Malcolm Hollick's blog

On Climate Change and Wisdom

Sat, 17 May 2008 19:28:02 -0700

Hello, Friends

I hoped a few weeks ago to write regular blogs while I’m here in Western Australia, but I haven’t! Apologies. Life is just too full to fit in everything. Full of research for my next book, of preparing and giving talks, of connecting with old and new colleagues and friends, and of spending time with family. There’s so much I want to do in the next couple of months here, and time is evaporating …

The Challenge of Climate Change

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:12:17 -0700

Life has been full of challenge and change in the last month, but I’m slowly coming down to earth, and almost ready to start blogging again. My last entry was when Christine and I were packing up our house a few days before leaving home for 6 months. Since then we’ve spent 10 days in Thailand, and almost 3 weeks settling into life in Perth, Western Australia. We’ve been giving and preparing workshops and lectures, and catching up with friends and family, as well as fending off the ‘flu and trying to get enough sleep. Today I’ll give few impressions of our journey so far.

Transition Towns

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:39:41 -0800

Here's a practical example of "Shift in Action." The Transition Towns Initiative is inspiring many communities in the UK. The idea is relatively new, and hence concrete results are still scarce, but more and more communities are signing up. The information here is summarised from the website, and a downloadable 48p. “Transition Initiatives Primer.” If you feel inspired after reading this, how about starting a project where you live? One is just getting going in my home town of Forres.

Tipping points, asteroids and mass extinctions

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 23:57:54 -0800

Today, I want to connect a few dots that bring a new perspective to my reflections on the future of humanity in my last entry. We hear a lot these days about ‘tipping points’ from climate scientists and activists. The idea is that as the planet warms, so processes are being set in motion that cause further warming, thus creating a vicious cycle, or positive feedback loop. Several such processes have been identified already. These include the release of the powerful greenhouse gas, methane, by thawing of the Siberian permafrost or melting of methane hydrates on the ocean floor, accelerating collapse of the polar ice caps, weakening of ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream, and desiccation of the Amazon rainforests. And there is growing evidence that such feedbacks have been associated with dramatic shifts in global climate in the distant past.

Reflections on the beach and the future of humanity

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 00:47:53 -0800

We’re very blessed, living as we do on the edge of woods with a choice of walks. Spoilt, I’d almost say when I get bored with the same paths, the same old friends, the trees; when I long for more distant, less familiar places.

Values, Lifestyle and Community Glue

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 01:27:20 -0800

My last entry raises a couple of questions. Why is it that the quality of life in the Findhorn Community is high even though the economic standard of living is relatively low? And why is it that money and the things it can buy are less important here than in mainstream society? Please forgive me if I leave you to google for further information - it takes too long to enter all the links in HTML, and experience shows that the Shift in Action site will not link to exact pages. I also can't find a way to insert photos. For a fully linked and illustrated version go to my Gaia blog

The Findhorn Community and the Global Future

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 08:25:54 -0800

The Findhorn Community and the Global Future

It’s a long time since my last post. I could plead the ‘silly season’, or busyness, or the ‘flu, or having a new boiler (furnace) installed, or having a weekend group in the house – and they all would be true. But the reality is I’ve been going through a dry spell. The words and ideas haven’t been flowing, and I’m distracted by the long list of things to do before Christine and I take off for 6 months.

May we all have a Transformative New Year

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 02:27:54 -0800

It feels a little strange to be writing New Year wishes on 1 January. For me, the real year’s end and year’s beginning happened 10 days ago at the Solstice when we ended our plunge into winter darkness and cold – at least here in the northern hemisphere! – and began our ascent back to the light and warmth. Here in the north of Scotland, the sun has been lazily struggling out of bed at about 9am, rising to a zenith of 9 degrees, and drifting back to sleep at 3.30pm. On cloudy days it barely seems to get light at all!

Reconciliation and Forgiveness

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 06:47:12 -0800

Christmas is an appropriate time to ponder the power of reconciliation and forgiveness. Often personal trauma haunts us until we find a place of healing and forgiveness. And often the trauma of war reaches down the generations and centuries, only to explode again when the time is ripe. The only way out is collective healing. Several years ago, in 1999, the Findhorn Foundation hosted an unforgettable conference on Forgiveness. Today, I’d like to share a few of the stories that still stay with me to illustrate the power of this approach.

A New Paradigm for Trauma Healing

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:58:06 -0800

I’ve just returned from a 10-day training run by the Institute for the Study of Peak States (ISPS). I’ve been studying their ideas for some time, and this was an opportunity not only to clarify my understanding of their approach, but also to experience their healing methods first hand. It was an intense and amazing experience. At times, I had to suspend my critical mind and immerse myself in processes that would appear weird and wacky to an outsider – at one point another participant dissolved into helpless laughter at the thought of a hidden camera! But the bottom line for me is ‘does it work?’ And my conclusion has to be ‘yes’. I shifted a lot of ‘stuff’, including some of my deepest fears, patterns and blocks. I had some beautiful mystical experiences unlike any I’ve had before. I came away with a kit of tools for tuning into and healing my own traumas as well as for helping others. And I watched in awe at the deep transformations taking place in those around me who were mostly experienced therapists with many years of work on their personal issues behind them.

The Flowering of Spirituality

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:17:33 -0700

These musings on diversity and unity in our expression of spirituality were written for the Spring 2006 edition of GreenSpirit magazine.

It’s Easter Sunday as I start to write. Here in the north of Scotland, Spring’s resurrection is in full flow. I kneel, worshipping, as gently and with thanks I ease winter weeds from the ground and speed their transformation back to soil. With blessings, I welcome the less vigorous harbingers of summer’s glory. With joy I greet crocus and tulip, primula and pansy, aubretia, polyanthus, broom and berberis.

Death: Breaking the great taboo

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:29:13 -0700

I wrote this piece for the Findhorn Community magazine “Network News” in late April following the death of an old friend.

Yesterday I joined a few hundred fellow Findhornians to farewell a much-loved elder. And I came away inspired, as I always do from Community funerals and memorial events. Inspired by a funeral? I hear you ask. Is the man a crank? I don’t think so. I just think the Findhorn Community has come to terms with death better than most of the western world, and I’d like to share some of my feelings and thoughts about it.

God’s in His Heaven

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 10:53:44 -0700

Here's a short science-fiction story. Light (or perhaps not so light) holiday reading!

Over a decade ago, I had been studying the behavior of complex systems. This relatively new field of knowledge, as it was then, clearly had major implications for government, planners, and all those seeking to bring some kind of order to the creative, sensitive, self-organising, evolving world we live in. I also came across articles about ways to control the brain, a plan to implant micro-chips in criminals so they could be tracked by satellite, and other ideas that seemed to come straight out of George Orwell’s “1984”. My imagination took off, and out poured this story that seems as relevant today as it was then. Perhaps even more relevant.

I hope you enjoy it, and perhaps pause for thought too.

How we beat climate change: A future history

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 08:05:42 -0700

Amongst the hype as we celebrate 2050, it’s timely to reflect on our efforts to combat global warming. The Earth’s temperature is significantly higher now than it was at the turn of the century, the distribution of climatic zones is different, and sea levels are higher. But the worst fears have not materialized, and current trends and projections indicate that the climate will stabilize in the next 100 years. So what happened? Why did people, corporations and governments take action after many years of denial, procrastination and buck-passing? What were the key factors that turned the tide? To answer these questions we need first to stand back and take a broader view.

Trauma and its effects on society

Sun, 05 Aug 2007 02:52:46 -0700

A few weeks ago, I posted an article on “Why is it so hard to change the world?”. In it, I suggested a key reason is trauma. In this article, I pursue this idea in a bit more depth. I clarify the nature of trauma and its healing, and explain how it may lock us into what Riane Eisler called the dominator way of being.