Fwd: The Great Turning Times - July 2013

[Alison]

Hi all

What Chris Johnstone describes below is the same as the evening he led in cheltenham last month. As a result of that there will be a more in-depth workshop at the isbourne on 21st sept, which should be interesting. A lot of the exercises and thinking are incorporated into transition town thinking, so it is all very useful on a personal and community basis. There is more information about the sept workshop at the bottom of this email. Please book, and pass on the information.

All the best

Alison

Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: Chris Johnstone <chrisjo...@blueyonder.co.uk>
Date: 25 July 2013 16:46:26 BST
To: alison...@ntlworld.com
Subject: The Great Turning Times - July 2013
Reply-To: chrisjo...@blueyonder.co.uk

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

The Great Turning Times Newsletter "The Great Turning is the name for the essential adventure of our time: the shift from the industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilisation" - Joanna Macy This free email newsletter offers insights and resources to strengthen our capacity to take part in the Great Turning. It includes information about Work That Reconnects and related workshops in the UK and beyond. July 2013 Issue   Greetings!      I had a fabulous evening with the Transition group in Chichester recently. I'd like to tell you about it because it links well with the purpose of this newsletter.   Called 'Nourished, Energised, Empowered and Inspired - an evening of Active Hope', it involved a journey round the spiral of the Work That Reconnects. The starting point was to acknowledge that we face a planetary emergency of overwhelming scale. If we are to rise to the occasion and give our best response, it helps if we are nourished, energised, empowered and inspired. The journey of the spiral of the Work That Reconnects offers a process that helps strengthen us in that direction.   Gratitude is nourishing. Research shows that the experience of gratitude not only improves people's mood, it also nourishes their desire to give back and give forward. Giving forward is where rather than returning a favour to those we've received from, we pass on help to someone or something else. That way we nourish social capital, improving relationships and the level of support in a community. When we consider how much we receive from life, from the oxygen we breathe and the food we eat, feeling grateful nourishes our desire to give back.   When we make room to listen to our concerns for the world, and any feelings that come with them, we open up a source of energy. I like the term 'inspirational dissatisfaction' for when our distress about an issue motivates us to tackle it. My experience is that the dive down in to honouring our pain for the world can be powerfully energising.   However, energy gets sapped if we don't believe we can do anything about the issues that touch our hearts. That's where seeing with new eyes is so important. I see the first two phases of the spiral as about facing what is - both the beauty of our world and its torment. Seeing with new eyes widens our awareness of the allies and resources we can seek support from. We are part of a community of life that extends across species and through time. When we see with new eyes, we deepen our rootedness in life and sense of belonging in the world. Opening to a collaborative view of power, we know we're not alone in playing our part in the larger historical adventure we call the Great Turning.   So what's inspiring? I get inspired when I see people getting on and doing things that make a positive difference in the world. There are so many beautiful examples of compassionate action for life on Earth. With Going Forth, I look at how I can become part of this too, giving attention to the projects or issues that call me most strongly. I know that when I do that, I'm feeding inspiration - and at the same time being fed by it too.   So this is the journey we took that night in Chichester. As a group, we shouted out any words that came up to follow the opener "I love...". We declared our love of being alive on this beautiful planet, of seeing sunsets and hearing birds singing. In pairs we explored the words that followed "When I consider the future we're heading into, concerns I have include...", and then also "Feelings that come up when I think about this are...". For seeing with new eyes, we jumped a thousand years into a possible future, travelling the timeline that followed active hope. We told stories known well in that time of a period in their history referred to as The Great Turning. Then back to the 21st century to be there by quarter to nine, as we had a date with each other to name our next step in this adventure. That was our Going Forth. What's yours?   This newsletter is dedicated to nourishing our intentions to act for our world, to energising the desire for a better way of doing things, to empowering the seeds of creative possibility that exist within us all, and to inspiring us to go forth together, knowing that a larger amazing story can happen through us and through what we do.   Please pass this email on to others who might be interested, using the forward link at the bottom of the page. People can subscribe at the website of www.facilitationforlifeonearth.org. You can also read more about the Great Turning at the Active Hope website here.   With you, in this Great Turning Adventure Chris Chris Johnstone www.chrisjohnstone.info For the Great Turning Times Team Work That Reconnects Update 1) Work That Reconnects website Drawing from deep ecology, systems theory and spiritual traditions, the Work That Reconnects (WTR) is a set of insights and practices that builds motivation, creativity, courage and solidarity for the transition to a sustainable human culture. First emerging in 1978, this pioneering, open-source body of work has its roots in the teachings and experiential methods of Joanna Macy. There's a wonderful new website offering more information, news of workshops and a facilitator directory at http://workthatreconnects.org/   2) Inspiring interview with Joanna Macy Joanna Macy had a wonderful dialogue with Terry Patten about the Work that Reconnects, which you can listen to at this link (see entry for Dec 6th 2012):   http://beyondawakeningseries.com/blog/archive/    3) Facilitator Training in the UK begins Oct 2013 The Facilitator Development Adventure is a year-long facilitator training and development programme for people who'd like to facilitate (or who are already facilitating) the Work That Reconnects or similar transformative processes in service of life on Earth. Run by Chris Johnstone and Jenny Mackewn, it takes place over four residential weekends near Bath, together with additional online and peer support. For details, see:  http://www.facilitationforlifeonearth.org/facilitator-training.html   4) The Holon Training in Germany The Holon Training has been run in Germany over the last 20 years to offer a deep immersion experience of the Work That Reconnects. For german-language speakers, it runs from Jan 2014 to April 2015 and is facilitated by Gabi Bott and Gunter Hamburger. For details see: http://www.tiefenoekologie.de/de/termine/holon-training.html   5) Nourished, Energised, Empowered and Inspired in Wales,  12th - 15th Sept 2013 A long weekend of Active Hope with Chris Johnstone and Madeleine Mauwer at Cae Mabon in North Wales. From Thursday to Sunday, it offers the transformative journey and strengthening process of the Work the Reconnects. Cae Mabon is a verdant retreat nestled in an oak forest clearing in the heart of Snowdonia. For more information, see: http://www.facilitationforlifeonearth.org/Cae-Mabon.html   6) Work That Reconnects, Bath, UK, 20th - 22nd Sept 2013. a residential workshop with Jenny Mackewn and Chris Johnstone, near Bath. Moving round the spiral of The Work That Reconnects, the weekend is designed to engage our passion and power to act for life on Earth. For more details, please see:  http://www.facilitationforlifeonearth.org/Bath.html     7) Sustainability from the Inside Out 21st Sept, Cheltenham. a one-day workshop drawing on the Work That Reconnects, with Jenni Horsfall and Jenny Smith at The Isbourne Centre in Cheltenham. For details see:  http://www.jenniferhorsfall.co.uk/workshops/ Webinars and Distance Learning 8) Active Hope Training by Distance Learning This six week distance-learning course with Barbara Ford and Chris Johnstone is based on Active Hope: it is designed to help you read the book at a deeper level and strengthen your ability to engage in Active Hope as a practice for positive change.   It takes place over six Wednesdays starting on September 4th 2013, with webinar sessions of 90 minutes starting at 7.30pm UK time, 2.30pm US ET, 1.30pm US CT, 11.30am US PT and 8.30pm Europe CET. For details, see:  http://www.resiliencehappinesschange.com/active-hope.html   9) Transformative Social Change with David Gershon Based on David Gershon's award-winning book Social Change 2.0, this series of six webinars, accompanied by small group learning and partnered exercises, offers an opportunity to step up in our capacity to make a difference in the world. Drawing on over three decades of experience in innovative social change programmes, ranging from city-wide climate change initiatives to community empowerment to strengthen resilience, David Gershon's Masterclass in Transformative Social Change offers a training in tools and strategies for changing behaviour, empowering communities and transforming large systems. Begins on Sunday 26th January 2014. Details at: http://www.resiliencehappinesschange.com/master-class.html    For a great short video introducing David Gershon's work with the Cool City Challenge carbon reduction programme, see http://vimeo.com/67684066 David Gershon will be introducing the masterclass programme and its core themes in a free tele seminar on Sunday 13th October at 2pm US ET, 11am US PT, 7pm UK time, 8pm Europe CET. For details and booking, please see the link at: http://davidgershonoct2013.eventbrite.co.uk/ New Books 10) Wild Mind by Bill Plotkin "It's time to take another look at ourselves - to re-enliven our sense of what it is to be human, to breathe new life into ancient intuitions of who we are, and to learn again to celebrate, as we once did, our instinctive affinity with the Earth community in which we're rooted." These are the opening words of Bill Plotkin's important new book called Wild Mind. To find out more, see http://www.wildmindbook.com/ or watch this beautiful short video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhX8u3MRFd4 11) The Power of Just Doing Stuff by Rob Hopkins This book is a wonderful signpost to inspiring examples of people taking part in the process of reinventing our culture. For a short video introducing the book, and the stance it expresses, see  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsIhiuzSOjQ 12) Stories of the Great Turning Described by Satish Kumar as 'a treasure trove of transformative tales told by grassroots activists', this inspiring new book features an introduction by Joanna Macy. You can find out more at: http://www.valapublishers.coop/storiesofthegreatturning Resources 13) Groupworks - a resource for better meetings Why is it that some meetings bring life to your soul, while others leave you wishing you'd never stepped in the room? What happens at the best ones, that makes them productive, fulfilling, sometimes even magic? The Group Works deck of 91 full-colour cards names what skilled facilitators and other participants do to make things work. The content is more specific than values and less specific than tips and techniques, cutting across existing methodologies with a designer's eye to capture the patterns that repeat. The deck can be used to plan sesssions, reflect on and debrief them, provide guidance, and share responsibility for making the process go well. You can find out more, and download a free pdf copy, at http://groupworksdeck.org/ Other UK Events 14) UK Ecopsychology gathering 1st to 4th August With Bill Plotkin, Geneen Marie Haugen, Polly Higgins and a host of other inspiring presenters and workshops. At the Green and Away tented conference centre in Worcestershire. For details, see http://wildgathering.wordpress.com/   15) Inner Transition Training, London Sept 21/22nd 2013 With Sophy Banks, a 2-day workshop exploring the inner aspect of the Transition process, seeing how to apply these to our lives, our groups and our communities. For more information see: http://www.transitionnetwork.org/training/courses/inner-transition    16) Earthbeats - monthly near Totnes Earth Beats is a conscious, meditative, process dance and ritual space inspired by Gabrielle Roth's 5Rhythms and Joanna Macy's the Work That Reconnects (WTR) and earth based spirituality. Dances are held monthly in Staveton, near Totnes. You can find out more at http://www.earthbeats.co.uk   17) UK Ecopsychology Events Listings For more Ecopsychology and Great Turning related events in the UK, see the Ecopsychology UK Ning pages at http://ecopsychologyuk.ning.com/ Networking 18) Work That Reconnects on Facebook For international, including North American, events and news, see the Work That Reconnects Facebook page. There is also a Work That Reconnects UK Facebook page and an Active Hope Facebook page too.  19) Ecopsychology UK Ning Site For discussions, networking and events see this link. Please let us have your feedback on this newsletter and continue to pass on information about resources to support The Great Turning. Please email Chris Johnstone at chrisjohnstone [at] blueyonder.co.uk If you need to update your email contact address, please use the update link at the bottom. Please do forward the email to people you think might be interested using the forwarding link below.  With you in this Great Turning adventure, Chris, Cindy, Suzi, Kevin, Mike and all the Team of The Great Turning Times PLEASE HELP US A contribution towards running and developing this newsletter would be most appreciated as only a few individuals are currently funding the Great Turning Times. To subscribe, click here

Forward email This email was sent to alison...@ntlworld.com by chrisjo...@blueyonder.co.uk |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. greatturningtimes | Dyke | Forres | IV36 2TF | United Kingdom