Critical Mass @ MindSay 
I'm writing this in connection to my previous entry, so if you read this and don't "Get it" then go back one and start there.
When considering the actual process of creating one thing from another, one has to realize that we are not actually doing the creating. We are simply allowing forms of life essentially beyond our control to help us achieve our ends.
I spoke previously about "critical mass." This term is used in various different ways to describe a state which is achieved by a group. In physics, this may refer to a population of atoms in relation to a reaction (fission, for example). In fermentation, or winemaking, critical mass describes the state of the yeasts when they are acting in harmony to produce the most ethanol at once during the process.
In other words, the crowd at the concert is all cheering at once.
In order to reliably achieve critical mass and, therefore, make wine, mead, beer, etc, there needs to be enough volume for a diverse and sustained population of yeasts to survive. If you try to brew a beer in a pint glass, the yeast will starve and the contents will be overtaken by other decomposers such as fungi or moulds.
Purity.
In this context, "purity" will refer not to the level of filtration, but the degree to which your medium is natural.
Ingredients with unnatural origins will hamper the efficiency of your ferment.
Many store-bought products contain preservatives - added specifically to discourage the growth of yeasts and other life. Preservatives are only useful if the food is not to be sold fresh.
Your ferment does not need preservatives to survive.
When it comes to storage, conscientious practices will assure clean canning/jarring/bottling.
Gear.
The useful tools you may need to produce a fermented product can be many or few.
The first thing I would recommend is a "crock" - a food-grade ceramic/clay jar with straight sides (and no cracks or chips). Typically, crocks have their volume notated on the sides or on the bottom. The smallest crock I have is a one gallon, the largest is a three. You will probably not need a larger crock until you have been brewing/pickling/etc for a while. A two-thirds full three gallon crock is probably about all you want to try and lift, anyway. Not much could be worse than spilling your whole batch of mead (potentially breaking your crock, ruining a carpet, etc) in addition to wasting a month or more of energy.
Some other useful bits and bobs are:
A wooden or plastic slotted spoon (and a solid one, for tasting).
A 3 to 5 foot length of surgical tubing (unused) for siphoning.
A glass or plastic measuring cup.
A few yards of cheesecloth/muslin for covering your work against wee beasties.
A few gallon jars for decanting and aging (you can buy organic apple juice or cider in gallon jars in the US)
(Try opening the gallon jug of cider and covering the top with a little cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel.
Wait three weeks or so and taste for a simple hard cider.)
Airlocks - these can be bought at a brewery supplies store, and usually cost about a dollar. VERY useful for aging mead or other wines and ciders. Make sure you get the right size for your bottle.
My journey so far has taught me that there is a common ground where everything can co-exist at once. Our perceptions sometimes tell us that we are separated by time or space from other aspects of life (or death), but our perceptions are mostly subjective, and living should be about transcending subjectivity.
I have seen evidence of this harmony with my own eyes (and interacted with it energetically), and it is my motivation to move forward in life - even when events cause me to despair.
Sometimes this level of activity is called "critical mass" - and it is during this moment that change can occur most readily. In the case of fermentation, this is where things really start to heat up. Humans have their own version of critical mass, and this is seen in powerful moments such as concerts, demonstrations and circles of prayer or magickal ceremonies.
What I am speaking of is the feeling people are looking for when they seek love, use "drugs" or act recklessly - it is a sense of change, of unpredictability, of belonging to the fates.
Indeed, the only constant is change, and when people realise this, they may feel more able to engage this feeling of bliss or contentment in their daily lives, rather than seeking a drastic upheaval.
We don't have to travel physically in order to evolve or escape our worries - too often this is exactly what people choose to do. Awareness is what we seek, and it is likely the strongest motivational force on earth (besides, perhaps, reproduction).
I'll leave it there.. This is not teaching unless you would take meaning from it. I don't tell people how to feel.
Peace and love,
Steve.
