Rewild the planet, rewild yourself
From Surrey to the wild...one woman's story and her hope for the land
Julie Leoni
In the first lockdown when the sun was out and the sky was blue and it felt like a treat not to have to commute, I read so many books about nature, Joanna Macy, and climate change. I also read Wilding by Isabella Tree and agreed! But I don’t own acres so I couldn’t exactly see what I could do in the way that she and her husband turned their arable farm into a wild sanctuary.
Instead I did bits. I left bits of the grass un-mown, I planted wild, bee-attracting flowers and herbs, I planted trees, I built a log pile, I started composting again. I got to know the names of my plants and my trees and learned about their qualities and stories. Small things.
I also got in touch with Deborah who I met 4 years ago, only twice I think, at a time when I remember her talking a little about moving to Portugal. We stayed in touch on Facebook and I liked her page when she started sharing what she was doing out there.
As we talked last night on my podcast, me from my centrally heated house on the icy borders of Wales and she in her home in central Portugal, I felt such a sense of longing for what she described. Called from her corporate life commuting into London, by an 11 hectare patch of mono-culture, Deborah has let herself be led and changed by the land.
She knew nothing, had done nothing like it before and yet as we spoke on Zoom, she shone as she told me stories about dogs arriving, bees soothing conflict, woodland healing and communities forming. What she described is what I felt to be true in the summer, in my garden under the trees; that life is much simpler than we think it is and that it is not nature who needs us, but we who need she.
You can find more about Deborah, the project and her coaching work work below.
https://www.rewildingourplanet.com/
https://m.facebook.com/groups/rewildingourplanet/
https://www.instagram.com/rewildingourplanet/
Here’s an article about water that Deborah mentioned changed her thinking: https://www.tamera.org/article-the-new-water-paradigm-global-climate-and-ecosystem-restoration/
Deborah also mentioned doing a permaculture course and you can listen to Steve Jones talk about his permaculture background here.
Julie Leoni
Coach, author, podcaster, facilitator, Yoga and psychology teacher, learner
I have over 30 years of experience and qualification in various therapeutic and meditation/mindfulness based approaches. I work with change. Some changes we chose, others happen to us. Sometimes we know we want to change but don't know how. Sometimes we don't want to change but external events or people are forcing us to change. The menopause, children leaving home, the end of a relationship or job, becoming a parent, coming out, bereavement are just some of the personal changes I support people with. I also work with people who want to make changes to their life and wider world in response to social issues such as Covid, the climate crisis and racial, sexual and gender inequalities. Times are changing whether we want them to or not and we need to be nimble, agile, curious and open in order to part of the new story emerging. Work with me to get clear on what matters to you, what makes your heart sing and what kind of future you want for yourself and those you love. It is possible to live differently, get in touch to explore how.
