H is for Healing
We wanted to send this newsletter before Christmas but, in line with this month’s theme of healing, we chose rest and recovery over pushing ourselves.
‘By looking after ourselves we show others that it’s right for them to look after themselves too. We create community spaces that feel great to be part of and together we begin to make our local areas a better place to live. Then, when the resilient communities that we are trying to create begin to buddy up, we’ll be halfway there.’
p.85 ‘Healing strategies for humankind’ by Tamsin Omond
This month we have been taking everything a bit slower, winding down, making time for reading, introspection and reflection. We’re recharging for 2022 – we’ve got a lot planned for next year and this community. We’re therefore keeping this newsletter short and hoping you get to spend enough time with yourself, your loved ones (online and offline) and the things you enjoy doing!
We have set up our usual community Notion document but haven’t filled it yet – if you feel called to add to it, please do, it’s open to everyone.
This month’s bookclub take aways: Healing strategies for humankind by Tamsin Omond
Soften your footprint on the earth but don’t overthink it. Individual action contributes to the mindset shift we need, but there is no need to beat ourselves up for not being perfect on all accounts of sustainable living.
“When we change our habits our beliefs change too.” We are now living in a time, where we have access to things that were unimaginable only a few decades back. The unimaginable is possible, we just won’t get there on our own.
Make use of existing communities: Which communities are you already a part of? Where can you get more involved? Is there a neighbourhood meet up you could attend or a green team in your company you could join?
How can I be of service? How can I make this moment better? Two powerful questions the author uses to focus their work (within communities).
Protect your boundaries. Working with other people can be as challenging as it is fulfilling. We need to be able to honour our boundaries, say no and make sure we do what we want and not what we think others want us to do. This allows us to come from a place of strength and passion.
Fall in love with the earth. Go for a walk, run, play outside. Listen to birdsong, collect leaves and admire them. Watch the seasons changing, go for a dip in an ice cold river or the sea (if you can). Fall in love with your home and remind yourself what you’re fighting for.
Write a letter from your 80 year old self to yourself now. Where are you writing from? What are your days filled with? What are you eating? Who are you hanging out with? How are you getting around? Envision the future you would like to live in.
A big thank you to our bookclub attendees Jan, Therese, Joshua, Rachael, Sandra and Shalyn – you made the last bookclub of the year so very special.
Join the first bookclub for 2022: Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta
Did you know that Santa is based on a pagan shaman delivering psychedelic mushrooms (red and white) to your house? Well, we didn’t either.
In January we are diving deep into the topic of Indigenous Wisdom and reading Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta.
About the book:
This remarkable book is about everything from echidnas to evolution, cosmology to cooking, sex and science and spirits to Schrödinger’s cat.
Tyson Yunkaporta looks at global systems from an Indigenous perspective. He asks how contemporary life diverges from the pattern of creation. How does this affect us? How can we do things differently?
Sand Talk provides a template for living. It’s about how lines and symbols and shapes can help us make sense of the world. It’s about how we learn and how we remember. It’s about talking to everybody and listening carefully. It’s about finding different ways to look at things.
Most of all, it's about Indigenous thinking, and how it can save the world.
Join our online discussion on the 11 of January at 7PM GMT – tickets via Eventbrite below 👇🏼
Community spotlight
During our last bookclub meet up we realised how all of our members are doing incredible things in their own lives and communities. So we decided to highlight one of them in each of our next newsletters. We are creating the future every single day. Action by action.
Community member Nicky Dunlop, co-founder of ActionAble (check them out on Instagram and give them a follow!) whipped up this Vegan Christmas Cake (yes, we know we’re a little late) with ingredients bought from zero waste store Harmless in Crouch End.
The perfect opportunity to try out a zero waste shop near you and also use up those half eaten packs of trail mix and dried fruit. Find the recipe here.
Thank you for taking some time out of your end of the year and reading our newsletter. We look forward to connecting with more of you in 2022. If you want to join us for one of our upcoming events, make sure you follow us on Eventbrite or Meet Up. If you have any questions please add a comment to this post, DM or send us an email to hello@andthefuture.com
Lisa & Tash ✨