Harnessing imagination and expanding awareness by connecting to Nature
light in a cave
“The great instrument of moral good is the imagination” (Shelley, 1821)
During the summer of 2024, I had the privilege of being part of the Dandelion Fellowship Summer Festival. The Dandelion Fellowship is part of the program of Earth Law Center and helps professionals with the inner transformation necessary to represent Nature in a governance system where Nature is a key stakeholder. Including the voice of Nature as a key- stakeholder in society and business is a growing movement and will help to create decisions that cares for the health and sustainability of both planetary and human systems.
Imagination and awareness; key drivers for change
The topic of my intervention was harnessing imagination and expanding awareness to connect to nature. During our conversations at the Dandelion fellowship, we discovered that we were using a variety of techniques to expand our awareness—both mentally and physically. These techniques included meditation, visualizations, creativity, intuition, rituals, embodiment, and nature or eco-constellation. Through these practices, we realize how nature can serve as a guide to open new pathways for understanding and action. The Dandelion Fellowship and the program on systems thinking I have been following at the Hellinger Institute, laid the groundwork for this article.
In this article I will address 5 topics; imagination as a vital tool for systems change, nature as a source of creativity and innovation, embodiment and connection to nature, the role of rituals and systemic connection, nature constellations and ego-to-eco-systemic exploration.
The urgency of addressing the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequity demands a shift in both our individual and collective mindsets. It calls for a deeper understanding of the systems we are part of. Imagination, expanding awareness and connecting to nature have the capacity to address underlying, often unconscious, patterns and convictions. By acknowledging these elements into decision-making processes of individuals, teams, and organizations it improves how we address the complexity of systems change.
Imagination as a vital tool for systems change
While talking about the power of imagination I realized it is often seen as a form of escapism or a mental exercise, yet I experience it as a crucial tool for creating meaningful change. It allows us to move beyond conventional thinking, navigate complexity, and envision solutions to the challenges we face. Imagination enables individuals and groups to explore new possibilities, break out of old paradigms, become more fluid in the perspectives we hold and reframe our relationship with the world.
As Percy Bysshe Shelley stated, “The great instrument of moral good is the imagination” (Shelley, 1821). This quote underscores the transformative power of imagination, linking it to moral courage and action. Imagination allows us to look beyond what is and envision what could be—a shift that redefines individual and collective roles in society.
Imagination expands our capacity to think about larger systems, as emphasized in "The System Within" a highly recommended report by the Club of Rome, which highlights that “imagination underpins our ability to understand our reality and envision the future”. This report argues that imagination is foundational for systems change, as it helps individuals break free from conventional thinking and explore new, sustainable possibilities. This concept aligns with Moral Imaginations, which connects imagination with moral courage and action, helping to foster collaboration and collective decision-making based on shared, sustainable goals.
Nature as a source of creativity and innovation
Nature provides an incredible reservoir of creativity, innovation, and wisdom that can help guide decision-making and problem-solving. By fostering a deeper connection to nature, individuals and organizations can adopt a mindset that offers hope and is both joyful and empathetic, essential qualities for facing the complexities of modern life. When viewed through the lens of nature, problems are not just technical or material—they are deeply relational, involving a balance between the needs of humans and the broader web of life.
The report from the Club of Rome emphasizes that “individuals with high nature-connectedness are more likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviors”. This connection to nature not only influences personal actions but also helps individuals view decision-making through a long-term, collective perspective. Nature, as a source of wisdom, allows for a shift from self-centeredness to radical inclusion, where decisions are made with the welfare of future generations and all living beings in mind.
By connecting with nature, individuals and organizations can adopt a mindset of responsibility, ensuring that decisions prioritize ecological health, inclusivity and sustainability.
Embodiment and connection to nature
To fully grasp the interconnectedness of all life, we must move beyond intellectual understanding and engage in practices that deepen our connection to nature. Embodiment practices such as meditation, visualization, and rituals help individuals tap into the deeper layers of their consciousness, unlocking creative potential and a greater sense of belonging to the larger web of life.
Nature-based imagery, such as visualizing the lifeline of trees, seeds, water, or ancestors, can trigger powerful emotional and psychological responses. These practices help participants reframe their sense of self, inviting them to consider their place in the broader context of time and nature. Our collective responsibility for future generations and a nature-inclusive future is an essential step toward fostering greater empathy and understanding, and it empowers people to act with more thoughtfulness and care for future generations.
The "Work that Reconnects" framework, developed by Joanna Macy, incorporates practices of visualization and embodiment to connect individuals to the interconnectedness of all life. This method helps participants shift their worldview and create sustainable actions in the face of systemic environmental challenges. As Macy states, “we must find ways to re-engage with the world, not from a sense of overwhelm, but with deep joy, connection, and compassion”.
The role of rituals and systemic connection
In today’s world, where technology often drives us away from nature and its inherent wisdom, rituals play an important role in reconnecting people to the environment. Rituals—acts of care and connection to others and nature—can awaken a sense of fundamental interconnectedness that is vital for fostering regenerative mindsets. By performing these rituals, individuals remind themselves of their responsibility to each other and to the planet, reinforcing the importance of interdependence over separation.
As the Club of Rome study emphasizes, “ritual acts of contact, care, and connection towards others and nature can lead to a greater sense of fundamental connectedness, underpinning more relational, regenerative mindsets”. These practices promote a deeper understanding of one’s role in the world, which fosters pro-environmental behaviors and reinforces the importance of sustainability for future generations.
This brings us to the interplay of Kairos, Chronos, and Aion. These principles present a fascinating framework for understanding time—not just as something measured, but as something experienced, felt, and lived through. They exist together, and have deep implications for understanding creativity, human existence, spirituality, and even productivity. (Chronos: Linear Time (clock time), Kairos: opportune time (Creative/Right Time) and Aion: eternal time (mythic or cyclical Time). When we bring nature or future generations in a formal setting, we introduce Aion in a Chronos setting. This needs to be facilitated. Through activating Kairos and its power of creativity and flow we can create an opening and a bridge to introduce the wisdom of nature in whatever challenge we face.
Nature constellations and systemic exploration
Over the last years I connected to an (for me) innovative method for exploring the relationship between humans and nature, called nature constellations. Nature or ego-to-eco-constellations use the same principles as family-constellations. Individuals or objects placed in a physical space are used to represent systems. In a constellation, individuals or objects are positioned or position themselves in relation to one another, creating a living map that visually represents the dynamics of a system. These constellations can help uncover hidden patterns or imbalances in how individuals or organizations relate to the natural world.
By exploring these relationships, participants gain valuable insights into how their actions and decisions shape the systems they are part of. Through exercises like this, they can ask questions such as, “Who to include when we restore a natural area?” or “What role do future generations play in our decision-making?” or “who is loyal to what or whom”. These questions encourage reflection on broader systemic issues, which can influence policies, strategies, and actions aimed at environmental regeneration and sustainability.
Principles of constellations (Hellinger Instituut)
Systemic Perspective: Organizations are viewed as interconnected systems, where changes in one part can ripple through the entire system.
Inclusivity: All elements of the organization, including tangible and intangible factors, are considered relevant and worthy of exploration.
Origin and destination: organizations flourish by clarity of origin and destination.
Respect for Orders: Organizational constellations acknowledge the existence of systemic orders and dynamics, such as hierarchies, loyalties, and entanglements, that influence behavior and outcomes.
Fair exchange; exchange in an organisation must be fair, when there is a disbalance negative patterns arise.
Facilitated Exploration: The constellation starts with a question from a person (the client) with agency in the system. A skilled facilitator guides the constellation process, creating a safe and supportive environment for participants to explore and uncover insights.
From Individual to collective imagination and collective action
Imagination is not just a tool for individual transformation—it is also a bridge between individual understanding and collective action. Collective imagination exercises allow groups to expand their sense of self and foster kinship with future generations, the more-than-human world, and even past generations. These exercises can help shift societal norms, influence policymaking, and create new visions for a life-centric society—one that values sustainability and interconnection over exploitation and division.
As the "Moral Imaginations" framework suggests, “all meaningful and moral action begins in imagination”. By using imagination-based exercises, groups can explore new ways to collaborate, shift their perspectives, and contribute to more sustainable and compassionate futures.
Conclusion: The Need for an awareness expanding approach to transformation
In conclusion, the integration of imagination and nature-based practices into decision-making and problem-solving processes is a powerful way to address the urgent environmental and societal challenges we face. By shifting perspectives—using visualization, embodiment, and nature constellations—individuals, teams, and organizations can reconnect with nature and embrace practices that foster sustainability, empathy, and collective responsibility.
Imagination is not merely an individual passive exercise but a transformative tool for understanding our collective reality and envisioning a better future. As Percy Bysshe Shelley states, imagination is “the great instrument of moral good” (Shelley, 1821). It offers the key to shifting from a worldview of exploitation to one of interconnection, guiding us toward a world where the well-being of the planet and future generations is at the heart of every decision we make.
As we move forward, it is this integrative approach—blending inner transformation with outer systems change—that will enable us to foster a regenerative future for both people and the planet. By harnessing the power of imagination, we can begin to create sustainable, compassionate societies built on the principles of care for nature and care for each other.
Over the last year, I made the conscious decision to cross the line for nature. I felt compelled to actively help individuals and organizations create a true connection to nature, improving their decision-making processes by expanding their awareness. This nature-inclusive awareness is the key to being present beyond ourselves and establishing connections with others—seen and unseen, past, present, and future. Nature has a profound way of grounding us, and I believe it is through this deep connection that we can begin to shape a more sustainable, compassionate future.
Thank you Jane Ras for your inspiration, so sorry you are no longer among us in this reality.
References & Sources:
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1821). A Defence of Poetry.
You can access this work through multiple online platforms such as Project Gutenberg or the Internet Archive.
Link to Project Gutenberg: A Defence of Poetry by Percy Bysshe Shelley
The Club of Rome (2024). The System Within: Addressing the Inner Dimensions of Sustainability and Systems Transformation.
This report is available on the official website of the Club of Rome, which addresses various systemic issues and transformation.
Link to Club of Rome: The System Within
Joanna Macy (2024). Work that Reconnects.
Joanna Macy’s seminal work is widely available for purchase or through organizations that work with her methodology.
Link to Work That Reconnects: Work That Reconnects
Moral Imagination Resources:
Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Bridges by Mark Johnson and David M. W. Hamer.
Moral Imagination and the Ethics of Globalization by David Held.
Link to read more: Moral Imagination in Global Ethics
Moral Imagination Overview in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Link to read: Moral Imagination - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy