We hope that you have had a peaceful transition into the new year!

At the Be the Earth we are always seeking to work in alignment with the seasons so we have been using this wintery month as an opportunity for introspection; looking inward to our accomplishments and reflecting upon what brought us to where we are today. With clarity of what’s behind, we can radically dream to build the way for the year ahead.

For us, January has looked like in person team time, Zoom wellbeing sessions, beautiful morning skies and ORFC panels! We are now looking forward to the lengthening of the days ahead as we continue to nurture the seeds we've planted this month 🌱

In this month's newsletter we have some exciting upcoming offerings from our network, Spring Prize updates, a fun podcast, and as always, some wisdom from the stars.

Primal Gathering 21-26 March 2023 🌳

Primal Gathering UK 2023 is a 5-day event taking place on March 21-26th, in Somerset at our sister organisation, 42 Acres. In partnership with Medicine Festival, this event will bring people together to innoculate mushrooms, plant nutrient dense sea buckthorn and forage to create your own concoctions.

Join this amazing retreat to be part of reforesting the land, take part in yoga, eat incredible locally sourced vegan food, learn about herbalism & how to identify nature, and dance to amazing live concerts with Carrie Tree, Addictive TV, Shaka, and more soon to be announced acts!

Advaya's Kinship Course + Discount Code

We're thrilled to share discount code BTEkin20 for Advaya’s new six-week online course: KINSHIP: World as Archipelago.

Hosted and curated by Hannah Close, the course is taught by a group of diverse teachers, supporting you to navigate towards a unique 'island' of inquiry each week. Through tentacular engagement with self, other, and the more-than-human, this course will help you to challenge colonial and essentialist notions of relationship so that we might orient ourselves towards healthier ways of being together, ways that honour our profound entanglements with our elemental home.

The course is from 31 January - 7 March 2023, consisting of weekly live sessions on Tuesdays at 6pm UK time (sessions will be recorded). If you're feeling resonant you can join the course using the link below!

Lush Spring Prize 2023 Shortlist Announced 🌸

73 projects from around the world have been shortlisted for the £236,000 2023 Lush Spring Prize for environmental and social regeneration.

The 2023 Lush Spring Prize received over 350 applications. These were whittled down to a shortlist of 73 during the midwinter, with 50 applications being shortlisted across the Intentional, Young, Established and Influence Spring Prize categories; 11 applicants being shortlisted for the Permaculture Magazine Award (hosted in partnership with Permaculture Magazine), and 12 for the Ancient and Indigenous Wisdom Award (hosted in partnership with Be The Earth Foundation).

Over 40 countries are represented in the final shortlist with applications from every continent except Antarctica. 

The shortlist is diverse, covering multiple bioregions and demonstrating many different approaches to regenerative design and work. These can all be explored on the Spring Prize website.

Holistic Management Training in the Mendip Hills

The Somerset Wildlife Trust and Mendip Hills AONB Service are offering three places on their Holistic Management training to the general public. These places are offered at a 50% discount, subsidised by the Farming in Protected Landscape Programme.

The price for 9 days of training, including lunches and materials, is £770 (the usual price for this would be £1,425!).

The training venue is beautiful Fernhill Farm, a regenerative farm and Learning Hub on the Mendip Hills (and one of our Blossom Impact Accelerator businesses!).

Seth Tabatznik's interview on the YES& Podcast 🎙

Join Seth Tabatznik, Founder of Be the Earth Foundation and Co-Founder of 42 Acres on the YES& Podcast where, together, they explore a conversation around investing in food systems and local & planetary regeneration.

"Right now I see myself as a custodian of wealth and a custodian of land, and that those privileges were gifted to me in this life to use as a tool for transformation. I'm looking at how I use my wealth and my network to transition toward economies that support life on Earth."

Check out the full podcast below!

Upcoming Webinar - February 23rd

From Extractive to Regenerative 🌱

From Extractive to Regenerative: Shifting Philanthropic Practices

The journey towards trust-based philanthropy can feel overwhelming for many funders. Shifting longstanding philanthropic practices related to trust, risk and power requires courage and persistence.

In this webinar, Rachel Humphrey from Justice Funders (USA), will share with us the history behind the Spectrum from Extractive to Regenerative Philanthropy and guide us through each of its levels. The spectrum contains examples of practices that range from extractive to regenerative, to help us imagine what shifts we can make towards a Just Transition. Rachel will offer an invitation to boldly re-imagine our philanthropic practices.

Join us and our guests and continue to thread this path towards a Just Transition in philanthropy, together with transparency and openness.

 ✨ Astrological Insights for 2023 ✨

with Bruna Maia

The first Full Moon of the year is occurring in the constellations of Cancer & Capricorn on Jan 6th. During this transit, we find ourselves connecting with the Great Mother energy and learning how to nurture and care for ourselves as we step into a new cycle with new visions. 

The beginning of this year is unique because both Mercury & Mars are retrograde, so instead of moving quickly toward resolutions and goals, we must first cultivate a space for self-reflection, contemplation, and much-needed rest.

Retrogrades are the perfect time for us to recharge our energies for what's yet to come in the year ahead. This phase will last until the New Moon in Aquarius on Jan 21.

Overall, 2023 will be an important year astrologically because both Pluto & Saturn will be switching signs in March.

Pluto will be moving from Capricorn into Aquarius and will bring up collective shifts as it relates to the use (and abuse) of power through technology and our social systems. Saturn will be transitioning from Aquarius into Pisces asking us to get more grounded and realistic about our spiritual and compassionate endeavors. 

The soul-centered mantra for this Full Moon in Cancer is “I build a lighted house and therein dwell.” May we all continue to build lighted houses within us and in our communities. Happy New Year!

 For more info on this month's cycles, follow @bru_maia on IG!