Mind, Body, and Soil The Discipline/Pleasure Axis and Coming Home to Farming with Alex Rosenberg-Rigutto
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Jan 30, 2023 
Alex Rosenberg-Rigutto, farmer, educator, and founder of Northwoods Farm and Skill, shares her path into farming, ritual, and craft skills. She discusses childhood medication and identity, how farming healed addiction and created belonging, everyday rituals in food and land, and the Discipline/Pleasure axis as a way to practice freedom and build skill.
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Childhood Constriction Led To Seeking Escape
- Alex felt constricted in a suburban childhood and was medicated to fit social and school norms, which boxed her personality and sense of home.
- That lack of belonging led to seeking escape later, showing how early environment shapes coping strategies like substance use.
First Highs Felt Like Homecoming Until Farming Arrived
- Alex's first highs gave her instant social acceptance and relief from self-criticism, which hooked her on escaping rather than addressing root issues.
- She contrasts that fleeting escape to the deeper, lasting homecoming she felt the first time she stepped onto a farm.
Reciprocity With Land Dissolves Boundaries
- Alex describes 'living in place' as a relationship with land where boundaries dissolve and reciprocity forms, not just identification of plants.
- She stresses service to land—planting, feeding, and caring creates a feedback loop of belonging.
