Backpacking to Regeneration

It had been a while that I was wanting to find a course that would bring sparkles to my eyes. I work supporting other people’s journeys through amazing courses, so I am getting used to seeing great content and it’s getting harder and harder finding things that catch my attention. Well, in this case, that was it, I embarked on Tools for Regenerative Renaissance journey.

I was in touch with SEEDS Ecosystem for a while but never as close as I wished, and I usually had that in the back of my mind as a reminder to put more energy into it. Right before hearing about the course, I had two great opportunities of going deeper on SEEDS and connecting on a level in which I felt I was part of a movement. Naturally, Tools for Regenerative Renaissance was the third opportunity, and what a great gift it has been!

A part of it that captured my attention was to see this whole course encompassing so much information, happening within this ecosystem, using Seeds as payment and reward (yes! reward for completing a course! Where in the world could we see that happening?) and also discussions around the ecosystem itself as part of the content. In other words, we started the course with 100 participants from all over the world, with a huge common ground, there was already this beautiful ecosystem as a fine layer bonding us all.

In this text I intend to go against my tendency, which usually is to think, write and express linearly. The course itself already has such a great structure, so, here, I’m trying to experiment flowing and sharing a few experiences, inquiries and insights I had along it.

i. information

I was/am completely blown away with the mastery of gathering so much material and information for the main topics covered along the weeks. I had a delightful experience coming across the prep material shared before week 1, seeing many references, books and videos so aligned to people and concepts I find inspiration on. Books that I thought I was the only one in the world reading, were there, highly suggested for another hundred people to check out. I think that was one of the moments I felt most connected with the course, even though I haven’t done anything other than checking the links yet. How powerful is it to feel the sense of belonging?

I’ve been facing, for a long time, the feeling that there is this large amount of information out in the world and it’s just impossible to keep up with everything. Even now, with the course, having access to all these links organizedly pointing me to good sources for the widest kind of knowledge I can look for, I still feel sometimes that it is just too much.

I have been reflecting on this feeling, all the current generation and myself deal with the amount of good (and all sorts of) information we have accessible in our hands. For me, this is one of the key pieces for this Renaissance to be Regenerative. In order to absorb external things I must also be in connection to what’s vibrating in the interior. That is, don’t get lost from my own directions, as I learn things from the outside I must keep learning about myself, what am I passionate for, why am I studying this or that, am I nurturing my being integrally or only a few sections of it? These are some of the questions I try keeping as my guide.

One of my biggest inspirations in the world is Charles Eisenstein and his words (it was such a delight to discuss all these reg. topics with him in one of the sessions). His essay named ‘Coronation’ brings up how tricky it can be to have so much information out in the world and just rely on them not listening to what our inner voice has to offer. That, applied to this chaotic situation the world is facing for more than a year now (Covid-19), is a great example of how lost one can be (or, in this case, the majority of population) if it doesn’t leave space for also learning from the inside.

I find this to be one of the challenges of our generation, finding the balance, being able to use all these amazing information and action happening, as the name of the course suggests, as tools, to move us towards what we came to this world to offer!

ii) inspiration and community

For me the words inspiration and community come many times intrinsically side by side. One of the pieces of my experience that stood out was to know that there was/is a community of a hundred people or so that are willing to learn and find their ways into a regenerative world.

A few times I could follow other participants’ threads, ideas or projects that would just warm my heart and bring me to a place of inspiration. Along with the community, there were key moments where guest teachers would touch on matters so alive for me in the moment that it was hard to remain sitting after a session.

Daniel Wahl and Precious Phiri’s contributions on regenerative agriculture and all its derivatives were powerful and precise creating a new layer of connection between inspiration and community: I was inspired by them and started actions in my community.

iii) going forward

Completing the course I feel stronger in my journey and with my active hope rejuvenated. I like to imagine that my backpack is more equipped now, with tools, information and people that will continue supporting my next steps.

I love reflecting and philosophizing on what kind of world I’d like to live in. Recently, I’ve come to believe more and more that I can live all of what I dream with just by making it my reality. So if I study, share and practice with a (or many) community tools like regenerative money, sociocracy, permaculture (and hundreds of other beautiful ideas)… in the end, that is already my reality.

I appreciate the set up that supports us as participants to continue engaged and evolving in the subjects we feel drawn to. My goal is to carry my backpack with me sharing and receiving from people I encounter, being able to inspire and be inspired.