July’s theme

To usher in a new world that’s regenerative, fair and equitable, and beautiful we need to heal the remnants of the old and free ourselves from the cycles that collective wounds keep us caught in. The field of trauma studies teaches us that being resourced is key to healing wounds, and to feel wounds may mean we’re resourced enough to do so. Therefore there’s the invitation to honor what we’ve inherited, as well.

As a practitioner I’m taught to study the system as something outside of me. How does approaching systems change from the perspective that I’m not separate from that which I seek to change but am actually part of it impact my approach and its outcomes?

How do we heal ourselves collectively in the face of the damage and change that our entire planet is facing as our climate and culture shifts? How do we take care of each other and care for the world that we are a part of? This conversation is a beautiful inquiry into what collective healing is. You'll hear us working with that edge because it's something that has never been done on a global scale before. Wonder Dome podcast episode.

For many of us who are drawn to the term “collective healing” it’s something we feel or have a sense of more than a working definition. Which makes work around collective healing part of an emergent field of inquiry and practice - a field that’s emerging or taking shape as we go. At WH4A, we’ve come to think about the term and the needs it addresses in two main ways. What do you think?

As we continue to lift the veil on ways that our cultures and societies shut people out, keep people invisible, and perpetuate violence, we also have a powerful moment for deep collective healing. The kind that heals intergenerational and historical trauma that can lead to true, longterm culture change.

A cool moment that challenged my assumptions of what people in my technical field of international development are open to. An emergent conversation about consciousness, spirituality and sustainable development.

Coming up with our own answers about this time of complex world change. Between mass media, political divisiveness and urgent calls for social action, we can find ourselves being inundated with voices and perspectives that tell us what and how to think. In Circle we create space for you to figure that out for yourself.

“We are witnesses of the collapse and therefore that makes us potential agents of the renewal.” - Michael Meade. The invitation to look for threads of renewal even in our darkest moments. By not turning away from the tragedy but rather accepting our collective fate as witnesses of these times and turning towards what we see we can begin to ever-so-gently sense what new beginnings might be in store.

Yours truly moderated an insightful panel on how emotional and mental health intersects with climate injustice; the research and programs in this arena; and how all of us can take steps to figure out what works best for us with our own climate anxiety.

Contrary to popular belief, to slow down is not a form of inaction; to hibernate is not to fall asleep. Instead, when done with intention, it is a turning inward that is part of a larger creative cycle found in nature. Join us for our four month journey, Hibernation for Healing. A community of beautiful hearts and creative minds are gathering to hold space for ourselves, each other and this time of great change in Circle.

Sure, this question seems obvious, but it’s more than just seeing from another’s view. Within the two forms of empathy — cognitive and emotional — the latter provides us with an embodied, felt sense understanding of each other that’s sorely missing in our divided US politics. Join my Post-Election Circle on Nov 8 to practice cultivating that empathy and tapping into our shared humanity.

I believe there’s a need for silence in this moment of racial reckoning from some of us. Not scared, feeble silence that cowers in the presence of this reality. And not slide-y silence that avoids, deflects and ignores. No, we need attentive silence. Observant silence. Silence that listens for and listens to the ghosts knocking at our doors and the collective trauma that’s coming to the surface.

An awakening process is happening for many people around white supremacy and racism: for some white people, waking up to the reality of systemic racism for the first time; for other people a further waking up to the reality that our system can’t reform itself; and for others it’s about shepherding the awakening of others. Wherever you are, thank you for showing up to the work. Anti-racism resources.

Inspired by Brazilian journalist Eliane Brum’s article, "The Power of the First Generation without Hope." A reflection on the wisdom of “the catastrophe isn’t the end, it’s in the middle." How the climate crisis is cracking us wide open to new ways of being we know in our bodies. Climate Circle offerings.

What does abundance mean in the face of climate change, structural inequality, resource constraints, and histories of oppression? What does it look like in practice? What does thinking about sustainability through the lens of abundance have to offer us practically, theoretically, spiritually?

I had been mad at the world for awhile… Personal reflection on the interconnectedness between my personal wounds related to abuse and injustice and the collective wounds of oppression I’ve fought so hard to defend. New era of learning.

As someone who's naturally a "feeler," this is a topic that's near and dear to my heart. I hope this inspires a larger conversation amongst us all. I'd love to hear how you relate to your feelings, what frameworks are of service to you and what you think the evolutionary purpose of emotions and this time of change are.

Can our emotions be entry points for deeper insight and understanding of the changes going on in the world? Can our emotional experiences be portals for the past, present, and future in a way that shifts things at a more subtle dimension? Prayer, poetry, reflections.

Here we are. Staring ourselves straight in the eyes. Wondering what’s next… Information overload, collective awakening, emotions as fuel.

News stories and information overload that leads to being desensitized. Not allowing the information to land in the body. Reflections on learning to sit in the fire of discomfort and not knowing. To build our capacity for that. Heads up: content may be triggering.