Since March 2019 I have been hosting regular evenings focused on Spiritual Ecology, aiming to bring together a community of people interested in shifting our relationship with ourselves and the world around us.
I took part in the Spiritual Ecology Train the Trainer program from St. Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace in summer of 2018. Part of the commitment to the program was to offer a workshop in your own community. And so I did. This adventure started as a one off evening on the 4th of September 2018, titled ‘What if we could talk to trees?’ Introductory workshop on Spiritual Ecology. It brought together a group of 20 curious people, and gained traction in March 2019 with over 100 people joining for another Introduction into Spiritual Ecology evening. Since then it has been steadily bringing people together on Thursday evenings under the heading of ‘Spiritual Ecology Community of Practice’ We’ve been exploring topics of Decolonisation, Personal Practice, Arts & Activism and Building Community. We have even had a full day ‘Spiritual Ecology in Daily Life’ and developed a 6month program ‘Spiritual Ecology Core Training’.
These evenings are participatory in their nature and lightly facilitated. They consist of a mix of dialogue, storytelling, meditation or contemplative practice and nature connection practices.
What is Spiritual Ecology?
For me, Spiritual Ecology is about living in a peaceful, kind relationship with oneself and all other forms of life. I think it is a radical shift from the status quo. A shift that requires great bravery.
We have developed a highly dysfunctional society that is based on continuous economic growth at the expense of the Earth and its many life forms, including human lives. This system is more oppressive for some than for others, and ultimately harms everyone. From how I have been introduced in this work, Spiritual Ecology brings together environmental injustice with social injustice.
To shift to a regenerative society, I think we need to
• grow our own capacity for compassionate action
• build relationship and inclusive communities
• reconnect with Earth and find ways to be in service to life
This Community of Practice is a place to practice and learn together. To grow our 'muscles' of resilience, compassion and warriorship.
*** This Community of Practice ***
It is my aim to create a space that welcomes all identities, recognises that everyone is on spectrums of privilege and oppression and to hold space for people to express what it’s like to have these experiences. I would like it to be a space where we can hold difficult conversations, allow all emotions to be present, and support our own and each others' learning process.
For more events like this, and to eat the best oyster mushroom croquettes, see De Ceuvel.
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