DEEP ECOLOGY WORKSHOPS – SOME PARTICIPANTS COMMENTS

APRIL 2026: Tanya: “I hope you are well and coping with this unbelievably tumultuous time.  We have had no contact since you stayed with me in the Daintree, I think  nearly 30 years ago. I wanted to reach out to you as I just heard your podcast on Planet Critical and had an epiphany. Meeting you at Confest in 1985 or 6 and doing  your Deep Ecology workshop at Confest down south somewhere totally changed my life. I never actually realised the impact you and Deep Ecology had on me until an hour ago. While I was generally heading in that direction, It has totally influenced and determined my life, philosophies and actions to this day.  

Thought I'd let you know. xx Tanya”

MARCH 2026: Jane: Finding Deep Ecology and The Work That Reconnects has changed my life. When I found John Seed Deep Ecology and Joanna Macy it felt like I had found a missing piece to the puzzle of environmental activism - providing collective spaces to feel our grief/rage/fear/despair for the world, to know ourselves as part of nature, not separate from it and support each other to continue to work for a better world in all of the different ways that are needed.

We are so lucky to have the wonderful elder environmental activist and one of the founders of Deep Ecology, John Seed here on the Central Coast. John was instrumental in helping to save the forests of Northern NSW, Daintree and Franklin River area in the 80s. He has been a forest activist, helping to save forests around the world since, but something he says which is so true is that for every forest saved a thousand are destroyed- the problem is that we have lost our ecological identities/knowing ourselves as part of nature and this is what we need to re-member and heal.

I've met such wonderful people and made amazing friends at the deep ecology weekend workshops which I attend/cook/co-facilitate at as often as I can. I am always inspired by the people I meet who are doing amazing work in the world as activists, permaculture gardeners, farmers, nurses, doctors, teachers, lawyers, parents, psychologists, artists, musicians, everybody is there!

 

FEBRUARY 2026: Erika: “When I attended my first DE workshop in Dec 2023, I had very little prior exposure or knowledge. What emerged for me was a genuine reawakening of my humanity and a deeper understanding of what it means to heal in community. I experienced the “not-knowing” as a gift - from that 'emptiness' of not knowing, wisdom and other knowledge could surface and reveal itself. From a practical perspective, there is no prior learning or background required to attend the workshop. I certainly didn’t have any myself. These practices are very accessible and entry-level. What matters most is the intention you bring to the workshop. John and the other facilitators will be there to share the deeper knowledge and practices of DE, so there is no need to 'know' beforehand.“

NOVEMBER 2025: My work  to try and use social media to move deep ecology into the main stream is starting to pick up speed - a Facebook post was shared 350 times last month while a  “What is Deep Ecology” post on Instagram has  had nearly 140,000 views. One of the comments to this post was from Naya who gave me permission to post it here:

"I've been to a handful of these deep ecology workshops with John and other facilitators and I always leave feeling as if a veil has been pulled back from my eyes and I'm more open to the beautiful world around me. Each time my connections to both the non-human and human world is strengthened, and my inner emotional turmoil and anguish for the suffering I see in the world is quietened. I leave feeling personally stronger and more sure of how and why I want to create positive, life affirming ripples in the world. Thank you, John for your beautiful facilitation work and for fostering these spaces for us to connect to ourselves and our universe,"

If you’d like to help get Deep Ecology out there, please follow https://www.facebook.com/johnseed.deepecology/

https://www.instagram.com/johnseed_deepecology/  and

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-seed-5148644/

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11.8.25 LinkedIn post from https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrowland007/:

Last weekend, I had one of the most profound experiences I’ve had in years. A Deep Ecology workshop led by the legendary John Seed.

John was recently interviewed on Nate Hagens' Great Simplification podcast, my absolute favourite podcast. John is a living legend; he has been a rainforest defender since 1979, co-author of Thinking Like a Mountain with Joanna Macy, and one of the pioneers of the Deep Ecology movement.

During the workshop, we journeyed through the “Work That Reconnects” spiral: Gratitude → Honouring our Pain for the World → Seeing with New Eyes → Going Forth.

This was not your traditional workshop - this was a lived experience.

We began in gratitude, discovering the grounding power of naming what we cherish in the midst of crisis. John calls gratitude the doorway that makes it possible to face the truth without collapsing under it.

From there, we honoured our grief; not as a weakness, but as “the other side of our love.” In a world where we are taught to suppress our anguish over ecological destruction, this was a rare space where grief could be spoken, witnessed, and transformed into energy for action.

We stepped into seeing with new eyes, through rituals like the Council of All Beings, where we gave voice to the more-than-human world; the species, places, and elements that have no seat at human decision-making tables. As John says, these voices are not abstract; they live in us, waiting to be heard.

We ended with Going Forth - naming concrete steps, big or small, to bring our ecological identity into our everyday lives.

Why does this matter?
Because information alone does not change us. We don’t suffer from a lack of facts; we suffer from a lack of connection. Connection to each other, to place, to the living systems that sustain us. The Deep Ecology Workshop is a kind of cultural homecoming, a return to something our ancestors practised for thousands of years, which we have almost forgotten in modern culture.

The next workshop is in October. There are only 35 seats available; not by accident, but because 35 is John's magic number for creating a container where trust can deepen, where every voice matters, and where transformation is possible.

If you are feeling grief, overwhelm, or numbness about the state of the world…
If you’re an activist running on empty, a leader seeking clarity, or simply someone who loves the Earth and wants to serve life ... Let yourself be resourced, reconnected, and reminded that you are not separate from the world you are trying to save.

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July 2 2025:                "The Deep Ecology workshop hosted by John Seed and Tema Milstein, with support from Erika Aligno, initially brought me into contact with mostly complete strangers, mixed with a few new acquaintances. However, after a short two days, I left with the type of friends that neither time nor distance can alienate. Though I arrived with a heart hardened by the suffering of the planet and its beings, I left with a hope-filled sense of purpose and a means for bearing the pain that comes with the struggle from caring deeply. I highly encourage this workshop for all--the ambivalent, the curious, as well as the deep empaths."

Gwendolyn Inocencio, MS   
Ph.D. (c), Department of English
Program Coordinator II 
Digital Design for Student Success 
College of Arts & Sciences 
Texas A&M University   

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Tema Milstein • Associate Professor of Environment & Society • Convenor, Master of Environmental Management (MEM) Program, UNSW, was one of the cofacilitators of the  deep ecology workshops at Narara Ecovillage in 23, 24 & 25 as well as in Hobart in June 25. 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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1/4/2025 Can I record what you told us at the workshop last weekend  about  your first Deep Ecology Workshop, Miriam,  and what that meant  to you?

Yeah, so it's 2025 now and I think it was 2008 was my first Deep Ecology Workshop  and it was an unexpected unlocking for me. Just the words themselves caused a sense of intrigue  and curiosity.

So I went along, it was at a climate camp in Newcastle, which also was my  first experience of any kind of, I guess, activism in a more community-centred process rather than  a protest.

And I went along to this Deep Ecology Workshop with Ruth Rosenhek and I don't remember exactly how she first described things, but very quickly we found ourselves in a little mini council of all beings.

And I was really surprised at how powerful that process was, even though  we found ourselves in it quite quickly.

And just my lived embodied experience of this other entity that I felt connected to, but was not my identity, but was my sibling of being a resident of this planet that spoke and moved through me. And bearing witness to these voices of others that don't always have voices in our anthropocentric society in this council, it was just revelatory. It felt like it really cracked my head and my heart open in a new way.

And yeah, it was deeply impactful. I definitely came home from that experience changed  and I knew I needed more. And it really just whet my appetite.

I was like, “what is this?” Honestly, it was like an hour, hour and a half workshop. I couldn't believe what we did in that space. So I came back home to Victoria and looked for what was going on with Deep Ecology and there  wasn't much at all.

So I just pretty quickly found myself in a facilitator training because  that's all that was offered. And the process continued from there. I remember the truth  mandala in that process very clearly.

I remember then leaving that space and going back to my  residence. And I feel like it was the first time that other forms of inspiration and kind  of channelling started coming through me. I remember the song that I just naturally  made up and that my ex-husband still reminds me of how great that song was  that came through from that experience.

And honestly, I feel I point back to that one  workshop at that climate camp with Ruth as the first step that has been the path of my life  since then. And that was 17 years ago. So since then, I returned to my studies at RMIT and I  shifted to studying environment as a social science, which I finished my bachelor's in.

I did work with the Australian Conservation Foundation in climate justice to support the  people of Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste to understand what climate change is and the  effects that they're already feeling as part of the global south.

And yeah, and then that led to  my master's study in cultural sustainability, because moving on from climate justice, I just  realised, yeah, the injustice of cultures being lost to this capitalist culture of consumption.  So yeah, that one little workshop, it led to everything for me.

And it's just such a testament  to me about, we never know the ripple effects that we can cause for each other. And I'm really  grateful for how powerful the small things that we offer can be. And I'm super grateful to Ruth for  that.

Oh, beautiful. Thank you so much, Miriam.

You're so very, very welcome.  

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Here is my thoughts on the weekend.

Busy
Bruised, human doing
arrives in the eco-village called Narara valley.
A gentle hand,
John Seed
Plants me in the here and now,
immersed in Deep Ecology.
A pained heart to a soft heart,
deeply I connect to all Beings.
A warm embrace
sends my heart to an expansive place.
I am here
We are here
Together in Graceful place
Love  - Aurelia

"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:

 

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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.

A profound process for restoring my connection with the natural environment. It was an inspiring and sustaining experience, a wonderful insight into the strength we can draw from understanding our place in the world. Deep ecology teachings are essential for human wellbeing in this time of ecological crisis.

Emma Pittaway, Greenpeace climate change campaigner

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"I'm lucky enough to have done several Council of All Beings with John Seed, and have found them deeply inspiring. John is a wise man, hugely experienced as a facilitator and infectious in his commitment to act for our world. If you get a chance, I strongly recommend going to one of his workshops".

Dr Chris Johnstone, author of "Find Your Power", UK.

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I attended the Deep Ecology - Council of All Beings workshop here in Byron Bay earlier this year. For me it provided a strong experience. Not just through connection with other community members who share a deep longing and concern for a healthier planet, but to the planet herself. Throughout the weekend i gained a clearer sense of my own personal journey - where i am connected, where i am disconnected; plus many insights into my unique purpose and voice.

I loved meeting and singing with John. He is a beautiful man with a kind heart and a genuine, authentic and inspiring message. Also, I loved sharing deeply with people from my tribe who, until the weekend, had been faces in the bank cue or behind the local market stall.

So the weekend for me was about connection, which seems like the most important theme in my life right now.

Libby Perkins

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John's Deep Ecology workshop shifted my view of the world, and my place in it. It got me to see a different point of view and examine my own view of the world. This has helped me understand different world views and their influence in how we got to such a crisis point on earth.
I'm now able to appreciate and work with people with perspectives vastly different from my own. Thanks John, for the perspective, what a refreshing approach!

Tathra Street

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I have attended Councils of All Beings at several Deep ecology workshops. It never ceases to amaze me how profound the process is and where it takes me inside my being. It reflects what is going on in the World Environment and of couse the human psyche which once again reconfirms we are not separate from this beautiful Blue Green Planet we call Earth but intrinsically divinely connected through our very biology. For anyone wishing to connect to the environment and the billion or so creatures we share it with to gain some deeeper insight and perspective on the web of life I recommend attending the Council of All Beings

Cheze Malaika Darville, Corporate Team Builder

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" I attended a Council of All Beings workshop with John in December 2008. There were about thirty people in the group. After a welcoming introduction from John and explainations about the process and purpose of the workshop, which fostered an understanding of the theories behind what we were about to participate in, the group was then lead through various processes to guide us through actual experiences of the basic principles and goals of the Council of All Beings.
I found John to be very relaxed and compassionate in nature, which made it easy to feel comfortable in going through the processes, and deeply connecting with other group members, which at times requires letting go of any holding back or supression of deeply held onto fears or beliefs and/or emotions thereby leading to a release of these supressed beliefs and/or emotions; and further leading to, in my experience, a great clarity of mind and deeper, more tangible sense of connection with others and sense of wholeness within oneself.
I recommend the Council of All Beings workshop to anyone who would like and experience of release of tension and stress, clarity, and a more efficient functioning in daily life."

Soul Sarkis

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The Experience of Deep Ecology begins well before the workshop in the part of the psyche that seeks answers to the feeling of a connectedness and disconnectedness with the living organism of the earth. The connectedness of course comes from the fact that we ARE also a part of this living organism. The disconnectedness is a result of humanities long journey of separation from the web of life. Seeking answers to such question led me to a workshop entitled Deep Ecology – The Council of All Beings – Towards A Sustainable Future. The Deep Ecology Workshop of John Seed allowed me to discuss and explore my feelings of connectedness with this wonderful planet we call Earth. Yet even more than this it helped me work on the issues of disconnectedness. What better example to portray relationship, communication, team work, sustainable systems and answer to feelings of separation than the Earth itself. A Deep Ecology Workshop is three days of focus on the bridges and rivers that connect our thought with that of all other lifeforms which share this sacred space we call home. It is a sacred space which brings the participant empowerment, inspiration, reflection and most of all Connection

Rob Goldspring

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In April 2009 I attended a 2 day workshop on ‘a Council of All Beings’. This was orchestrated by John Seed OAM who for many years, has been an advocate for the environment and helped many people develop a stronger and more realistic sense of our place within it.

It was a most uplifting weekend with knowledge, skill and humor bringing about outcomes that profoundly affected all who attended.

I have no hesitation in recommending John and his wonderful workshops as beneficial and worthwhile

Bryony Taylor

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I have seen John Seed offering workshops in contexts ranging from small groups of students and professionals to an international conference. Using music, humour, group exercises and a stimulating intellectual framework, he empowers people to see that there can be no separation between ecology, economy and what it means to be a whole person living in One World. John takes participants on a journey that develops the integration and integrity in their lives. This cannot help but to stimulate creativity and right relationship - and not just in private matters, but also in the workplace and through the conscientious profession of life's vocation.

Alastair McIntosh, Visiting Professor of Human Ecology, University of Strathclyde.

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Deep Ecology Weekend
What a wonderful way to experience nature, free of self-ego identity for a few days at least, transforming into our natural being. The whole weekend was very supported and filled with creative projects that certainly awakened me to my ancient, biological self, connected to the whole planetary body....connected to the begining of time and all evolution.
Not to be missed ........

Radha Koch

 

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I've often felt alone in my concerns for the state of the environment, and in that sense of isolation feel powerless to effect change. It all seems so big. John Seed's "The Council of All Beings" workshop opened me up to new possibilities of feeling empowered, and reconnected me to a community of people that encouraged and supported my own journey. The workshop was playful, dynamic, empowering and restored my belief in the power of community to evoke change in my local region and the world. It showed me new possibilities of how being a agent for change in the world.

Sparkle