If you've read my thoughts in Part I, you may be asking, "What vision does he have for his life that could possibly integrate everything he just talked about?"
Well, let me give you a little background first...And it starts like this: I have just completed a mechanical engineering degree.
And if you haven't read Part I, you might be saying "Ahhh, this bespeaks money, privilege, and a steady career."
The privilege to be educated, absolutely. But the ‘privilege’ to exploit the natural environment for obscene amounts of money—no, that is a choice that I reject. And as much as the cultural narrative would like me to believe that the purpose of my education is to make lots of money at a steady career, that too is actually a choice. Through their negligence to address the big picture, my university taught us to design in fantasy-land and then to enforce our ideas upon the world—rather than beginning with what we have, listening to the true needs of the world, and working together with others for a holistic solution that integrates technology with social changes, education, policy, art...and real life. They taught us the mechanics, the ‘how’, but they ignored the ‘why’. And so our cultural narrative fills the gap. Why? To make money. To build ‘cool’ things. To help people avoid the discomforts of real life. To manipulate the environment to our advantage. To manufacture needs and to make people dependent on technology...Because we can.
I must say though, I was very fortunate to attend a very sustainably-minded university that was not 'owned' by Big Oil although still in dire need of a divestment plan. And at this university, I was also one of the rare students to have every new cutting edge course line up perfectly with my schedule. And so I have studied wind power, ocean engineering, solar power, and alternative energy systems—just enough to have a feel for the potential of each area, just enough to know what to explore next.
I have also been blessed with a deep loving community of mindful creative people. My university has a meditation community where up to 60 students gather for meditation twice a week and to share meals, go on walks, have discussion circles, and connect deeply on retreats. Here, I was empowered to share my gifts, and in doing so, began developing and leading Sacred Ecology discussions and workshops, including a full-day event with over 20 vibrant souls in attendance. Here, I learned how deeply I wish to go with the process, and how passionate I am as a facilitator. Workshops are powerful for they are experiential, allowing participants to integrate thoughts and feelings to entirely change the way they experience reality. I became fascinated with this process and began to deeply explore phenomenology.
Sometime about a year before I was to graduate, the presence of the bigger world began to grow stronger in my life as I began to feel out my purpose going forward. My cultural narrative was prescribing a path for me; people were asking me about my plans; classmates were applying for jobs in the oil and gas industry...I knew that if I was going to reject the prescribed path that I would need some powerful visions that could weave a new story for me. But up until that point, all I had were some vague notions of 'applying my skills to solve real problems' and 'carving my own path based on a value system rooted in a holistic big picture.' But dreams and visions are not the same as plans; they don't offer much of an argument when people are asking what you are going to do with your life. And they don't offer you much security. Surely I didn't think I could just create my own profession on the fly!
But that is what we all need to do. The roles and professions defined for us are limiting—mainly because they are all held separate from one another. As we move toward a new story of wholeness, everyone must become global community citizens, responsible for far more than a single specialized task. We must all become weavers, integrators, collaborators, responsible and answerable to the whole. And the key to this is to step into the new story and actually approach life from a place of interbeing. So long as you are operating based on plans and security and control, you'll never find your way without following prescribed paths. To create something unique to who you are requires that you gradually 'switch operating systems', let go of control, step into the unknown, and collaborate with the world. Yes, I do not have the experience to jump out of university and start designing ecovillages, let alone make any money at such a dream. But I don't need to. I don't have to accomplish any magnificent feats. I don't have to make it on my own. I don't have to battle against all odds and come out victorious. I don't have to be a warrior. Why? Because I am not separate from the world, and the world is brilliant and holds all of the experiences I need to find my community, find my place, and find ways of applying my unique gifts in reciprocity with the whole.
All I need to do is align myself with purpose, drop into the sensitivity of deep listening, humble receptivity, and fluid embodiment--and embark on an intentional quest. Everything else lies in the natural transformational processes of life. Everything else lies in the adventure. Everything else lies in the experience. Sensitivity allows me to hear the call, a willingness to be changed allows me to fully respond to the call.
And so a vision began to emerge, free from the rules of the old story that demanded solutions, plans, and self-achieved independence. And I soon realized that it was the new story itself that was calling to me. Through permaculture, intentional community, ecovillages, place-making, sacred ecology, mindfulness, meditation, rewilding, reskilling, eco-schools, energy healing, workshops on love, wholeness, embodiment, leadership, collaboration, listening, energetic communication...All of this exists within community and all I must do is join in and explore. :)
And there I was, seeking events, projects, places, and people that fit into the new story...and something lands in my lap called the New Story Summit...beginning one month after I graduate. A global convergence of community--of environmental activists, spiritual activists, storytellers, project founders, visionaries, leaders, authors...and more.
Interestingly enough however, registration was closed. I am not sure what I would have done had registration been open. Would I have made the decision all on my own to attend—to fly halfway across the planet to northern Scotland? Would I have been bold enough? Up until that point, all my research had been focused on my region of the planet. But because the registration was closed with a little note about leaving space for ‘young people’...I thought I would just write them a letter. Couldn’t hurt, right? It’s not like I was deciding of my own volition to do something crazy like take off to Europe on an ecovillage quest...
But wow, as I was writing that letter, energy began to flow, my heart began to glow, my mind began to expand, my being began to resonate. And the response to the letter came within a day.
“You and your unique gifts are very welcome at this gathering of the global family, particularly as a young person. You sound like just the sort of person we want to be part of this conversation.”
And that was that. I was going to Scotland. I had officially been invited. Feeling calm and purposeful, I stopped what I was doing and went to look Scotland up on a map...
That all happened in March. And in the past four months I have populated a map with a long list of ideas and inspiration—places to explore and projects to learn more about. A few other things have come to me as the vision of this quest continues to evolve:
1. My quest is about people. Connections. Collaboration. Community. Who I meet will determine where I go, how I grow, and how I contribute. The people I meet shall guide me. I shall hitchhike and couchsurf as much as possible and seek out community wherever I go. And with each person I meet, I shall connect as deeply as they allow and give to them my vulnerable authentic self. The entire journey shall be an exchange of gifts. So let me know if you would like to host me, to show me your projects, to introduce me to your community.
I would also like to invite people into the new story simply through the way I interact with them. One of the most powerful old stories that influences how we interact with each other is the Story of Ego. We often talk about ‘transcending the ego’, but this is really just a story, and the real thing to transcend is the entire story itself. This means that when we connect with another human being, we bypass their ego and speak directly to the divine wonder within. We notice the ego, we have compassion, but we do not fear it, fight it, judge it, or call it out. Instead, we simply invite each person into a world where our petty little selves are not an issue. We treat people as if they have no ego; we treat them as if they were divine.
Trust that we are all trying to find balance, to feel loved and important, and to be good people. Egos are simple structures of mind for navigating life, and when they are off-balance in some way, this is a symptom of not having basic needs met for love and connection. So instead of scolding people for showing such symptoms, speak directly to the unmet needs and invite them into a larger story. By being firmly grounded in a larger story, we can also channel and ground any off-balanced energy from those around us.
If we continually speak to the wonder of who they are, eventually, that is who will respond.
2. My quest is about learning and developing skills, integrating everything I experience, and becoming whole and empowered. To sum it up, I want to learn everything I can about everything and anything that goes into the creation of ecovillages from renewable technology to intentional community.
3. This is a spiritual journey. It may be an ordeal at times. It is fundamentally a quest into the unknown. I may lose myself or lose my way. I may be confronted with my fears or my shadows. But there is no pressure. There is no right way that things ought to go. Breathe into it and grow.
With the kick-start being at Findhorn Ecovillage with a global convergence of 335 people consisting of environmental leaders, spiritual leaders, authors, visionaries, and people such as myself, there is no telling what might come from it. People will be there from faraway places where they have been working on incredible projects that I may wish to visit and experience. I have already ‘bumped into’ a man who is one of the main coordinators of an ecovillage in southern Portugal—I met him here in Victoria BC of all places, and he too will be at the New Story Summit. Charles Eisenstein will be there as well, a visionary author who has written eloquently of the New Story and its emergence into the consciousness of the people...
If I am not gallivanting off on some spontaneous adventure following the New Story Summit then I will be gradually making my way south. I have been hosting couchsurfers this summer here in Victoria, and one surfer happened to be from Edinburgh, so I may live there for a week or so to feel out the community and to take some time to integrate my Findhorn experiences. And as a note, if you’re in the area, Charles Eisenstein will be in Edinburgh for a talk on October 5th.
Graham Bell, the author of The Permaculture Way and The Permaculture Garden, has a garden cottage near the border of England so I may visit for a chat and a tour. But I am very open to any suggestions any of you may have for places that I should explore.
I must also note that southern Spain has been calling to me. There is a small ecovillage called Sunseed Desert Technology that has a strong focus on creative alternative energy with a full list of projects that they would like volunteers to take on. There is also a beautiful eco-school on the island of Ibiza called Casita Verde. And there are permaculture courses being offered on the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa.
Have you taken a full permaculture course somewhere between Scotland and Spain? Who was it with and what was your experience? Do you know of any special events happening between Scotland and Spain around October/November? Do you know of any important websites or groups to join to get notified of such events? Do you have a beautiful community of passionate people that you would like to introduce me to? Would you like to have a long conversation over tea or go for a walk? Get in touch if you’d like. :) I leave Canada on the 15th of September with 2 days in Iceland before arriving in Glasgow on the morning of the 18th.
Thanks for reading. I shall post more when new insights come to me or when the vision takes another step of evolution.
<3
Well, let me give you a little background first...And it starts like this: I have just completed a mechanical engineering degree.
And if you haven't read Part I, you might be saying "Ahhh, this bespeaks money, privilege, and a steady career."
The privilege to be educated, absolutely. But the ‘privilege’ to exploit the natural environment for obscene amounts of money—no, that is a choice that I reject. And as much as the cultural narrative would like me to believe that the purpose of my education is to make lots of money at a steady career, that too is actually a choice. Through their negligence to address the big picture, my university taught us to design in fantasy-land and then to enforce our ideas upon the world—rather than beginning with what we have, listening to the true needs of the world, and working together with others for a holistic solution that integrates technology with social changes, education, policy, art...and real life. They taught us the mechanics, the ‘how’, but they ignored the ‘why’. And so our cultural narrative fills the gap. Why? To make money. To build ‘cool’ things. To help people avoid the discomforts of real life. To manipulate the environment to our advantage. To manufacture needs and to make people dependent on technology...Because we can.
I must say though, I was very fortunate to attend a very sustainably-minded university that was not 'owned' by Big Oil although still in dire need of a divestment plan. And at this university, I was also one of the rare students to have every new cutting edge course line up perfectly with my schedule. And so I have studied wind power, ocean engineering, solar power, and alternative energy systems—just enough to have a feel for the potential of each area, just enough to know what to explore next.
I have also been blessed with a deep loving community of mindful creative people. My university has a meditation community where up to 60 students gather for meditation twice a week and to share meals, go on walks, have discussion circles, and connect deeply on retreats. Here, I was empowered to share my gifts, and in doing so, began developing and leading Sacred Ecology discussions and workshops, including a full-day event with over 20 vibrant souls in attendance. Here, I learned how deeply I wish to go with the process, and how passionate I am as a facilitator. Workshops are powerful for they are experiential, allowing participants to integrate thoughts and feelings to entirely change the way they experience reality. I became fascinated with this process and began to deeply explore phenomenology.
Sometime about a year before I was to graduate, the presence of the bigger world began to grow stronger in my life as I began to feel out my purpose going forward. My cultural narrative was prescribing a path for me; people were asking me about my plans; classmates were applying for jobs in the oil and gas industry...I knew that if I was going to reject the prescribed path that I would need some powerful visions that could weave a new story for me. But up until that point, all I had were some vague notions of 'applying my skills to solve real problems' and 'carving my own path based on a value system rooted in a holistic big picture.' But dreams and visions are not the same as plans; they don't offer much of an argument when people are asking what you are going to do with your life. And they don't offer you much security. Surely I didn't think I could just create my own profession on the fly!
But that is what we all need to do. The roles and professions defined for us are limiting—mainly because they are all held separate from one another. As we move toward a new story of wholeness, everyone must become global community citizens, responsible for far more than a single specialized task. We must all become weavers, integrators, collaborators, responsible and answerable to the whole. And the key to this is to step into the new story and actually approach life from a place of interbeing. So long as you are operating based on plans and security and control, you'll never find your way without following prescribed paths. To create something unique to who you are requires that you gradually 'switch operating systems', let go of control, step into the unknown, and collaborate with the world. Yes, I do not have the experience to jump out of university and start designing ecovillages, let alone make any money at such a dream. But I don't need to. I don't have to accomplish any magnificent feats. I don't have to make it on my own. I don't have to battle against all odds and come out victorious. I don't have to be a warrior. Why? Because I am not separate from the world, and the world is brilliant and holds all of the experiences I need to find my community, find my place, and find ways of applying my unique gifts in reciprocity with the whole.
All I need to do is align myself with purpose, drop into the sensitivity of deep listening, humble receptivity, and fluid embodiment--and embark on an intentional quest. Everything else lies in the natural transformational processes of life. Everything else lies in the adventure. Everything else lies in the experience. Sensitivity allows me to hear the call, a willingness to be changed allows me to fully respond to the call.
And so a vision began to emerge, free from the rules of the old story that demanded solutions, plans, and self-achieved independence. And I soon realized that it was the new story itself that was calling to me. Through permaculture, intentional community, ecovillages, place-making, sacred ecology, mindfulness, meditation, rewilding, reskilling, eco-schools, energy healing, workshops on love, wholeness, embodiment, leadership, collaboration, listening, energetic communication...All of this exists within community and all I must do is join in and explore. :)
And there I was, seeking events, projects, places, and people that fit into the new story...and something lands in my lap called the New Story Summit...beginning one month after I graduate. A global convergence of community--of environmental activists, spiritual activists, storytellers, project founders, visionaries, leaders, authors...and more.
Interestingly enough however, registration was closed. I am not sure what I would have done had registration been open. Would I have made the decision all on my own to attend—to fly halfway across the planet to northern Scotland? Would I have been bold enough? Up until that point, all my research had been focused on my region of the planet. But because the registration was closed with a little note about leaving space for ‘young people’...I thought I would just write them a letter. Couldn’t hurt, right? It’s not like I was deciding of my own volition to do something crazy like take off to Europe on an ecovillage quest...
But wow, as I was writing that letter, energy began to flow, my heart began to glow, my mind began to expand, my being began to resonate. And the response to the letter came within a day.
“You and your unique gifts are very welcome at this gathering of the global family, particularly as a young person. You sound like just the sort of person we want to be part of this conversation.”
And that was that. I was going to Scotland. I had officially been invited. Feeling calm and purposeful, I stopped what I was doing and went to look Scotland up on a map...
That all happened in March. And in the past four months I have populated a map with a long list of ideas and inspiration—places to explore and projects to learn more about. A few other things have come to me as the vision of this quest continues to evolve:
1. My quest is about people. Connections. Collaboration. Community. Who I meet will determine where I go, how I grow, and how I contribute. The people I meet shall guide me. I shall hitchhike and couchsurf as much as possible and seek out community wherever I go. And with each person I meet, I shall connect as deeply as they allow and give to them my vulnerable authentic self. The entire journey shall be an exchange of gifts. So let me know if you would like to host me, to show me your projects, to introduce me to your community.
I would also like to invite people into the new story simply through the way I interact with them. One of the most powerful old stories that influences how we interact with each other is the Story of Ego. We often talk about ‘transcending the ego’, but this is really just a story, and the real thing to transcend is the entire story itself. This means that when we connect with another human being, we bypass their ego and speak directly to the divine wonder within. We notice the ego, we have compassion, but we do not fear it, fight it, judge it, or call it out. Instead, we simply invite each person into a world where our petty little selves are not an issue. We treat people as if they have no ego; we treat them as if they were divine.
Trust that we are all trying to find balance, to feel loved and important, and to be good people. Egos are simple structures of mind for navigating life, and when they are off-balance in some way, this is a symptom of not having basic needs met for love and connection. So instead of scolding people for showing such symptoms, speak directly to the unmet needs and invite them into a larger story. By being firmly grounded in a larger story, we can also channel and ground any off-balanced energy from those around us.
If we continually speak to the wonder of who they are, eventually, that is who will respond.
2. My quest is about learning and developing skills, integrating everything I experience, and becoming whole and empowered. To sum it up, I want to learn everything I can about everything and anything that goes into the creation of ecovillages from renewable technology to intentional community.
3. This is a spiritual journey. It may be an ordeal at times. It is fundamentally a quest into the unknown. I may lose myself or lose my way. I may be confronted with my fears or my shadows. But there is no pressure. There is no right way that things ought to go. Breathe into it and grow.
With the kick-start being at Findhorn Ecovillage with a global convergence of 335 people consisting of environmental leaders, spiritual leaders, authors, visionaries, and people such as myself, there is no telling what might come from it. People will be there from faraway places where they have been working on incredible projects that I may wish to visit and experience. I have already ‘bumped into’ a man who is one of the main coordinators of an ecovillage in southern Portugal—I met him here in Victoria BC of all places, and he too will be at the New Story Summit. Charles Eisenstein will be there as well, a visionary author who has written eloquently of the New Story and its emergence into the consciousness of the people...
If I am not gallivanting off on some spontaneous adventure following the New Story Summit then I will be gradually making my way south. I have been hosting couchsurfers this summer here in Victoria, and one surfer happened to be from Edinburgh, so I may live there for a week or so to feel out the community and to take some time to integrate my Findhorn experiences. And as a note, if you’re in the area, Charles Eisenstein will be in Edinburgh for a talk on October 5th.
Graham Bell, the author of The Permaculture Way and The Permaculture Garden, has a garden cottage near the border of England so I may visit for a chat and a tour. But I am very open to any suggestions any of you may have for places that I should explore.
I must also note that southern Spain has been calling to me. There is a small ecovillage called Sunseed Desert Technology that has a strong focus on creative alternative energy with a full list of projects that they would like volunteers to take on. There is also a beautiful eco-school on the island of Ibiza called Casita Verde. And there are permaculture courses being offered on the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa.
Have you taken a full permaculture course somewhere between Scotland and Spain? Who was it with and what was your experience? Do you know of any special events happening between Scotland and Spain around October/November? Do you know of any important websites or groups to join to get notified of such events? Do you have a beautiful community of passionate people that you would like to introduce me to? Would you like to have a long conversation over tea or go for a walk? Get in touch if you’d like. :) I leave Canada on the 15th of September with 2 days in Iceland before arriving in Glasgow on the morning of the 18th.
Thanks for reading. I shall post more when new insights come to me or when the vision takes another step of evolution.
<3