- This topic has 16 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 7 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Welcome to the Ecosomatics Forum.
Much can be said (and thought) about the fate of the planet, and our responsibility for its decimation or survival. These conversations and brainstorms are of utmost importance in stimulating awareness and conjuring up solutions for our predicament. Our dedication as somatic movement professionals to the health of the human organism naturally expands outwards to include the larger body of life as “no body” is a singular body; no figure is separate from its ground; and all bodies rely upon the conditions of their environment. As I reflected in an article from 2001:
“Without advocating for the health of the global body, the value of the work we do as somatic practitioners with the localized body is questionable. How does the fact that there is less oxygen available in the atmosphere affect breath practices? And what good does it do to awaken the vitality of our organism if we are simultaneously dooming it to extinction through our habits of over-population and over-consumption?”
The stakes in 2023 feel much higher than when I wrote that in 2001. We are clearly at a perilous tipping point that can only be rectified through holistic, integrated action on all levels – personal, social and political. And there are so many ways we can participate and contribute – and help repair the world. We already have a leg up in our calling as purveyors of embodiment!
“Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul.” – Edward Abbey
So, how can we support one another in action-oriented ways that enliven our creativity and fulfill our soul? To initiate this forum, I have prepared a series of topic threads with resources and links under different headers to get the ball rolling. These are:
- DEFINING ECOSOMATICS – What is it?
- BIG PICTURE – Sources for environmental information, advocacy and support
- EARTH STEWARDING – Tending and Befriending Local Land
- DIRECT ACTION – Community Ritual and Collective Embodiment
- PROJECTS (Individual & Group) – Specific Ecological Focus
- ARTMAKERS – Generalized Ecological Focus
- INSPIRATION – Quotes/Ideas for Rising Up
- PODCASTS – Varied Voices
- FILMS/VIDEOS – Ecological & Artistic
- OPPORTUNITIES & CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS – Residencies/Conferences/Journals
- TIME SENSITIVE ANNOUNCEMENTS – Relevant Events happening within 2 weeks of posting
Check out the various topics and post your replies/input/offerings.
Start a new thread.
Engage, energize, enact, embody – and enjoy!
I look forward to this forum becoming a vibrant hub for our community.
Warmly,
Jamie McHugh, MSMT
(Images on all posted topic threads courtesy of NatureBeingArt, except where noted)
Delighted to join this forum as I am deeply interested to meet others who are working directly with Nature, performance, and the ART of all that.
Joan Davis Ireland
Jamie, thank you for these generous offerings from the deep well of your expertise in facilitating somatic connections with the Earth body! I appreciate the breadth and depth of the resources you have provided here, and hope that ISMETA members take some time to be with the possibilities you have curated. Much gratitude!
Jamie,
Your photos are of a National Geographic (OK this dates me) quality. I grew up with the print magazine, looking deeply into perfectly composed visual moments in time and place. Can nature’s lines and colors be that crisp? Her light so illuminating? Her meanings so realistically and mystically expressed? The answer is yes, and – she is in the eyes of the beholder, and, you behold!!! Stay a pilgrim, and thank you for sharing your art.
Yours in DC,
Ellen
Look forward to exploring this thread further. Thank you Jamie for planting the seed, I hope it flourishes.
Thank you Ellen. It is why I named my photographic art – NatureBeingArt! It’s right there, all around us in the natural world. Here is a visual meditation you might enjoy: https://vimeo.com/501651143
This is the direction I have been going in – the still images becoming movement, highlighting impermanence and interconnectedness.
Enjoy,
Pilgrim Jamie
Thank you. I have a few ideas for helping this forum expand once I get back from my European sojourn. Stay tuned! 🙂
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.