Category Archives: Uncategorized

Healing the Earth: A workshop for women

Saturday 20th February 2016, 9am to 5pm, Herston

This workshop will explore how the cycles of the moon, seasons, our lives and our menstrual cycles and their correspondences can teach us about living with the rhythms of nature. We will tune in to the wisdom of the maiden (young woman), mother, maga and crone, all of which can offer guidance in Earth healing. We will also share some experiential practices and rituals that can foster deep listening to and a deeper heart connection with Mother Earth, and hence participate in her healing. 

Contribution: $85 (Full) / $65 (Concession card holder)

Book here

Facebook event here

About the facilitator: Emma Brindal is passionate about social and environmental justice, living lightly, working with women, and fostering connection and care for the Earth in others.  She has been offering Earth Connection workshops since 2008 and holding women’s circles since 2010. She is excited to be bringing these parts of her life together in this workshop, which will also draw from her learnings and experiences as a recent graduate of the School of Shamanic Womancraft.

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‘Celebration of Spring’ Ritual & Gathering

Saturday 12th September, Simpsons Falls Picnic Area, Mt Coot-tha

10.30am-12.30pm followed by lunch.

This gathering will be a celebration of spring and all that it brings for us in our inner and outer lives. We’ll share stories of what is blooming in our lives and all around us, and offer our gratitude for the gifts of spring. We’ll follow the ritual with a shared seasonal lunch.
You’re invited to bring a symbol of spring for the centre of our circle, any stories, poems or songs to share with the group, and something to share for lunch.
Facilitated by Emma Brindal and Arlanda Rayne.

We can coordinate car-pooling for those needing or offering lifts – please RSVP to wiseeartheducation[at]gmail.com by 9th September if you want to do this. Also feel free to simply turn up on the day.The trip to Simpson’s Falls makes a good bicycle ride as it is about a third of the way up the mountain & you don’t need to be super fit to get there.
We look forward to celebrating spring with you!

WiseEarth Education’s June 2015 E-news

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Hello Friends,

A ‘nature note’ to share to begin… recently I have been watching sunsets from my deck (so much earlier!) and have been regularly seeing a mircobat wheeling around catching insects after the sun goes down. It’s been a a wonderful show, and seems like another little step in getting to know the animals of this bioregion.
I also wanted to share that I was lucky enough to spend time in amongst the ancient Bunya trees and all the other life of the Bunya Mountains earlier this month. While there, we came across a seasonal calendar of the natural events that occur in the mountains. Does anyone know of one for Brisbane? I’m keen to develop my own, but would love to see an already existing one if there is one.

There are lots of wonderful events coming up in the second half of the year. This year WiseEarth Education is again supporting the Plastic Free July initiative, and I’m running a free workshop on going Plastic Free at Northey Street City Farm on June 28th. I’m also looking forward to the next Exploring Ecospirituality event coming up next Tuesday 23rd June. More information about these events is below in the WiseEarth Education Events section.

Some of you would have come to the author talk we hosted last year with Claire Dunn, author of My Year Without Matches. Claire is returning to Brisbane in August, this time to hold a Nature Connection and Earth Living Skills workshop.
Also, in October, Jon Young acclaimed author, presenter and ‘cultural design specialist’ is running two weekend workshops in Northern NSW. More information on these events, and more is in ‘Other Events’ below.

The features in this e-news include an inspiring and profound 5 minute video of Julia Butterfly Hill talking about disposability consciousness. She says “I know in my heart that as long as trashing the planet and trashing each other, a healthy, holistic and healed world is not possible. We can not have peace ON the earth unless we also have peace WITH the earth. Our disposability consciousness is a weapon of mass destruction.”
The other feature is a story on radio national about animal language. I’m always looking for new resources to share with people, so if you have any great videos, articles, activities or recommended books, please send them through to wiseeartheducation@gmail.com.

Winter Solstice Blessings,
Emma

A little background on the Reinhabiting Place course

WiseEarth Education’s ‘Reinhabiting Place’ course draws on inspiration from Deep Ecology, Bioregionalism and Earth-based spirituality ideas and practices.

In the modern world many people – particularly in cities – do not know where their water and food come from; where their waste goes; about the animals, plants and other life that share their homes; or feel connected to the turning of the months and the seasons. The ‘Reinhabiting Place’ course is inspired by the idea that if we truly know the places in which we live, we will act to nurture and protect them, and that in order to establish a truly sustainable relationship with the rest of nature we need a deeper and more personal sense of connection. 

The course provides participants with experiential practices for developing a greater understanding of and relationship with the plants, animals, elements and processes of our bioregion and home.

The inspiring Bioregionalist thinker Peter Berg said that the bioregional concept has the three main goals of: restoring and maintaining local natural systems, finding sustainable ways to satisfy human needs – food, shelter, energy, water, culture; and “to support the work of reinhabitation, of people becoming native to the places where they live”[1].

The work of reinhabitation must include people who live in cities, who make up the majority of people in the world.

Deep Ecologist Delores La Chapelle also provides inspiration to bring ritual into the practice of reinhabiting place. She points out that most indigenous societies had (or have) had three common characteristics: “they had an intimate, conscious relationship with their place; they were stable “sustainable” cultures, often lasting for thousands of years; and they had a rich ceremonial and ritual life. They saw these three as intimately connected.” Ritual can therefore bring us back into connection with our places, and as la Chapelle says “during rituals we have the experience, unique in our culture, of neither opposing nature or trying to be in communion with nature; but of finding ourselves within nature, and that is the key to sustainable culture”[2].

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Here’s a taste of what some participants in our first ‘Reinhabiting Place’ course had to say about their experience:

 “Attending the Reinhabiting Place Course has been transformative and has given me a greater feeling of appreciation for and connection to this bioregion I am living in.” – Sally Robertson

“The essence of the Reinhabiting Place course has become for me a way of life, a connected-conscious-loving way of life!” – Jemma Darlington  

Reinhabiting Place gave me personal answers to things that were going on for me.” – Jane Houghton

“The knowledge I learned, the connections I made, the experiences and realisations I had as a result of doing this course were truly life changing and will stay in my mind and heart forever.” – Skye Smith

For more on what participants said see: https://wiseeartheducation.com/testimonials/

The next ‘Reinhabiting Place’ course will be held on Saturdays from the 14th March to 25th April with a break for the Easter weekend.

[1] Interview in Jensen, D. (2004) ‘Conversations about Nature, Culture and Eros’.

[2] La Chapelle, D. (1997) ‘Ritual is Essential’ Available at http://www.context.org/iclib/ic05/lachapel/

Spring 2014 Workshops & Programs

Saturday September 6th: Reinhabiting Place Introduction.             Mt Coot-tha, 9am – 1pm, followed by a shared lunch.

Tuesday September 9th: A conversation with Claire Dunn, author of ‘My Year Without Matches’, Clarence Corner Bookshop, Woolloongabba. 6 for 6.30pm. Suggested contribution $5 – $8. See flyer here.

Saturday 11th October to Saturday 15th November: Reinhabiting Place 6 session course. 

‘Reinhabiting Place – an introduction’

When: Saturday May 31st  9am-1pm                                               Where: Quaker House, Kelvin Grove

Join us for a morning of connection with Earth wisdom, ourselves and each other, inspired by the ideas and practices of Deep Ecology and Bioregionalism. Together we will explore some experiential activities for grounding ourselves in the rhythms of nature. You will also take home some practices for developing a greater understanding of and relationship with the plants, animals, and elements of our bioregion. After the session stay on for a shared lunch. 

Contribution: Sliding scale $40 / $55 / $70.                                             20% off if you book and pay by May 23rd 

Facilitated by Emma Brindal and Arlanda Rayne

Reinhabiting Place course: May-June 2014

Reinhabiting Place Flyer: May-June 2014. Click to view.

Reinhabiting Place Flyer: May-June 2014. Click to view.

Reinhabiting Place… Journeying Home

Saturdays May 17th to June 21st 2014

A 6 week experience held in some of Brisbane’s beautiful parklands and reserves.Together we will:

–          Learn daily practices to ground ourselves in the rhythms of nature

–          Develop an understanding of and relationship with the plants, animals, and elements  of our bioregion

–          Cultivate deep connection with Earth wisdom, ourselves and each other

–          Engage head, heart, and hands to re-localise our lives

Your co-adventurers: Emma Brindal and Arlanda Rayne are facilitators  inspired by the ideas and practices of Deep Ecology and are passionate about connecting to and living lightly on Earth.

Contribution: Sliding scale: $250/$350/$450. Scholarships also available.

 

Reinhabiting Place… Journeying Home

Flyer for Autumn 2015 course

Flyer for Autumn 2015 course

A 6 week experience for Earth Healers held in various locations around Brisbane.

Saturdays February 22nd to March 29th 2014, from 9am – 1pm for the first 5 weeks, and 10am-4.30pm in the final week.

Together we will:

–          Learn daily practices to ground ourselves in the rhythms of nature

–          Develop an understanding of and relationship with the plants, animals, and elements  of our bioregion

–          Cultivate deep connection with Earth wisdom, ourselves and each other

–          Engage head, heart, and hands to re-localize our lives

Your co-adventurers:  Arlanda Rayne, Emma Brindal and Rhyll Tonge are inspired by the ideas and practices of Deep Ecology and are passionate about connecting to and living lightly on Earth.

Contribution: Sliding scale: $225 Health Care Card Holders/$350 Middle income/$475 High Income. Scholarships also available.

Places are limted to 12 participants.

For inquiries or to book contact: wiseeartheducation[at]gmail.com or Emma on 0411 084 727