November, 2021
“Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.”
― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
How have you been this fall? One question that I have been pondering since the pandemic is how do we build communities? Zoom definitely helps when often in-person connections are not possible or risky, especially in large groups. Yet there is something intangible that we can’t quite recreate through online connections – the nonverbal cues, the small talks that help us understand each other’s life, the spontaneous ideas that come from casually chatting and so on.
With that in mind, I’d like to focus my energy and time to build communities and connections through a year-long in-person course in 2022. As many of you know, climate resilience is a topic that is dear to my heart. I would love to go through a journey with a group of people who want to face the climate crisis and come out the other side feeling centered and empowered, and ready to take on the challenge of our lifetime regardless of what the outcome may be. To do that, it requires us to dig deep and to cultivate spiritual practices that could hold and transform us. And we need each other – to process, to learn, and to inspire in communities. Hope you can join me on this journey.
There are many refreshing and inspiring voices on climate resilience these days. One of the books I am reading these days is “All We Can Save,” an anthology on climate response by women writers, thinkers, policymakers, teachers, etc. In addition, climate scientist Katherine Hayhoe’s podcast with On Being “Our future is still in our hands” is insightful, encouraging, and full of practical tips on how to talk to people from all walks of life to inspire actions.
Hope you are all healthy, safe, peaceful, happy, and have opportunities to sensing into your aliveness. May you be blessed with communities in all forms in this winter, and hope to see you along the path.
Blessings,
Lin
Photo: A solo hike in Connecticut November 2021