Knowing Moss
Our friend Larry Daloz recounts a time when he explored the Whidbey Institute woods with ecofeminist scholar Joanna Macy. As I recall the story, Larry—who possesses an extensive knowledge of moss—said something to Joanna about his admiration of it. With her hand, she pushed his face into the plush green carpet and held it there. “Now you know moss,” she said. Read More →
Dear Volunteers,
It’s early on a warm, grey morning. I’m looking out into my yard at myriad shades of green. Too numerous to count, each one unique in its own beauty; all of them together making up a lush tapestry of color and living beings.
I am constantly struck by and grateful for the vibrant ecosystem in which we live. As we celebrate the diversity of our natural world, let us also remember how poor we would all be without the diversity and richness of human cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives that thread through this world. Please take a minute to read our recent newsletter, Re-Membering, if you haven’t already. Read More →
“How is it possible to blossom, fully into me, when there are parts of me that are not allowed to be known? To be realized? . . . . how does [one] re-member herself, through truth songs of the past, present, and future? Can I be whole again?” ― From Scars, a novel by Dr. A. Breeze Harper
“We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was never normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate and lack. We should not long to return, my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment. One that fits all of humanity and nature.”—Sonya Renee Taylor
In this issue: staffing update, conservation easement update, GiveBIG May 5 & 6, and Journalists of Color on COVID-19.Click to read the issue. Read More →
Click here to read the full issue: https://mailchi.mp/whidbeyinstitute/newsletter-1122357
Transformational learning was once defined by Dean Elias as, “the expansion of consciousness through the transformation of basic worldview and specific capacities of the self.” Through transformational learning, in the words of Jack Mezirow, “ . . . we learn to negotiate and act on our own purposes, values, feelings, and meanings rather than those we have uncritically assimilated from others—to gain greater control ove r our lives as socially responsible, clear-thinking decision makers.” According to John M. Dirkx, transformational learning “challenges our existing frames of reference—the beliefs and assumptions we hold about ourselves, others and the world,” while at the same time “evoking potentially powerful feelings and emotions within the learning experience.” Read More →
In this issue: Remembering Yvonne Palka and Tom Jay and Hiking Close to Home with Maribeth Crandell.
Over 20 volunteers, including Bob Keeney (pictured above, in a photo by Carol Johnson), came together in September for our fall Volunteer Days. We are so grateful for the joy, conviviality, and serious elbow grease that each of you gave.
Next time you visit the Whidbey Institute, look for gleaming refinished tables in the Thomas Berry Hall dining room and hallway and other signs of volunteer love in the buildings, gardens, forest, and trail system!
To read this issue, click here: https://mailchi.mp/whidbeyinstitute/newsletter-1122113
This issue includes content from Jeremy Lent, Sarah Goettsch, and more! Click here to view the issue and read on.
“In the traditional sense of the commons, the basic practice of life together is the practice of dialogue . . . talking through the things that are most essential.” —Sharon Daloz Parks
“What if your every action was guided by the question, ‘does this support the conditions for life to flourish?'”
This is a time for courageous change.
When you reflect on what you see happening in our world today and how it impacts who and what you love, how do you respond? What feeds your fire to do the work you do? When you read the news headlines, what do you feel? When talking to a young person facing an uncertain future, what truth or half-truth do you tell?
We know the WHAT of our work. The list is long. The work beneath the work is HOW: How do we engage the world’s enormous, interconnected challenges with heart? With courage? As joyful communities? As Earthlings who embrace and belong with the wholeness of life?
What we’ve experienced time and time again is that when community steps forward, change is not only possible, but certain—and joyous! The Whidbey Institute and its work have truly been created and sustained by many hands, hearts, and souls. For this we are grateful every day.
May we live in integrity with life itself, and through this integrity, be restored in our communities, our bodies, our minds, and our spirits.
Click below to read our May issue, with news of GiveBIG, our 2018 Gratitude Report, and upcoming events.