A meeting was held at Eastcott Barn on 17.4.12 for all those interested in exploring the ethos of the Heart and Soul Group. Several apologies were received, so we were a small but enthusiastic group of three on the evening.
The Heart and Soul element is an intrinsic aspect of the Transition Movement but it is not necessarily easy to see the form it might take. We were in agreement that Heart and Soul is actually present in all we do and that this was particularly evident in last year’s Apple Day- community, sharing, being together with good will, were all centred around heart and soul on an individual as well as a group level.
However our discussion led us to look at an aspect of Heart and Soul that we wondered if we were avoiding. How are climate changes and all the issues we see arising in our world, affecting us on a deeper level? How can we face the challenges in a realistic way without feeling over whelmed? How can we support one another in this? Such questions of an eco-psychological nature are linked to the work of Joanna Macy, who has for many years been in the forefront of addressing such issues, through “The work that re-connects”. More information about this can be found on her websitewww.joannamacy.net
The three of us realised that a few years ago when we first started wanting to be pro-active in a Transition type way, we had all felt almost evangelical in our desire to spread the message and had been frustrated and disappointed in what appeared to be limited response or even disinterest from others. Comparing how we feel now, we were surprised to realise our attitude had changed and we had lost some of that zealous energy. We raised the question as to what lay underneath this. Is it that we have become wiser and understand that there is a more useful way of going forward? Or is it that we have buried some feelings in the face of too daunting a task? The answer is probably a little of both but it led us to think that Heart and Soul can play a helpful role in the exploration of such issues.
Though this meeting was small in numbers it does not reflect the wider interest in the Group as a whole and the suggestion was made that we could investigate the possibility of a workshop led by a facilitator using “The work that re-connects”. This idea will be taken forward.
Jenny Ash.