Seeds of Radical Renewal: A Twelve-Part Leadership Course

Overview

The pace of our planetary unraveling is accelerating. Global pandemic, raging wildfires, social injustice, deepening divisiveness—the signs of destruction and desecration are now inescapable. As we come face-to-face with ourselves in the darkening days of a dying civilization, and as we increasingly recognize that the root cause of ecological destruction is a spiritual crisis, so too do we sense the possibility of radical renewal. The seeds of new beginnings are emerging from deep within the understory, the hidden forces of creation are awakening and slowly taking root around the world.

The role of leadership in younger generations has never carried more weight than it does now. There is a growing global movement of young leaders who are calling for change and challenging us to abandon destructive stories of progress that are rooted in oppression, colonization, and unlimited economic growth.

As we witness the deep fracturing of our civilization, how can we seed the stories and foundations for a society to come? How can our leadership skills serve the work of reuniting people, the land, and the sacred?

This twelve-part leadership course offers emerging leaders the opportunity to deepen their skills in building and co-creating spaces of renewal, reciprocity, and reverence. Designed for those working in social and environmental fields, this course is an in-depth exploration of the emerging field of spiritual ecology: an evolving philosophy that is rooted in the understanding that ecological, cultural, and spiritual renewal are interdependent.

Much of the inspiration for this course grew out of Kalliopeia Foundation’s Spiritual Ecology Fellowship, a leadership program that supports young leaders and innovators who recognize the need to create a future that is not driven by materialism and greed, but is rooted in the spiritual values of reverence for nature, interconnectedness, stewardship, compassion, and service.

The curriculum is built around six themed modules: origins, transitions, principles, practices, leadership, and project application. Each module consists of two parts: The first will offer an introduction to the corresponding theme, led by Emergence Magazine’s staff facilitator Amrita Bhohi. The second will be an opportunity to learn from the wisdom and expertise of guest teachers and Emergence contributors, including Joanna Macy, David Abram, David G. Haskell, Dekila Chungyalpa, brontë velez, Jim Enote, Bayo Akomolafe, and others. Each session will provide space for participatory exercises and experiential practices, as well as creative and reflective time to learn together in a global community. There will also be assignments and readings in between sessions.

Modules

Origins: The Seeds of our Beginnings
As we seek to reconnect with what has been lost and seed new beginnings, let us root in our own diverse experiences and practices of remembrance and reverence. What are our personal and collective spiritual ecology origin stories? What memories and teachings are held within our own connections to place, land, or ancestry? How do we define what is sacred?

Transitions: Witnessing the End of an Era
We are living in a time of great social and ecological instability where the forces of creation and destruction are both evident. There lies before us a lot of uncertainty; but so too does there rest a great deal of possibility for what is to come. What does it mean to live at the end of an era? How do we hold the darkness while finding the power to contribute to ecological, spiritual, and cultural renewal?

Principles: The Inner and Outer Work of Restoration
The work of restoration applies not only to polluted waters, degraded lands, and broken human systems but also—and more deeply—to our relationship with the more-than-human world. How can the spiritual ecology values of reverence for nature, interconnectedness, stewardship, compassion, and service guide us in entering into and embodying a new way of being? What does it mean to live in right relationship with the more-than-human world?

Practices: Invitations to Belonging
When we turn our attention to the trees, birds, and land, we are reminded of the power of belonging and how an embodied knowledge of place can enable us to more fully enter into our homes and communities. Coming into an experiential knowledge of spiritual ecology requires commitment and practice. How can nature immersion practices help us to reopen the gates of our perception and deepen our relationship with the more-than-human world? How can we build an inner container that can help root us in a different way of being and quality of attentiveness?

Leadership: Creating Spaces for Renewal
As global leaders and institutions fail to take responsibility for the planetary crisis, younger generations are increasingly stepping into roles of leadership, rooted in the desire to be of service to all life. How do we take our skills of leadership and apply them to building spaces for renewal, reciprocity, and reverence? What are the inner and outer dimensions of changemaking and the skills needed to be effective social and environmental leaders?

Project Application: Reuniting People, Land, and the Sacred
We each have our own individual contributions to make to the growing global movement of reuniting people, the living world, and the sacred within the realms of our outer work and communities. Whether integrating into existing work or new projects, how do we apply spiritual ecology to social and environmental work? How do we invite others into this story and create deeper impact and influence? What case studies and examples can we learn from?

Course Schedule

All sessions will take place on Sundays from 10:00am–12:00pm (PST) unless stated otherwise.

Application & Cost

Applications for the Spring iteration of this course are now closed. Applications for the Fall offering of this course will open in May.

The program costs $650.00. Some scholarships will be available for those who need it. If you are accepted into the course, payment is due within one week of the first session. Cancellations made up to one week before the course begins will result in a full refund. After that, refunds will not be available unless under special circumstances.

Please contact events@emergencemagazine.org if you have any questions.

Instructors