The Gift of Life
Issue 348 • January/February 2025
In this issue of Resurgence & Ecologist, we celebrate the joyous theme – The Gift of Life.
In his Slow Read article, Paul Evans shares his surprising discovery of the enchanting and mostly overlooked ecosystem hosted by the ‘dead-looking’ gnarly stump of a tree felled by a storm, and that got us thinking about how the The Gift of Life often shows up in the most unexpected places.
We go on to explore this idea with articles that shine a light on The Gift of Service, and The Gift of Young People and Their Superpowers.
We feature many deeply moving and life-affirming pieces – from textile artist Anna-Louise Meynell’s extraordinary tale and work with artisan weavers in India, to Sharmila Desai’s celebration of the gift of yoga, to Satish Kumar musings on the divine entanglement that is the gift of life.
Highlights
- Reviving Lake Uru Uru: Gustavo Blanco
- Deadwood living: Paul Evans
- Opening to grace: Sharmila Desai
- Life is sacred: Satish Kumar
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Contents
Key
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Welcome
Living Proof • Susan Clark
Sharing a sense of wonder and celebration
Regulars
Tribute to Stephan Harding
A heart-felt tribute to the much-missed co-founder of Schumacher College
Ecologist
Cross-border commuters • Roman Goergen
Reporting on new jaguar sightings in the Southwestern US
News and Stories
Top stories from the news website focused on environmental, social and economic justice
Cooperative ways forward • Jan Goodey
Making the case for a plant-based global food system
Connected Life
Reviving Lake Uru Uru • Gustavo Blanco
More on the grass roots project in Bolivia that won the 2024 Iris Project main prize
Threads of livelihood • Anna-Louise Meynell
Finding and sharing a purposeful life in India
The rise of regenerative agriculture • Charlotte Sterland
A simple guide to regenerative agriculture
The alchemy of soil • Natalie Taylor
An invitation into an artistic practice that venerates the soil
Feature Articles
Dead wood living • Paul Evans
A journey into the magical realm of seemingly dead tree stumps that give other systems new life
The gift of life
Opening to grace • Sharmila Desai
The gift of yoga as a life path
The gift of service • Carol Donaldson
Revealing how helping others can be a gift
The gift of young people and their superpowers • Peter McGarry
Saluting young people and their potential
The gift of inspiration • Fons van Laar
Finding creativity in an allotment garden
The gift of finitude • Stephanie Paterson
Celebrating the gift of finding purpose in work
Wisdom and Wellbeing
Life is sacred • Satish Kumar
Musing on the divine entanglement that is the gift of life
Finding steadiness of soul • Elizabeth Wainwright
An interview with spiritual author and thinker Elizabeth Oldfield
Healing as radical care • Yasmin Dahnoun
Questioning the colonialism of the wellness industry
Art and Culture
Stitching with Nature • Katerina Knight
A deep connection with Nature lies at the heart of artistic practice
Celebrating Dartmoor • Lara Goodband & Matthew Shaw
Introducing a new exhibition that celebrates Dartmoor
Sister Nature… • Rachel Marsh & Briony Hughes
Introducing the poet Alison Gibb
Reviews
(Anti-)Natalism? • Russell Warfield
Review of No One Left: Why the World Needs More Children and Seven Children: Inequality and Britain's Next Generation
Citizens assembly for change • Liam Killeen
Review of We Need to Talk about Climate: How Citizen's Assemblies Can Help Us Solve the Climate Crisis
Tell me you can hear it, stronger by the hour • Diyora Shadijanova
Review of Power to the People: Use Your Voice, Change the World
The great food puzzle • Edward Davey
Review of Land Smart: How to Give People and Nature the Space to Thrive
The strange, enchanting life of tree collectors • Rashi Goel
Review of The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession
A web of woodland wonder • Jon Moses
Review of Close Encounters of the Fungal Kind: In Pursuit of Remarkable Mushrooms
Elevating marginalised voices • Gwen Peters
Review of Whose Planet? The Climate Justice Podcast
