“Walking itself is the intentional act closest to the unwilled rhythms of the body, to breathing and the beating of the heart.”
Rebecca Solnit
The invitation
To step out into your surrounding landscape for a nourishing walk, alone, with one other, or more if appropriate. As you walk you will be guided through a spiral of ‘The Work that Reconnects’, a journey designed to help us experience first hand that we are larger, stronger, more creative – and more deeply interconnected – than we knew. This is a practice that nourishes and resources our Active Hope – hope that we ‘do’ rather than have.
Our offer
Inspired by the book ‘Active Hope – How to face the mess we’re in without going crazy’ we are offering four ‘Walks that Reconnect’, guided through downloadable text and audio (freely available below in English & here in German). Each will offer a full spiral of the ‘Work that Reconnects’, moving the emphasis with each walk through it’s four elements (Gratitude, Honouring our pain, Seeing with new/ancient eyes & Going forth). These four walks will therefore create a rounded whole, while also being able to stand alone.
These walks were originally inspired as a ‘lockdown’ offer in the spirit of gift economics, however we hope the walks will translate to any place, at any time.
Please do share freely with others. If you’d like to translate these walks to another language please get in touch, we’d love to collaborate and share resources.
“Hope has feet. And we are still walking.“
– John Heagle
Walk #1:
- 1.0 Walk Guide (pdf)
- 1.1 Grounding in the body (audio)
- 1.2 Evolutionary gifts (audio)
- 1.3 Breathing with the Earth (audio)
Walk #2:
- 2.0 Walk Guide (pdf)
- 2.1 Walking with gratitude (audio)
- 2.2 Grounded breathing space (audio)
- 2.3 Unseen world (audio)
Walk #3:
- 3.0 Walk Guide (pdf)
- 3.1 Earth as a backpack (audio)
- 3.2 A deep time journey (audio)
- 3.3 Sky hooks & earth anchors (audio)
Walk #4:
- 4.0 Walk Guide (pdf)
- 4.1 Walking in spirals (audio)
- 4.2 Breathing through (audio)
- 4.3 Creating space for change (audio)
Practicalities
You will need:
- to gift yourself the time to walk, choose a route/let one emerge, and invite a partner/others if you wish
- to take the guidance sheet in some form
- a device to listen to the recordings. Ideally downloading them beforehand so tech can be put on ‘flight mode’ (meaning you can soar free and uninterrupted!) during the walk, or streaming from YouTube (links given in the guides) if preferred.
- a notepad/piece of paper and pen/pencil
- something to sit/lie on if the ground is damp/needs cushioning
- whatever else is needed for a walk in the terrain you choose and the conditions on the day
We feel deeply grateful to be in connection with you through these walks, at this time of great uncertainty, and as part of a global community for Active Hope. We are always delighted to hear from others, so please do get in touch with any feedback. wtr.regenculture@gmail.com
Frances, Kirsty, Tom & Zoe
(part of the UK based collective ‘Work that Reconnects for Regenerative Cultures’)
“Home is everything you can walk to.”
– Rebecca Solnit
If you are interested to further explore the landscape that has inspired these walks here are a few landmarks to help you navigate:
- Active Hope; How to face the mess we’re in without going crazy. Macy & Johnstone (2012) Book
- Work that Reconnects Network. website
- Walk; The path to a more mindful life. Radford (2018) Book
- Wanderlust; A history of walking. Solnit (2001) Book
- The Walk that Reconnects. Neal & Smith (2014) walk
- Climate Psychology Alliance. website
Reconnect Collective 