As our friends at the Transition Resource Circle say: “As we are all implicated and inextricably woven into the fabric of neoliberalism, late-stage capitalism, patriarchy, and structural racism, we need approaches that support us to identify, untangle, and actively unlearn the deep logics we have internalised.”

They go on to say:

“We also need methods that support us to open up to the plurality of ways of seeing and knowing to cultivate imaginal realms; to conceive and create alternative possible future(s); and to take practical steps in achieving these realities.”

At Lankelly we referred to this untangling and unlearning as the ‘ontological shift’ (a term we borrowed from TRC).

This shift was in part an intellectual journey (many of the books we recommend helped this process) but more importantly, it was also emotional and spiritual – particularly as we tuned in more closely to the collapse of ecological and social systems, and grief began to play a role.

With the advice and support of deeply expert practitioners like Mama D from Community Centred Knowledge and Staci Haines, we explored and used some intentional practices to support the inner work needed to make this shift on a personal and collective level.

These include somatic and embodied practice, storytelling and narratives, creative and artistic practice.

The use of these practices has been challenging for many of us who are only used to a highly cerebral process of intellectualised sense-making, more akin to Western academic thinking.

It has been a profound experience, which has affected some staff in life-changing ways. Some of us will go on to follow this path further outside Lankelly, and this work and thinking will also be continued into the next and final part of Lankelly’s life.