An Enquiry Practise 'Of Us'

Living enquiries that root us, ground us, and activate us

I cannot put into words how utterly necessary an enquiry practise that is of me (as much as it is of the foundational, established teachings I’ve travelled) has been for my life.

I didn’t arrive at my current practise, ecological enquiry, with any intentionality. Rather, my wanderings and wonderings in philosophy, meditation, biology, chemistry, physics, tantra, mindfulness, complex systems, blockchain technology, organisational design, religion, reconciliation and repair, facilitation, collaboration, group dynamics, devotion practises, authentic relating, design thinking, and walking by coasts and lakes and in forests and woods and local parks, kept bringing me to the same viewpoint:

We human creatures seem to be innately ecological creatures, co-creating with an ecological universe, in ongoing relationship with many other ecological beings, processes, and happenings.

An adult-long enquiry into the practises of others has become a practise that’s of me: ecological enquiry, a fascination with all the ways that ecologicalness exists and is experienced and languaged and storied by us human creatures, and a daily exploration of what opens up for me in the recognition of and commitment to being ecological.

It gives me language for what’s known and felt beyond words.

It brings me into a lively, visceral relationship with place, land, time, seasonality, material reality, other humans, the more-than-human, and this Earth; and through these relationships, know myself as an absolutely inconsequential and absolutely meaningful participant in the different manifestations of aliveness this Earth has worlded with for millions of years. I pick up others’ litter more often, take more interest in the traces I leave, am more intentional about weaving into local community, hold my life as being in co-creation with so much.

When another day navigating life in a body queered by the decades-long systemic misfirings of chronic health conditions engulfs me in a wave of isolation that is so enveloping it feels like it will melt my bones and wrench the breath from my lungs, biology and ecology and interbeing and sympoiesis and holons keeps showing me that it’s not only impossible for us human creatures to be alone but that our most isolated days are still an act of inter-being and relationship, from the billions of creatures we host in our guts and on our eyelashes and on our skin, to all the traceable environmental, more-than-human, and human relationships that bring us water to drink, food to eat, the clothes we wear, and so much more.

When the events unfolding on this Earth at this time are once again unimaginable in their awfulness and so much seems utterly fucked, another teaching reaches me.

Ecology teaches me about the generosity of trees who respond to signals of need from their own species - and others - by sending vital chemicals through their roots.

History teaches me how in every horror there are knowable, recognisable, traceable human and more-than-human acts of kindness, repair, generosity, community, regeneration, humility, and love in response.

Archeology teaches me that us human creatures started setting bones a very long time ago and therefore engaged in community care when the stories about early humankind told us otherwise.

Geology teaches me that there have been aeons on this Earth when almost every living thing was destroyed and still, over millions of years new forms of life sprouted.

System thinking teaches me that while complex systems such as politics, economics, business, war, energy, and more are too entrenched and too encompassing and too unchangeable, complex systems are adaptive, self-organising, and patterned with logic and we human creatures can nudge systems into moving in new patterns when we recognise that our actions are co-creating these systems and therefore commit to acting in different ways.

Reconciliation and repair work teaches me that sometimes even the most understandable hatred and righteous anger can be made medicine for those involved with time and sincerity and self-reflection and accountability.

Daily sit spots teach me that I am held, I am of nature, I belong, I am animal.

Ecological enquiry is meaningful for me because it is of me. And, like I now believe all useful enquiry practises are, it is a living enquiry. Not just intellectually pleasurable (which it is) but activating, grounding. Rooting me into this place, at this time, with these particular people and relationships, in this part of the universe.

Spending time in shared ecological wonder and wanderings with others - hearing how others experience and language and know and relate to ecologicalness - is immensely satisfying. As an ecological enquiry facilitator, I’m just as excited if ecological enquiry plays a role in discovering or deepening an enquiry practise that is of you.

If you’re drawn to either of the above, you’re warmly invited to join me for tomorrow’s online Introduction to Ecological Enquiry. We meet Wednesday 8th October on Zoom from 10.30 to 11.30am UK time // 11.30am to 12.30pm CEST // 12.30 - 1.30pm EEST. These sessions take place once a month and alternate between morning and afternoon UK times.

→ Read more about the session, see the upcoming dates and times, and book tickets here.