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Hope and enchantment
Our theme for this issue takes us straight to what feels like the pages of a book of fairytales, but these are tales with a serious message of hope, enchantment and purpose. From a poetic ‘ode’ to a humble fern to the enchanting story of a dress made entirely from nettles, we explore ways to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. We look at the oft times dark path to enchantment and learn how the human psyche craves meaning. The invitation here then is to lose yourself in an uplifting theme that will take you to the edges of your own imagination and hopeful visions for 2024.
In the Slow Read, the modern mystic, author and thought leader, Andrew Harvey, tells our editor Susan Clark that all is not lost and that what he calls ‘the Great Shattering’ that looms will be our breakthrough to a new consciousness and a new idea of what it means to be a new human being on a new earth.
Other highlights within this issue include the reintroduction of the Poetry Pages. In ‘Quiet Wildfires’ our new poetry editors introduce the work of Greek eco poet, Astra Papachristodoulou. In Connected Life the founder of The Thousand Year Trust, Merlin Hanbury-Tenison tells us why he has hope for the future and in our Ecologist pages, we discover how artists really can influence climate politics.
Highlights
- Our Life is Here: David Buckland
- Unexpected Enchantments: Paul Evans
- The Story of the Nettle Dress: Dylan Howitt
- A New Consciousness: Andrew Harvey
- Poetry: Quiet Wildfires
- Radical Landscapes: Anna Souter
Featured articles
Our Life is Here
The Republic of the Marshall Islands is located in the western Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and Australia. In this interview, Marshallese poet and climate envoy Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner tells British artist David Buckland how art can give a voice to a nation made up of low-lying atolls where climate change is already a reality.
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A Story of Hope
Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, founder of the Thousand Year Trust, which is dedicated to restoring Britain's lost temperate rainforests, tells a new story of reforestation, bit by bit, that will see our descendants living in harmony with and not apart from Nature. He asserts that "In a thousand years' time Nature will have returned in all her glory to our islands."
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The Story of the Nettle Dress
Filmmaker Dylan Howitt shares an inspiring fairytale - which is really a deep love story - for our time. "It's about the deep value of creativity and imagination, and a slow, mindful craft that is more in tune with the natural world."
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The Dark before Dawn
Sometimes it is only when everything has been lost that you can find your way back to hope and enchantment. Men's coach James Garside shares his story of that journey, and his realisation that pain and isolation can open us up to new possibilities.
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Your Wellness is (literally) in Your Own Hands
Co-authors Charlotte Abrahams and Katy Bevan explore the power of crafting and its role in wellness. "Arts and crafts are part of the fabric of our culture. They are invaluable in making rituals and ceremonies such as funerals and births impressive, memorable and unique."
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Poetry: Quiet Wildfires
In the first instalment of Resurgence & Ecologist's new poetry feature, our new poetry editors introduce the work of Greek eco poet, Astra Papachristodoulou. In her poems, Astra invites her readers to think about the consequences of last summer's Hellenic heatwave and the harsh reality of heat, drought and wildfires.
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Picture Credits
Cover image: Artwork by Tuesday Riddell tuesdayriddell.com; Our Life is Here: Photo by Michael Pinsky; A Story of Hope: Gentleness Clears the Soul by Claire Cansick clairecansick.com; The Story of the Nettle Dress: Photo by Dylan Howitt; The Dark Before Dawn: Rexe's Hollow, 2021 by Stanley Donwood; Your Wellness is (Literally) in Your Own Hands: Knitting for my nephew by Alissa Mihai; Quiet Wildfires:Quiet Wildfires, 2023 © Astra Papachristodoulou.
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Inside this issue
Article is free for all to view
Welcome
Once Upon A Time • Susan Clark
Tales with a message of hope, enchantment and purpose
Community
News from the Resurgence Community • Susan Clark
Resurgence Ripples - a celebration of positive action
Ecologist
Ecologist Editors' Picks • Yasmin Dahnoun
Top stories from The Ecologist environmental news website
Obituary: Tim Harland (1958 - 2023) • Maddy Harland
Tim always had time for people, a wry sense of humour and a big smile
Our Life is Here • David Buckland
An interview with Marshallese poet and climate envoy Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner
Connected life
A Story of Hope • Merlin Hanbury-Tenison
Introducing The Thousand Year Trust
The Mangrove Photography Awards
Inspiring photos that raise awareness of the fragility of the mangrove ecosystems around the world
Riding the Waves of Climate Anxiety • Kate Rawles
What does an 8,000-mile journey through South America on a bamboo bike teach you about biodiversity?
The slow read
A New Consciousness • Andrew Harvey
A new type of hope - Divine Hope - will only show up when we show up
Hope and enchantment
Unexpected Enchantments • Paul Evans
Exploring how enchantment shifts the focus away from the human in his glorious 'ode' to a humble rail-side plant
The Story of the Nettle Dress • Dylan Howitt
A film-maker shares an inspiring fairytale for our time
The Dark before Dawn • James Garside
A musician and men's coach shares how he found his way back to hope and enchantment
The Extraordinary at the Heart of the Ordinary • Gemma Newman
Enchantment has a role to play in restoring the human being to optimum wellness
Wisdom and wellbeing
Your Wellness is (literally) in Your Own Hands • Charlotte Abrahams & Katy Bevan
Exploring the power of crafting and its role in wellness
You Can Do All The Things • Betsy Greer
A simple project for stitching your own hopeful affirmations
Paying Deep Attention • Sara Elisa kelly
A reminder of a natural resource available to all of us that is a driving force for action
Needs, Not Greed! • Satish Kumar
Remembering an important lesson that reminds us that all we need is enough
Art and culture
Poetry: Quiet Wildfires • Briony Hughes & Rachel Marsh
Introducing the work of eco-poet Astra Papachristodoulou
Steering by a Strange Light • John Wedgwood Clarke
Captivated by the extraordinary camera-less work of photographer and artist Susan Derges
Radical Landscapes • Anna Souter
Reviewing an exhibition staged at the home of the Arts and Crafts artist and polymath William Morris
Songs of Earth • JP O'Malley
A documentary that lets Nature itself tell the story
Reviews
Since the Great Frost • Kate Blincoe
Review of Nature Tales for Winter Nights
Back into the hands of the 'small' • Holly Rose
Review of Saying NO to a Farm-Free Future: The Case for an Ecological Food System and Against Manufactured Foods
A Real Portrait of Rural Life • Tim Hannigan
Review of Once Upon a Raven’s Nest: A Life on Exmoor in an Epoch of Change
The Connections that Kill and that Cure • India Bourke
Review of Fevered Planet: How Diseases Emerge When We Harm Nature
The Legacy of Oil • Adam Weymouth
Review of Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World
We're in this Together • Russell Warfield
Review of It’s Not Just You: How to Navigate Eco-Anxiety and the Climate Crisis
Centering Care • Emily Kenway
Review of Lean on Me: A Politics of Radical Care
Regulars
Letters to the Editor
A Selection of Letters to the Editor
Archive - Seeds of Hope • Fi Martynoga
An except from an article on rewilding first published in Resurgence & Ecologist in 2003
