Wisdom

Book Digest: Social Change 2.0 by David Gershon

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The middle part of this book is a brilliant, practical, inspiring primer on how to pilot and scale up transformative social change initiatives, from a man who has done this with several impressive pioneering projects.  Like many American books, it’s twice as long as it needs to be, so I suggest you skip Parts 1 … Read more

Growing natural resilience: how can we learn from ecosystems

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I talk about resilience a lot, and I hear very varied definitions of it from others. Some regard resilience as a hard, cold, mechanistic idea, whereas my first images are of a green, creative springiness: the growing through problems that we can see in sustainable ecosystems.

This blog offers my views on how humans can learn about natural resilience from ecosystems, drawing on my twenty-five years’ experience in managing two cultivated ecosystems: a 130-acre organic farm in Dorset, and a 70-acre woodland in Wiltshire.

Retreat: THE SPIRITUAL ROOTS OF RESILIENCE – Nomadic Wisdom for our Changing Times

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with  Alan Heeks and Cordelia Prescott Allanton Peace Sanctuary, near Dumfries Friday 18th – Sunday 20th September 2015 The times in which we live are truly challenging, and they invite a response of courage and resilience from us all if we are to take positive steps into our own future. New role models and guidance from great … Read more

Pilgrim Without Map or Boots – New lifeskills for uncertain times

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I aim to have a retreat time of 3 – 4 days every quarter: it’s a good way to rest, renew, and review my direction. This time, I’m doing a self-guided retreat at the Northumbria Community, a centre in rural mid-Northumberland, inspired by the Celtic Christian monasteries which once flourished in this area. A spiritual … Read more

Too Old for This Kind of Thing?

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Learning from Africa: Courage and gratitude help

The bus puts me down in the dark at an isolated gas station near Jinga, a town in Uganda. There’s just me and four local guys: boda-bodas, motorbike taxis. Can I trust one of them to get me and my suitcase to my destination? I choose Martin, who claims to know where Adrift Rafting are located. After a brief but heated haggle on price, we set off.

It’s a very bumpy dirt road, but I find myself enjoying the novelty, riding pillion on a warm tropical night, with exotic birds alternating with chattering villages. After several miles, we arrive at the wrong place.

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Workshop: The Natural Roots of Resilience: wisdom from the wood

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A workshop at Hazel Hill Wood, near Salisbury – guided by Alan Heeks, Marcos Frangos and … the wood

April 24-26 (Fri 6pm-Sun 4pm)

Hazel Hill Wood

Resilience is the skills to nurture our wellbeing amid the rising levels of change and uncertainty that most of us face in everyday life.  This weekend we’ll explore the roots of resilience in human nature: how inspiration and appreciation give us strength, how mindfulness can keep us centred and calm, and how systemic constellations and other methods help us deepen fellowship and improve the dynamics of our relationships with others.

We will also draw on the nourishment and wisdom of this magical 70-acre wood: with solo time for guidance, learning from this resilient ecosystem, and enjoying campfires, music, song and stories amid the trees and bluebells.

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How to enjoy a wet May: Finding your inner fire when the sun won’t shine

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How to enjoy a wet May: Finding your inner fire when the sun won’t shine
I am writing this at Hazel Hill Wood, sitting at the foot of my favourite beech tree, with a struggling campfire. It has been raining heavily for days, now it’s merely a light drizzle pushed along by a strong South-Westerly wind…