Natural Happiness: help me share this catalytic approach
How do we live with rising chaos? For over twenty years I’ve explored how people can learn from cultivated ecosystems: analogies from gardening and organic farming can show us how to grow our own happiness. In 2021, I want to offer this approach more widely, and I’m seeking partners to work with me.
If you have gardening expertise, and skills in facilitating groups on wellbeing and resilience, or if you create blogs, videos or other content for gardeners, or if you're a publisher, please read on and get in touch.
Read more
|
|
|
The Gardener’s Way: seasonal tips for January/February
This is part of a series of blogs to show what we can learn for our wellbeing and resilience from gardening priorities through the seasons of the year.
The depths of winter are not a time for intense activity, in the garden, or in our lives. So, an overall lesson from the natural cycle is a reminder to us all to slow down and renew our resources, ahead of the burst of spring growth that’s only a few weeks away.
Read more
|
|
|
UK food insights: clarity amid confusion
If you want clear updates about the messy state of UK food and farming policy, sign up for the fortnightly news digest from the Sustainable Food Trust, which is headed by Patrick Holden, previously a key player at the Soil Association. To subscribe click here.
You could also join the Soil Association, which does good campaigning work and produces useful updates. Currently the UK is in a critical and messy period of debate about farming and food policies post Brexit, and the prospects for a wise, sustainable outcome are uncertain...
|
|
|
Research report:
Growing through Climate Change
This is a research report, commissioned by Seeding our Future, and available as a free download. It shows how producers and consumers can adapt to climate change by altering diet and cultivation methods. This would enable Britain to increase its food sovereignty. To download the full report, click here, or a summary, click here.
|
|
|
|
Ex Africa semper aliquid novi: hopes, fears, news on African farming
The Latin tag comes from Pliny the Elder in the 1st century AD, and means There’s always something new from Africa. It was painted across the Bedford truck in which I travelled from Algiers to Nairobi (via the Sahara, Congo, Rwanda and more) in the 1970’s, which is where my love for Africa began.
In 2015-16, I was in Ethiopia and Kenya doing voluntary training work for the charity Farm Africa, and learning at the grassroots about food security issues. In January 2021, the Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) has used the online format to present some brilliant sessions about the current state of farming and food systems in Africa. This blog gives you an overview.
Read more
|
|
|
|
Feature Blog: food security initiatives for your local community
There are many aspects of the Covid and climate crises where you may feel disempowered, dependent on government responses. However, food security is an issue where individuals and communities have scope for positive action now!
Britain’s food self-sufficiency has declined from 80% to 60% in the past thirty years. We’re especially vulnerable on vegetables and fruit. Many experts expect worsening food shortages due to climate change, and on top of that we can add threats from Brexit, Covid and more.
In early 2020, Seeding our Future started a project in my home town, Bridport, to explore how this community can improve its food security. We hope this will be a pilot project from which other towns and cities can learn.
Read more
|
|
Events on offer
March 5-7
At Hazel Hill Wood or online
Natural Happiness: cultivate your resilience with the Gardeners Way
How can you stay happy when there’s too much change and uncertainty? This workshop shows you how: to cultivate yourself like a garden, and grow your own wellbeing by learning from natural ecosystems, using Alan’s unique Natural Happiness model.
Our methods will include: nourishing our roots; composting problems; using co-creative skills to work with nature; growing inspiration; and ecosystem insights about community. Along with workshop sessions, there will be solo times in the wood, plus good food, campfires and songs to nourish us. This will be a residential group at Hazel Hill Wood: if Covid restrictions prevent this, it will be run with a series of online sessions with personal time in between.
For more info and bookings, click here.
Grow your own Happiness
Cultivate your wellbeing with gardening skills!
Online workshop available for group bookings
In these stormy times, we need new skills to stay happy. A cultivated ecosystem, like a garden, is a role model for human nature: this workshop shows how gardening methods can help you grow your own happiness. Participants will have a chance to try out the Seven Seeds of Happiness, a model devised by Alan Heeks. Group bookings from gardening, environmental and other groups welcome.
Click here to learn more.
|
|
|
New and improved websites!
In the past couple of months, there have been major changes and additions to Alan's websites. There are now four websites as follows:
www.naturalhappiness.net: this is now focussed on Alan's Natural Happiness approach, including blogs, resources and events.
www.seedingourfuture.org.uk: this new site covers projects and resources on resilience and climate change, including food security and Future Conversations.
www.alanheeks.com: mainly has information on creative ageing, including Alan's two books on this subject, also blogs on a range of topics including
www.living-organically.com: shares material about Desert Wisdom and Alan's Sahara retreats in the 2000's, about Woodland Wisdom, and other spiritual resources.
Alan's YouTube presence has also been updated, with four playlists: see the YouTube channel.
|
|
|
|
Here are my thoughts on the next ten years and beyond. There’s a combination of a historian, futurologist, astrologer and seasoned observer coming through here, and long hours in bed have meant a lot of time to ruminate on these things. I think the 2020s are going to be both difficult and more encouraging than the 2010s. Covid is the beginning of a process, and there are more storms to come – that’s the difficult bit. 
