The Resurgence Trust

Tune into the quiet moments of Winter and prepare for Spring > https://conta.cc/4fUlybv "January is the quietest month in the garden — but just because it looks quiet doesn't mean that nothing is happening," writes Rosalie Muller Wright. Beneath the surface, the soil absorbs rainfall, microorganisms work unseen, and earthworms tirelessly aerate the ground. This hidden activity enriches the Earth, preparing it to welcome the flourishing seeds of Spring. We too can embrace this rhythm, becoming like the earthworm — savouring the quiet moments of winter to nourish our inner worlds and prepare for the year ahead. Resurgence events this month offer opportunities to till our soil: deepening mindfulness, fostering growth, and reconnecting with Nature. In this newsletter, we highlight a variety of events, from our free Imbolc Earth Festival and our Earth Treasure meditations to our Resurgence Talk with Satish Kumar, and the Hope in Action retreat in Totnes. We invite you to enrich your mind and spirit, readying to flourish as Spring awakens.

Life is sacred > https://lnkd.in/eZsJVkRt Satish Kumar says there is no matter without spirit and no spirit without matter and it is this divine entanglement that makes all of life a gift. All beings are equal. From hummingbirds to humans, all beings have an intrinsic value and the right to live. All living beings are made of the same six elements: earth, air, fire, water, space and consciousness. When these six elements are united and come together into one entity, life is formed, be it human life or more-than-human life... Life consists of the unity of matter and spirit. Spirit cannot and does not exist without matter, and matter cannot and does not exist without spirit. With the implicit principle of love, all life is related and entangled. Therefore divinity is the implicit truth of life. With a sense of awe and wonder, with a sense of mystery and magnanimity, with a sense of beauty and divinity, we celebrate life. We love life. Satish will be giving a Resurgence Talk on Wednesday 29 January 2025. To book visit www.resurgenceevents.org Satish Kumar is the author of Soil, Soul, Society, available from www.resurgence.org/shop #Photo © Jonas Gerlach / Unsplash

Join Pete Yeo in Hartland for a two-day course and explore the cultural and ecological context of ‘weeds’ and ‘invasive’ plants and discover their beneficial properties. The dominant narrative re plantae non gratae remains one of ‘othering’ and, often, war. This is increasingly being challenged and efforts are being made to positively reframe such plant beings. This might be due to a combined reflection of our collective evolution away from ‘power over’ dynamics to ‘power with’. This in-person short course is intended to support people who are curious about and interested in having more convivial relationships with plantae non gratae. Book now> https://lnkd.in/eVvgT_Ug

As we stand at the threshold from one year to the next, many of us will take the time to plan ahead and set goals for the new year. Before leaping into your New Year's resolutions, we invite you to pause - and to consider indigenous celebrations of the 'new year' that evoke deep gratitude, connection and love for the earth. 🌍

Resurgence Talk: Satish Kumar - “Life is Sacred” 🗓 Date: Wednesday, 29 January 2025 ⏰ Time: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM GMT 📍 Location: Online, Zoom 🎟️ Tickets: FREE! https://lnkd.in/eMzYsKMN   In this talk with Q&A, Satish will explore his understanding of ‘life is one’ and his belief that “all beings are equal and have an intrinsic value and the right to live. There is no matter without spirit and no spirit without matter and it is this divine entanglement that makes all of life a gift.” Peace pilgrim, lifelong activist and former monk Satish Kumar has been inspiring global change for over 50 years. He undertook a pilgrimage for peace, walking for two years without money from India to America for the cause of nuclear disarmament. Now in his 80s, he has devoted his life to campaigning for ecological regeneration and social justice. He is a world-renowned author and international speaker, founder of The Resurgence Trust, and Editor Emeritus of Resurgence & Ecologist – a change-making magazine he edited for over 40 years. This will be a Zoom webinar with Q&A. Please send your questions for Satish to events@resurgence.org This talk will be recorded, and the video will be sent to all ticket holders a few days after the event. This event is free. Any donations will raise money for The Resurgence Trust, an educational charity (no. 1120414) that seeks to connect people to Nature, to each other and to themselves. It is thanks to the generosity of supporters of The Resurgence Trust that we are able to offer free events. #EnvironmentalEducation #Environmentalism #Ecology #Spiritualism #FreeEvent #Resurgence #SatishKumar #Spirit #Charity #Pilgrim #Peace #Nature Satish Kumar Foundation 

Writing this piece for The Resurgence Trust's 'Resurgence and Ecologist' magazine felt deeply personal to me. If you're familiar with this beautiful magazine, you'll know that each issue has a theme - the theme for the new issue is 'The Gift of Life'. I was invited to write a piece within this theme that covers my work and its purpose. Over the past few years, this has become intrinsically linked to my increasing awareness of life's finitude. There is an irony in the fact that death has a way of deepening our appreciation of life, with all its richness and complexity. The theme of the current Resurgence and Ecologist issue particularly resonated with me, as I absolutely believe that life is a gift, though of course never without its ups and downs and its (sometimes complex) challenges. Most of us spend a good chunk of our life working, so in this article I share some of my personal journey about how, through my work, I try to embrace seeing life as a gift. I write about the importance of society (including employers) seeing work as something that should be enriching and meaningful in people's lives, particularly as the length of our working lives is likely to extend. ...though even if your work feels purposeful and it's woven into your life in a way that gives you meaning, this time of year is a reminder that we all need to slow down and rest. I know I'm certainly ready for a re-charge over this Christmas break. I feel honoured and grateful to be invited to contribute to this new issue of the Resurgence and Ecologist magazine (and thank you in particular to Susan Clark for the invitation). If you're not already a member of Resurgence and a subscriber to its magazine, I encourage you to have a look at becoming so. It's a beautiful publication on so many levels, both aesthetically and in terms of its thought provoking and thoughtful content. The Resurgence Trust also run wonderful events through the year that you'll be invited to. All inspired by the brilliant work of its founder, Satish Kumar. Wishing everyone a joyful and replenishing festive period (whatever Christmas means for you). ✨️ (If you'd like to read my contribution to the current issue of the magazine, you'll can read the full article in the link below).

New year reflections > https://conta.cc/3PmArZj As we stand at the threshold from one year to the next, many of us will take the time to plan ahead and set goals for the new year. Before leaping into your New Year's resolutions, we invite you to pause - and to consider indigenous celebrations of the 'new year' that evoke deep gratitude, connection and love for the earth. The Māori people of New Zealand, for example, mark the Māori new year, Matariki, with the rising of the Pleiades star cluster in the winter sky. This sacred time is one of remembrance and renewal. Its a chance to honor those who have passed since the previous rising of the cluster. It's a time for celebrating the present moment and gathering in gratitude for what one has. It's also a time for giving thanks for the Earth's nourishment and abundance. Although Matariki is celebrated in June, we invite you to reflect on how you might weave these indigenous principles into your own New Year celebrations. Perhaps, instead of ploughing into the year ahead with goals of progression and improvement, you might first take a moment to ground yourself in the present, offer gratitude for the blessings of the Earth, or take time to love and remember your ancestors. In this spirit, we invite you to explore how these values are woven into the work of The Resurgence Trust. In this newsletter, you’ll find reflections on indigenous teachings and recordings of some our 2024 events. You are also invited to join our retreat in South Devon which will explore how you can 'Embody your role and purpose in a changing world', weaving together meditation, reflection, Nature-connection, nervous system care, group work and wisdom from 'The Work That Reconnects'. This will be a weekend of deep nourishment and alignment hosted by Resurgence Earth Festival facilitator, Georgie Gilmore and by Flo Scialom. (Offer code, valid until 1 Jan, HIA10)

Living Proof: Sharing a sense of wonder & celebration > https://lnkd.in/e3jJs_N6 What a joyous theme – The Gift of Life – and what an exuberant cover by the talented artist Jana Nicole to instil a sense of wonder and appreciation for everything that this phrase might mean. When a topic as big as one that celebrates LIFE itself comes along for us to think about, we need to step back with humility and see what is waiting to come into that space to share this sense of wonder & celebration with us, and this issue is full of sometimes surprising articles that do just that and more. In truth, this issue started its own life months & months ago when another talented contributor, the Nature writer, eco-philosopher and sometime teacher of creative writing Paul Evans, suggested a piece about death that was in fact a piece about celebrating life in all its living & dying glory. Turn to his captivating article on rot (yes, rot!). You may feel you’ve slipped between the gnarly and other-worldly covers of a book of Grimms’ Fairy Tales, only to find yourself in a place that looks dead from the outside but is teeming with hidden life forms, including some we almost never stop to think about, or, if we do, quickly dismiss as ‘creepy-crawlies’. Between this page and the last, we have many deeply moving and life-affirming pieces. Textile artist Anna-louise Meynell shares her extraordinary tale of a life that emerged from the hallowed halls of academic research in Scotland to a welcoming family homestead in India, where she now works with artisan weavers & supports them by sharing that cultural heritage with others. Another writer living in India is Sharmila Desai, who celebrates the gift of yoga as a life path, along with her equal devotion to the rescue water buffalo and abandoned cows she and her family so lovingly tend and take care of at her ancestral home in Goa. Just as inspiring is writer Carol Donaldson’s invitation to consider being of service to others as one of life’s true gifts. Carol is the author of a new book called The Volunteers, and in her article she shares how doing things for others helped lift her out of a dark place to rebuild her own life. Finally, this issue also celebrates what we might (and do) call the ‘superpowers’ of young people who work collectively to find positive solutions to the climate crisis and other challenges of our times. We have a wonderful article by the Bolivian winners of the Iris Prize, and a glowing tribute to young people written by the founder of The Earth Prize! I will leave you with the humbling words of Gustavo Blanco, who accepted the 2024 Iris Prize on behalf of the winning Uru Uru Team: “As a young group that started from a lake shore with nothing but enthusiasm and a collective dream, being seen, supported and validated through our journey is living proof that when we pursue something from the bottom of our hearts, the universe conspires to make it come true.”

Highlights from the January/February 2025 issue of Resurgence & Ecologist > https://conta.cc/3BAwSLJ In this issue of Resurgence & Ecologist, we are thrilled to reveal our brand new cover design and inside look as we celebrate the joyous theme – The Gift of Life. In his Slow Read article, Dr Paul Evans shares his surprising discovery of the enchanting and mostly overlooked ecosystem hosted by the ‘dead-looking’ gnarly stump of a tree felled by a storm, and that got us thinking about how The Gift of Life often shows up in the most unexpected places. We go on to explore this idea with articles that shine a light on The Gift of Service and The Gift of Young People and Their Superpowers. We feature many deeply moving and life-affirming pieces – from textile artist Anna-louise Meynell’s extraordinary tale and work with artisan weavers in India, to Sharmila Desai’s celebration of the gift of yoga, to Satish Kumar musings on the divine entanglement that is the gift of life. We hope you enjoy our selection of #free articles from this issue of Resurgence & The Ecologist magazine.

Hope in Action Retreat: Embody your role and purpose in a changing world > https://lnkd.in/e3972XUM Fri 7 Mar 2025 5pm - Sun 9 Mar 2025 2pm (GMT) Eden Rise, Sandwell Barns, Totnes, TQ9 7LJ “Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach” ~ Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés These times call for change and you have heard the call. But what part are you to play in contributing to the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible? And how can you resource and sustain yourself with hope and inspiration on this journey? How can you align yourself with what these times ask of us and step back from that which keeps us stuck, individually and collectively? Retreat, reflect and reconnect for a weekend that will hold and support you in rising to the great challenges and possibilities of our time. This will be a weekend of deep nourishment and alignment that will braid together guided-meditation, solo reflection time, Nature-connection, group work, mindfulness and wisdom from The Work That Reconnects. Led by skilled facilitators Georgie Gilmore and Flo Scialom. Come together for a journey that will assist you to… • Do more of what matters: Uncover and clarify your purpose in these times of rapid change. Explore what it is that you can offer back to the web of life by connecting with a broader sense of kinship and interconnectedness with Nature. • And do less of what doesn’t matter: Explore rest as a radical act, take time out for deep reflection and partake in practices that will resource you in creating change over time. Tickets include meals and accommodation at Eden Rise, near Totnes, South Devon. Twin room £290 Dorm £250 Early bird #discount: 10% off using the code HIA10, valid until 31 December 2024! A small number of bursaries are available. Please get in touch with events@resurgence.org if you are interested in one. This retreat has been inspired by #ActiveHope by Joanna Macy & Chris Johnstone, alongside the wisdom shared by Satish Kumar and the other speakers, participants and themes of a #HopeInAction online series run by Resurgence and the Network of Wellbeing. Georgie Gilmore Georgie weaves together guided-meditation/visualisation with self-reflection and Nature-connection practices to create journeys that serve to deepen our ways of relating to ourselves, to the rest of Nature and to ourselves as Nature. These journeys of rich self-enquiry and inner exploration inspire outward action and evoke insight, connection and change. Georgie is the Community Engagement Manager at The Resurgence Trust. Florence Scialom Flo is a freelance project manager and events facilitator who currently supports the Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet Online Course with Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism, Inc. She previously worked as the Communications & Events Manager at the Network of Wellbeing (NOW).