Greetings!

Reading through Joanna Macy's recent letter on her website, I love the way she describes some ideas we've been working with for the book we're producing (A). What we've found helpful is to think of our times in terms of three stories.  

The first of these will be familiar to you. It is the mainstream version of reality expressed by corporate and governmental leaders, popular newspapers and glossy magazines. We call it 'Business as Usual' and the core assumption is that we can carry on the way we're going, there is no need to change. When we step back and see where this is heading, the tone shifts to tragedy. Key resources are becoming depleted, our climate is already disturbed, social and ecological systems are in a downward spiral of collapse. This is the story of 'the Great Unravelling'
 
Joanna writes:
 "The third story, of course, is the Great Turning. It is held and embodied by those who can't believe in the first story, and who are committed to not letting the second story have the last word. It's about the epochal transition from the industrial growth regime to a life sustaining civilization, propelled by capacities that emerge in a time of crisis, like seeds breaking open in a fire."

That is the story this newsletter is about. And the question we keep coming back to is 'what helps us find and play our part?' It is big what we're taking on and it is completely necessary. So this edition of our newsletter is devoted to the theme of training. How do we train ourselves to play the best part we can in this great turning adventure?

Last weekend I was with a group of Transition activists in Hampshire for a day of the Work That Reconnects - the empowerment approach developed by Joanna Macy and colleagues. A participant emailed me afterwards to say: "I normally leave workshops feeling utterly drained, but this time I felt invigorated and refreshed." I have come to trust The Work That Reconnects as a strengthening process that helps us step up in what we can offer. There is no guarantee that we will feel energized, inspired or refreshed, but I've both experienced and seen it happen so many times to know this is training indeed for the Great Turning. I'm delighted this edition brings news of so many Work That Reconnects events, including a year-long facilitator training and development group in the UK. (see events section below)

In ecosystems, biodiversity increases resilience. It is similar with trainings too. There are so many skills, insights, strengths, capacities we need to develop and draw out from each other. It is never just one thing. A step towards an integrated training for the Great Turning is the SHIFT one-year sustainability course in Bristol. Based much on permaculture, but also including group dynamics, the psychology of change and green building skills, the course is currently recruiting for its next year's intake (see events section below)

And there is so much more too, like the Journey at Embercombe, ecopsychology intensives, as well as free on-line resources and books. Please let us know when you find a gem others could benefit from. We've pulled some of those we'd most recommend in the items below.