Regenerating is unfamiliar.
It need not be, and can become familiar to all again.
When did regenerating become unfamiliar?
When first arriving in the company of regenerators, much feels unfamiliar. The words, terms and language. The energy — often enlivening and rejuvenating and still not what’s become typical in most places and spaces especially those framed as ‘work’. The approach to problems, or even the acknowledgement of problems. How to navigate challenges and opportunities, with a consistent focus on developing capability, generating awareness and seeking deeper levels of understanding of unversial laws (often considered the elevation of consciousness). This any many of elements of regenerating, at least to my lived expereince and comparably to many I consider fellows in the regenerating journey, feels unfamiliar — to begin with and for a while.
Why would this be the case? Well, in as concise a manner as I can for the purpose of this article, here’s a brief history of the illusion of separation, and how pervasive it has become.
In many cultures, in my experience most not still indigenous to place, the dominant worldview is one of separating, fracturing and reducing for that power can be exerted on parts.
Farmers work with individual crops, specific nurtient compositions and precise irrigation to ‘optimise yield’, ignoring all evidence that a greater system of connective mutualism has long sustained our food web. Organisations silo themselves down to ‘expert’ teams, who then spend an inordinate amount of time, effort, energy and resources attempting to understand one another and align objectives, goals and mission. Technologies separate us from ourselves, attending to the desires, gains and advice of others, rather than self-making our own way through life, and separate our attention from those in our immediate living system, very often families, friends and community.
This separating and dividing, individually and collectively, materially and spiritually, societally and culturally began long ago. The illusion has become more pervasive as it has accelerated, particularly since the Industrial Revolution, however the roots go far deeper, albeit in most places not much farer back than 2500–3000 years. Whilst this seems a long time, I find it useful to be remembering that humans have been self-orgasing in our current biological form for an estimated 250,000 years. The span of time over which we have been under the illusion of separation is long only relative to our own lifetime and the generations which came before us over the last 100–400 years. Prior to that, most places much of the time, we were regenerating more consciously and intentionally.
I am eternally grateful for the choices and opportunities which have brought me as a migrant to Australia, where I am privileged to connect and interact with one of the oldest continual cultures in the world — archeological, genealogical and oral histories contend that Aboriginal cultures of Australia have existed for around 75,000–80,000 years, and to all the wisdom and awareness I have had kindly and generously shared by the cultural custodians of this place.
Where has regenerating remained familiar?
This last section segways into a reflection of where regenerating has remained familiar. Whilst not exclusive to First Nations cutlures, as per my earlier note, in my expeirence the strongest evidence of continuing and sustained regenerating is to be found in communities who are indigenous to place. Accessing this wisdom is also possible with awareness and understanding of the practices, worldviews and frameworks of your own cultural origin, as well as the those cultures accessible to you which have remained indigenous.
Indigenous custodians, those deeply connected to place, those systemically aware can often be the sources for profound regenerating examples, generous ambassadors of frameworks and practices both unique to their lineage, and universal to all.
In many regenerative communities there is a clear acknowledgement of an ancient tradition as the undercurrent of ways of being, doing and knowing, and I find it helpful to recall Roman Krzaric’s words in ‘The Good Ancestor’
We are all descendants of people who were once indigenous to place
How could regenerating become familiar again?
Whilst there are many, many ways to practice regenerating, for which I am grateful and respectful of the multitude and diversity of approaches, I can offer my own lived expeirence as examples of how regenerating can become familiar.
Encountering, often be seeking out, experienced practitioners (Elders, Wisdom holders — pick your term) has certainly been a major contributor. Living Systems practitioners such as Carol Sanford, Giles Hutchins, Josie McLean, David Drake, Ben Haggard have all assisted in shifting my awarenss, being state and capability. Developmental communities such as Carol’s CAD (Change Agent Development), David’s Integrative Development community of practice and the Climate Coaching Alliance co-Founded by Josie have all provided space, provocation and enablement to grow as a practitioner.
Connecting deeply to place, which for me has occurred over the past 8 years in southern New South Wales, has also provided a grounding and a space to see regenerating attending to system potential manifest in home, garden and family (see article on experiences of belonging referencing some of the connecting to place here).
Being bold enough to practice and creating spaces and opportunties to practice ‘in The Work’ at work has also been sufficient, sometimes abundance, and doing this alongside fellows-in-the-work has also been deeply generative.
My sense is that amidst the current sense of dominant degeneration, there is a rising sense that the current patterns, processes and practices of existing institutions are not activating our full potential — even providing for basic needs whilst undermining planetary and multi-species wellbieng, and so the ‘great turning’ as Joanna Macy says will include a re-familiarising ourselves with what it is to be regenerating. A vital co-joined ‘how to do this’ is regenerating in community and relationship. Look to the next pair of articles as I explore those two elements intertwined.
As always, thanks for your time and attention with these words of mine.
Be well, Tim
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.
