The Death of Life

“This frigid sea was a speckled mass of organisms. Tiny copepod crustaceans, looking like so many animated peas, beat their way in their thousands through the surface waters, feeding on plankton that I knew must be there, but which could not be seen without a microscope.” That picture of vitality in the Arctic begins the …
Continue reading The Death of Life

Waking up to System Collapse

As the dawn crept through the curtains this morning, my dreamy thoughts recalled the gathering of people who had listened to Jem Bendell talking about his new book Breaking Together yesterday evening. It occurred that we could have had it all but, as I had known for some years now, that opportunity had passed. And …
Continue reading Waking up to System Collapse

Reflections on Activism

We attended a protest outside the Irish Parliament to object to the deal that Coillte, a State company, made with a UK venture capital company. In this Big Picture Conversation, we reflect on why we went to the gathering and whether activism works.

Happy St Brigid’s Bank Holiday

Happy St Brigid’s Bank Holiday. It is a great step to establish a holiday to honour Ireland’s matron saint. This is a meaningful day in its recognition of the feminine; an embracing of the qualities of compassion, nature, nurture, inclusion and collaboration that are so urgently needed in the world today; with Brigid’s fire to …
Continue reading Happy St Brigid’s Bank Holiday

Brigit: From Goddess to Saint via the Patriarchy

Happy – and historic – St Brigit*’s Day: Today marks the first time an Irish national holiday is established in honor of a female saint. Why is this important? Establishing a national holiday in Brigit’s name is a recognition of the feminine. Today’s world is run as a patriarchy, or as the late bell hooks …
Continue reading Brigit: From Goddess to Saint via the Patriarchy

astraea speaks

Lyla June speaks about the history and culture of humans in North America before Europeans invaded in 3,000-year-old solutions to modern problems. She offers a path to regenerating the vitality of Earth which resonates deeply with the ideas that have attracted astraea to change course and re-imagine the future. Thank you Lyla June.

Big Picture Thinking and Wellness

Deirdre Lane, CEO of Shamrock Spring and Ambassador of The Circular Economy Institute, chats with Tom at the inaugural Lisnavagh Wellness Festival. Astraea supported the inaugural Wellness Festival at Lisnavagh. Pam offered a yoga practice session to a packed Garden Wing – there must have been nearly 50 people in there with more looking in …
Continue reading Big Picture Thinking and Wellness

Propaganda tries to justify the invasion of Ukraine and killing people like us.

It was fascinating to explore the history of the Russian Federation in a DW documentary from 2021 which discussed the tensions in the countries that ceded from the USSR/Russian Federation. But the most striking element was how retarded the progress of Russia has been under Putin, whose imperialistic ego has funnelled money into the army …
Continue reading Propaganda tries to justify the invasion of Ukraine and killing people like us.

The War Will Be Over in a Week, and Ukraine Forgotten in a Month

People around the world are yearning for peace. But leaders do not want to make it happen. Instead prevarication and incompetence is allowing Putin to take Ukraine. The Russian army will have control of Ukraine in week. We will have forgotten about it in a month as we will be distracted by another sensational news …
Continue reading The War Will Be Over in a Week, and Ukraine Forgotten in a Month