Lyfjaberg - eco-anxiety & wellbeing

Lyfjaberg the "hill of healing"  was a healing sanctuary in Old Norse myth, it was the home of Eir, a Norse goddess of healing said by some to be a valkyrie. Others compare her to the Greek goddess Hygieia. "She is an extremely good physician", states the Prose Edda. Eir was famed for healing not only the body, but also the mind and the spirit.

We promote mindfulness, encouraging participants to pay attention to internal and external moments and to be present in them. Understanding our thoughts and feelings, creativity and nature can improve our mental wellbeing, increasing our enjoyment in life. Reconnecting our thoughts to our bodies rather than worrying or repeating negative emotions and behaviours, help us to better understand ourselves and realise what is important to us. Being gentle with ourselves and nurturing gratitude can reduce stress and anxiety for some people. These techniques can be practiced in our hearths, harrows, home & open circles and sanctuaries

Those who feel that that the spiritual is important, may reach out to heal the spirit. Our work always challenges racism and bullying and builds self reliance, networking information to individuals in the community, such as carers, who may feel isolated.

Racial stress: the Synergy Collaborative Centre have evidenced racism (apparent or micro-aggression & verbal or physical attack) as a stress trigger.  Seemingly insignificant events create awareness of being treated unfairly, being isolated or differentiated and disadvantaged due to race. This undermines wellbeing, threaten self-esteem and identity, causes emotional distress and can lead to mental illnesses. Outcomes may include depression, trauma, and psychosis. Injury a from a racist attack can cause post-traumatic stress. Research suggesting that mindfulness practices and connection to nature may help individuals be more able to handle the emotional and physical distress of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Below: a rose petal heart: Little St Mary's Church in Cambridge

First Peace Chaplaincy's Eco Spirituality Chaplaincy offers support and environmental protection educational resources and information to advance understanding. The collection and sharing of knowledge into an accessible pool benefits people and the environment. Encouraging best practice in the delivery of learning by others, maximizes potential for positive change and engagement, which is vital to improving communities and the lives of citizens. We wish to see confidence, well-being, skills, knowledge, individual capabilities, competences and employability increased and people and communities benefiting from the promotion of respect and compassion and understanding of the environment, contributing to a positive and ethical society. Communicating specialist research will benefit  people wishing to enhance the wider community& environment.

We hear about Nature Deficit Disorder & plenty of evidence exists to endorse the physical and mental health benefits of nature. Parents have told the Chaplaincy that they want healthy, outdoor activity for younger children, to help the children to learn about nature.

Children learn early & form links, this is true of their relationship to nature. Research shows that youngsters who re introduced to a site early in life will usually, if possible return to the place, maintaining the relationship, children can become “site buddies” and contribute to conservation volunteering.

Increased understanding of climate change and environmental issues are vital at this current time and will deliver huge benefits to mankind and the environment. Empower people to live sustainably, conserve heritage plants, wildlife, habitats, ecosystems, water, soil and clean air is vital to a continued healthy society. Eco-anxiety may be reduced by greater understanding, by empowering people to make a positive contribution and the advancement of appreciation that places and landscape heritage have special meaning to communities  Learning programmes, eco-philosophy and shared research is needed to supporting  the protection of the environment, flora, fauna, biodiversity and natural history and increased climate change awareness.

Promoting kindness and thoughtful, mindful, spiritual and compassionate attitudes, benefit animals and people. spreading understanding that responsible and sustainable lifestyles can benefit animals, wildlife & habitats can also demonstrate that the needs of animals, nature and people can be balanced. Sharing best practice encourages people to contribute to creating communities in which the basic means of life, growth and development are available for all. People and communities may benefit from championing  creative social and environmental innovation that better equips people to contribute to communities and the social economy.

Our sustainability check-list and learning resource packs are distributed and can help people or organisations seeking to benefit the environment. By delivering learning information on organic plant-based food growing, seed saving, propagation, pollination, composting and soil management we will improve sustainable horticulture and local healthy food production. By encouraging the development and sharing of innovative low technology solutions by we benefit people seeking solutions that nurture sustainable lifestyles and the environment, especially people on low incomes, as these solutions are cheap and easily accessible, giving people greater control over there lives and improved self esteem through self reliance.

Earendel: many people are familiar with J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy The Lord Of The Rings, in which Galadriel gifts Frodo, a phial, containing the light of Eärendil's star, saying: "May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out."  We find reference to Eärendil's star the Old English antiphon "O Oriens", "O Dawn of the East", or in  "Dayspring", the fifth of seven O Antiphons from Isaiah 9:2.  Earendel was thought to be the morning star, Now the The Hubble Space Telescope, has reported the discovery on the 30 March 2022, of a star given this name, on the outer edge of the galaxy, a light on the edge of deep darkness. Many people find inspiration in starlight and moon light and places with clear, dark skies, such as Keilder Forest, are valued by people seeking spiritual experience, astronomers and astrologers and by wildlife such as bats and night flying birds and insects.

Human rights and the advancement of health and well-being, people and communities, come with understanding between persons of different races & religions; this is central to the ethos of the First Peace Chaplaincy  Interfaith Mission. Equality is built into every aspect of our work and communication. It is important to build community capacity and promote civic responsibilities, create safer, more able and skilled societies with improved inclusion and good relations, challenging bullying, advancing equality, equity. We strive to provide good models of democracy and collective responsibility, Build skills to benefit people by enabling them to obtain their ethical aspirations and participate in making decisions that affect their communities, lives, development and access to basic requirements. We promote the reduction of harm, neglect, cruelty, exploitation and suffering and support opportunities for increased welfare, well-being, quality of life, happiness and enjoyment to people. We seek to nurture good, respectful and tolerant community relations to benefit people, making them feel involved and equally valued and respected. Understanding, spirituality and joy can be increased through learning about cultural and natural heritage issues, sustainability, the environment, climate change and nature solutions, mindfulness, healthy eating and visiting nature. 

In Michaelmas term 2004, First Peace Chaplaincy, picked up the valuable work of the Juno Project, on Democracy & Governance that had been delivered by Juno Enterprise, within the Triple Helix. This fitted well within the objective: Supporting Communities. Our Learning Community Networks engage, nurture, motivate, enable, encourage and support learning. The Juno Project, focuses on community support, infrastructure support, democracy and governance learning. It offers participation, learning resources, assemblies, deliberations, communication, forums & experience with the potential to increase self determination. Benefits include increase in thoughtful, mindful & compassionate attitudes; opportunity; multi level community connections and International Co-operation. For example: to start Michaelmas Term 2024 one of our communities of Interest Learning Groups discussed plans and expectations for the Democracy and Governance Programme, by debating concepts of inclusion & involvement, transparency and truth, pluralism and neoliberalism, freedom of speech, systems & accountability. Like minded people who care about our communities. They get involved with events, activities, local groups, projects and delivering resources. 

Volunteer teams produce a range of resources for use with our Learning Community, from healthy eating and attachment and PACE parenting, to basic skills and helping hedgehogs. The annual seasonal work that our volunteers do on heritage and wildlife monitoring and surveys, builds identification skills whilst creating important local maps of trees, plants, animals, landscapes and cultural heritage. Volunteers have previously nurture peer support groups for families with adopted children. Adult care has been a recent learning topic.

 
We have made a huge expansion of Juno Project community learning resources. We have built KS1-4 resources and added to our diversity resources; trans racial adoption information and elective home education support. Popular spring activities have included a children's pre-history project and family wildlife activities for ponds and bees.

Below, top: what a nice "thank you" gift from Little Adventurers Forest School for our help with the woodland winter festivities for children and families. Below the "wishing yule log that the forest school children made.

Our wellbeing spring flower walks: substantial evidence supports the case that nature makes a big contribution to improving health and wellbeing and could make significant national financial savings.

Nature and nature walks can maintain good health: help recovery from illness, lower stress and improve mental health problems, improve physical health and challenge obesity, improve the quality of life for older people, improve children’s well-being into adulthood and enhance social interaction and improve community cohesion, reduce aggression, violence and crime.

Comments from users on our spring flower walks:

“a wonderful journey”...Dolly

“the biggest thrill”...Bessy

“a sparkling day”...Michae

Our woodland flower walks:

groups enjoy spending time in the natural environment. Inner city mental health service users with no personal transport love to access some of Britain’s best loved plants such as bluebells. Groups enjoy both the woodland tranquillity and the chance for social interactions, peer support and guided learning.

The cost of poor mental health to the economy is estimated to be over £77 billion each year.

Mental health disorders affect 1 in 6 adults.

By 2020, depression could become the second most prevalent cause of disability worldwide.

Many children never play outside or visit natural places.

A Forestry Commission survey concluded that many teachers were unable to distinguish between an acorn and a pine cone.

Our Moth-Watch Challenge had good community participation and turned up many colourful species such as the Poplar Hawk Moth.

Above: volunteers pictures taken on activities throughout the year.

First Peace Chaplaincy fosters international co-operation to raise awareness & understanding across national boundaries. The aim is to benefit human, animal & environmental well-being, share best practice, grow compassion & celebrate culture. Three examples are given below:

Human: In May 2014 we produced a report on the 1966 symposium on the “Integration of Rehabilitation in Africa” held in Ethiopia & the subsequent orthopedic support that was established. The report was catalyzed when a friend and supporter Mr. M. Hodkinson loaned us his archive comprising documents and wonderful glass photographic slides taken by his father in Ethiopia. Our report, which was submitted to the Anglo Ethiopian Society, feeds into our International Cooperation Programme, using the headings of heritage, culture, learning and well being. We wish to extend our thanks to Mr. Hodkinson.

Animal: Below. these photographs were taken by our community. The little "aheyawoch" (donkeys) above, clearly show wounds on the flanks.

Environment: Below, a street scene in Addis shows an area where the local community, including one of our supporters, Tsebay,  is campaigning for improvement.