'It is time we consider the implications of it being too late to avert a global environmental catastrophe in the lifetimes of people alive today.’ Professor Jem Bendell.
Please come and join us for a Loving Men Heart Circle in relation to the Environment and climate crisis. We will be holding a heart-centred space for everyone to reflect on how the destruction of the natural world is impacting on us as individuals and within our communities.
For many of us, our relationship with the natural world is a core part of our spiritual life and sense of well-being.
Some environmental campaigners now maintain that the human race has passed ‘the point of no return’ in terms of saving the Earth's ecosystems and species. For many of us this creates anxiety, along with feelings of powerlessness, rage, guilt, despair, or a sense of loss; which we may then feel we have to bury or deny in order to function.
Some of us are exploring environmental activism and campaigning as a response; others of us feel too overwhelmed.
This Heart Circle will be a chance for us to come together to share our feelings about what’s happening to the natural world; to grieve together if necessary, feel some solidarity and support, and perhaps consider ways forward.
The structure for the evening is to meet briefly as a whole group to arrive together and explain the process, and then, split into smaller groups for 90 minutes so that several heart circles can run concurrently. There will be a facilitator in each smaller group. We’ll then have a tea break with opportunities to chat with others, and come together for a final 30 minutes to share in the whole group.
These events are provided on a Pay As You Can basis with donations covering our basic administration costs. The event will be online via Zoom.
Guidelines for a Heart Circle
The idea of the Heart Circle is to have a space to share from the heart with others. When it's your turn to speak you will have space to share whatever is going on for you. We suggest not thinking too much about what you are going to say before your turn, as this distracts from listening to others. It’s better to be spontaneous when it's your turn, perhaps by starting with a couple of deep breaths to centre yourself and ask yourself the question: what is going on for me in my heart right now?
As mentioned above, confidentiality is very important in a Heart Circle. Please don’t repeat what others share in the heart circle outside of the heart circle.
It’s also a tradition not to address others directly. It’s not a conversation. It’s a sharing space, for each of us to share what is going on in our heart in turn.
Sometimes people have feelings in a heart circle, tears or anger. That’s OK. It’s part of the process.
If you resonate with what someone is saying - it speaks to you or moves you - you can ’sparkle’ by using your hand to silently indicate this.
As with all group work, the more you put in, the more you are likely to get out. Using Zoom adds a slight inhibiting effect, compared to being in each other’s company. It’s not so easy to read each other’s subtle cues. So its good to compensate for this a little, by speaking directly, acknowledging what others are saying and taking initiative within the session.