midwifing change
we’re caught in a liminal space that’s colored more by the war of the worlds than the transition between them. what might it mean to consider the space of the threshold — hospicing the old and midwifing the new?
midwifing change
“This is structural, if things ended well, civil society would be healthier overall.”
What Are the Practices and Mindsets That Can Be Helpful to Navigate Loss, Grief, Change and Transitions? And What Does It Mean to Make Good Compost as We Close Ideas, Forms, Collective Creations That No Longer Serve Us?
Navigating the space between stories puts us up for an immense challenge. We must seek the others to find hope and support when that which we love falls away, rediscover how to grieve for what we lose and praise what is lost, and learn how to remain alive in the face of death. To not resist being wholly taken by awe at the birth of spring, because... See more
Niels Devisscher • Belonging and Butterflies in Times of Breakdown
These moments where one world-system is dying and another is being born are experienced emotionally - as loss, grief, dissonance, confusion, excitement; socially - as contention, struggle, polarisation; and spiritually - as a breakdown in encompassing narrative, meaning and purpose, and a longing for home.
Jonathan Rowson • Now that you’ve found the others what are you going to do? - Emerge
The longer I do this work, the more I understand that we need to build a stronger account of the moment we are in: a story of decline and new opportunities; of deep crisis and mind-bending possibilities. Most importantly, a time to act from hope rather than sink into fatalism. We need to confront and reckon with the existing order; to reveal it for... See more
Sophia Parker • Emerging Futures at JRF - Two Years In, the Story So Far
The process of crossing the threshold is demanding for each and every one of us. When the cracks appear in a long-held belief, it causes anxiety and pain. As the certain world is replaced by great uncertainty, the risk is that we cling to what we know more than ever. The gravitational pull of the familiar exerts itself, no matter how dysfunctional
... See moreJon Alexander • Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us
Margaret Wheatley, the brains behind the Berkana model, spoke of four essential areas of work that are needed to sustain an emerging paradigm: naming, connecting, nourishing and illuminating elements of the emerging patterns. These are how we are beginning to understand our role in this work: seeing ourselves as gardeners, or midwives, working to
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