Begendings
ReTreat/Circular Time
Begendings,
This weekend, Rē is having its first in-person Board retreat since before the Pandemic in Tennessee. And we are having a community retreat.
It's a big moment for many of us people who are partnering with the organization and for colleagues. We are so grateful for the board members and the many people who weave in and out of our community. That weaving is critical to who Rē is, a big part of what this organization is all about. It's one of those moments that one thinks back to the last year - how much has changed, how much has stayed the same - and, in this case, to the last four years. We are getting reflective. And we are also quite busy. It's sometimes an odd combination!
Life is full of cycles. This is one of the great teachings of permaculture; of deep ecology; of systems thinking; really, of just being alive.
This moment is one that is reminiscent of the term "begending". There are both beginnings and endings at the same time. And continuation.
A few years ago, we started working with Circular Temporal Technologies (aka "circular time reflections") with Sequoia Samanvaya. We started with a community event and subsequently did an internal-team gathering using cyclical time. It helped us see what we are doing in a better and more cohesive light and raised questions for us that continue to stay with the organization. Later, Sara and Krissy offered a circular time ritual at our in-person retreat in New Hampshire. That was also really powerful, and many of the participants shared later how it helped them work through and with some complex dynamics in their own lives and families.
So we are excited that part of this in-person retreat we are having incorporates some of this work.
For those of you who are not going to be able to join us, we do encourage you to consider joining their online circular time reflection spaces/course. This is now open for the Year Turning season of 2024-2025.
We would also love to hear from you about what are your favorite organizations and initiatives working at the intersection of regenerative education, rural communities, and g/local learning opportunities!
Finally, here are some news items that came across our desk this week - it happens that they are all from Grist - that we thought you might find interesting.
How to take the culture wars out of climate change
Climate Change made this year's atlantic hurricanes so much worse
Meet the Peach traveling the Trail of Tears... and the elders working to save it
A Q and A with Nemonte Nenquimo who fought oil Drilling in the Amazon - and Won
Commentary … We Need To Strengthen Nonprofits, Right Now - The Non Profits Times
Time is not linear. Time curves.
So why are you still using a linear calendar and pretending that you can chart your life in a straight line?