seeds of change

as the systems that have both created a luxurious quality of life and mass exploitation, collapse around us, I ask what of the future?

and to that the earth has called us in closer. to create strength in these times is to learn the skills of the old ways. I embrace what it means to be feral. to be wild in the face of spirit-deadening-modern systems. i am here to grow my capacity to be free, cut away excess as much as I can. i spend 5 days learning friction fire, how to carve a spoon, how to skin a sheep, how to tan a hide, herbal first aid.

I think of community resilience & the need for localisation. growing food locally, learning the skills to support each other. i’m still very much learning these ways. my parents know most of our neighbours by name, gift and trade veggies from the garden, excess bread, discuss pruning and politics. i treasure my network of humans, a spiderweb across the planet of beautiful caring minds and big hearts. here to lend a hand, to have hands to hold. i’m learning I also need people near that are outside my usual friendships. to learn from more elders, to care for babies and young ones. having experienced the village for those 5 days, it has affirmed the need to interweave generations.

and now I head to the mountains of my motherland, yamanashi, japan. to be in the presence of my jichan and bachan, elders of our family tree. reciprocal relation at this point in their lives looks like hospital drop offs and helping them walk back to the car. ageing can be gruelling. all of my grandparents strong in spirit, their pain and declining physical capacity challenging to witness. I think of how we’re meant to live, what it means to be in the village. and feel guilt at how our modern lives have separated us - we’re all lonely because of it. but I’m here for all the days and ways I can be. in the evening I make pumpkin soup while my bachan (grandma) fries up myoga, a flowering bud and a tanoshi miso soup. tanoshi being a small edible snail that used to be common in rice paddies but due to widespread pesticide use are now very rare. my jichan (grandpa) says pesticide use is where it all goes wrong.

regeneration is possible. we can’t save this world but we can grow new ones. yama is about to begin (a nature immersion program I host in the motherlands of yamanashi, japan). I’ll have three weeks over the next month and a bit to be offline and in the mountains experiencing the co~creation of these new worlds. i’m so excited to be in the presence of all the humans coming, carefully interweaving our stories into one. cross cultural learning, sharing, re~imagining what is possible. to face the fatigue we have felt and hold each other. to be energised by our care and to fall in love with the future again.

seeds of change is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Get full access to seeds of change at seeedsofchange.substack.com/subscribe

checking in from lutruwita after a week with the elders; ancient trees and frontline activists, planting trees alongside our children, observing the circus, learnings from activist community, seeing time in tree ferns and expanding through gratitude

book recommendations: the legacy of luna - julia butterfly hill, the overstory - richard powers

Get full access to seeds of change at seeedsofchange.substack.com/subscribe

end of year/full moon reflections;

teenage spirit as a tool to exit stale grooves of life / a sprinkle of the spontaneous
indulging in your inner wolf hehe
what must we sacrifice to travel into our next evolution
making space for unknowing and truthfulness to self
inspecting your waste
a mantra I come back to

Get full access to seeds of change at seeedsofchange.substack.com/subscribe

p2. healing in the rain - kofu river, japan

I was asked; "What do you consider healing and what and how should we heal in life?" and this is my reflections

explores: noticing the details, being truthful about the weight of pain, finding safety in feeling it fully in the journey or releasing, tears watering the seeds of new beginnings, being the person who builds a bridge, intertwining our roots and dancing

Get full access to seeds of change at seeedsofchange.substack.com/subscribe

p1. healing in the rain - gadigal land, sydney

I was asked; "What do you consider healing and what and how should we heal in life?" and this is my reflections

explores: ripples through suburban life, slightly sick so speaking more slowly, navigating some brain fog ~ speaking to gum trees, to learn the patterns of your own body and mind, finding the push and pulls of energy flows, subvert painful narratives, follow creative impulses and become an internal ally

Get full access to seeds of change at seeedsofchange.substack.com/subscribe

the raven calls and we speak to the trust in self, conversations across political divides on what it means to care beyond your own family/gender affirming care/fighting fascism by expanding our capacity for love

Get full access to seeds of change at seeedsofchange.substack.com/subscribe

we all are creative beings. exploring how we can grow seeds of a life we love through spaciousness, silence, somatic messages, cleansing nadi + ichi go ichi e

Get full access to seeds of change at seeedsofchange.substack.com/subscribe

amongst the pine trees, speaking to the joys of silence in company and listening to colours

Get full access to seeds of change at seeedsofchange.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode; we begin with some breathwork, explore sickness and pleasure in the body, how our bodies can hold a multitude of sensations all at once annnd we finish with a journalling reflection on coming home to our bodies.
.
In Conversation with Jordan, as part of the 'EarthSelf' Series, we talk about finding the rhythm when running, moving beyond passivity and how to move from future aspirational states to the here and now.

Get full access to seeds of change at seeedsofchange.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to Seeds of Change. A space dedicated to exploring questions as interventions and conversations as a catalyst for change. We will discuss how we can grow more meaningful and intentional lives through listening to our bodies, each other and the Earth.
.
Topics that will be discussed: love as political resistance, healing trauma, relating through difference, building communities of care, connecting through creativity, empathy and anxiety, decolonisation, the beauty in slowing down, the pleasure in social justice, embracing our wholeness.
.
Let’s grow together!

Get full access to seeds of change at seeedsofchange.substack.com/subscribe