A Place to be Real Together

Blog

Is Economics Too Important to be Left to Economists?
by Caroline Cameron
Sunday 13th May 2018

"Anyone who believes in indefinite growth in anything physical, on a physically finite planet, is either mad or an economist" - Kenneth Boulding (Quaker economist)

Unfortunately, this is not a view which is shared by the majority of our academic institutions or politicians! Economic theory, as taught in British universities, assumes that infinite growth is indeed possible. And although Britain uses approx 66% more resources than is sustainable (according to The Global Footprint Network), almost all our politicians talk about how to get the economy growing again (which inevitably means using more resources): the emphasis is on increasing efficiency, the language that of scarcity, and anything approaching spiritual values is considered irrelevant.

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Our Website is Poorly :-P
by Robin Shaw
Thursday 3rd May 2018

Our website is looking and acting a little funny at the moment. Headings aren't in title font, FAQs page and others are showing all the text instead of having dropdown function. Our developers are on the case. But apologies if things are bit difficult to read at the mo!

Digital Detox or Nature Reboot?
by Robin Shaw
Saturday 7th April 2018

Here's an interview with Sue Thomas, author and facilitator of Othona's 'NOT a Digital Detox: (How to feel better without logging off)' weekend in May. An opportunity to reflect and rebalance our tech rich (tech challenged?) 21sy century lives!

More nature not less technology key to handling digital overload

Reprinted from Bournmouth Daily Echo 4 April 2018

Human beings need more nature, not less technology.

That's the basis of a new, digital wellbeing retreat at a Dorset retreat later this spring.

Dr Sue Thomas, who was Professor of New Media at De... Read More

Home at Othona
by Robin Shaw
Tuesday 6th February 2018

Home

Tumbling and falling fast through a long, dark tunnel

I emerge, confused but exhilarated, into an explosion

Of glorious white light. Startled by its incandescence, I feel

a sense of wonder and awe. A persuasive force

Propels me forward; shadowy figures obscure the scene

but I am pulled irresistibly towards the source of its brilliance:

Peace and joy flood my entire mind and body.

As the scenes of my life unravel before me, I am filled

With the beautiful realisation that... Read More

Scrub Bashing!
by Mark James
Tuesday 9th January 2018

On January 4th we undertook some major scrub clearance on the SNCI. Big thanks go out to Nick Gray from the Dorset Wildlife Trust and his team of 21 who turned up to spend the day cutting and burning bramble, hawthorn, blackthorn, dogwood and gorse. Over the years, the scrub has encroached onto the species rich grassland areas smothering the grassland and its associated wildflowers. By clearing the area of scrub, we are hoping that over time the grasses and wildflowers will recolonise these areas and bring them back to their former glories. It will also be interesting to see what, if anything, has survived in the seed bank. Watch this space!!

The following images show the extent of the scrub bashing and the sheer amount of scrub removed on the day. Again, many thanks!

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The Environment at Othona
by Mark James
Tuesday 9th January 2018

My name is Mark and welcome to my first Othona blog! My intention is to show how the grounds at Othona change throughout the seasons. A quick word about my role at Othona: I worked for 8 years at the Dorset wildlife trust as a botanical surveyor until last July, when I was made redundant and decided to do something completely different, hence here I am! I am now, among the general day to day running of the Community, in charge of maintaining the grounds.

My previous role was to survey Sites of Conservation Interest (SNCI), of which we have an area here at Othona. I would carry out botanical surveys and assess the habitat, and give landowners advice on the best way of managing the sites to retain their ecological interest. These sites vary from Ancient Woodland to meadows, chalk... Read More

Introverts are Everywhere!
by Robin Shaw
Saturday 30th December 2017

I have just finished re-reading Quiet by Susan Cain. I am so re-enthused about it that I thought I would mention it in our blog.

The subtitle of Quiet is ‘The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking’. The author explores our cultural perception of ‘introvert’ qualities. She challenges the (largely) negative connotations associated with having introvert versus extrovert characteristics.

As her thoroughly referenced research reveals, studies show that a third to a half of the population are introverts. That’s a lot of people! However, as Ms Cain writes (quoting the psychologist Carl Jung),... Read More

Remembrance – a thought for 11th of November
by Ali Tebbs
Saturday 11th November 2017

Today is Armistice Day. I wanted to mark it despite our busy committee weekend and the fact that it prevents me from joining the Remembrance Day Parade in Bridport tomorrow. I used to be quite conflicted about the poppy day symbols. I asked some friends if they were going this year and they said – “no, we are for peace, we don’t agree with war”. I think once I would have felt the same, as if the parade was “for war” somehow but I have changed my mind.  I too am “for peace” and I suspect most people are when you get right down to it – especially the poor people on either side caught up in it through no fault of their own, whether soldiers or civilians. Being “for peace” does not negate the Act of Remembrance, which itself does not endorse war.

Neither Mart or I have family... Read More

Finding God in the Shadows
by Tony Jaques
Wednesday 8th November 2017

Darkness! We get so much more as winter approaches. Love it? Dread it? Not too sure? My old friend Cathy Bird is a bit of a darkness junkie - in the best sense. She loves the spirituality of the dark. Three times she's visited Svalbard (yep, as in His Dark Materials) where the sun doesn't rise at all for more than 3 months a year. And she's written The Divine Heart of Darkness, just published. In January she leads a darkness retreat at Othona - be there or ... stay in the dark about the dark!

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Onion Jack Festival 20-22 Oct 2017
by Robin Shaw
Monday 16th October 2017

The Onion Jack Festival is coming back to Bridport - this time in West Bay - on 20-22 October 2017! We are delighted that 8 humans and 2 horses of the Onion Jack team will be staying with us. (The horses in the meadows below us, hosted by Tamerisk Farm.) Come eat, drink, dance and sing with the Onion Johnnies of Britanny, France.

Here are printable/viewable PDFs of the event programme flyer - Front and Back... Read More