Becoming Kin

An embodied journey into deeper connection with the more than human world, to find belonging, purpose and direction in challenging times

"Will you ever bring a better gift for the world
than the breathing respect that you carry
wherever you go right now?"
(William Stafford)
'Need to know' summary
so you don't have to go scrolling for the details!
What's happening:

A 6 week embodied journey into deeper connection with inner and outer nature right where you are, to help find guidance, meaning and purpose in times of change and uncertainty.
Format:

6 online meetings on zoom
"homeplay" between sessions
buddy support system
online space for connection and sharing
resources for reading & listening
small group size for safe, intimate connection
emphasis on embodied practices and personal experience rather than information-based learning
Dates & Times:

Next journey starts
22 October 2024
Join us!

This is for you if you

feel deep love for the non-human world and
wonder about your place, purpose and direction at this time of great change in the world

want to learn practices that nourish and resource you to deal with overwhelm and anxiety

wish to deepen your sense of belonging and connection to the community of life on Earth and play your part in its protection and flourishing
Cost:

£250
Early birds £220 for bookings before 4 October Concessions available, please ask.
Welcome to Becoming Kin
I wonder what brings you here...
Are you in a time of transition, perhaps at work, at home, in your relationships, or in terms of your purpose? Perhaps you are grappling with big questions personally or in relationship of the context of our times, with so many challenges, crises and changes looming large wherever we look. Do you sense a wish to find a greater sense of agency and put your energy in service of a better future not just for humanity but all our relations?

Or perhaps you just feel that you are sort of ok but also not really ok, that you are just going through the motions of daily life without much sense of joy, meaning or direction? Everything feels a bit grey and dry. You manage but somehow it feels a bit meaningless. You know that this is not IT, that we are meant to be more than just cogs in a machine.

You might not have a specific question or issue that you are struggling with, but you have a sense that there could be something more for you, to you, to your life, that you are missing. You have a longing for more aliveness, depth and meaning but you are not exactly sure how and where to find this different way of being.
You enjoy being outside, in contact with 'nature' and feel a wish to deepen your connection with the other beings in the community of life on Earth. Perhaps you feel a strong desire to play your part in the protection and flourishing of our world, at a time when there is so much at stake? Or perhaps you, too, have a hunch that there is a greater intelligence at work in all living things which may hold the key that opens the door to a more meaningful, just and beautiful future for all beings, including yourself.
Whatever your questions, whatever your circumstances or your life journey so far, you are welcome here.
Because this exploration taps into questions that lie at the heart of being human
People at all times, in all places, in all cultures have always asked
Who am I?
What am I here for?
How should I live?
This experiential programme that takes place online, at home and outdoors, where you live, invites you on a spacious yet deep exploration of these age old questions that are as relevant now as ever.
In contrast to the way our dominant culture answers these questions - from the head and an individualist perspective - we explore them through the relational dimension of our embodied being through
somatic practices that take you into your body (inner nature) and
outdoor explorations that facilitate encounters with the more than human world (outer nature)
In this way, we tap into the deep wisdom of life that lives in both places, finding the guidance, insights and next steps you may be looking for at this time.
And in the process, we also discover a new sense of ourselves as profoundly relational beings whose meaning and purpose is found in the threads that connect us with other beings. In Becoming Kin, we deepen our kinship
with our embodied selves,
with each other as co-explorers on the journey, and
with the many different expressions of life around us.
The beautiful ‘side-effect’ of this way of engaging with ourselves and the world is that it nourishes us and grows our capacity to respond to the challenges of our time with more ground and creativity. The practices offered in Becoming Kin can help address the stress, overwhelm and anxiety many of us feel in response to the times we are living in.
I was longing for more depth in my life, inspiration and clarity. Becoming Kin is a life-changing and life-giving journey. I could feel and see a glimpse of a new dawn, a life of thriving instead of surviving, a rebirth, a sense of be-longing. I see the world with new eyes now and notice things I would not have seen before. The shares in the group and new perspectives were so rich, I received gifts which I will cherish forever and will accompany me on my journey. It was just sublime. A 10 out of 10 for me!

(Bieke, Belgium, previous participant)
What you can expect
Key Elements of the Becoming Kin Journey

1
Movement & Embodied Enquiry
helps us to arrive in our own being, grounds us in resource and connects to the wild intelligence of life. Our body is the place where inner and outer nature connect and communicate, so it is central to our journey. In our time together, we will use practices that can support us in our day to day and offer new perspectives, guidance and inspiration for our next steps.
2
Deep listening, authentic sharing and being human together
On this journey, we make space to listen deeply to ourselves, each other and the more than human world around us. In a small and intimate group setting, we share our experiences so we can be witnessed and received in our unique experience of ourselves in relationship with the world. We share our common human struggles and questions and find inspiration and support. in each others' words and presence.
3
Homeplay
Invitations and guidance for you to explore core themes at home, outdoors, where you live. Journaling prompts, mini-practices, poetry and optional additional reading, podcasts etc
"The course attracted me immediately… at the time I was feeling a need to be more connected with all that is, and was feeling spiritually dry. The course exceeded my expectations. I left with a better sense of being of this world and my place in it. What I take away is the importance of taking time to see things, connect with and draw meaning from them. I would encourage anyone thinking of joining to do so."

(Peter, South Africa, previous participant)
Inter-being and Inter-flourishing
"We are human only in contact and conviviality with what is not human."
(David Abram)

Becoming Kin is an invitation to step into fresh perspectives on our being human. Instead of experiencing ourselves as separate from nature ‘out there’, we ask what it might mean to become kin and step more fully into relationship with life in all its expressions.

This journey takes us into inner and outer nature, connecting us to the dialogue between the wild intelligence of life in our own being and in the non-human world around us. We engage in these simple yet deep practices so that we can expand the possibilities of living from a place of embodied interconnection.

The practices help us to find ground, inspiration and creative responses to the times of uncertainty and unravelling that we are in. We look to our relationships- with ourselves, each other and the natural world in and around us, to find belonging, resource, courage and meaning.

We create space for our hearts to feel, our bodies to move, our nervous system to regulate and our minds to tap into the kind of creativity and imagination that are needed if we are to find the way forward, personally and collectively.

“I would say that there exist a thousand unbreakable links between each of us and everything else, and that our dignity and our chances are one. The farthest star and the mud at our feet are a family; and there is no decency or sense in honoring one thing, or a few things, and then closing the list."
(Mary Oliver)

Personal and collective changemaking
Our own healing and the changes we need to see in the world are inextricably intertwined. One of the pivot points for change is the way we conceive of our relationships with everything around us, and the stories we tell that reinforce or challenge a particular view of the world and of the self in it. The dominant cultural narratives have stripped the non-human world of its aliveness and turned 'nature' into something separate from who we are, something that we can exploit and do things to without consequence. By obscuring the interconnected nature of life, this story of separation harms us as much as we harm the other beings we share the planet with and is central to the many crises we are now facing.

“The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us. Thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing. The trees wave and the flowers bloom in our bodies as well as our souls, and every bird song, wind song, and tremendous storm song of the rocks in the heart of the mountains is our song, our very own, and sings our love.”
(John Muir)

Of course it is not enough to simply change the story. We also need to embody the values and relational dynamics we aspire to create. The beauty of this is that each of us can start right where we are. No matter what environment we live in, creating new relationships with our surroundings and the beings that share our spaces, is a first powerful step towards weaving ourselves back into the fabric of the web of life where each being has its unique part to play.

And isn’t that something that we as humans so long for as well – to play our part, to find our ecological niche, to give to and for the benefit and health of the whole… in short, to belong and live a life of meaning and purpose?

Going beyond the mechanistic, reductionist views of the natural world with which we have lived with for so long, is also a balm for our own aching hearts, expanding our sense of who we are and allowing us to relax into a more supportive, spacious and generous place inside of ourselves and in the world.

"If someone paints you a vision of your health and freedom, but they don't include your connection to the earth, they're lying to you."
(Giselle Buchanan)

In the process of rediscovering and strengthening our relationships with the more than human world, we may find clues as to what our place and our role as a species and as individuals might be. If nothing else, we might find a new sense of belonging, of the possibility of participating in life, and of appreciation and awe at just how rich and beautiful the web of life really is.

“There is only one immutable truth: No being is purely individual; nothing comprises only itself. Everything is composed of foreign cells, foreign symbionts, foreign thoughts. This makes each life-form less like an individual warrior and more like a tiny universe, tumbling extravagantly through life like the fireflies orbiting one at night. Being alive means participating in permanent community and continually reinventing oneself as part of an immeasurable network of relationships.”
(Andreas Weber)
"I have lived my whole life disconnected from nature and from myself. The work we did with you made me feel very good. The connection with my body brought me another quality of perception and with that, I began to consider myself as a part of the network of life. To feel really living connections. I really liked the simple but very powerful elements of observation. Since then I do not stop listening to the birds, I even find myself staring at them for minutes. The trees have also acquired another presence. I feel much more connected, with myself and with the rest of the species. Thank you very much."

(Blanca, Spain)
Benefits
Practices for Life
You'll learn accessible, easy to implement practices that you can keep coming back to for ongoing support and inspiration, long after the Becoming Kin journey is complete. These practices offer inspiring ways to make your love for the more than human world tangible and can be a starting point for inner and outer change.
Connection & Belonging
The journey includes perspectives and practices that will allow you to sense yourself not just on the Earth but as a 'being of the Earth', a being who belongs to the web of life, and therefore has a place and a purpose. When we shift into the understanding that we are part of something much bigger, we find support, guidance and possibilities for meaningful engagement with life everywhere.

Nourishment for Body, Heart & Mind
The somatic practices, movement, outdoor explorations and creative play we will engage in are pure nourishment for body, heart, mind and soul. They are powerful medicine for the stress, overwhelm and anxiety of our time.
Purpose & Direction
In the context of our times, it can be challenging to know our purpose and direction in life. We may be at odds with the dominant culture's stories of who we should be, what we should do and what a good life looks like, but we have more questions than answers about what the alternative could be. However, when we start to listen to the ongoing conversation between inner and outer nature, a crumbtrail of clues becomes visible. We can look to the wild intelligence of life that connects us to what is whole and thriving in and around us, to pathfind our direction and purpose.
Resource & Resilience
We are living in times of great challenge and change. It is natural that we experience overwhelm, despair and anxiety in response to the climate crisis, social injustice and the many other human-made planetary problems of our time. The Becoming Kin journey includes many practical tools that can help you connect to resource and move out of overwhelm and stuckness. Over time, these practices foster resilience and support our ability to respond to the ups and downs of life and the challenges of our time from a place of ground and strength.

Ripples of Change
When we step into deeper relationship with the more than human world, we connect to a sense of wonder at the incredible miracle of life. "We need to wake up to the beauty of the world on whose behalf we can act" as Joanna Macy says. We can then turn our love for the world into a resource that brings the clarity and energy we need to play our part in creating positive change towards a thriving and just world for all our relations. We can take up our place as individuals and as a species to play our part in the balance of the whole.
"Petra is calm, present, loving, open, listening, generous, clear - her presence is like sitting in a cool clear stream. She cares deeply and passionately about human thriving and all life on Earth. She has a strong sense of what is needed in the moment and is able to guide gently, firmly, with humour and compassion."

(Angie, UK)
Your host and guide
My name is Petra Bongartz and I offer this work in service of personal and collective healing and change.
I believe that
in order to find meaning and purpose, and play our part in creating a better world for all, we need to rediscover our inherent place of belonging in the web of life.

For me
the pathway back into connection
is through our own body, the place where interconnection and the intelligence of life are most directly accessible to us.

The Becoming Kin journey brings together my personal and professional experience, learning and skills including in
Movement Medicine: an embodied practice that brings together ancient and modern wisdom to support you to know who you are and offer your gifts in service of a thriving world for all.

The Work that Reconnects: a body of work that helps people to experience their innate connections with each other and the self-healing powers of the web of life, transforming despair and overwhelm into inspired, collaborative action.

Somatic trauma work which offers a deeper understanding of the body’s role in social, environmental, developmental, relational, spiritual, and cultural wounding and healing.

as well as Polyvagal-informed Nervous System Work, Somatic Experiencing, Meditation, Processwork,
Neuroplasticity, Poetry, and international development work on behaviour change with communities, NGOs and governments around the world.
"Petra holds a beautiful space and her work enables me to drop into a deep process of healing and growth. It is also a wonderful arena to connect with like-hearted individuals."
(Gavin, South Africa)
Reconnecting to the wild wisdom
of inner and outer nature
This is part of a longer interview (watch it here) recorded on 11 September 2023 with Laura Valenti of Elemental Soul Medicine.
Be a part of something great(er)
Connection is medicine for our times

Becoming Kin is about expanding our awareness to recogize that we belong to something much greater beyond our individual life's place, time and trajectory. It is about the journey of weaving ourselves back into the web of life. It's about taking up our place in 'the family of things' as Mary Oliver describes it, where each being has a role to play in the evolution and thriving of the world. This empowers us to engage in both giving to and receiving support from the whole.

As part of the Becoming Kin journey you will get the chance to meet with others from around the world who add their own unique perspective, questions and experiences into the mix. As part of this course, we take time for deeper sharing and listening to each other's experiences and life stories. Together, our individual journeys create a rich tapestry of insights, inspirations and ideas.

To support ongoing connection, you'll have access to a private online space for sharing, contact and support between sessions. You are invited to share ideas, questions, challenges and learning that arise from our time together and from the homeplay invitations. You will also be partnered with a buddy for mutual support and sharing during and after the journey.

When we take this journey into deeper connection with ourselves and the world around us, we also discover and meet each other in extraordinary ways. Each of us leaves the circle with more than we arrived with, including new friends. And you may also find that you leave with a little less of what weighs you down!

Together, we create change that ripples out into the world around us.
"Petra is well grounded in body, heart, mind and spirit, trained in a range of tools that will help you and anchored in both beauty and creativity in ways that bring deep nurture to those she holds. As a long term change agent, she has a whole bag of magic tricks she offers up for the wellbeing of the whole."

(Ali, UK)
The Practicalities
Structure, dates and cost

Six sessions: Each week includes experiential exploration of our connection with the more than human world and our place in the web of life. We will use a mix of body/movement-based practices and creative tools. In our circle as well as in breakout groups, we will share experiences from the homeplay invitations and deepen the connection between our individual stories.

Buddy/peer system: You will be partnered with a buddy for check ins, support and inspiration during our journey. This can be helpful to sustain momentum with the practices and offers a supportive way to further explore questions that arise. You never know, it may even lead to new friendships beyond the duration of the programme.

Homeplay: The deepening of the work happens between sessions – there will be ‘homeplay’, ie invitations and guidance for explorations at home, where you live, between modules. We then have an opportunity to share our experiences and insights at the next module.

Online platform for sharing: You will have access to a private Facebook group to share your homeplay experiences, connect with your fellow travellers and reach out for support, ask questions etc.

Dates: Next group starting 22 October 2024, 5-7.30pm BST / 6-8.30pm CET / 9-11.30am PDT / 12-2.30pm EDT We meet on 22 and 29 October, 5, 12, 19 and 26 November.
(*Please note that the clocks change in Europe on 26 October and in the US on 3 November so depending on your timezone, session times may shift by an hour).
Join now

Find your local times here

Small group size: Maximum of 10 participants to facilitate deeper connection and sharing.

Cost: £250. Early Bird Discount if booked and paid by 4 October 2024: £220.
Concessions: Please contact me if you would like to join but need a concession.

(Convert to your own currency here)
Any questions? Get in touch via petra@beingoftheearth.com
Get on the list now
for the journey starting in October 2024

Yes, I want to join in 2024
This is for you if
You can make a commitment to attend all sessions. Of course, sometimes life throws a spanner in the works, eg illness, family emergency etc However, in order to work together as a group it’s important that you make a commitment to attend, be on time and stay for the length of each session.
You have stable internet so that you have good video and audio on zoom
You are able and willing to make time for the homeplay practices and connection with your buddy.
You are willing to take time and care to get to know your fellow travellers, nurturing connection between sessions via the private online platform
You are interested in meeting like-hearted others and dream of a space where you can show up as you are, share your experiences, questions, struggles and hopes and offer your listening presence to others in return.
This is probably not a good fit if
You are looking for an information-based, academic-style course with lectures, presentations or a 'how to' type training. This is an experiential journey where you will be invited and guided through processes that will help you discover what is true for you and find your own answers.
You are looking for an instant fix or someone who will give you the answers to your questions.
You are currently in crisis and are looking for one to one in depth support for yourself. If that is what you are after, 1-2-1 somatic coaching & accompaniment may be more suitable for you at this time.
You have a super busy life, juggling work, family, study etc. This journey asks you to slow down and make space to experience yourself and your relationships in a different way. You will need to devote some time each week for homeplay in order for the suggested practices to yield their magic and benefits.
"Petra holds a beautiful safe space which is woven together with clarity, a wide allowing of whatever is and arises, and an encouraging soft feminine quality. She creates a deeply nurturing, wide ground of love and compassion for each participant and their process. Her spaces are firmly held, yet never too tight, leaving all the freedom for personal process and what that may need."
(Hanna R., South Africa)
Can't join us on the next Becoming Kin journey but want to hear about future dates?
Sign up to the mailing list via the form below and be the first to know about the next round!
If this work resonates with you
I invite you to sign up to the Being of the Earth mailing list to be notified of the next round of Becoming Kin and similar offerings.

I'll also send you Dandelion Dispatches, my biweekly letter with embodied practices and perspectives to ground and resource you so that you can pathfind your purpose and make a meaningful contribution to collective transformation.

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Contact

Petra Bongartz

Petra Bongartz

An embodied journey into deeper connection with the more than human world, to find belonging, purpose and direction in challenging times

"Will you ever bring a better gift for the world

than the breathing respect that you carry

wherever you go right now?"

'Need to know' summary

so you don't have to go scrolling for the details!

What's happening:

A 6 week embodied journey into deeper connection with inner and outer nature right where you are, to help find guidance, meaning and purpose in times of change and uncertainty.

Format:

6 online meetings on zoom

"homeplay" between sessions

buddy support system

online space for connection and sharing

resources for reading & listening

small group size for safe, intimate connection

emphasis on embodied practices and personal experience rather than information-based learning

Dates & Times:

Next journey starts

22 October 2024

Join us!

This is for you if you

feel deep love for the non-human world and

wonder about your place, purpose and direction at this time of great change in the world

want to learn practices that nourish and resource you to deal with overwhelm and anxiety

wish to deepen your sense of belonging and connection to the community of life on Earth and play your part in its protection and flourishing

Cost:

£250

Early birds £220 for bookings before 4 October Concessions available, please ask.

Welcome to Becoming Kin

I wonder what brings you here...

Whatever your questions, whatever your circumstances or your life journey so far, you are welcome here.

Because this exploration taps into questions that lie at the heart of being human

People at all times, in all places, in all cultures have always asked

Who am I?

What am I here for?

How should I live?

This experiential programme that takes place online, at home and outdoors, where you live, invites you on a spacious yet deep exploration of these age old questions that are as relevant now as ever.

In contrast to the way our dominant culture answers these questions - from the head and an individualist perspective - we explore them through the relational dimension of our embodied being through

somatic practices that take you into your body (inner nature) and

outdoor explorations that facilitate encounters with the more than human world (outer nature)

In this way, we tap into the deep wisdom of life that lives in both places, finding the guidance, insights and next steps you may be looking for at this time.

And in the process, we also discover a new sense of ourselves as profoundly relational beings whose meaning and purpose is found in the threads that connect us with other beings. In Becoming Kin, we deepen our kinship

with our embodied selves,

with each other as co-explorers on the journey, and

with the many different expressions of life around us.

(Bieke, Belgium, previous participant)

What you can expect

Key Elements of the Becoming Kin Journey

Movement & Embodied Enquiry

Deep listening, authentic sharing and being human together

Homeplay

Invitations and guidance for you to explore core themes at home, outdoors, where you live. Journaling prompts, mini-practices, poetry and optional additional reading, podcasts etc

(Peter, South Africa, previous participant)

Inter-being and Inter-flourishing

"We are human only in contact and conviviality with what is not human."

(David Abram)

Becoming Kin is an invitation to step into fresh perspectives on our being human. Instead of experiencing ourselves as separate from nature ‘out there’, we ask what it might mean to become kin and step more fully into relationship with life in all its expressions.

The practices help us to find ground, inspiration and creative responses to the times of uncertainty and unravelling that we are in. We look to our relationships- with ourselves, each other and the natural world in and around us, to find belonging, resource, courage and meaning.

We create space for our hearts to feel, our bodies to move, our nervous system to regulate and our minds to tap into the kind of creativity and imagination that are needed if we are to find the way forward, personally and collectively.

(Mary Oliver)

Personal and collective changemaking

(John Muir)

And isn’t that something that we as humans so long for as well – to play our part, to find our ecological niche, to give to and for the benefit and health of the whole… in short, to belong and live a life of meaning and purpose?

"If someone paints you a vision of your health and freedom, but they don't include your connection to the earth, they're lying to you."

(Giselle Buchanan)

(Blanca, Spain)

Benefits

Practices for Life

Connection & Belonging

Nourishment for Body, Heart & Mind

The somatic practices, movement, outdoor explorations and creative play we will engage in are pure nourishment for body, heart, mind and soul. They are powerful medicine for the stress, overwhelm and anxiety of our time.

Purpose & Direction

Resource & Resilience

Ripples of Change

(Angie, UK)

Your host and guide

My name is Petra Bongartz and I offer this work in service of personal and collective healing and change.

I believe that

Reconnecting to the wild wisdom
of inner and outer nature

Can't join us on the next Becoming Kin journey but want to hear about future dates?
Sign up to the mailing list via the form below and be the first to know about the next round!