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A brave new world? Waking up to the environmental crisis

Posted on September 5, 2019

“It’s so much worse than we thought, Lis.” I woke one morning to see my husband’s face creased with worry. He had that look in his eye reserved for the worst of news. He’d gotten into bed after I’d fallen asleep the night before. The temptation to wake me to share his burden had been […]

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“We humans have a fundamental need for nature. Instead of trying to tame or eliminate or ignore it, it is time we learned to grow with nature. We need to take an active role, celebrating it and caring for it, nurturing our own needs in the process. Only by taking responsibility for the Earth can we truly reconnect with it - and with ourselves.” Larry Robinson (Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in Mind). ❄ I'm doing a course in permaculture and I can feel the threads slowly weaving together as my understanding of ecological systems takes shape. ❄ We can do this. We can come together to re-imagine our world. ALL of our world, human and more-than-human. The lessons are there to be learned from the wisdom of the plants and the animals that have graced this earth for so much longer than we have. We just need to be open to receiving this wisdom and the connections we need to make will become clear ❄❄❄ Together we can reroute this great river. Each of us has a part to play, we just need to find where we have power and join forces with others. Where is your place in the work of creating new possibility? Do you know yet? I offer resilience and empowerment coaching online and in person (I've been loving doing these sessions in the woods!) The climate crisis is happening now. The situation is urgent. Making space for your needs to be met and rooting yourself in resilience is a truly transformative experience that allows you to rise into your true potential, not only bringing incredible benefits to you, but also to the earth. I understand that this might feel overwhelming, but I also wholeheartedly believe that the journey is worth it for the sake of our own sanity and the survival of the planet. Link in bio ✊❤🌱 "Alder bears last year's cones and the new ones to come in its branches all at once. So we stand also on the bridge between past and future, between the tomb of December and the womb of February". Ian Siddons Heginworth - Environmental Arts Therapy and the Tree of Life. . As life beneath the earth begins to stir, we too feel a shift within as the acceptance of winter gives way to the urge to rise into action. Before we emerge into the active phase of the year, we are invited to release the last of the excess weight we carry, or else take it with us as the wheel of the year turns once again. . Like the Alder we bear the old and the new. Our potential for this next phase of the year is dependent on our ability to identify and release the aspects of our past that we cling to, the old loyalties that bind us. . How do you make space for your grief? Who do you have to support you? . Our grief can can be hard to look at directly. In dramatherapy we work with metaphor – through object work, images, improvisation, artwork, character, ritual, movement, creative writing. Plus, you may have noticed I value the metaphors the natural world has to offer 😊 . Working this way offers the distance needed to safely feel and let go of the tough stuff. Plus, the unconscious communicates in symbolic form, so what better way to give a voice to all that repressed, forgotten stuff that weighs on us? . If this feels like a good fit for you, I'm currently accepting 1-1 clients both face to face in South London, and online. Follow the link in my bio to find out more 🌱 I was on the bus with my 4 year old daughter earlier and she spotted some bird poo on the window; 4: naughty birds. Me: are they? Or are humans the naughty ones? 4: why are humans naughty? The bird pooed on the window. Me: it was just doing its thing and we put a bus in its way. Just like we've put lots of things in the way of nature. 4: cars, roads. Me: houses. And we've killed loads of insects too so the birds can't eat them. 4. Poor insects. Me: yup… Growing resilient kids in these dark times is such a balancing act. We don't want to depress their poor little souls, equally we want them to have a deep relationship with the natural world and an awareness of our impact on it. My daughter knows I'm fighting for nature but she doesn't know how close we are to the brink. She has a beautiful and respectful relationship with the natural world and her understanding is growing through conversations like these. Do you have kids? I'd love to hear how you approach it.x