Alan Heeks, Author at Seeding Our Future

Small steps, big changes

March 18, 2021June 20, 2019 by Alan Heeks

When we open ourselves to the world we start acknowledging the possibilities and abundance that surround us. Suddenly we are not alone anymore, we are not deprived and we can feel the support of walking together, hand by hand, heart by heart, head by head. We are starting to see the groups in Greenock & … Read more

A wider, wiser view of the climate crisis: Charles Eisenstein book:

March 18, 2021June 2, 2019 by Alan Heeks

Climate, a new story Charles Eisenstein is a charismatic American writer and speaker, who has a devoted following. I’m not such a fan, but I do recommend his new book, and I was impressed by his session at the Findhorn climate change conference (see my blog on this here). In this book, he wisely highlights … Read more

Book blog:Perfidious Albion by Sam Byers

March 18, 2021June 1, 2019 by Alan Heeks

If this is our future, we should be worried… You may not be surprised to know that there’s been an upsurge of dystopian fiction recently. It’s not usually a genre I go for, but I saw good reviews of Perfidious Albion, and it is indeed perceptive and witty – but also pretty depressing. This book depicts Britain in a … Read more

Six big questions for our times

March 18, 2021May 27, 2019 by Alan Heeks

and some ways to explore answers Have you ever had the experience of wandering, lost in the mist, and emerging to find you’re at a vantage point where you can see at least broadly where you are, and where you want to go? That’s the place I’ve reached recently, and I’m sharing my perspectives in the hope that … Read more

Once the conversations emerge…

March 18, 2021May 20, 2019 by Alan Heeks

As the days become longer and our eyes start to open, we are getting ready to embrace spring. We have been preparing the soil for Future Conversations programmes to be delivered in England in Tulse Hill and Grenfell (London), Nottingham and in Scotland in Greenock, aiming at building local resilience to respond to future challenges. … Read more

Train the Trainer Workshop

March 18, 2021November 29, 2018 by Alan Heeks

Future Conversations Train the Trainer Workshop LONDON: January 15-17 Are you working in a community that faces challenges? Want to learn more on how to host conversations to become more resilient for the future together? The changes we’re facing in the next two or three decades are complex, often contradictory, and can feel daunting. … Read more

Brexit: An Uncivil War – TV docudrama

March 18, 2021January 14, 2017 by Alan Heeks

In hindsight, what could possibly go right? This 2-hour programme from Channel 4 is well worth seeing. Not only will you learn how we all got into the Brexit crisis, it will show you how the present and future game of politics is played. Let’s start with what this tells us about modern politics: There … Read more

Great Dream: Ten Keys to Happier Living

March 18, 2021April 26, 2016 by Alan Heeks

This is published by Action for Happiness, probably the biggest UK network focussed on happiness. It may be stretching things to call it a book; it’s a 28-page free download from their website, www.actionforhappiness.org. Along with the ten keys, all helpful, the book suggests ways to use them, for example creating a local group, or … Read more

Ex Africa semper aliquid novi: hopes, fears, news on African farming

March 18, 2021January 11, 2021 by Alan Heeks

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 … 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.