How often do you get the chance to totally change the way you live for the better? How lucky do you have to be to be able to align your life with your deepest values and beliefs? I am immensely grateful for the circumstances of life that have given us this once-in-a-lifetime chance.

What we will attempt to do at Westacre is to find many different ways to live more lightly on the Earth. We will build in systems to help us preserve fuel and water. We intend to grow as much of our own food as we can. We will try to find ways to work with the place and its assets and challenges to create a life of harmony and sustainability.

Of course, we won't be alone in this. We will need the blessing and the help of every being that lives on the Westacre land. We will need the co-operation of of the spirits of the house and garden. They need to be involved in every part of the process and we need to learn how to work alongside them.

When I speak of the spirits of Westacre, or any other place, I mean the spiritual aspect of all that lives there. Everything that lives has its own consciousness, its own animating principle. This is not separate from that being but an inseparable part of it. I don't think of an oak dryad as a spirit who looks after the oak tree. I see it as the essential force that gives the oak its life and its unique being.

In that respect, animals, trees and stones are no different from us. We are all linked with a thread of direct connection to the power of life that gave birth to the first star. We all carry the power of life given to us by our parents, whether they were humans, seed producing trees, or geological processes. And we are all made unique by the endless creativity of the Universe that inspires us to grow into all that we can be.

In each blade of grass, in the stunning colour of the virginia creeper on the southern wall, in the squirrels playing in the branches, the power of life and the inspiration of the Divine finds unique expression. Each shines with its own spirit.

But at the same time, each of these things contribute to the character of Westacre, to its larger spirit. So does the house, and the dog. And so do I, with every step I put on its ground, with every morning meditation and every vegetable peel I add to its compost. Roger and his wife Molly have given shape to it, and Alex and I will continue to do so.

It is my wish and my prayer that any changes I make have the blessing of the spirit of Westacre and all the smaller spirits that are part of it. I hope for us to live in peace and harmony. I need their help to do this.

It is time now. Just 70 days before we begin our great project, I need to reach out and touch the consciousness of the place. I hope for a kind welcome and a deep connection. I hope for the beginning of a long partnership.