First Week in Cambui

On Tuesday we walked around the centre of Campinas, passed the Town Hall, small parks with the most incredibly tall palm trees and eventually found our way to the historic market. When I say historic, here in Campinas many of the older buildings date back to the beginning of the 20th century. The traditional architectural style of the indoor market stands in stark contrast to all the tall high rise buildings round about. Inside were numerous stalls selling meat, beans, fruits and juices ... all the classical foods of Brazil. When I say they have bananas, there are so many different varieties. An old man was sitting behind his stall eating papaya with a knife, Mirella asked if we could buy one small banana for me to try, with a smile he said ¨just one! you can have it.¨ No exageration, it was one of the tastiest bananas I have every eaten.



The fresh juices are delicious, we had acai at the market, extremely healthy and whilst here I have sampled fresh melon juice, caju, passionfruit, watermelon, orange, kiwi, strawberry and coconut water drunk straight from a coconut. In the shops the displays for fruit and vegetables are huge, brightly colourful and they must take up 60% of the space. Fruits are BIG in every sense of the word!!!



On Wednesday we visited a project across town that supports the educational needs of yound people living in socially deprived areas. The older kids play in a band called Bate Lata. Many of the instruments are made from scrap metals, from this they create an amazing sound of beats, rythmn and song. The money that is collected from each performance is used to pay for further educational courses enabling these youngsters to gain professional qualifications and find work in careers of their choosing that typically they would find difficult to afford thus giving them opportunities to change their lives. I could see the experience of participating in the project also lifts their confidence and self-esteem.



I have been in Brazil for 4 days, many things are very different - the language, the variety and size of the fruits, the trees and the climate (it´s been 30 degrees most of the week, too hot for me!!!) and many things are the same - the shops, businesses and the most intense traffic (at times). And it is as I have read and been told the Brazilian people are the warmest, friendliest people you could ever meet. All good. More to follow ...

Day 1 Brazil

I arrived after a somewhat bumpy 11 hour plane ride from Heathrow to Sao Paolo, thanks to bach flower essences and a wonderfully kind flight attendant called Marco who gave me a little reassuring squeeze on my shoulder everytime he walked by I managed to stay calm and sleep a little. My beautiful girlfriend was waiting at the arrivals gate with a sign welcoming me to Brazilzilzil !!! I'll skipp the description of the next few minutes because it's kind of private and anyway you can use your imaginations. We left the airport at around 6.30am as the sun was rising over the many many towers blocks shaping the skyline of the city of Sao Paolo. Passing football stadium and the venue for Carnival from the car window it is clear that Sao Paolo is huge, the biggest city in Brazil and probably the biggest city I have ever experienced by far. There is evidence of further continued growth from the numerous construction sites I saw and yes in between the corporate buildings and wealthy areas are favalas, creatively arranged habitats build in a higgled-piggled fashion from materials round and about. Eventually we got through the intense traffic and made it into the country-side. Hills and valleys covered in trees, the ocassional clearing with animals or agriculture. Our destination was Cambui, a district in Campinas, before we arrived we made a quick stop at a Frango Assado to sample some Pão de Queijo "cheese bread" - yum and fresh orange juice.

Refreshed and back on the road it was not long until we arrived at Campinas. A city of much more manageable proportions and the place from where my girlfriend and her family live. We stopped off at her father's home to say hello and have some lunch with other members of the family while we waited for the hotel room to be ready. The welcome I received was very friendly and incredibly warm. This evening as the sunsets on my first day in Brazil I am swing on a hammock on the verandah of the Hotel Pousada Cambui wondering how I got this lucky and imagining what adventures await us in the days to come.

Festival of Learning for Social Change

On the last weekend in July Reos Partners organised a Festival of Learning for Social Change in Oxford. An unforeseen gem was the setting, Grove House is tucked away on the south-side of Oxford. Having been loving restored in recent years, it opens it doors to those wishing to celebrate 'friendship and frolics, culture, sensuality and social change'. http://www.grovehouse.info/


Enclosed in lush green grounds and bathed in sunshine we were able to spend most of our time outdoors with the trees, plants, vegetables, fruits and grasses. From above we were joined by the graceful circling of a red kite. The festival was well worth attending. I was familiary with many of the social learning techniques being used, such as, U-process, appreciative enquiry, prototyping, systems thinking, circles, scenarios ... and yet I found a new community within a community, in that most of the people present seemed to be creatives coming from a social justice path rather than an eco-deep ecology path (I could be wrong, that was my impression).

The first session I went to was on social sculpture with Deborah Ravetz. I liked very much this idea of ‘warming what is hidden, ignored or denied’. How can recalling our own life-story helps us find our deepest selves? I did sessions on creative writing as a means of social change and engagement and story-telling as a process of presencing. Can you share a story of a time when you experienced being in the flow? All good. I found myself preferring being on the edges, listening and observing. More and more I am drawn to the contemplative being rather than active doing.


Story and narrative were reoccurring themes throughout the weekend. Once sensitised to this it was evident that people in one-way or another were sharing their own unique sense-making accounts of the world they encountered. During the larger group opening and plenary sessions a whole kaleidoscope of stories were exchanged, experienced and retold. Back home as I reflect on the weekend I am buzzing with a myriad of memories, thoughts, feelings and questions. What I take away from the Festival are new friendships and connections with a group of amazing, open, warm, welcoming and generous people. I was touched by the courageous acts of many to feel and show their own vulnerabilities with those of us present. As well as much laughter and fun, I was deeply moved on many occasions throughout the weekend. I recognise I am always learning and there-in lays the opening for transformation.


If you would like to spend a couple of days questioning, inquiring, co-creating, contemplating, being curious, exploring, observing, collaborating, celebrating, commemorating, presencing, story-telling, writing songs, poetry or prose, witnessing, innovating and generally digging deep into the many ways of knowing bag of the emerging world we live-in I would recommend the next Festival for Social Change or any other learning event offered by Reos Partners. For more information click on http://www.reospartners.com

Permaculture

Knowing I struggle to keep a pot plant alive, never mind the responsibility of a garden or dare I even think it - grow my own veggies - early this summer I decided it was time to get more practical and learn about permaculture!!! I spent 5 days on a beautiful organic farm in deepest Somerset at the foot of the famous Glastonbury Tor discovering the magic of permaculture. It is a vast topic, as endless as the land itself in its varying permutations. In the 1970's Bill Mollinson and David Holmgren first came up with ‘Original Permaculture’ and its principles such as stacking, diversity, succession and edges. This was followed a few years later by the wider philosophy of Design Permaculture and the key planning tools. KPT principles include zoning, scale, network and elevation. Then there is mulching, soil testing, base-mapping, observing and reading the landscape, forest gardens, urban gardening, the people stuff, active deep listening, nonviolent communication, energy, perennial vegetables, plants, the design process proper … and it goes on !!!

And yet Permaculture is as simple as remembering it is way to create an edible ecosystem. It's about growing stuff we and others in the ecosystem can eat. And let's be honest there are many people the world over growing plants and vegetables in ways that could be labelled as permaculture who have never heard of permaculture. Much of it is common-sense to those who hold a deep relationship to the land and the old-ways, particularly indigenous peoples.

Whilst taking a 5-day introductory course with Patrick Whitefield I picked up some real gems of advice that could be applied to all aspects of life.

Don’t take anything as dogma.
Learn the right questions to ask.
Take the principles and with wisdom apply them to your own situation.
Remember the map is not the land, design on the land.
Don’t do anything permanent, like planting trees, in the first 12 months.
LISTEN and OBSERVE, OBSERVE, OBSERVE and then OBSERVE some more !!!
Take your time.
Think ahead in the design.
Leave spaces.
DIVERSITY, DIVERSITY, DIVERSITY.
Take care of the people stuff.

Halfway through the course we spent an afternoon weeding Rob and Colm's pumpkin patch. The weeds were prolific. At first sight of the field it was hard to even see any pumpkins. Slowly and steadyly we pulled out the unwanted vegetation allowing the emergent pumpkins some breathing space and the warmth of the sun. As repetitious and back-breaking as weeding is, the benefits of hands-on work were immense. Not only could we see the results of all our efforts, we knew that in weeks to come beautiful pumpkins would be harvested. I loved the opportunity to learn by doing.

For anyone interested in studying with Patrick and Cathy checkout their website for more information http://www.patrickwhitefield.co.uk

Australian Night Sky

These images taken by Alex Cherney of the night sky in Australia are mesmerising in their beauty. The photograph below was taken on Phillip Island, located about 140 km away from Melbourne, Victoria. For more information visit Alex's website at http://www.terrastro.com


Amateur astronomer Alex Cherney, put together an awesome time-lapse video of the Australian night sky over the ocean. The clip includes 30 hours of exposure (don't worry, it's condensed down into two minutes and 41 seconds), which took over one year to compile.

The Present Moment

I'm present
Maybe not here
In this moment
Or in the Now
As you might imagine
And yet I'm present
At least it feels
That way to me
I walk through the woods
They hold a special place
In my heart
And I'm called to open spaces
Different sacred places
Sitting on a rock
In a field
With panoramic vistas
Visible to all
To see

I'm present
Noticing so much
It's overwhelming
What to do with it all?
And why the need
To do anything at all?
It simply is
I can simply be
Strange the change
From night to day
And the questions that
Appear like;
What is the deer thinking?
Why did the sheep die?
What is making the buzzard
In the air cry?
I'm present

Tagore Festival

Down in deepest Devon at Dartington Hall the birth of Rabindranath Tagore was remembered. A week of cultural and intellectual events were brought together to celebrate his poetry, artistry, writing and philosophy. Many people from all over the world congregated to share, explore, discuss and interpreted what this man offered the world. It was an extraordinary week of collaboration, craft and creativity. I imagine everyone who attended the Tagore Festival will have left with their own unique memories and experiences. The words below are an expression of what the festival meant to me and they are a gift to the one I love.

Tagore says true living is ever growing
outside of itself.
Ever growing, ever changing.
Change is life.
It is struggle and joy. And life is creation,
born of struggle and joy.

Satish says you can complain or celebrate.
Oh to have a moment
with celebration imminent
about to begin, all expectation
charged with energy, tantalising!
And yet all celebration can lead to complaint.
Change is inevitable, intrinsic, life-giving
Transformational.
Birth cannot happen without death.

Mi says everything is connected to everything else,
all is one. In-hale, ex-hale.
All is as it should be.
All is well.
Everything is unfolding in its magical,
majestic beauty.
Smell the flowers, glory in the colours,
reach out and touch the one you love.

Zen says have a cup of tea (mate).
Listen to the leaves tapping at your window.
Church bells chiming from far away.
And a child smiles while watching a robin flap its wings.

Jane Goodall says ooh ooh aah ahh,
that's hello in chimpanzee, and offers us
a return to hope, to making a difference,
finding a common ground, a sense of personal
involvement, togetherness and integrity.
Don't wait for the politicians!

Gandhi says be the change you want to see
in the world.
We each have our own unique contribution
to make. Live with simplicity, in self-
contained communities and know your passions.

Benjamin Zephaniah says we are listening to the
wrong radio stations!
Get naked, show your vulnerabilities.
Love your mother - Pachamama.
Keep your moral compass set on your own true North.
Fight for equality. And don't let the establishment
get you down.

Deepak says everything is co-related to
everything - instantaneously. It's not that we're
interconnected.
It's that we are inseparable.
Did you know there is some deep music playing
and we are all dancing to it, even though
we don't know the tune.

The Beatles say all you need is love.

And So ...

The way is to let go of everything
we think we know
and think we are.
And from the point of not knowing
find our new voices, listen to one
another and co-create new stories
from the mystery.
Be open, unapologetically so.
Be soulful, without fear.
Be loving with all our hearts.
Dance, sing and play.
Celebrate.
Co-create.
For we are alive.

To non-dualism and beyond ...

I was reading a quote by Richard Rohr today, he said, "Dualistic thinking will give us lust instead of love, patriarchy instead of community, domination instead of cooperation, and mistrust or fear instead of reconciliation of opposites." It is exactly in our wholeness—not merely one or the other—that we experience unity consciousness, the sacred and we become healed.

I feel like I am living in a conflicted dualistic world. And yet I have seemingly stumbled across a window that looks out onto a vision of a non-dualistic world. I know where I would rather be, but somehow, I don't seem to be able to make the necessary steps towards it. It's baffling to me and frustrating in equal measure. To desire something and yet not quiet know how to be it or do it. Or is that really the case? Maybe what I am experiencing is an important learning post.

It's as though I have the theoretical know-how but not the practical know-how. I can see but I cannot yet touch. The rational part of me says there is a new adventure to be had learning the practical know-how. It can't come soon enough. I sense this part of the journey can't be rushed, it takes time and their are no short cuts. To make the most of what lies ahead I need to free myself up and move beyond the theoretical way and allow space for the expansion into practical doing.

My first tender steps have included a gripping exploration of myth and story and some eye-opening side trails into ways of facilitating social change and qualitative many-ways of knowing. On my next excursion I intend to dip my toes into the pool of permaculture. From there I feel I need to connect more with my own creativity ... Buzz Lightyear has his famous catch phrase 'to infinity and beyond' maybe we need an holistic living alternative to Buzz. I wonder what her name could be, Quantum Consciousness perhaps? And her catch phrase could be 'to non-dualism and beyond' ... not sure it has quite the same ring to it as Buzz Lightyear's catch phrase !!! More creativity needed.

Commander Mark Kelly Steals the Show

Seaweed Tree

A seaweed tree from the southern tip of the Isle Of Skye, a photograph sent to me by the lovely Daisy Snail.

Rumi and Machado

Heart food for the day from two poets beyond words of description or compare read by two great modern living advocates of the spoken word; Coleman Barks and Robert Bly. Let these words weave their magical luminosity around you again and again and feel the doors of your heart ease open a little more ...

Hafiz ... even after all this time

One Eskimo - Amazing

Chill-out music for the week-end.
Bliss ...
Oh ... and if you're listening to this ...
I feel sweet
Do you feel sweet?
It’s amazing
I have no skin
And I feel everything
It’s amazing
I feel good
When you feel good
I knew I would
And it’s amazing
I’ve wanted this for so long
Now the deed has been done
We shall rise with the sun
And spend our time as one
Now there is no sin
In anything
And it’s amazing
I love life
I hope you do too
‘Cause I love everything
It’s all amazing
I feel you
Do you feel you?
I understand
When they say we’re born again
'Cause I feel born again
I’m born again
And it’s amazing
And it’s the best thing
And it’s glorious
It’s life changing
This feeling
Is amazing
It’s the best thing
It’s glorious
It’s life changing
This feeling
This feeling
Oh lord this feeling
It’s amazing
It’s in the stars
In the sun
It’s everywhere
In everyone
And it will be every day
From now on
From now on
We are one
And it’s amazing