Your service, your unique gift, is important and is needed in this world.

You can give generously of yourself for the good of all beings. To find the strength and resilience to build a better world, against all odds, you need to do a little soul conservation. You need to find connection with the world around you and weave its magic into your life.

We are all connected to each other. You are never alone.

Take care of your deep self. Feed it with meaningful connections and give it space to heal. From there, you can step out into our crazy world with new hope and conviction.

These four Pathways offer practices that can help you build your soul’s resilience:

1. The Pathway of Love

It all begins with love. You wouldn’t be longing to change the world if you didn’t have great love for its beauty.

Love for the Living Earth and all her children, human, animal, plant and mineral, is your greatest asset. If you give yourself the time and opportunity to strengthen your love, your sense of awe, for the natural world, it will feed you and bring healing to your battered soul.

Deepening your love for Nature deepens your capacity to give of yourself. Here are some steps on the Pathway of Love:

• - Come into your senses.
• - Learn more about the wonders of the natural world.
• - Remember what gives you joy.
• - Make meaningful relationships with the beings that surround you.

2. The Pathway of Sorrow

Because of your love for the Living Earth and her family of beings, you can’t avoid feeling sorrow for what we humans are doing to her.

If you have ever cried over the destruction of whole ecosystems, or raged in anger about yet another injustice done to a living being, or turned away from news reports on climate change because it just seems too much to cope with, you know what I mean.

The sorrow you feel is the sorrow of the world. We human beings are the only part of this world with brains big and self-aware enough to realise what is happening. Our sorrow is a warning sign that we should heed.

Rather than trying to numb your difficult feelings, you can work positively with them. Weeping the tears of the world, and burning with its rage, is an act of healing for yourself and for the Living Earth.

Some steps on the Pathway of Sorrow are:

• - See your body as a map of your world.
• - Follow your emotions to the cause that fires your passion.
• - Journey with your feelings to the depth of your being.
• - Let your sorrow flow into creativity.

3. The Pathway of Transformation

The first two Pathways naturally lead you to a realisation of who you truly are. This realisation transforms you and your thinking about the world.

Taking this journey of Transformation helps you realise that you are not alone. Your connection with others, be they human or other members of the family of Earth, multiplies your power and your resilience in the face of the challenges that beset our world.

Here are some suggestions for the Pathway of Transformation:

• - Take practical action to heal your body and change your lifestyle.
• - Experience yourself as part of the astonishing beauty of the Living Earth.
• - Transform yourself through gentle acceptance.
• - Find connection with your Ancestors, your essential Being, and the life to come.

4. The Pathway of Service

The world is waiting for your gift. Whatever it is that you have to offer, whatever the work you soul longs to do, it is sorely needed.

In the knowledge that you are not alone, and don’t have to change the course of our history all by yourself, you have the freedom to find fulfilment in the work that you do best.

Take these steps on the Pathway of Service. We are waiting. Don’t take too long.

• - Work the land and connect to the physical Earth who feeds us.
• - Speak out for the cause that fires your passion.
• - Take positive action for the good of all beings.
• - Make community around the issues you care for.

You can join these Pathways from wherever you are.

If sorrow for this world is new for you, and you need courage to start taking action, then the Pathway of Transformation may help you find new resilience.

Or you could be part of an activist community, but feel burnt out and need to let out your anger and frustration. The Pathway of Sorrow is there for you.

This page is full of links to more suggestions and resources for each step on the four Pathways. They are constantly being added to. Come with us on this adventure in connected living.

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