DEEP ECOLOGY WORKSHOPS – SOME PARTICIPANTS COMMENTS

Tema Milstein • Associate Professor of Environment & Society • Convenor, Master of Environmental Management (MEM) Program, UNSW, was one of the cofacilitators of the December 2023 and March 2024 deep ecology workshops at Narara Ecovillage (and will be cofacilitating there again in December  2024). She wrote to the village as follows:

"Just a quick note to thank Narara Ecovillage for hosting this weekend’s Deep Ecology Experience with John Seed. 

The Experience itself is transformative and is doing the kind of restorative work we need so dearly in this decisive decade. I brought 10 of my master's students from UNSW to the retreat — one, who works in biodiversity and carbon sequestration, was so taken that she volunteered to help co-facilitate the next retreat. 

At the same time, the inspiring setting of Narara Ecovillage helped bring to life many of the ideas and feelings that emerge from a Deep Ecology retreat, which feels like the perfect marriage. My students left simultaneously inspired by the retreat and the ecovillage and left with an expanded sense of what is possible.

I’ve been studying and teaching about Deep Ecology for decades as a respected and ongoing global grassroots movement focused on bringing about ecological/ecocentric identity to ensure the Earth’s and all of our thriving futures. Having John Seed, as the father/founder of these Deep Ecology Experiences, living in Narara Ecovillage and running the Experiences, based so closely to Sydney, is an amazing boon for change. The power combo of the Experiences and the young ecovillage setting is profound. 

None of my students, though deeply sustainability minded and devoted, had ever been to an ecovillage before this past weekend. They now have seen one in action, which provides them an example they may pursue in their own lives.Thank you again.Gratitude - "

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"The deep ecology weekend workshop led me on a rich and tender re-membering of my heart’s true song and connection with all life. I emerged with an expanded awareness and a renewed sense of purpose, every part of me surging with fresh energy to keep on caring for this wonderous planet."   -    Sophie

“ My time with you and the Deep Ecology crew this last weekend was like a step back to the path I’ve been longing to hold to.  In the simplest and clearest way possible I felt the invitation to walk consciously with all beings, an invitation that I can’t ignore but somehow manage to complicate.  Every part of the weekend showed me how simple it can be.  And it showed me again how a diverse group from all backgrounds can come together with their own personal talents and challenges to represent the grassroots swell that will keep the Great Turning alive.  I’ll be deepening with you guys for whatever time I have left circling this sun.  Blessings to you and to all those on the ride.“  -   Fiona

“ Deep Ecology felt like a homecoming… A returning to our deepest humanity and a reminder of the depth of connection we can experience. The Work That Reconnects cracks you open in the most beautiful ways - through both tears of grief and tears of pure joy. I walked away with a renewed sense of clarity, hope and trust and I am eager to weave these rituals and ways of being into my life.“   -   Sian

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Dear John

Thanks for an absolutely beautiful weekend.  I was inspired at the end when you talked about personal healing and invited us to write about it. 

I have done that this morning and wanted to send it to you.  I'd be happy to edit it too if its too long.  Please let me know if any of this helps express what you were thinking:

Deep ecology has the power to heal our inner selves, in fact that is a key part.  Our inner pain is often a reflection of our outer pain for the world - for the destruction around us and how humans treat each other.  We can also be completely overwhlemed by fear and struggle when we feel desolate, alone and disconnected from others.  Seeing the world falling apart around us only enhances this despair, especially when it is coupled with a feeling of disconnect and powerlessness.  

If we stay immersed in our inner personal pain, it can also skew our view of the world and how we relate to others The suffering that humans feel inside can be harmful to us personally, as well as the world we live in.  Ignored and pushed aside pain is a root cause of much of the global suffering inflicted by humans - violence, war and destruction are inflicted by a people in pain and disconnect.  Similarly, conflicted personal relationships and family violence are often a result of unhealed trauma and personal pain that remains unprocessed.  Without acknowledging our own pain, how could we possibly acknowledge the pain of others and our precious Earth?

Something that can powerfully heal personal pain is connecting with the natural world, and our fellow humans and non-human creatures.  This is a profound benefit of nature connection which is potent and of course has been recognised for thousands of years by indigenous cultures.  

Because of the deep relationship between our personal pain and the collective pain of the world, healing ourselves also has a ripple effect and its power cannot be underestimated. Only when we hear ourselves suffer can we hear our fellow humans and Mother Earth suffering too.  Only when we are open to healing ourselves can we truly heal the world.  

love Julie

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Moving through the May 2023 Deep Ecology weekend, I allowed myself to rest in the company of others. I realised that I was healing my connection to people as much as to nature. There was a distinct shift after the milling exercises where I felt my body recognise this. 

I was re-remembering the healing and empowerment that comes when held in community. It provided a contrast that brought into sharper focus the subtle orientation towards independence, agency, and the 'I' that distorts/limits my ability to respond to the world. 

Numinous, transformative experiences were created as we gathered with intention by the shared nature-connected mind. This collective mind arises in our togetherness, and both holds and beckons us intelligently. It is particular to the individuals that gather; no two Deep Ecology retreats are the same. They are an ecosystem unto themselves that has the potential to generate transformative experiences, insights and actions.

Another form of human beingness. One that operates as a system that regulates, expands, arises, and disperses. That carries its intelligence forward for as long as it is maintained. An expression of human consciousness that requires cultivation and care to maintain and thrive. 

This ability to gather together generated new possibilities. New gestalts. Actions that arose from our shared embodied wisdom. This story is still unfolding as our group continues to meet.

It is a blessing to be part of the healing and growing of a vibrant, resilient, nature-connected human culture. Birthing a healthy, empowered hive mind  : ) 

Thank you for all the years of cultivating and weaving this work into the world! 

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What I loved about the weekend was:

• the facilitation was heart-led, clear, receptive, open, creative, experiential using rituals, songs, inquiry practices and inclusive of all of us and our offerings
• the practices were profoundly moving held in the deep intelligence of the spiral
• I loved learning from Elder John: I loved hearing the personal stories and personal perspectives from John, it seemed to meet a primal remembering in me that once upon a time we would hear stories from our elders
• I loved seeing the 'next generation' of younger facilitators Katrina and Michael lead so authentically and he/artfully: this seemed to be really empowering for others in the group to see that they too can facilitate and share this work
• the incredible open source generosity of this work is a balm in this capitalist/consumer world and means that the goodness ripples out and out, echoing the abundance of Gaia
• the foundation of gratitude is simple yet radical medicine reminding us that we are enough, that we have enough, that we live in natural abundance
• the truth mandala: a deeply supportive container for vulnerability was held and deep emotions were expressed. being connected to our shared vulnerability laid the foundation for the subsequent seeing with new eyes. What an incredible reminder of the intelligence of our emotions and that regular tending to our emotional life yields great power. Such vital medicine for our times. 
• the cosmic walk was beautiful, evoking heart expanding and mind expanding reverence and humility - and the song is perfect 
• the council of all beings: to speak as a creature or element of the web of life was humbling, insightful, heart rending and heart tending. Wow! So powerful.
• life mapping and sharing was a lovely way to integrate and bridge us into going back home
• eating at one table, feeling part of a tribe and community, wonderful food, the support and care of the facilitators and participants throughout
• the songs! the fire! THE LOVE and genuine experience of loving community
• WOW!! Thank you!

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Just a short message to pass on my appreciation for a fantastic Deep Ecology weekend. A real treat to be taken out of the rat race and immersed in a life changing experience. The workshop itself provided real food for the soul, the stand out sessions for me were the milling and finding out the earth is really just a peppercorn. What really sets this workshop apart from all others though is the ability to transform thirty strangers into best friends within two days. Meeting with the same intention and readiness to participate are prerequisites, but the way the weekend develops really bonds people together. Being able to hop into, and be welcomed, at any one of ten conversations during the lunch break is not something that happens every day!! There was a real buzz and camaraderie that gives you a snippet of how the world could be if everyone put aside their petty squabbles and opened their hearts to each other. Deep Ecology is pure gold for community building.

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WOW is exactly how I started my day today…..

Only single words came at first… opened, sharpened, softened, deepened, more awake than ever.

Trying to put into words the gratitude, connection and love I am feeling has been challenging but I wanted to try, so from the heart.

How truly amazing to see how much was achievable in such a short space of time, within a group of relative strangers, this gives me so much hope for the change that is needed in the challenges we face ahead.

I have never seen or experienced anything so profoundly effective and effecting, with such whole and unanimous participation, creating shifts within us that are so very often so so hard to achieve.

John, I will be eternally grateful to you for bringing me something I have been searching for my whole life (and career). I have collected fragments along the way but this weekend was all of them and so much more rolled into one magical and transformative experience. I had almost given up hope but you seem to be a master of restoring this. 

I truly believe these processes are what has been missing from so very many of the mainstream treatment/therapies available for healing the pain humanity experiences. 

Thank you again for providing such a safe and nourishing environment for this magic (True - woo) to happen. 

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Thank you so much from my heart and soul,  John, for such a profound, rich and meaningful weekend and for the Deep Ecology Wisdom and deep sense of coming home to my way of being in the world. As I drove away yesterday I cried to be re-entering this crazy cult-ure and I remembered the words of my mindfulness teacher Will James in 2019 after a 4 day silent retreat on the land and I wanted to share my version of them with you, ‘go gently as you enter the world, digest this experience slowly, you’re wide open right now, more vulnerable, more in wise heart mode and it might be jarring to re-enter society, allow time for Soulitude, choose who you share your experience with (someone you trust), and do lots and lots of caring for your Self, your body, heart, soul, spirit and tune into earth to ground yourself daily, try to notice when the armouring/the thinking mind kicks back in- and it’s totally ok to remember and forget, remember and forget, what you learnt on this weekend, that is part of the process and the reason why this is something we practice!’

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Thank you for creating a safe, mental, and spiritual space to explore deeper questions about our place on the Earth. I have been intrinsically feeling a sense of eco grief that I have not had an opportunity to properly articulate and feel. You've given me an opportunity to reconnect and reawaken those intuitive senses, in a judgement free setting. And most importantly, inviting us to remember that we are a part of nature, not apart from nature. 

Most profoundly, less than 24 hours of meeting 35 strangers, I immediately felt a sense of familial community. This is just one reason why I would love to come back and continue taking part in ceremony with you. And my hope is if you could continue to create this familial community so others can experience this deep connection with each other and Mother Earth.

I believe ceremonies/events like these are the seeds of hope. You reinvigorated hope and I saw this in the mindset shift (and heart shift) of all those who shared and co-created ideas with. My deepest hope is for these seeds to be supported and given the right nourishment to continue to grow.

I am grateful to you. In all the spoken and unspoken ways I say thank you, thank you, and thank you again. 

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Dear Deep Ecology family,

Thankyou 

My heart is full,

My soul is nourished,

My nervous system is at rest from being immersed in these profound yet simple community rituals that allow what is unimportant and life depleting to fall away so that what is of value and life enhancing can emerge and find more ground within me. 

John,  I continue to be touched by your dedication to the Earth and your offerring back to the web of all life, as-well as the generous encouraging reminder that anyone can take this and run it. Sadly this still feels rare. 

Sending all much gratitude for this shared moment in right time, right place, right people for the magic of deep ecology to strengthen the strands of remembering the truth of our connection and belonging.