3128 Educators providing Courses in Bristol

The Human Nature Project

the human nature project

Bristol

Human Nature is a network of nature-lovers, a bid made in what is clearly a time of great need to reverse the established principles used by all the major conservation organizations and rewrite the story on our terms. Nature should be a universal language accessible to all people regardless of race, background or socio-economic status. Yet in this modern world of apartment blocks and iPhones, it is rapidly being driven out of sight and mind. At Human Nature, we are working to reverse this trend: communicating innovatively and effectively the true place that humanity should hold in this world, erasing the tragedy of the commons and bringing nature into the collective consciousness as a positive force to be shared by all. Over the centuries, our species has developed an intricate web of barriers and blockades to separate ourselves both mentally and physically from other lifeforms. We perceive ourselves as uniquely cultured, somehow divinely selected to sit one rung above the rest on the great chain of being- blessed with a superior intelligence and thus untouchable. Obvious parallels could be drawn with colonial views of indigenous groups, and the uphill battle being fought to this day to uproot such age-old paradigms. It’s clear we have a long road ahead, but as events of recent times have shown, the momentum is already shifting. There was a time for multinational charity figureheads, with their steady if slow governance of environmental matters. That time has now passed. And with it rises a new dawn, a blossoming sun signalling the new era of conservation- nature for the people, by the people, and with the people

Spirit of the Inca

spirit of the inca

Radstock

Lying flat on my back for 16 days back in 1980 something, I was in so much physical pain that I could not move. It was then that I began to realise that I needed to change my life! I had been literally 'floored'! Stopped in my tracks. I had nowhere to run, or hide. "It wasn't by chance that during that time I came across a reflexologist who helped me to see that this was a turning point in my life. As a result of that meeting, and the healing that followed, I trained to become a reflexologist. My healers journey had begun and everything changed. "Over the course of the next few years, I noticed that some clients healed and others did not. My curiosity and desire to be of service led me to explore all kinds of therapeutic processes... counselling, gestalt, person centred therapy, psychosythesis. It was a great help in understanding how the mind affected the body. And I noticed that now I was able to help more people to heal.. and yet I noticed that still some clients did not. "My wondering about this led me fully into the healing arts and I began to understand that we each have a soul's journey. I had to ask myself: 'Why am I here?' 'What am I meant to be doing with my life?' "At the level of the soul I needed to know that my life has meaning and purpose beyond the everyday, and I learned that creative expression is vital to my wellbeing, as is finding a meaning and purpose that fits who I am. During this time I had many teachers. I trained to be a yoga teacher, I discovered 5 Rythms dance, and explored ways to use my voice... each time reaching out beyond my comfort zone, beyond who I thought I was.. to discover aspects of me that had been hidden or surpressed in the simple act of living this everyday reality. "My wondering led me to run a women's group for ten years. I wanted to explore what it means to be a woman in today's world. Together, we explored the sacred feminine, the goddess, the myths that we live by, we explored sacred landscapes, ceremony and ritual and found ways to connect with Mother Earth, a connection lost in working world today. During those years I took groups on Outward Bound courses in the landscape of Dartmoor. It was as much my journey as it was for those who shared it with me. We all learned a lot about ourselves, about what we were truly capable of. Incredible transformations took place in us all. Above all I learned the resilience of the human spirit, how stepping beyond fear creates inner trust and confidence... and that when we truly face our fears and embrace them we liberate ourselves then our presence liberates others. "Finally my journey led me to Shamanic Training. I have worked with a number of shaman in my life, and now, Incorporating the processes and techniques that I have learned both from the Inca tradition and many other great teachers along the way, I have developed a training which is powerful, beautiful and for me is the final piece in the puzzle. "Working at the level of energy affects all of the bodies: the soul's journey, the mental body, the emotional body and the physical body. I have also learned on this journey that it is a sacred journey, a journey towards wholeness... and the more I heal of myself, the more I affect those around me in a positive, life enriching way. "This is the work that I do in the world, it's the gift that I bring. "My medicine stones form a powerful healing tool called a Mesa. "My Mesa contains the wisdom that comes from my personal healing, the transformation of old worn-out stories of powerlessness, turned into power; of pain and suffering turned into compassion; and ancient wisdom handed down through the ages, through a lineage of medicine men and women whose grace, dignity and childlike innocence reminds me of what we have lost in the Western world. "And now I teach others how to build theirs."