Alan Heeks, Author at Seeding Our Future

BOOK BLOG: From What Is to What If, by Rob Hopkins

March 18, 2021November 20, 2020 by Alan Heeks

We Need to Reclaim and Reboot our Imaginations As the Covid crisis continues, there are many influences nudging us towards brain mush, despondency, helplessness. This well-evidenced book from Transition Network’s founder highlights those influences, and offers plenty of real-life examples of what’s still possible. His overview of the current mess (climate crisis, social inequalities, ecological … Read more

Food Security: Opportunity, Research, Action

March 18, 2021November 20, 2020 by Alan Heeks

It’s easy to feel disempowered these days, but this is an issue where we can all do something. Food security means reliable access to enough good quality, affordable, sustainably produced food. Many experts believe that food shortages and price rises will be a major impact of climate change during the next few years. You may … Read more

Deepen your Roots

March 18, 2021November 20, 2020 by Alan Heeks

Resilience, Connection and Joy for crazy times Five online workshops: Wednesdays April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 4.30-6 pm, 4.30-6 pm With Alan Heeks and Karim Hadden In stormy times, we all need to deepen our roots and find more resources, more support. This series of online workshops offers ways to cultivate spiritual resilience, make supportive connections, … Read more

Growing through Climate Change: local responses to food security

March 18, 2021November 20, 2020 by Alan Heeks

How we can strengthen the food economy around BridportOnline seminar and discussion: Wednesday 10 June: 7.00-8.30 pmHosted by Transition Town Bridport, Seeding our Future and Bridport Local Food Group We have a big opportunity to make Bridport’s food economy less vulnerable to shocks from pandemics and climate change: the key is for consumers to support … Read more

Future Conversations – Taster session – 16 June 2020

March 18, 2021November 20, 2020 by Alan Heeks

What is the present situation telling us about our future? What are the new possibilities? Are you interested in exploring how we can build better communities and build our resilience? We’re inviting you to an online taster session to preview this 6 week journey Connect and share our hopes as well as our fears and challenges Build your inner … Read more

Future Conversations – Online Programme

March 18, 2021November 20, 2020 by Alan Heeks

Facing Climate Change; Building Resilient Communities Six weekly sessions: 6th October – 17th November • Tuesdays, 4.30 – 6.00 pm In this time of rising uncertainty, we can all see the need to strengthen our communities. Future Conversations is a series of guided conversations to raise resilience for individuals and their communities. This online programme will help … Read more

Deep Adaptation: a spiritual exploration

March 18, 2021November 20, 2020 by Alan Heeks

November 6-8, 2020: A Retreat with Online Sessions With Alan Heeks, Amrita Bhohi and Karim Hadden Deep Adaptation is the term used by Jem Bendell to invite us to face the radical changes climate change will bring within the next decade. This weekend retreat will focus on the spiritual aspects: seeking purpose, healing, mutual care … Read more

Perspectives from Bridport Local Food Group

March 18, 2021June 22, 2020 by Alan Heeks

This month’s Seeding Our Future webinar has started an important exploration of how our local food system can adapt to the coming challenges of climate change, just as the recent pressures of Covid-19 are revealing how adeptly the Bridport area’s independent food and drink producers and suppliers can innovate during exceptional times. Short supply chains … Read more

How can we raise community resilience?

December 13, 2023June 4, 2020 by Alan Heeks

The Facing the 2020s report As the pressures on all of us keep rising, we can see mounting discord about best priorities and solutions. One of the few topics on which almost everyone agrees is that increasing the resilience of local communities is getting ever more vital. This has been a focus of my work … Read more

Planting Seeds: Future Conversations at Belville Community Garden Trust

November 1, 2022January 21, 2020 by Alan Heeks

Pam Candea, Facilitator and trainer, writes: Future Conversations is a series of guided conversations to enable people to explore their hopes, fears and needs for the next 5-20 years. We will explore facts and feelings, and provide processes and information to grow the confidence and skills to shape the future positively. The conversations at Belville … Read more

Current Events

Faith, Hope, Resilience | Saturday November 9

A reflective day With Alan Heeks and Simon Lockett How can we find our steady centre in these uncertain times? Where do we place our faith and our hope? What would spiritual resilience look like, for us and our communities? This day of exploration and support will include times of prayer, meditation and sharing, with periods outside for walking contemplation as a micro pilgrimage, and for communing with Nature as a micro vision quest: recognising the power of space and silence. Our venue is Garn Farm, a conservation smallholding and woodland near Longtown, in a beautiful valley overlooking the Black Mountains. We’ll have a warm indoor group room with woodburner and kitchen, and wonderful spaces outside. See more at www.warmthandwonder.co.uk. Alan Heeks has many years’ experience exploring Nature and faith as sources of resilience, and is deeply interested in how communities can deepen to help us adapt to climate change. Simon Lockett is a pioneer in re-introducing pilgrimage to Herefordshire, and has a long-standing love for contemplative prayer and spiritual connection with the natural world. Practicalities Cost: £40, concessions £25. Bring lunch to share. Timing: Arrive 9.30am for 10am start. Finish 4.30pm. Venue: Garn Farm, near Clodock, Longtown, Herefordshire HR2 0PD. There is some overnight accommodation at Garn Farm: contact Alan about this. Bookings/enquiries: Contact Alan Heeks, , 07494 203014. Group size limited to 12 people.

Featured Blog

Nourishing body and soul

Reinventing spiritual community We live in a time of impending crisis, when I hear many people urging the need for sanctuary, hospicing, and a deeper sense of community. Implicit in such words, but rarely discussed, is the huge spiritual vacuum in our relentlessly materialistic society. Role models for what we need aren’t obvious, but I’d like to describe some of the spiritual communities which have inspired me. Walking the Camino San Benedetto in Italy for two weeks, I’ve learned what a crucial role monasteries played in the chaos of medieval Italy. Amid times of frequent civil strife, sickness and uncertainty, the monasteries were places of support, trust, stability. They would mediate in disputes, provide food and health care, and just as importantly, nourished the soul. Whilst there was some corruption in monasteries too, this shouldn’t blind us to the ways they mostly served. A Ricostruttori monastery One of the reasons I have found Jem Bendell’s Deep Adaptation approach so valuable is that he sees the climate crisis as a spiritual crisis: it calls into question the meaning and purpose of our lives, and asks us to face into our mortality. I’ve been exploring spiritual paths for 30 years, so I’m painfully aware of how original teachings have been distorted and overlaid by patriarchal religion, in Christianity and other faiths. Many people miss out because they confuse spirituality with religion, and reject both. One modern role model which may be relevant is the Findhorn Foundation: this is a spiritual community in Scotland where the main shared practices are silent meditation and connection with Nature. It’s an inclusive, welcoming place for people of all faiths and none. This was the approach we followed when six of us set up a ‘spiritual’ cohousing community in 2004, the Threshold Centre. Here’s another role model, also from Italy, which is a modern reinvention of the monastery as a welcoming spiritual community with a Christian core and an interfaith flavour. The Ricostruttori di Pace (Reconstructors of Peace) were founded in 1978 by a Jesuit priest, Father Cappelletto, who wanted to offer a spiritual path for young people, very different from mainstream Catholicism. He drew on Eastern spirituality through meditation, as well as devotional movement. A Ricostruttori monastery I have visited one of their 30 monasteries several times, and find it very inspiring. The Ricostruttori take on derelict rural buildings with land, restore them beautifully, grow much of their food, and practise crafts like stained glass and fine woodwork. My impression of the Ricostruttori is that they are living as Jesus lived: in poverty, simplicity, and close to the land. A typical monastery will have two or three ‘monks’, who have taken vows of poverty and chastity, and include men and women, plus a lay community of 20-30 people, mostly young, who may live there for weeks, months or years. In our current crisis times, I believe there’s a widespread thirst for spiritual meaning and purpose, but most people don’t know where to turn. Although there is a new monasticism movement, I believe that monasteries feel too remote, otherworldly, and formal for most people. Instead, I am exploring a vision to create a Searching Spirit Centre, which would be an accessible spiritual community to support people in their exploration, staying for a week to six months. See our vision statement here. If this vision appeals to you, and you’d like to help create it, please contact me.