Gaia Guidance is committed to a world in which people live in harmony with nature and accompanies them on their journey to becoming a Life-promoting force – through conscious action, systemic thinking, and cooperation with the living intelligence of nature.
The Philosophy behind the Name
Von der Göttin Gaia zum systemischen Verständnis
Gaia is an ancient name for Mother Earth or Mother Nature. In Greek mythology, it refers to a goddess who is also known as the giver of life, nurturer, and sustainer. She is the spirit of the earth, plants, rocks, and water. The origin of this concept is probably very complex. One assumption could be that our ancestors used the idea of a divine entity with its own intelligence to give the complexity of nature a face and thus make it more tangible.
In the recent past, scientists James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis have picked up the name for their Gaia hypothesis again. This describes the Earth as a living, self-regulating system in which biological and geophysical processes are interwoven. According to this understanding, the Earth is not merely a place of life, but itself a living organism that is constantly striving for balance, life promotion, and self-healing.
Gaia Guidance uses this name because it resonates with both approaches. Divine intelligence manifests itself in the diverse, real, observable mechanisms, relationships, and patterns of Mother Nature. It is understood as an intelligence inherent in the system of “nature.” Similar to a brain, nature is composed of a multitude of elements (nerve cells) that are interconnected (synapses) and influence each other (impulses), creating a self-regulating, independent, and, above all, functional system.
The perspectives described are an invitation to view nature not as a mere collection of separate parts, but as a dynamic whole that is in constant interaction—a web of life whose integrity also directly affects human well-being.
Nature as a Guide
For Gaia Guidance, humans are part of nature. Here, nature is not perceived as something separate from humans. Nature plays a role that encompasses humans and is also superordinate. It is not only an object, but also the stage for human action. It sets the framework and determines what is possible and what is not. Being part of nature ultimately means acting in accordance with existing laws for one's own well-being. Like a biological mother to her child, Mother Nature can be a role model and teacher for humans on how to master life in harmony with the given circumstances.
This perspective—nature as a teacher and point of reference—is central to the work of Gaia Guidance. Guidance stands for the opportunity to be guided and inspired by this intelligence in order to tap into one's own creative power and to give one's own work real sustainability and meaning. Understanding nature and allowing oneself to be inspired and guided by it strengthens the connection to the divine and accordingly influences the quality of one's own actions. This is the compass for sustainable and holistic solutions, and for creating efficient and resilient systems for one's own purposes and intentions.
Despite scientific progress, humans are still far from fully understanding nature. Thus, Gaia Guidance also does not claim to have answers to all questions. To address this fact, Gaia Guidance's work is based on holistic approaches such as permaculture and a systemic view of the respective challenge, taking the context into account. Through observation and methods based on natural processes, the goal is to achieve the highest possible degree of harmony with natural systems, thereby creating flow and sustainability.
Vision for the Future
Humans are not only part of nature, but also play a unique role for Gaia Guidance. The configuration of the living organism Earth may be predetermined according to the Gaia hypothesis. However, humans can consciously shape the system with their intellect and choose how they comply with this predetermined configuration.
In this respect, there is a strong resonance with the self-image of indigenous peoples, who see themselves as guardians or protectors of the land. Such a self-image implies using one's mind with awareness and consciousness of the surrounding world when pursuing one's own needs or goals.
Gaia Guidance sees this as the purpose of the human species. Gaia Guidance is committed to a world in which humans live in harmony with nature. Understanding, new perspectives, conscious action, and systemic thinking shall support them in becoming a life-promoting force in cooperation with the living intelligence of nature — for a good life, sustainable development, and harmonious coexistence with the surrounding world.
Passion and Expertise for Permaculture
Bernhard Wenzel – Das Gesicht von Gaia Guidance
Since childhood, I've been passionate about and fascinated by the Earth. “Protecting nature and helping to preserve it” is one of the pledges I made as a young scout. This pledge has accompanied and shaped me ever since. During my education, I studied earth and environmental sciences with a focus on geology, hydrogeology, environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology, as well as applied hydrology and water management. In doing so, I developed a growing awareness of the challenges society faces in relation to our environment. In the principles of Permaculture, I finally found for myself the answers to those challenges and the necessary tools to actively contribute to change. In the context of Permaculture, I also developed a growing enthusiasm for regenerative agriculture, water retention, and syntropic agroforestry.
After graduating, I was able to gain a lot of practical experience and deepen my knowledge by volunteering on various farms in Germany, Australia, Spain, Senegal, and Colombia over the past few years. During advanced training at the Permaculture Academy from 2020 to 2021, I lived and worked at the Demeter farm and Permaculture learning center Hof Luna in Everode, as well as at the Weidenhof Center for Consciousness and Mindfulness near Gernsbach, where I carried out my first Permaculture project on the utilization of organic waste. During this time, I also started Geoff Lawton's online Permaculture course and attended Oliver Fretzer's Permaculture design training.
From 2022, I lived for about a year and a half in the Maitreya Healing Biotope near Murcia, in southern Spain. There, I worked as a gardener, landscaper and permaculture consultant – and was also part of the core team for some time. I established a vegetable garden for self-sufficiency and a tree nursery, and managed the transformation of around 20 hectares of land that I had designed. I also held courses on Permaculture and related topics. In November 2022, during a visit to Germany, I took my first course in “Syntropic Agroforestry” with Felipe Amato at Hof vErde near Erlangen.
After my time at Maitreya Healing Biotope, I started Gaia Guidance. As a freelancer I took on seminars on behalf of the Volunteer Services of the Archdiocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart for participants serving a voluntary year. During this time, I was able to expand my skills in planning, organizing, and conducting seminars.
An educational journey eventually took me to Senegal and Colombia in 2025. In Senegal, I supported the FoodForestNetwork in conducting two workshops on permaculture, syntropic agroforestry systems, and water retention, and helped with the management of existing agroforestry systems. In Colombia, I had the opportunity to visit the Viracocha Center for Permaculture and Agroecology (CEPA) in San Agustin and gain insight into farming methods in tropical South America.
Meine Kompetenzen
Throughout my career, I have acquired skills and knowledge that I consider particularly valuable for my work:
Scientific education (specialized knowledge, awareness of ecological cycles, and long-term systemic thinking)
GIS-Application
Permaculture design (certificat)
Planning, organization, and conduct of educational programs (day events to week-long seminars and courses)
Planning, organization, realization, and management of:
- Horticulture
- Syntropic agroforestry systems
- Water Retention & Erosion Control
Experience with various climate zones
Definition of Terms
Permaculture
Most people first encounter Permaculture in the context of gardening or agriculture. Its popularity in these areas can probably be traced back to the origins of Permaculture and its original objective of developing “permanent agriculture” that is more closely aligned with the model and functioning of nature. At its core, however, Permaculture is about a holistic and interdisciplinary design approach and a multidisciplinary toolkit. This ultimately allows Permaculture to be applied universally. Therefore, with a view to the future and coming generations, the essence of Permaculture is today often associated with the establishment of a “permanent culture”.
This culture is characterized by personal and collective responsibility and autarky, and is committed to reducing or positively reversing the negative ecological impacts of human activity. The tools for this are a solution-oriented attitude and the intelligent design of self-organizing, regenerative, resilient, multifunctional, and thus lasting systems. In analogy to natural ecosystems, Permaculture therefore welcomes diversity and complexity in its efforts to create cooperation and partnerships with mutual benefits.
Against this backdrop, permaculture is based on ethics (Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share) and principles that have emerged from observing nature and various (indigenous) peoples who live(d) in harmony with their environment. The philosophy behind these ethics emphasizes the inherent value of everything and is committed to promoting harmonious coexistence in order to meet the needs of all participants in a system. This attitude is at the heart of every permaculture design.
Senescence
Every organism goes through different phases in its life cycle. Put simply, the beginning is usually characterized by increasing growth. Eventually, the reproductive phase begins, during which the organism's reproduction takes center stage. At its zenith is the stage of maturity. Here, growth ends and tends to transition into a phase of decay. The subsequent degenerative process, which accompanies natural aging, is described by the term senescence.
Strata
The plants in a forest occupy a specific space in the vertical dimension. Based on the expected maximum height of a plant species and its light requirements, the plants are categorized and assigned to a simplified vertical zoning:
| High light demand / Tall growth height | Emergent | Emergent layer |
| High | Canopy layer | |
| Medium | Understory layer | |
| Low light demand / Low growth height | Low | Shrub, herb & floor layer |
Succession
The term describes the development process of a given system, usually toward a specific end state. In this process, an existing element is replaced by a new element and can phase out of the system after a transition phase.
Die Evolution eines Ökosystems wird als natürliche Sukzession bezeichnet. Dabei ist jedes Stadium durch eine bestimmte Artenzusammensetzung und Eigenschaften charakterisiert.
| Microorganisms | Bacteria | Fungi | ||||
| Plants | Rock | Mosses/Lychens | Pioneer plants | Perennial plants & grasses | Young forest | Old forest |
| pH | Alkaline | Acidic |
Syntropy
Als Gegenentwurf zu dem Konzept der Entropie, steht Syntropie für die Zunahme von Komplexität und gespeicherter Energie in einem gegebenen System. Ein syntropisches System ist folglich dadurch charakterisiert, dass es eine hohe Komplexität besitzt, z.B. in Form einer hohen Artenvielfalt, und darauf ausgelegt ist, Energie im System zu halten.
Water Retention
Water retention focuses on the management of surface water for the purpose of slowing down the water before it leaves an area. Surface water is slowed down by using retention elements such as lakes, ponds, terraces, tanks, or ditches. It can be distributed and stored for later use or infiltrated into the ground, where it is available to a wide range of users.
One of the main objectives of water retention is groundwater recharge. The infiltrated or otherwise stored water is then not only available to plants, but also serves as a source of drinking and utility water. The resulting water bodies provide habitat and microclimate, as well as reserves for mitigating extreme weather events and their consequences, in particular floods and droughts, erosion, and forest fires.