Creating a space for inner Transition

by Hilary Prentice

In the end this is about a change of heart; if that does not happen alongside the windmills, I’m not sure there’s really any point. (Overheard at a Transition meeting)

Does change start on the outside and work in, or start on the inside and work out? From the very beginning of the Transition movement, people from both perspectives have, literally, sat round the same table and worked together. Both perspectives are true: the outer creates the inner, and the inner creates the outer. What’s more, some would argue, in coming together we will be working to heal divisions and ‘splits’ that may well be at the root of the mess we are in.

The inner perspective is seen as drawing inspiration from, and weaving together, three distinct strands. Firstly, the insights from the field of psychology and psychotherapy in the West, which seek to understand the roots of human destructiveness and dysfunction and to enable the healing of the wounded, and wounding, human psyche. To this has recently been added the insights of ecopsychology, which argue that our relationship to the Earth, and to what is happening to it, have a significant bearing on our psychology. The second strand involves insights from teachings and writings about the transformation of consciousness, often drawn from Eastern traditions.

The third major strand comes from the many peoples who still remember, and practice, Earth-centred wisdom, and who have not forgotten how to live sustainably on the Earth. All over the world indigenous peoples are coming together as they find the lands on which they live under environmental assault – from oil spills in Nigeria, Louisiana and Ecuador to climate change, deforestation and other forms of pollution. As well as campaigning for their rights and lands, frequently there is a clear call from these peoples to the rest of the world to ‘wake up’.

In terms of the experience of inner Transition work on the ground, this has involved regular meetings around themes and events with speakers, and people have also begun to offer workshops locally, at which participants are welcome to share and explore feelings and questions on subjects including grief, fear and anger. Much of this stems from the work of eco-philosopher Joanna Macy and rainforest activist John Seed, who have developed easily learned and powerful workshop forms to do this. This is where Transition connects with the wide range of practices, activities and tools from the areas of personal development, psychological, spiritual and philosophical traditions, some of which are mentioned in other ingredients in this book.

Spirituality and Transition

Groups exploring the area of spirituality and Transition are often called ‘Heart and Soul groups’. Other similar groups have called themselves ‘Well-being’, perhaps feeling that the words ‘heart and soul’ might be contentious, whilst the Transition Presteigne has called itself ‘Spirit of Transition’. These decisions seem to reflect one of the challenges of bringing ‘inner work’ to the Transition table: that there are hotly contested views, and strong feelings, around spirituality in particular. On the one hand, it seems clear that a great deal of damage and wounding has gone on in the world in the name of organised religions, and of spirituality in general, and for this reason some people are very wary indeed about the whole issue. From this point of view, allowing any spiritual presence within your movement could be seen as asking for trouble.

However, it is equally true that for many others, the qualities that this transition calls forth – a move from materialism to values such as community, care, love and creativity; from arrogance and inequality to compassion – are the very stuff that spirituality was always meant to be about in the first place. For many people, spirituality can be explicit as well as implicit, and their spiritual life is central to their personal resilience. If we are to be inclusive, it is perhaps necessary both that no one in any sense ‘pushes’ their spiritual approach, but, equally, that this whole area of human experience is not unwelcome. In the spirit of openness, tolerance, tact and kindness, appropriate discrimination and appropriate trust, a more vibrant, broader and richer movement is then possible.

One specific project has been the ‘Mentoring’ scheme, by which experienced people such as counsellors, not centrally involved in Transition, have offered free confidential ongoing support to busy activists (you can read more about this in Connecting 7: Pausing for reflection). At one point Transition Town Totnes’s Heart and Soul group facilitated the setting up of small support groups around Transition, called Home Groups. As one person involved in a Home Group in Totnes said: ‘Home Group was a place where we could share our feelings, exchange ideas and feel supported in a world where it's easy to feel isolated . . . friendships forged there still flourish.” ‘Heart and Soul-ers’ have also helped to facilitate large and small local events, helped shape national conferences and organised a big workshop around conflict resolution, and ‘inner Transition’ has been woven into Transition Trainings that now take place all over the world.

The evolution of the ‘inner Transition’ approach in Portland, Oregon, is not dissimilar. Their Heart and Soul group has monthly meetings, share and support each other, have hosted big speakers/events, run workshops as part of conferences, and are committed to clear ground rules for their meetings, designed to really support deep sharing and listening, to create safety and to take ownership of our feelings rather than projecting them on to others. As David, one of the group’s coordinators, put it, “I see us as a group who meet to share, talk and support each other in our shared interests around H&S material. We have a quiet but steady presence within Transition here in Portland.” No doubt other groups round the world are taking both similar and different routes, according to local conditions.

However, it should be acknowledged that, probably because there has been division in Western culture between inner and outer, and therefore inner- and outer-focused people, there has been on occasion some confusion about what a group such as Heart and Soul can contribute to Transition. Clearly it would be a mistake for those working more on inner Transition to imagine that we are in any way more ‘sorted’ than anyone else, to push particular psychological or spiritual angles, or to believe anyone should take part in what we offer if they do not want to. But, equally, when some more practically focused people have found themselves willing to take part in an unfamiliar exercise, such as a process workshop at a conference, I have heard the ‘penny drop’ quite loudly about inner Transition, as people have found it helpful, moving, profound, and supportive.