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We asked our poet-in-residence Philip Cowell to share the 5 reasons he loves Street Wisdom!

1. The Joy of Movement (and Stillness) – I love Street Wisdom because at some level it’s just ‘going for a walk’ and I love walking. But it’s also of course about not-walking as much as it’s about walking! Sometimes we pause, to notice something, or wait for something, or just marvel at something. And that’s gorgeous.
2. Connecting with Others – when I’m on a Street Wisdom Walkshop, I get to meet amazing people I’ve never met before, who are also curious and interested to see what will happen if we slow down a bit outdoors.
3. The Wonder of Nature – by Nature I mean the environment around us. An urban street, it seems to me, is as much nature as the highest mountain. It’s all nature. And Street Wisdom is one fast-tracked way to appreciating its detailed rigour and beauty.
4. Some Insights, Outdoors – I often use Street Wisdom if I need to get an insight on a situation or a problem. Once I’m tuned up, I’II hold the issue and just walk with that in mind and body, and see what happens. (It’s basically a shorthand way of doing the Quest: “Streets, show me some options with all this!”) Something often, if not always, will come. Sometimes it’s slant to the topic. The other day I was full of different stresses, and the streets shared with me all kinds of patterns that seemed interconnected. I interpreted that insight as “Everything’s connected” (it’s nice to reduce the insight to 2 or 3 words). And that really helped!
5. Serendipity, Actually – I love Street Wisdom for the serendipities that often, if not always, arise. When I started leading Walkshops back in 2016/17, whenever I led them, wherever I was (and the locations were always different), I would always bump into someone I knew. I took that as a useful reminder to connect to my amazing support group. Nowadays it’s often more the insights from the Sharing seem so interwoven. It’s like, as a group, we become this one ‘being’. It’s beautiful!

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Inspired? Fancy some more Street Wisdom? Join a Walkshop near you, or head out for your own wander right now with our Tune Ups. Buy your own copy of Wanderful, all profits go back into Street Wisdom to help keep it free. Share your insights and follow us @StreetWisdom_

Thanks to rawpixel.com for the use of this free image!

We asked the artificial intelligence chatbot, ChatGPT, what Street Wisdom is, just to check… We like what came back! A useful summary and reminder of the Street Wisdom process. #AnswersAreEverywhere after all!

Yes, I’m familiar with Street Wisdom. Street Wisdom is a global social enterprise and a method that encourages individuals to use the streets as a source of inspiration, wisdom, and answers to personal or professional questions. It was founded by David Pearl in 2013 and has since gained popularity as a way to tap into the collective wisdom of the urban environment.

The Street Wisdom process involves walking in small groups and using a series of exercises and techniques to increase mindfulness and open oneself up to new perspectives. Participants are encouraged to pay attention to their surroundings, notice details that they might usually overlook, and seek insights and guidance from the environment and people they encounter.

The concept is based on the idea that the answers to our questions and challenges are often right in front of us, but we may not be fully aware of them. By slowing down, becoming more observant, and engaging with the streets, people can access fresh perspectives, clarity, and solutions to their problems.

Street Wisdom workshops and events are conducted in various cities around the world and are open to anyone interested in exploring the wisdom of the streets. The organization also provides resources and guidance for individuals and groups to conduct their own Street Wisdom walks.

Please note that my knowledge is based on information available up until September 2021, so there might have been new developments or changes related to Street Wisdom since then.

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Inspired? Fancy some more Street Wisdom? Join a Walkshop near you, or head out for your own wander right now with our Tune Ups. Buy your own copy of Wanderful, all profits go back into Street Wisdom to help keep it free. Share your insights and follow us @StreetWisdom_

Thank you for rawpixel.com for the use of this pic!

In a new series of Walks for you to try out by yourself using our audio guides, we continue with Grief. Plug in your earphones, pop your shoes on, and head out to the streets!

When might you want to go on a Grief Walk?

Loss is a lot to deal with, and no-one grieving need be alone. There’s thankfully so much out there today to help with the powerful feelings and emotions associated with loss and grief: talking therapies, Death Cafes, grief groups. And that’s right. So our offering here is just to complement what’s already out there. Wandering with your grief, at the right time in your healing process, might be useful, not to move forwards necessarily, but to accompany your grieving self side-by-side with loving-kindness and self-compassion. If you are bereaved and would like to talk to someone, call the Cruse Bereavement Helpline or search for your nearest local bereavement support service.

What do you need to go on this Walk?

Yourself, of course. A little bit of time, 45 minutes is great, give yourself an hour if you can. Shoes and weather-proof clothing are useful. And a phone with headphones so you can listen to our audio guides.

OK, let’s go!

And just to say: firstly – thanks for being here. It means you’re doing something for yourself, about yourself, which might make all the difference. Secondly, and more practically, you’re going to do three short Tune Ups to get your amazing navigation system (your body!) into a good place for your Quest, each of about ten minutes. Then you’re going to go on a Quest of about fifteen minutes (longer if you have more time) focused on Grief. Right, let’s do this.

Tune Up One: Let’s Get Curious

About 10 mins.

The first Tune Up is all about tuning in to the world around us and getting curious.

Click play and start wandering now.

Tune Up Two: Take Your Time

About 10 mins.

The second Tune Up is about slowing down and making more time, to allow more space between the gaps so to speak.

Click play and start wandering (more slowly!) now.

Tune Up Three: Lighting Up Life

About 10 mins.

The third Tune Up is about sensing the beauty all around you. It really is a beautiful wake-up call. Don’t miss a thing!

Click play and start wandering beautifully now.

The Quest: Grief

About 15 mins (or longer if you like).

Now you’re all tuned up, your navigation system (aka your body, your mind, your heart, your DNA, your footprint, your imagination, all your senses including your wonderful sense of self) can go on your Grief Quest.

Click play and consider using some of these quests below as prompts for your own Grief enquiry

• Streets, show me options for how I can best support myself through my grief
• How can I make today an unusually self-compassionate day?
• Give me some insights into how I can value the living even more
• Dear streets, give me some ideas for how to turn my sadness into joy
• Hello world, show [insert your name] some things [he/she/they] doesn’t know
• Show [insert your name] some new ways to honour [his/her/their] loved one

Oh, the advanced version?

Ask a friendly-looking stranger your question. Answers are everywhere, and teachers are everywhere too.

If you’ve found this Grief Walk useful

…and we hope you have, then share it with a friend or member of your family. It’s free, after all, and showing them you care really could make all the difference.

If you can, tell us how you found it, email us at [email protected]. We can’t wait to hear from you.

*****

Inspired? Fancy some more Street Wisdom? Join a Walkshop near you, or head out for your own wander right now with our Tune Ups. Buy your own copy of Wanderful, all profits go back into Street Wisdom to help keep it free. Share your insights and follow us @StreetWisdom_

Thank you for rawpixel.com for the use of this pic!

Slowing down is a vital part of the Street Wisdom process. But it’s not always easy to do. This extra exercise – which is a great accompaniment to reading Wanderful – is all about enjoying the moment. Have fun with it.

*****

Inspired? Fancy some more Street Wisdom? Join a Walkshop near you, or head out for your own wander right now with our Tune Ups. Buy your own copy of Wanderful, all profits go back into Street Wisdom to help keep it free. Share your insights and follow us @StreetWisdom_

In the “(Best Foot) Foreword” of Founder of Street Wisdom, David Pearl’s book Wanderful, David asks 9 particularly good questions. They’re very Street Wisdom, they’re very human, they’re very now. We’ve popped them below so you can ponder them here (and if you like them, grab a copy of Wanderful, the profits keep our work free).

Why not slip one of them into your metaphorical shoe the next time you head out for a wander? Or take a moment to slow right down now and have a go contemplating them here.

9 particularly good questions to ask

1. How can we be purposely purposeless in a world where productivity rules?

2. Why are we so obsessed with straight lines when Nature teaches us to wiggle?

3. What’s exciting about being lost and how is it different from feeling lost?

4. How can we read the street as though it’s a book full of messages for us?

5. When you come to a crossroads (in life), which way should you turn?

6. Are people we don’t know really strangers? And if so, how is it that they can sometimes offer us better advice than people who know us well?

7. If you could set the pace in your life, would you choose the one you are marching to right now?

8. When something wonderful happens ‘by chance’, what’s really happening and can we make it happen more often?

9. And, perhaps most importantly of all, what can spending time on an everyday street teach us about navigating complexity at a time when the world is sorely in need of new direction?

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Inspired? Street Wisdom is all about finding better ways. Join a Walkshop near you, or head out for your own wander right now with our Tune Ups. Buy your own copy of Wanderful, all profits go back into Street Wisdom to help keep it free.

In a new series of Walks for you to try out by yourself using our audio guides, we continue with Money. Plug in your earphones, pop your shoes on, and head out to the streets!

When might you want to go on a Money Walk?

Money – marvel, mystery, misery? We all have a relationship with money, the key thing is: are we aware of it? Money can make you feel stuck; money can make you feel free. The wisdom seems to suggest: it’s not a question of how much money you’ve got; it’s how your relationship with it manifests itself. Do you live from month to month? Do you save? Do you invest? Do you start from a scarcity mindset? Or do you know that enough really is enough, and there’s more than enough to go round. Money: we need to walk about it!

What do you need to go on this Walk?

Yourself, of course. (All of those bits of you, no hiding now.) A little bit of time, 45 minutes is great, give yourself an hour if you can. Shoes and weather-proof clothing are useful. And a phone with headphones so you can listen to our audio guides.

OK, let’s go!

And just to say: firstly – thanks for being here. It means you’re doing something for yourself, about yourself, which might make all the difference. Secondly, and more practically, you’re going to do three short Tune Ups to get your amazing navigation system (your body!) into a good place for your Quest, each of about ten minutes. Then you’re going to go on a Quest of about fifteen minutes (longer if you have more time) focused on Money. Right, let’s do this.

Tune Up One: Let’s Get Curious

About 10 mins.

The first Tune Up is all about tuning in to the world around us and getting curious.

Click play and start wandering now.

Tune Up Two: Take Your Time

About 10 mins.

The second Tune Up is about slowing down and making more time, to allow more space between the gaps so to speak.

Click play and start wandering (more slowly!) now.

Tune Up Three: Lighting Up Life

About 10 mins.

The third Tune Up is about sensing the beauty all around you. It really is a beautiful wake-up call. Don’t miss a thing!

Click play and start wandering beautifully now.

The Quest: Money

About 15 mins (or longer if you like).

Now you’re all tuned up, your navigation system (aka your body, your mind, your heart, your DNA, your footprint, your imagination, all your senses including your wonderful sense of self) can go on your Money Quest.

Click play and consider using some of these quests below as prompts for your own Money enquiry

• Streets, show me options for how I can better relate to money
• How can I make today an unusually rich day?
• How can I appreciate the world more?
• Dear streets, give me some money-making ideas
• Hello world, show [insert your name] what [he/she/they] doesn’t know about money
• Show [insert your name] what enough really means

Oh, the advanced version?

Ask a friendly-looking stranger your question. Answers are everywhere, and teachers are everywhere too.

If you’ve found this Money Walk useful

…and we hope you have, then share it with a friend or member of your family. It’s free, after all, and showing them you care really could make all the difference.

If you can, tell us how you found it, email us at [email protected]. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Happy wandering!

*****

Inspired? Fancy some more Street Wisdom? Join a Walkshop near you, or head out for your own wander right now with our Tune Ups. Buy your own copy of Wanderful, all profits go back into Street Wisdom to help keep it free. Share your insights and follow us @StreetWisdom_

Thank you for rawpixel.com for the use of this pic!

Weirdly, wandering is often seen as a negative thing. No one tells you to wander through life. But aren’t we wandering more than we think we are? This extra exercise – which is a great accompaniment to reading Wanderful – is all about enjoying your wandering. You’re welcome!

*****

Inspired? Fancy some more Street Wisdom? Join a Walkshop near you, or head out for your own wander right now with our Tune Ups. Buy your own copy of Wanderful, all profits go back into Street Wisdom to help keep it free. Share your insights and follow us @StreetWisdom_

It’s such a simple idea.

This will stop you in your tracks, honest.

Here goes.

So. Creativity is about connecting the dots. That’s a given. That’s what creatives do. They see links and connections where others don’t.

Great.

But to be able to connect the dots, you’ve got to have some dots in the first place!

(Told you this would be simple.)

So before you can connect them, you’ve got to collect the dots.

And that’s where this wandering business comes in.

We wander the streets (or the forests or the plains) to collect the dots.

And then we connect them.

It’s so simple.

Honestly, it threw us too.

*****

Inspired? Street Wisdom is all about finding better ways. Join a Walkshop near you, or head out for your own wander right now with our Tune Ups. Buy your own copy of Wanderful, all profits go back into Street Wisdom to help keep it free.

Thank you to rawpixel.com for this gorgeous dotty picture!

At the heart of Street Wisdom is a simple, central idea: #SeeThingsDifferently. This extra exercise – which is a great accompaniment to reading Wanderful – is all about playing with your seeing. Enjoy!

*****

Inspired? Fancy some more Street Wisdom? Join a Walkshop near you, or head out for your own wander right now with our Tune Ups. Buy your own copy of Wanderful, all profits go back into Street Wisdom to help keep it free. Share your insights and follow us @StreetWisdom_