On the last Wednesday evening of every month from January to April 2024, Jeppe Graugaard will hold a workshop at Himmelbjerggården about being human in a time when changes are coming faster than ever before.
The starting point for each of these collections is the question of how we relate to living in the time of polycrisis – a time when climate change is accelerating, biodiversity is plummeting and the global social order is shifting. What do we stand for when we stop pretending the world can go on as it does?
Each workshop illuminates a new topic through play, physical exercises and conversation. There is room to sit with the difficult and to be in the uncertain. The four workshops are connected, but you can also take part individually. Participation is free - you can donate an amount of your choice to the association EarthWays if you wish
#1 Navigating the unknown – Wednesday 31/1, 19.30-21.30
Looking at the state of the planet, it can feel like the future is becoming more and more uncertain. Some researchers call the time we live in "The Great Acceleration" because the very big trends - CO2, resource consumption, population, etc. - are developing exponentially. How do we stand in the open and the uncertain without losing our footing?
In this workshop we examine what is at stake when we are hit by the feeling that everything is accelerating and the future seems unmanageable. We look at why the world has become the way it is and ask how we can change course. What is our compass and what tools do we need to have in our backpack when we move in the unknown?
Key words: future shock, presence, inner compass
#2 New stories, new paths – Wednesday 28/2, 19.30-21.30
If we want to understand the future that comes rolling in from the horizon of climate change, we will have to simultaneously understand how we have become high-consumption people who need four planets to support our lifestyle. What kind of blindness is it that has led us into the reality of climate change? And how do we become people who leave the planet and nature a better place to be?
By raising awareness of the stories we live in and with, we focus in this workshop on the world view that makes us who we are - and how we can think and act differently. Through exercises and conversations, we examine how meaning arises and what happens when we become aware of how our thoughts and feelings arise.
Key words: worldviews, suspension, thought awareness
#3 Nature as teacher – Wednesday 3/4, 7.30-9.30pm
Nature has its own ways and patterns and by getting to know them, we also gain new possibilities and perspectives. In our culture, nature is usually something that exists "out there", but as humans we are not separate from nature. How do we create new relationships with nature and people in between? And what happens to our self-understanding when our focus shifts from differences to relationships?
This workshop asks how we can learn from nature and find inspiration to face some of the challenges we face both personally and as a society. Based on some basic concepts from psychology, physics and the worldview of indigenous peoples, we experiment with seeing and thinking systemically and understanding our connectedness and interdependence.
Keywords: nature deficit, systems thinking, path awareness
#4 The journey to the future – Wednesday 24/4, 19.30-21.30
Strictly speaking, the future does not exist. Yet our ideas about the future govern the way we live now. The stories we tell about the future reflect the values and goals we have in the present. What kind of values are we pursuing, what do we really want with each other and with life?
In the last workshop in the series, we examine how we create room for action and new opportunities to go off new paths and start communities around values and stories that support the community of life on Earth. With inspiration from Joanna Macy's "work that reconnects", we will go on a time journey and meet across generations to find a way through the challenges of the global systemic crisis.
Keywords: the work that reconnects, dream work, life stories
Registration is not necessary, but Please let us know if you know you are coming.