Biophilic-seekers
Let new names take and root and thrive and grow
Welcome.
Our Living Future Europe Biophilic Camp that took place over 4 days at FeliZitas Sud-Tyrol in the Italian Dolomites was a truly nourishing and grounding experience. Here are a few notes, thoughts, texts, images ..
The ‘retreat’ brought into being something that will stay with me, and all of us, for a very long time, with the conviction that more, all, regenerative sessions and biophilia events should be like this … co-creating conditions for all life to thrive … through nurturing our own personal, inner biophilia.
In the opening welcomes, I talked of acorns, and how something so small can grow into something so large and vital in life eco systems … a journey of “three hundred years to grow, three hundred years to thrive, three hundred years to die”. (Oak, The Lost Spell Songs 2, Let the Light In)
How we look after, nourish and nurture ourselves is a vital and key aspect of both being regenerative and practising regenerative. Biophilia and regenerative practice is not a crossword to solve with ups and downs but a myriad of questions, reflections and connections. It is who we are.
We look after our bodies, keep fit and seek healthy food and clean air. But how do we give our minds that same time and space, to improve, stay healthy, and deal with the constant barrage of thoughts we have in today's world? The need for that quiet time … yoga, mindfulness, affirmations, meditations … whichever you are comfortable with is increasing vital.
Part of that personal connectivity is in how we as individuals tune into the seasons and the liminal time between seasons. We have just passed the equinox, the light has changed, colours are changing, the harvest is in, and the natural world prepares for rest. As individuals how do we do that in a world that shuns rest? In our lives how do we prepare for rest in autumn and energy in spring?
Laura Storm whose beautiful article talks about planning her work, conference talks and consultancy around the seasons - high energy in the spring-summer, slower, reflective, learning in the autumn. Could we do that?
I have used the expression “Storm and Starlight” in many talks and presentations, the yin and yan of getting caught in a blizzard and enjoying a balmy summer evening - all ingredients of nature. As in regenerative thinking, we need to be able to understand and hold two seemingly opposing notions in our minds, and wait for the third to emerge, a new possibilism, that will connect the two ideas.
And as Gaston Rebuffat (from whose book Storm and Starlight I borrow that title) wrote “by experiencing mountains and nature in the sunshine and good weather we can *see* the beauty, by experiencing in all weathers we *understand* the beauty ... and its mystery”
Nan Shepherd opens The Living Mountain with “Summer on the high plateau can be delectable as honey; it can also be a roaring scourge. To those who love the place, both are good, since both are part of its essential nature”
Being connected is also sharing, using our agency - and I am reminded of John Muir who convinced Roosevelt to establish national parks, by taking the president on a three-day wilderness mountain trip sleeping on mountain tops (image the security of doing that today) to both share the beauty of the Sierra, but for Roosevelt to truly connect.
“Their conversations and shared joy with the beauty and magnificence of Yosemite led Roosevelt to expand federal protection of Yosemite, and it inspired him to sign into existence five national parks, 18 national monuments, 55 national bird sanctuaries and wildlife refuges, and 150 national forests”
In The Living Mountain, (described as prose as bracing as water from a mountain stream) Nan Shepherd talks of going into the mountain, of visiting the hills as you would visit an old friend.
With this in mind, our ‘biophilic walk’ went into nature giving time and space for connecting, savouring the experience of disconnecting from devices and reconnecting with our surrounding environment, making route choices based on the weather, direction of the wind, and surrounding terrain. Getting lost and found.
“So we walked, into nature, telling stories and sharing insights as we went, into a world of lichen and fungi, familiar, unfamiliar and beautiful, but fractals all”
There will be much much more to share from this event in future Regen/Notes, and I am so grateful to all the beautiful biophilic-seekers who shared wisdom, conversations, stories, laughter and love. Sun and soil!
Rita Trombin, Bettina Bolten, Cristina Larcher, Serena Joury, Lenna Lockwood, Elizabeth Calabrese, Floriana Calise, Małgorzata Lisowska, Monica Delgado, Naho Iguchi, Natali Ghawi, Nuria Munoz, Paola Girolametto Giulia Battisti and Carlo Battisti …. and thank you for the ‘positive investigation’, unblocking chakra, Vastu, travel, brown bear and other stories that flowed over great food, wine and beer.
Walk through the world with care, my love
And sing the things you see
Let new names take and root and thrive and grow
And even as you stumble through machair sands eroding
Let the fern unfurl your grieving, let the heron still your breathing
Let the selkie swim you deeper, oh my little silver-seeker
Even as the hour grows bleaker, be the singer and the speaker
And in city and in forest, let the larks become your chorus
And when every hope is gone, let the raven call you home
(The Lost Words Blessing)
Zoom Regenerative 49
It's a real pleasure to invite you to edition 49 as Zoom Regenerative continues its journey of raising awareness, joining dots and spaces between, celebrating regenerative journeys.
For this edition, we are delighted to welcome Zoom Regen friend, Christiane Lellig, sharing insights on her work in the world of wood, asking questions that will launch us into reflection and interaction.
Anyone visiting Christiane's Linkedin page will see her profile heading as "Sustainability is not enough. We need regenerative action. Now." Something we all can identify with.
Christiane is director of Stratageme, working with Woodknowledge Wales on the vision of a socially just forest based economy within planetary boundaries, part of the French collective 'Nous Cube' which offers support to municipalities and regions in their transition projects and recently launched a community based project on regenerative retrofit in a bioregional context, called Ti-MX, in Morlaix where she lives. ti-mx.bzh
