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When we speak
In this issue, we examine the power of not only finding and then using your voice but also the challenges of overcoming the societal programmes designed to keep you quiet. Entitled ‘When we speak’, the whole issue is a celebration of speaking our truth.
We acknowledge International Women’s Day (March 8) with our woman-led theme which includes articles on breaking the ‘Good Little Girl’ programme and ‘Using Plant Allies’ to find your authentic voice. We have an article by the Nepalese founder of a project designed to tackle period poverty and ignorance in her country of birth and we explore the totem of the wise and wilder older woman, asking how we can use the resurgence of energy that follows the transition of menopause for activism.
A contemporary teacher of Kabbalah explains the role of the divine feminine in that faith pathway and in the Slow Read, a contemporary Nature poet shares how she reached a sense of a deeply embodied empathy for Mother Earth once she broke free of the silence shrouding the secret of her own childhood trauma and abuse.
Finally, we have a wonderful in-depth interview with Satish Kumar, who calls for a more united movement for change for the better, regardless of race, gender and our individual circumstances and the chair of The Resurgence Trust, James Sainsbury, shares a rousing call to action – further proof that we will be supported once we do speak out.
Highlights
- Urban Greening: Charlotte Ina Sterland
- Acts of Gathering: Charlotte Fraser
- A Woman’s Story: Nadia Colburn
- Plant Connections: Brigit Anna McNeill
- Tackling Period Poverty: Dipisha Bhujel
- The Divine Vessel: Mike Bais
- The Red Dress: Kirstie Macleod
Featured articles
Urban Greening
Charlotte Ina Sterland reports on a new study that shows how planting indigenous species rapidly increases biodiversity in cities. Australian ecologist Luis Mata reveals that "Bringing back species diversity should take a really long time, but this study is concrete evidence that it can happen in just three years."
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Acts of Gathering
Charlotte Fraser introduces an exhibition at the Eden Project in Cornwall that celebrates our connection to a story that is beyond time and space. This exhibition invites people to consider how the emergence of customs and traditions in relation to food can enhance our connections to each other and to the land.
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Plant Connections
With the help of plant allies, writer, naturalist and herbalist Brigit Anna McNeill went looking for her feelings and rediscovered her once lost wild voice. "Working with the plants drew my attention and awareness to my learnt habit of gaslighting the heart of me."
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Tackling Period Poverty
Dipisha Bhujel shares the story of how and why she set up Project Sparśa – a women-led not-for-profit company that makes compostable sanitary pads from banana plants and uses its revenue to better educate young Nepalese women about their bodies and menstruation.
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The Divine Vessel
Teacher and Kabbalist Mike Bais explores how Kabbalah celebrates the divine feminine, whilst affirming that "Although the divine feminine brings life through the birth of her womb, she also brings death. This is the universal, metaphysical principle behind the feminine in creation."
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The Red Dress
Kirstie Macleod shares how her idea for a collaborative embroidery project created a platform to amplify the voices of those who took part in the award-winning and global initiative. "Covered in millions of stitches, the 6.8kg Red Dress is weighted as much by the individual stories and collective voices waiting to be heard as by the threads and beads that adorn it."
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Picture Credits
Cover image: Artwork by Sarah Jarrett. Urban Greening: Photo © Kohei Uesaka / Unsplash. Acts of Gathering: Learning from Artemisia, 2019-2020 by Uriel Orlow. Plant Connections: Nettles on the River Bank by Emma Chambers. Tackling Period Poverty: Photo by Harrison Thane / The Iris Project. The Divine Vessel: Artwork © Michael Paukner. The Red Dress: Lekazia Turner, embroiderer from Jamaica, 2022, photo by Mark Pickthall
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Inside this issue
Article is free for all to view
Welcome
When We Speak – welcome • Susan Clark
Finding your voice, however big or small, is always the precursor of meaningful change
Regulars
News from the Resurgence Community • Susan Clark
Resurgence Ripples - a celebration of positive action
Now or Never… • James Sainsbury
A message from the Resurgence Trust Chair
Letters to the Editor
A Selection of Letters to the Editor
Ecologist
Editors' Picks • Yasmin Dahnoun
We share our top three stories from the news website focused on environmental, social and economic justice
Urban Greening • Charlotte Ina Sterland
How we can best increase biodiversity in our towns and cities
Transforming a Landscape • Diana Takacsova
Wetlands have started to take centre stage in Slovakia's new conservation priorities
Connected life
The Yellowstone of Europe • Annabel Heseltine
Discovering a Romanian wildlife park created by two wolf biologists who had a rewilding dream of conservation
The Otter Lady • Lynn Houghton
The story of Diane McTurk, an early pioneer of what came to be known as 'ecotourism' in Guyana
Acts of Gathering • Charlotte Fraser
This Eden Project exhibition invites us to think about our connections to food and land, ritual and culture
The slow read
A Woman's Story • Nadia Colburn
Hidden in the silence is a collective cry to move back to a culture of caring and connectedness
When we speak
When We Speak – introduction • Susan Clark
A celebration of women finding their voice, wisdom and courage to speak out
Why Good Little Girls Don't Do or Say That • Cátia Soares
Exploring why women stay silent
Plant Connections • Brigit Anna McNeill
How working with plants helped find a once lost wild voice
Tackling Period Poverty • Dipisha Bhujel
Sharing the story of Sparśa, the not-for-profit women-led Nepalese company she co-founded to make compostable sanitary pads
The Myth of Menopause • Yasmin Dahnoun
Investigating the resurgence of energy that can make this natural rite of passage a kind of 'second puberty', with all that invites.
Wisdom and wellbeing
The Divine Vessel • Mike Bais
Exploring how Kabbalah celebrates the divine feminine
Meetings with Urban Trees
Walks for Mind and Spirit is a new walking guide that offers inspirational ideas and themes for us to think about as we walk on each curated route.
Act Out of Love, not Anger • Jonathan Watts
Excerpt from a recent conversation with inspiring activist Satish Kumar for The Guardian
Art and culture
Poetry: Polyphony • Rachel Marsh & Briony Hughes
Celebrating the interplay between multiple female voices
The Red Dress • Kirstie Macleod
An inspiring global collaborative embroidery project amplifies the voices of those who might not otherwise be heard
Finding the Female Voice • Harriet Griffey
Simply being outdoors and in Nature can free the female voice
Rematriation • Susan Clark
In her work Sámi visual artist Outi Pieski explores the sacred relationship between her art and her ancestral land
Reviews
Mothers of Invention • Annie Warburton
Review of Mothers of Invention: The Feminist Roots of Contemporary Art
On the Brink • Edward Davey
Review of Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from the Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis
Shape of the Future • Danny Dorling
Review of The Next Supercontinent: Solving the Puzzle of a Future Pangea
Don't Judge a Sheep by its Flock • India Bourke
Review of The Wisdom of Sheep & Other Animals: Observations from a Family Farm
Streams of Connectivity • Becca Blease
Review of Drinkable Rivers: How the River Became My Teacher
Rooted in Science and the Black Experience • Diyora Shadijanova
Review of Black Earth Podcast
A Fundamental Failure? • Richard Ryder
Review of Animal Welfare in World Religion: Teaching and Practice
