.

At first glance, it might sound simple—like a lesson from a kindergarten classroom. Listen. Share. Be kind. But in practice, true feedback—especially from the land, the seasons, the animals, and yes, even our human companions—is a soul-deep initiation. It asks us to listen beyond comfort, beyond habit, and beyond ego.

In the anthroposophical tradition, the world isn’t just a collection of objects. It is alive with spiritual beings, each with their own song, rhythm, and message. When we practice listening for feedback in this way, we begin to recognize that the garden, the failing crop, the stubborn goat, the unexpected illness—they aren’t obstacles to be overcome. They’re communications. They’re mirrors. They’re invitations to align more deeply with the truth of what is.

Indigenous cultures around the world have long taught that the Earth is our oldest teacher.

She speaks in signs, synchronicities, and shifts.

For example, a sudden drought might not just be a “problem,” but a sign. It may invite you to slow down, plant differently, or re-weave our relationship with water. The coyote circling the chicken coop isn’t just a nuisance. He may be reminding us to secure our boundaries, spiritually and physically.

In permaculture, “accepting feedback” means observing these signals without blame or shame. It means trusting that our systems are alive and intelligent. You start seeing that when something doesn’t work, it’s not a failure but a sacred clue.

This is not a mechanical feedback loop like a thermostat.

It is more like a spiral dance or dynamic, sacred dialogue with the unseen. We dance with the ancestors, with the biodynamic forces swirling through root and sky. It’s more of a resonance, a coming in and out of tune with all things.

It’s easy to bypass this principle because it often brings us face to face with the parts of ourselves that cling to control, perfection, or “the plan.” When we soften, when we let go and listen, the land often reveals a better way. . . A waywe never could have thought up on our own.

In my own life and practice, I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that feedback doesn’t always come in the form I expect. Sometimes it whispers through exhaustion. Sometimes it rages through a failed project. And sometimes it sings through a quiet moment of stillness when I finally hear the land speak.

It’s always relational. Always rewarding.

~ Krista

Lazy-Lady Living was born from this kind of listening—from a deep desire to offer a path that feels good, that responds to the rhythms of life instead of overriding them. It’s not about pushing harder. It’s about receiving the feedback your soul and soil are offering—and letting that shape your days.

Ready to practice the art of listening?

Join the free Week 1 trial of Lazy-Lady Living and begin your own conversation with the land, your life, and your legacy.

It’s time to lean in, slow down, and let the wisdom come through.