Learning from the land.
Seasonal reflections
We come to the end of our first ‘season’ running from Samhain through the Winter Solstice to Imbolc. Much has changed on the land around us, from the fall of the leaves, the deep cold, the thaw and the first shoots of new growth. So too have we shifted individually and as Earthed. Wintering, being present, reflecting, letting go and re-emerging as we bring forward our offerings for the year.
Jez
It’s the first time I’ve made a practice to return to the same spot, week by week accompanying the deeper clock of the seasons. I’ve been really surprised to find myself quite challenged to slow down, to notice in slow motion the subtle changes Nature has been making in the world around me, to feel into this seasonal transform, watching myself. At the same time it’s been sumptuous, rich and delicious to gift myself this front-row seat at the seasons. From the lush, golden evenings of autumnal September, Oak trees laden with acorns and full leaves, to the stormy winds and rain in October & November to the winter’s chill and glistening frosts of December & January. I’ve noticed myself attending to endings more, feeling a call to attend to my own composting, I’ve found myself sitting with unexamined grief, taking time to be with the bleakness, trusting at the same time that this is a natural cycle that’ll be continued into the Spring, but not before the winter let’s go of her grip on the land. I’ve found myself held by the land, resting in the hollows of a tree taking time to relax and sense into what is arising in the moment. The resistance to doing stuff has been palpable - the visceral disgust of commercial Christmas at the deepest hibernation point of the year, contrasted by the warmth of our hearth and community meals.
I’ve been noticing the power and the support from my group; our shared committed, our motivation as practitioners to travel together, challenging ourselves to sit with what is present, current and around us, resisting the temptation to get excited about a fantasy future, listening with the land to what is wanting to emerge. Embracing this time as an experiment, to doing our thinking outside and see how that affects our work. Taking our own medicine as coaches to partner with ourselves and to partner with Nature as a group. The power of working collectively, actively listening, practicing what we want to bring to the world, stepping forward to lead when its our turn, following in support when its others. It feels really strong to have kept this personal journey as a commitment to my practice, in support of our future practice with those who will join. It feels as though we have been earning our place with the currency of presence. I look forward with a sense of excitement to the new roots and new shoots, of widening this community and nourishing others on this collective journey.
Jaime
The experience has brought a wonderful connection both with the land and fellow ‘Earthedlings’. Our weekly practice of intentionally attending to the world around us has created space for conversations of richness that sometimes you wish you could bottle them forever. We can’t of course…they happen in the moment and bring forward unparalleled inspiration, learning and support.
My biggest learning from the last three months has been the ‘spaces in between’. These spaces are often overlooked. They are the shadows; the valleys that connect where we are and where we focus on getting to. Individually and collectively we often try to build bridges over them rather than journey through them. For fear of stretching the metaphor too far they are also the ground that supports the bridge (unless of course your name is Brunel).
It is in these liminal spaces where some of the most important work is done. For sports teams it is the week in between the big matches. For individuals it is the stuff we have to work on to get where we want to be. For humanity it is the space between the current degenerative system and the regenerative one that needs to emerge. For me it has been the space in between different strands of my work…one that I have been slightly afraid to explore but where I have found a space of integration, energy and creativity. The meeting of the rivers!
These spaces have been a consistent enquiry for us as Earthed. They are the soil in which change is rooted and grounded. What is down there is often unknown and uncomfortable but by journeying there together with curiosity and adventure we find abundant life and transformation.
Katy
It’s been a remarkable few months. Seedlings have been planted that I’ve no doubt will yield learnings for years to come. This winter, I befriended winter. There was no dread of the cold and grey, even when wrapped up in thermals and double socks, in the yurt, I was comfortable, appreciative of the hibernation; the bleakness, the calm, the permission to be in a natural quiet, reflecting the stripped back mood of the outdoors. It’s as if a whole other dimension has opened up, in my processing and awareness. I’m looking down more, instead of perpetually forward and fast to the ‘next thing’. This orientation to the ground beneath my feet, has reminded me of the abundance of what we have around us everyday. It’s encouraged me to thread this through to other domains of my life. Deeper, involved thinking, without the rush to see the fruit it bears.
Looking back through my weekly pictures of sit spots and questions prompted by them, I realise my sense of time has been stretched by vast richness of the land I’m getting to know, and also by the company of my Earthed friends. Hours and days really melt away. Without the distractions and with the commitment, everything feels simpler. I can operate from an un-conflicted place.
More than anything I’ve noticed companionship develop, between us fellow adventurers on this residency together, and in the shared love of the land around us. Within our group, we’ve developed a language, a way of relating to each other, we’re laughing more together, picking up on each others tendencies or nuances. Theres a real comfort in the shared understanding we have, that a million zoom calls couldn’t replicate. I cherish it.
Al
The practice of slowing down and noticing the wider patterns around you - all operating at multiple layers, rhythms - informed by a deep infinite intelligence is my continuing fascination. It is a wonder why this is such a hard thing to do. Simply to notice what is happening around you.
So to be given the opportunity to ‘befriend’ such a beautiful natural place and reconnect into this practice has been such a privilege. To be able to trust and commit to this community of fellow Earthed beings has been a wonderful learning for me. To step-in, hold space and also be held for all of us to do the challenging work we need to process. To work in the spaces in-between, the liminal and transition points which have become so important and we now mark them with ritual, intention and ceremony. The pathways, woodlands, river, hill and trees have all provided such an abundant ‘space’ to connect the threads of my work and ‘open up’ to an ever evolving world of possibility.
Finding ways to embody and practice the principles and ‘knowledge’ into our collective work infused by the deeply rich conversations and connections we have shared; has been nourishing and has reaffirmed my belief that the human pathway to regeneration has to start with reconnection. This entangled work cannot be designed through the head only… without heart and hands we miss two thirds of the wisdom and sensing to truly evolve. So it becomes ever more clear the ways we approach our innovation and learning are lacking. We consistently fall into the trap of adopting industrial thinking and cognitive logic to force our so called solutions. Carl Jung the Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst believed the loss of emotional participation in Nature has resulted in a sense of cosmic and social isolation.” Jung warns us about feeling superior to Nature: “Western man has no need of more superiority over nature, whether outside or inside. He has both in almost devilish perfection. What he lacks is conscious recognition of his inferiority to Nature around him and within him. He must learn that he may not do exactly as he wills. If he does not learn this, his own nature will destroy him.”
With the current rising energy of Imbolc and the acceptance of a deeper flow, feels aligned with how we all want to work as coaches and facilitators. Working with the natural cycles and patterns of life. It has been rediscovered in me and not outside of me - for that I am truly humbled.