Regenerating is relationing.
How are we relating to ourselves in this Work, in Living, Playing and always nurturing? What does this show of the role of relationing in regenerating.
Everything happens in process within systems. In considering regenerating we are attending to processes within living systems. The question is always how are these elements interacting through tensions in fields. In the emerging languaging of regenerating, I am using the term relationing.
Unfolding relationing.
One of the elements of regenerating is the unfamiliarity of many facets, including the languaging often encountered in regenerative work, practice and communities.
Core to the novelty often is the shift of the word frame to bring a sense of the living process contained and implied by the word. Relationships are the interactions between entities or beings as they interact. Relating is the singular of this dynamic, as a mode of interacting between nodes in a system. Relationing then could be an appropriate term for the whole process underway. I invite you to note the affect of this word frame as you continue with your reading, or shift onto whatever else calls to you now.
Relationing in context
Shifting being state based on nature of interaction and the way relationing plays out — e.g. different words for animals and plants depending not only on their stage of growth (newborn, young, adult, old etc) but also their being state and function relative to the language holder (as food, medicine, spirit guide or relation). Example of this from Bohmian quantum languaging, as shared recently in developmental dialogue with Mary Casey, that an object could be languaged as such, or as a group of atoms currently cojoined in the function of tabling.
Regenerating is peopling in right relationship and in our highest order role?
Many regenerative guides, including two I have most directly developed with Carol Sanford and Giles Hutchins, work through the premice that human relationing has the potential to contribute to the planetary living system in combination of right relationship in our highest order role when regenerating. This is to say that our role as species could be considered as a keystone to the capacity of our planet to restore, revive and evolve wholly when we are relationing suitably within the systems we impact — which is currently the whole planetary ecosystem.
Humans, peopling in place, connected, aware and respectful for our fellow beings, have created incredibly long-tenured cultures and communities which all have a shared depth to their practice of relationing. Consistently the social strucutres and cultural practices that co-create frameworks for thriving within the ecologically restorative capacity of the place (bioregion/lifeshed) contain multi-modal constructs to build capacity to be in relationship, and to relate with and to, beings which created food, medicine, shelter, spiritual and cultural meaning. I refer to the work of many Indigenous authors to examples — such as Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer — as well as long practice dialogue with Aboriginal Australian friends and guides, as well as delving into my own Celtic lineague knowing and being to deepen my understanding of this way of relationing.
Restoring the sacricity of relationing
Key to the shift into firstly being in relationship with beings in place beyond only human (interbeing as framed by Thich Naht Han) is an understanding and appreciation of the living expeirence of, and potential of all those alive which co-create place with us. In doing so, we open up space for what is in modern Westernism considered the Sacred or Spiritual. Regererating is relationing inclusive of this domian. Any practices or rituals associated with Sacred or Spiritual elements are designed fully integrated into process, without the separation of religeous space or dogma. Many cultures consider the relationship between all beings as sacred and this worldview is woven deeply throughout societal and cultural manifestations — Buddhism certainly, and many Indigenous cultures too. Restoration of this way of relationing is also core to the capacity to be regenerating.
This article is one of a series I am writing responding to the prompt ‘What is regenerating’.
If you have started here, thank you, and you may wish to spend 4mins with the opening article which outlines the approach I’m following and the intention I’m carrying. There you’ll find linked the other articles in the series, the link being provided as the article is published.
As I sense sufficiency with my exploration of this prompt, I’ll also link a closing article.
Thank you as always for your time and attention today.
And an additional invitation which I sense sits well with this article. That if you enjoy being in community with fellow readers and authers, please do add your comments and notes during and at the ending of this article if you wish. I will respond and look forward to being in dialogue — a form of relationship — with you in doing so.
