RORY SPOWERS
“As a species, I believe that our future survival now depends on the speed at which humanity starts to think and make sense of the world in an integrated, systemic and holistic way, allowing us to step back within the parameters of ecological systems.”
Rory Spowers is a writer, campaigner and event curator, specialising in systems change and consciousness issues. His books include A Year in Green Tea and Tuk Tuks, covering the creation of Samakanda, an ecological learning centre in south Sri Lanka, and Rising Tides, a history of ecological thought, critically acclaimed by the UK Sunday Times, The Observer and a variety of magazines. Most recently, Rory was a Writer on Bruce Parry’s 2017 feature documentary Tawai, and since 2015 has been Creative Director of the Tyringham Initiative, a world-class think-tank for new paradigm projects and consciousness studies. Rory is also Lead Curator for Amorevore Food and Consciousness Festival and launched The Re-Generation in 2019, a new educational media and events platform, highlighting people and projects working for systemic change and regenerative culture.
Follow Rory:
www.theregeneration.me
www.samakanda.org
www.tyringhaminitiative.com
“[I HAVE] long seen Ayurveda as one of the oldest and most evolved plant-based medical systems on the planet.”
What does Ayurveda mean to you?
I have long accepted the maxim that biological organisms need biological medicines to truly heal in a systemic fashion. Modern chemically-based, synthesised medicines are inherently at odds with biological systems and can only repress symptoms, never truly address root causes — and invariably cause systemic side effects. Associated iatrogenic [nb: caused by medical examination or treatment] illnesses, created by these "medicines" themselves, are now the third leading killer in the U.S. after heart disease and cancer. Some studies suggest even worse. So, millions of people are dying from the very medicines that are supposed to be curing them. This is the insanity of the modern human condition, as we have stepped so far out of natural systems. It correlates with the way we deal with topsoil and our food and farming systems. As someone once wisely said, “For every complex problem, there is an answer which is clear, simple and wrong.” This is at the core of why we are busy destroying the very life-support systems of our planet and careering towards self-termination!
I have always had a deep passion for Indian culture and long seen Ayurveda as one of the oldest and most evolved plant-based medical systems on the planet.
When did you discover it? How long have you been practising it?
I dabbled on various visits to India in my 20s and 30s, then delved more deeply in when I moved to Sri Lanka in 2004 to start my ecological project Samakanda. This was much inspired by Ulpotha, a spectacular Sri Lankan yoga retreat started by friends in the late ‘90s and which now has an established Ayurveda programme.
What drew you to Ayurveda?
I remember travelling in India when I was 18, back in 1985. After months of giardia and amoebic dysentery, the only relief came from some Ayurvedic products.
Has it helped you with anything major?
Numerous times over the years in Sri Lanka I watched friends succumb to tropical stomach bugs, infections and viruses and struggle to heal with antibiotics and endless pills. Every time I used Ayurveda with almost immediate success. With one extreme exception, neither of my children ever had antibiotics and were always treated with Ayurveda or homeopathy.
Is Ayurveda part of your everyday life or just for your medicine cabinet or fall-back routine?
If in India or Sri Lanka, it is always my first port of call when needed. Back in Europe, I will use Ayurveda when I can and always take a naturopathic and biological approach.
What are your top 3 Ayurvedic tips that have worked for you?
Black cumin seed oil, turmeric, neem and tulsi (holy basil) are all extraordinary in their efficacy for a whole host of issues.
What surprised you most about Ayurveda?
The sophisticated diagnosis done simply from taking pulses.
What do you wish was easier in our society to make an Ayurvedic lifestyle more accessible?
A deeper understanding that these approaches work in a way that allopathic western medicine simply can’t, when treating systemic chronic conditions. When necessary, western interventionist medicine is miraculous. For example, one does not turn to a homeopath immediately when surgery is needed after an accident. But when treating systemic, chronic conditions, from cancer to intestinal parasites, western medicine has a limited arsenal to work with. Heavy antibiotics can kill off bad infections of course, but at the expense of destroying the highly complex micro-biome gut flora. As a species, I believe that our future survival now depends on the speed at which humanity starts to think and make sense of the world in an integrated, systemic and holistic way, allowing us to step back within the parameters of ecological systems. Without us doing so, we are doomed to keep repeating the same mistakes, as exemplified by our faith in things like ludicrous chemical geo-engineering schemes to deal with climate change. These are short-sighted “downstream” linear solutions to the symptoms of a deeply dysfunctional culture, when we need “upstream,” cyclical and regenerative solutions to remove the root of the problem so that it does not keep arising.
Do people around you/in your circle of friends know about Ayurveda?
Not enough. But more and more people are waking up to realise that all these ancient modalities, that we have discredited in favour of western science, actually work. They evolved over millennia and are highly refined and sophisticated when applied by a trained practitioner. The limitations of modern medicine are being increasingly revealed. They may work in the short-term, suppressing symptoms, but always at the expense of some other part within the system.
Want to hear more from Rory? Click the flyer below for more information on his upcoming event, “An introduction to systems change and regenerative culture,” which is happening on 11 February 2020 at 93 Feet East on Brick Lane in London.
