Principle 2: Observe and Record

Calendar Adjustment

Well, here it is on a "Flower Moon" Friday, 1 May 2026 (14 Iyar 5786). The Sun is in 11 degrees of the sign of Taurus. It's Vesak according to the Mahayana tradition. After quite a bit of hemming and hawing, I have decided to organize my work on this blog into Gregorian solar months rather than Jewish lunisolar months. It's easier to track with local, regional and national phenological data sets this way. But in order to keep reasonably aligned with the Jewish and western astrological calendars on which my dating of the Aquarian Vegan Era is based, I will be numbering April (Nisan, Aries) as the first month of my vegan permaculture year here in the northeastern US. March (Adar, Pisces) will be my last month of the year. This results in a curriculum of 12 Vegan Permaculture Design Principles, each coded to a month of the Gregorian solar cycle while symbolically linked to a Jewish lunisolar month and a western astrological sign. 

April Audit

My performance in the 1-3 PM "Watch of the Dharma Body" has been mixed since I published The Alba of Albany just about a month ago on 3 April 2026. 

The Accomplishments (The Yield):

• Vegan Permaculture: I have successfully established an indoor gardening toehold. Sprouted lentils, barley and broccoli have become reliable anchors in my kitchen. I am on track to integrate oat and wheat sprouting into my regimen later this month. Participating in a spiritual fasting webinar with Shantree Kacera provided a vital link to a mature version of vegan permaculture. It reinforced the idea that fasting is to the body (Zone 00) what decluttering is to the room (Zone 0). For additional insight into my Zone 00 and Zone 0 Kitchen revolution this April, see Nisan 5786 Whole Food, Plant-Based Dietary Upgrade and 1600 Calorie Per Day Spring 2026 Meal Plan. 
• Simple Living: I have decluttered several items from my living space in preparation for a mid-May garage sale. The decision to release "Lost Decade" anchors—like an idle microwave—has cleared physical and psychological space in the Whitehall cell that I can use to grow microgreens later in the year.
• Sacred Rhythm: I have gotten outside for several walks and used my exercise bike a few times when it was raining. I've also covered the bases with deep rest. I am definitely not sleep deprived.

The Feedback Loops (The Design Limits)

In the spirit of radical Ahimsa (non-violence) toward the self, I must also record the low energy sectors of the past month:

• Sacred Rhythm: My 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM sessions were erratic. I often encountered profound fatigue and psychological resistance that required excessive sleep. My exercise goals were not fully met, including my goal to do permaculture reading while spinning on my indoor exercise bike. On many occasions, I used my Dharma Watch for carryover tasks from other watches of the day—a clear sign of the "Design Limits" inherent in my current recovery phase.
• Dharma Body: I have yet to crack the spine of The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching. 

These are not failures; they are data points regarding my current energy metabolism.   

Introducing Principle 2: "Observe and Record"

In the livestock-based permaculture system of David Holmgren, the first principle is "Observe and Interact." However, I am intentionally slowing this important insight down and making it my second vegan permaculture design principle. For Month 02 (May), my focus is exclusively "Observe and Record."

Why separate the "Record" from the "Interaction"? Because in the early stages of a 40-year protocol, the urge to "interact" or "fix" can lead to a collapse of energy. By positioning "Record" here, we prioritize Non-Violent Witnessing. We are training the eye to see the site (and the self) exactly as it is, without the ego’s demand for immediate change. This is the foundation of the 2020-2060 CE Nineveh Protocol: we watch for three years so that we may steward for thirty.

The May Plan: The Permaculture Log

Throughout Month 02, I will implement a dual-stream system of witness to capture the "Taurus Grounding" of my environment while honoring my current energy limits.

A paper calendar will act as my Metabolism Map. Using a simple color-coded Sharpie system (Green/Black/Red), I will track the consistency of my 1–3 PM Dharma Watch. This isn't for judgment; it’s for data, helping me see the "weather" of my recovery sessions at a glance.

For more detail, I am adopting a simplified 4-part daily log on a single index card.

• Front: I record Today’s Priority and the actual Yield (accomplishments in simple living, permaculture, exercise, rest, or Dharma study).
• Back: I record The Witness (phenology and local nature observations) and set Tomorrow’s Priority.

This technology is intentionally minimal. It is designed to be Ahimsa-compatible—a system that can be maintained even on a "Red" energy day, ensuring that the thread of the Nineveh Protocol is never broken.

That's the idea, anyway. Let's see how I am doing at the beginning of June.

The photo at the top of this entry is from 20 April 2025. It shows the weeping cherry and magnolia tree blossoming in the front yard of my mom's Whitehall bungalow. This year, both trees seemed to blossom just a bit earlier (maybe 4-6 days), but the weeping cherry didn't blossom as fully as it did in 2025, especially at the very top of the crown, and the magnolia blossoms were quickly destroyed by a sub-30-degree Fahrenheit cold snap.