But is it for you and me, or is this some mythical state reserved for a small handful of people in history? How can we realistically expect to transcend our limitations, all the influences which seem to tie us down to this mortal plane –  our upbringing, our family, our friends, our acquired habits and the rigid social structures which surround us in our society and in our working lives?  And what exactly does mastery mean at this time of planetary upheaval, when the challenge of sustainability confronts us like some huge unconquerable mountain, its distant heights obscured by clouds.

Maybe the starting point is to accept the fact that we are all these things, and trying to reject them is just as constraining as blindly accepting them.  Choosing to accept who we are, to look ourselves and life squarely in the eye, is a bold and powerful thing to do. It allows us to make more conscious choices starting from where we are, rather than where we sentimentally would like to be.  This is part of the mystery of mastery –  that the starting point for attaining it is to let go of the need to pursue it.  It starts with mindfulness not wilfulness.

Debbie Warrener and I have run a 6 month Mastery in Sustainability course for the last two years, and a new course starts on 4 February.  It runs on Tuesday evenings in central London, over 10 sessions. There is a lot of mystery about the course –  how it came about, why people are drawn to it and why it works. “Works” is of course a relative concept.  Some people find healing “This was one of the most healing trainings I’ve ever done – and that’s saying a lot.” said one participant. Some people love the chance to do some deep work on themselves in a safe space in the company of others. “There were so many wonderful exercises and challenges that offered me an opportunity to do some deeper work on my life.” said another.   Many dream of being more powerful in the world, bringing their whole being to making a difference at this time of crisis and transformation, and find the course to be a sort of practice ground – a place to celebrate failure as part of the path to becoming more fully human. “This [workshop I ran] was a huge stepping stone for me, in all kinds of ways. One that I absolutely owe to my participation in the Mastery in Sustainability course.”  

Debbie and I have devised the course as a series of exercises, drawing on a variety of sources including deep dialogue, embodied work, spiritual practices, deep ecology and action learning.  For us, sustainability is not something to be talked about but to be lived and experienced.  Another participant described the exercises as “challenging, moving, thought-provoking, and wonderful. I would thoroughly recommend this course to anyone.”

Is it for you?  Only you can know.  If you are intrigued or drawn, you can find out more information on the website.  Or contact me or Debbie. You can book your place on the course, for a deposit of £60, here. If you want a taste of our unique and unconventional  approach, come along to a taster session in London on Tuesday 20th January. You can reserve your place on the taster here.