Returning to Each Other

Land stewardship, Something Beautiful for the World, and the Graceful Resilence of Sparrows

Aug 07, 2024

Dear friends,

Last month we celebrated the culmination of another empowering journey—the inaugural edition of our PowHer program. Over the past 10 months, this dynamic initiative has empowered young women from diverse backgrounds in Luxembourg with monthly workshops, coaching, well-being support, and mentorship. We are immensely proud of our participants' dedication and achievements.

During the event, we had the privilege of screening The Red Suitcase, a 2022 Oscar-nominated short film directed by Cyrus Neshvad.

The film follows Ariane, a 16-year-old girl with a passion for art, who arrives at Luxembourg airport from Iran. She hesitates to leave the baggage claim area, revealing her dread over an arranged marriage to a much older man awaiting her. A pivotal scene shows her removing her hijab as an act of defiance and for her safety. Ariane exchanges her money for Euros and discards the envelope of cash from her father. As her fiancé becomes increasingly agitated while searching for her, he discovers the discarded envelope, realizing she is still nearby. Ariane boards a bus to escape, though she loses most of her money in the process. Her fiancé, informed by an unsuspecting worker, storms onto the bus, prompting Ariane to hide in the luggage compartment. Though he doesn't find her, he takes her suitcase containing all her artwork and supplies. As the bus departs, a heartbroken Ariane turns off her phone after reading a plea from her father to return home, determined to continue her journey.

I couldn’t help but draw a connection between the courageous young girl in The Red Suitcase and our guest this month, Yusra Amounah whose life and work are a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. She is a mother, a teacher on the path to reconciliation, and a deeper understanding of what it means to bring people together. Just like Ariane, years ago, Yusra arrived at the same airport as a Syrian refugee with her two children. Today, she is the inspiring founder of Douri (the Arabic word for sparrow, symbolizing resilience and adaptability)—an organization, dedicated to fostering connections among artists, researchers, social workers, and activists within the rich and diverse fabric of European society. After speaking with her, one’s mind expands with a ton of hope and curiosity about what may be possible if we tap into our kindness, detach from ego and outcomes, and give in to our longing to belong. She’s a douri.

Join us as we reflect on the questions of displacement, home, and belonging—issues that are not just political but deeply emotional, collectively experienced, embodied, and passed down through generations. We address areas where Western feminism might fall short in understanding and supporting women's rights in the Middle East and ponder how we can build societies where people feel seen, understood, and safe.

🪺 Cabinet of Curiosities

ᨒ For The Wild is a unique slow media organization committed to intersectional storytelling and land-based protection. Through impactful stories and meaningful narratives, they challenge the norms of human supremacy and consumerism and provide solace and insight in these transformative times. For more in-depth reflections, practices, art, and episode excerpts on themes such as ecological renewal, social justice, and wilderness conservation, take a look at their Zine Library.

“These zines are meant to serve as accompaniment for the day to day tasks of living, loving, and making meaning in this world."

𖠰 Something Beautiful for the World

Small acts of love, kindness, and beauty have ripple effects that we may never see or understand, but they can change our world for the better. Driven by this belief, Reflections of Life, a small film team based in South Africa, teamed up with Campfire Stories in Sweden to bring you this exciting series. The title is inspired by a book that serves as the foundation for one of the upcoming films. Something Beautiful for the World: A Shakuhachi Sadhana by Tarchin Hearn is a profound meditation on the parallels between crafting a traditional Japanese flute, the shakuhachi, and nurturing a beautiful human spirit, which in turn shapes humanity.

“With this series, we hope to inspire everyone to appreciate and honor the everyday actions and simple ways of being that positively influence our surroundings and help create a more beautiful world”.

༄° 7 Types of Rest In a compelling and enlightening presentation, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, a board-certified internist, researcher, and author, explains why we often feel perpetually tired even when we get enough sleep. According to her, we need seven different types of rest to feel truly energized and fulfilled: physical, mental, social, sensory, creative, emotional, and spiritual. She advocates for individualized approaches to rest, suggesting that people need to tailor their rest practices to their specific types of fatigue and life stressors. You can discover your personal rest deficits using her rest assessment.

𖥧 Strategies for Building an Organisation with a Soul

“Today across the world, many activists are asking: How can we create organizations with souls, where impassioned people go to work every day, inspired by working in an environment that increases both their well-being and productivity?”

Written by Hope Chigudu and Rudo Chigudu, two experienced and wise African feminists, this guide delves into organizational sustainability beyond financial and institutional frameworks, emphasizing the importance of addressing, nurturing, and reflecting on the core of our visions and missions for long-term success. This is a blend of song, story, and dialogue about the journey of building a soulful organization.

𖠰 Tending grief and rebuilding our capacities to sense more deeply

What does it mean to consistently acknowledge and nurture our grief, rather than trying to simply "get over" it, in order to remain committed to the long-term effort of collective transformation? How can we maintain our well-being in the face of information overload and the fast pace of modern life, ensuring that we contribute sustainably and in alignment with our values?

In the latest episode of Green Dreamer, Camille Sapara Barton encourages us to embrace embodied ways of being with our grief, both individually and within our communities. She delves into the complexities of managing phone and social media addiction while staying informed about global events; the balance between numbing for survival and deep sensing as motivation for action; and the impact of capitalism and dominant cultures in shaping individuals into "productive" and compliant members of society, often at the expense of bodily awareness and well-being.

↟ Digging out from Narrative Collapse

Brett Davidson examines how the increasing lack of trust in narratives is contributing to a broader crisis in understanding who and what to believe.

“The collapse of narrative is as much about a crisis of connection as anything else - we don’t know who or what to believe because we don’t know where we belong.”

Journaling Prompts

Astonished by Argentinian writer Samantha Scheblin’s wonderful book Mouthful of Birds, I wanted to immerse myself in her vast work—halfway between realism and science fiction, from psychoanalysis and environmental justice to gender equality and motherhood—and explore how she cultivates her imagination and creative environment.

In one interview, she talks about the "creative exercises" her grandfather used to organize for her when she was little. They would go hither and yon during the day, from architectural monuments to horse races, and at the end of the day, he would assign her to describe that day in her diary. Only there were conditions. She couldn't use anything like "I liked it", or "it was a nice day" in the description. She had to find exact, precise words reflecting the day. Of course, in case she couldn't find them sometimes, her grandfather instructed her how to proceed. He would give her a volume by a poet, say Walt Whitman, and little Samantha would have to poke around and find a few lines from the books that described her day as vividly and accurately as possible.

And so, what was your day like?

📖☕Book of the Month

Whether you are interested in philosophy, anthropology, or simply looking for a transformative read, Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World is a powerful reminder of the rich knowledge and perspectives that Indigenous cultures offer. Tyson Yunkaporta, an Aboriginal scholar and artist, invites readers on an intellectual journey that weaves together ancient wisdom, modern science, and personal anecdotes to provide a holistic understanding of our interconnected world.

In the book, Yunkaporta uses the Indigenous practice of sand drawing as a metaphor for exploring knowledge systems. He explores how Indigenous ways of knowing, grounded in sustainability, interconnectedness, and community, can offer solutions to contemporary global challenges. Yunkaporta invites Western readers into the Aboriginal world where wisdom, knowledge, and ways of being are conveyed collectively, through unspoken 'knowing,' as well as through song and story. Through engaging narratives and thought-provoking insights, he encourages readers to rethink their approaches to education, ecology, economics, and more.

Sand Talk is a compelling call to incorporate Indigenous wisdom into our daily lives and societal frameworks, fostering a more balanced and harmonious existence.

You can also listen to Emergence Magazine’s interview where Yunkaporta talks about Indigenous concepts of time, the power of stories to heal us, and how “deep time thinking, born of an intimate relationship between a place and its community, can radically reshape our relationship to the cosmic order”.