Envisioning the 'Meccan Period': Collective Sharing on Starting a Regenerative Change-Making Initiative

part of the current theme: Beyond COP26: Regenerative Structures for a New Society

You are invited to join us for this participative, online event, organised by Wisdom in Nature - Islamic Ecology.

Open to all faiths and beliefs.

Times of event are UK times

In this interactive forum, we will be reflecting on what is needed to start regenerative change-making initiatives such as a local project, a campaign, an organisation or an eco-community.

Taking inspiration from the ‘Meccan’ Period during the life of the Prophet pbuh, we will reflect on some of the inherent qualities for the foundations of initiatives, and what organising may have looked like during those initial years of forming a spiritual community.

We will reflect, discuss and share on these as inspiration for our own projects of whatever scale, exploring ideas such as:

• Understanding key limitations obstructing our vision for a project

• How to include marginalised voices in society

• The need for ‘group agreements’ or a communal framework of understanding between members of a project

Permaculture Principle for the Forum: As a stimulus for enriching the gathering we will touch on the idea of Observation, a principle in Permaculture, (an approach to regenerative design). Observation includes taking the time to reflect, observe and make sense of a system, rather than launching into thoughtless, reactive effort. (Learn more about Permaculture including our courses here). 

During this forum, you will be welcomed to share reflections around what needs to be both learned and unlearned in the preparatory stages in order to move away from the increasingly destructive and unbalanced ways of organising, and towards intentional, just and regenerative change.

We will hold space to explore questions around ‘What do we need to upskill in for our work to be truly regenerative?’ and ‘What do we need to consciously move away from and unlearn before beginning projects or initiatives?’

This forum is for anyone interested or involved with organising meaningful initiatives, for example:

• Community projects or activities

• Community garden ecological initiatives

• Movement building

• Grass-roots activism

• Anything that involves cultivating meaningful social change
  

Previous Forums on the same theme

In previous forums we discussed ideas around community building as a way of disrupting destructive structures: see video here. We also held  space for learnings from WiN’s meeting with the Zapatistas, a the revolutionary movement based in Southern Mexico, see video here: Meeting Revolutionary Peasants - the Zapatistas: Muslim Perspectives.

This is the third in our current theme and is open to you whether or not you have attended any of our previous forums.

[Here is the original info on the current theme, Beyond COP26: Regenerative Structures for a New Society:

The Inevitable Collapse of Our Current Story

We know that our world is going through rapid change - and also that the dominating systems we are intimately woven into, continue to destabilise and destroy. It is also clear, as they creek under strain, that they will not remain.

We can either begin to educate ourselves, get skilled in collaborative decision-making, gain intimacy with the non-human world we depend on, learn ecological design principles, and work together to co-create grassroot regenerative systems that meet our needs and are relevant to our times... or we can one day discover the existing structures have crumbled, with no alternatives in sight.

The New Story: Living Examples of Community

At WiN, we are keen to have inspirational models of community as the theme for our current online forums. We are keen to look at inspiring models of community we can learn from, to help nurture the emergence of ideas for co-creating regenerative structures and deeper resilience according to our different circumstances.

There are examples that can provide inspiration at different scales and contexts: e.g. autonomous communities such as in Rojava, Kurdistan, and in Chiapas, Mexico; certain ecovillages and radical housing coops, and of course the Islamic tradition and the time of the Prophet.

We can learn from these efforts, while considering what is needed in our own contexts.]

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Format

We will go through a simple grounding ritual which will include brief introductions from all participating. The event is also a gathering of listening and sharing between participants. Our intention is to offer a space for connection, engagement and the possibility of transformation. We will end with a simple closing ritual.

Who? This online gathering is for anyone who values a conscious, heart-centred exploration with others in relation to the world we are in. While we are based in the UK, we are open to those within and beyond the region.

Note: If you are unlikely to be able to stay til the end of the session, we would recommend holding back from registering for this particular event as spaces are limited, and our intention is to foster a deeper connection in an interactive space.

How? Together, we will create a gentle, virtual container. We will listen to what is alive for each of us. We will be welcoming the breadth and depth of our experiences. We will allow difference to co-exist. We will sometimes pause the outer conversation, and step into moments of silence.

Where: The call will be on zoom. Once you’ve registered, you will receive a confirmation email. You will receive the web-link for the zoom call in an email the day before the event.

Times of event are in UK time.

Fee: Given the times we are in coupled with the need to both encourage commitment, and cover expenses, this is a low cost event. The amount asked for is £3. The event is free for regular monthly WiN donors. If you are unwaged/cannot afford, please contact us via the link at the bottom of the main event page as we have a couple of free places.

Arrival: Please aim to arrive on the call for the start time. To maintain coherence in the gathering, once we're 15 minutes into the session, entrance to the call will not be possible for anyone not already there.

Become a Regular Donor to grow WiN's work: We are in need of individuals who wish to become regular donors to help grow our work. Please visit here for info about how we use your funds if this might interest you. The above event is automatically free for monthly WiN donors!

Work more closely with Wisdom In Nature: If you're inspired by WiN's conscious approach, and are interested in aligning your energies with ours through working within our team, then we recommend visiting this webpage

Much Gratitude :)

Wisdom In Nature (WiN): Trainings: Islamic Ecology ~ Permaculture ~ Inclusive Leadership; and a Five Strand Activism model. Website: www.wisdominnature.org

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Image Credits:
Arch Mountains Landscape Image by matthiascooper from Pixabay