“Community has become abstraction and rhetoric, and we wonder why we feel so alone” Francis Weller Since the beginning of this year, we have been in full flight, soaring from top to tail of this incredible Isle; connecting with folk from Totness to Inverness… The summer months spent bathing in ideas and inspiration, and included … Continue reading Quest for Community
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Birth is a Political Act
Over the past 100 years, the nature of birth in the western world has mirrored the dominant cultural story of industrialisation, and as a person who is exploring life beyond the parameters of this civilised story, and also as a woman expecting her first child, I have found myself on a journey of questioning – … Continue reading Birth is a Political Act
Grief is the Gateway…
That afternoon, we were coming together for a grief-tending ceremony. Curiosity, uncertainty, and a certain sense of trepidation that often holds hands with the unknown sat in my stomach… What does it mean, “grief tending”? I haven’t suffered a bereavement or any great trauma recently, do I even belong in that space? Why would I … Continue reading Grief is the Gateway…
A Meeting With Mark, a Meeting with Magic
Some communities live on land, growing food to support each other’s physicality and being from one day to the next. Other communities gather on a weekly basis to break bread, share grief, joy or the very stories that make life, with a deep sense of being listened to and held by those who choose to … Continue reading A Meeting With Mark, a Meeting with Magic
Why the Uncivilized? Exploring Being and the Unspelling of Civilization.
The Course of Empire The Savage State 1836 by Cole Thomas ‘Without civilization we would revert to chaos…to savagery…. to barbarism!’ These words send arrows through my heart. They are the words that hold the expansive nature of our beings to ransom. They are the words that make us believe that what we have is … Continue reading Why the Uncivilized? Exploring Being and the Unspelling of Civilization.
Free as a Bird?
The view was stunning. The golden light of the setting sun, glittered off the sighing waves, as blades of grass danced playfully on the cliff-edge. This park-up was a gift. Until dusk, when the peace was broken, by a rude ratt-a-tat-tat on the van door… Did we know we weren’t allowed to park there? Did … Continue reading Free as a Bird?
Plant journey
This poem emerged following a plant journey, gifted to me by the San Pedro Cactus. A beautiful plant, her exquisite whte flower blooms for just 24 hours each year. Her flesh contains mescaline, a naturally occurring psychadelic alkaloid, and invites us to explore the deeper reaches of our conciousness. On this occasion, we were on … Continue reading Plant journey
The People’s Medicine
This year, I commenced my journey with the plants. It’s been a long time coming, perhaps lifetimes… and so, here I am on this path, not learning, but remembering. Each month I travel to Ireland to stay with my Aunt Gina (officially my Mother’s cousin – their mothers were sisters). Gina’s mother married an American, … Continue reading The People’s Medicine
Soil, Soul, Society. Satish Kumar Speaks at Zu Studios
Satish sits on an old chesterfield chair. Plants, paintings and assorted curiosities hang from the walls and ceilings. Zu Studios plays host to this legendary figure this evening, and the crowds have gathered to hear him speak. 100 or so local Lewes folk are snuggled in, wall to wall, some on the floor, some on … Continue reading Soil, Soul, Society. Satish Kumar Speaks at Zu Studios
Waste Not Want Not
One of the first concerns when there is a group of people inhabiting a piece of land is waste. What on earth are we to do with it? Here at Bodenham Manor (the site for Building Man 2013), there is a multi-layered waste issue. In fact, not only is it multi-layered it is stacked sky-high! … Continue reading Waste Not Want Not
