The Seeds that Sprouted Last Year

I write this from a body that is aching and very worn. I have been ill for over two weeks but still needed to work. (I will talk about this later as I had a eureka moment.) It is that time of the year when we pause and look back, in order to look forward towards the year that is gradually rising in the now lengthening light. This is something I relish and I feel is important plus, I have a special way of doing it - I write myself a letter from the future that is next year and I write it as though I have accomplished all that I desired to achieve. It goes something like this:

Dear Katrice,

It was a hard year but totally worth the focus and attention you put in to your work. The book deal is signed and you have a wonderful team around you…….. etc

This helps me ‘feel’ how it will be, rather than just thinking it. There is much research on the power of visualisation in helping us obtain our goals and I sense this is true. It helps us carry it in our body and thus make decisions that aid us in our quest towards it.

I realise it was January last year that I started my Substack and oh, how I have loved it. I am so grateful to the people there for taking time to read and comment. I have made some truly nourishing friends in that space and taken part in training sessions, as well as offering them. Substack has also shown me that I can write. I have been completely consistent in my newsletters and in writing every day. I needed this rhythm and routine in my life and I am so thankful to have found it.

I have also developed my training courses and sessions in a way that is truly meaningful and impactful.

Last week I ran a session for the Department of Landscape, Architecture, Planning and Management at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. I used the Me Story, We Story, The Story concept that I have mentioned before. (An idea put created by Father Richard Rohr.) I used the tree symbol and the idea of mycelium and mycorrhiza which is my own take on the framework.

I asked each department to create a representation of their, ‘We Story’ as part of the process and invited each of them to place it around the edges of a circle. They then shared it with other departments in the group . Any other department that had identified similar purposes or values was then asked to take a thread across the circle from their department to the one that was sharing. Each department then had to identify what it needed from the other departments in order to fulfil its purpose - again taking threads and giving them to the department while asking, ‘can you support me with …..?’ In this way we started to build a mycorrhizal network.

Then I implemented my eureka moment.

When I had planned this workshop, I realised that when looking at developing and building for the future of the organisation, the future should not be placed, ‘in front’ it had to be built in the middle of the circle

The place of connection
The place of intersection
The place of strength

The final representation looked like this.

What a wonderful way to finish the year.

Next year I am delivering two Training the Trainer courses IRL here is Sweden for Sensus and am really looking forward to having time with people. Time to nurture seeds of change as opposed to casting them out and hoping …..

I also signed up for this beautiful course that is running in January. I highly recommend the work of this woman and her organisation - take a look.

Finally, this year I will be organising two retreats that will focus on ecology, story and connection.

Until then,

Thank you

K