The Spiral – Finding Your Way In Uncertain Times

Does the news on floods, hurricanes, forest fires, famines, wars, homelessness and climate change have you feeling overwhelmed? Are you feeling sorrow, grief, anger, powerlessness,  anxiety or fear? Are you struggling to make sense of it all? Are you finding it hard express how you really feel to people?

All of these feelings are valid as they show our deep connection to all life on earth. To be conscious today is to be aware of the vast suffering that is taking place and not turn away. Compassion is to ‘suffer with’ and it can be hard to channel these feelings into something that doesn’t feel like despair or powerlessness. Using ‘The Spiral’ by Joanna Macy we will channel these feelings to create a deeper connection to all life, find hope and resource ourselves to create the change our world so needs.

In this workshop using both group and individual activities (outside if the weather permits) we will use the spiral practices below to:

• Express and share our responses and feelings
• Connect to our interbeing in the world
• Reframe our anxiety and grief so we can take action, finding our way to discovering our thread be sown into the tapestry of the change we need
• To embrace the uncertainty of things
• To find our power in a system that can make us feel powerless

The spiral is a cycle of activities that uses system sciences, deep ecology and spiritual traditions and consists of 4 stages that support each other:

• Coming from Gratitude
• Honouring your pain for the world
• Seeing with new and ancient eyes
• Going forth

What to bring:

Something from nature that is special to you (biodegradable) and your lunch and snacks for the day.