Soil, Soul, Society:
Braziers Park’s Guiding Vision for 2025 and Beyond
At Braziers Park School of Integrative Social Research, we are embarking on a renewed journey in 2025, guided by the triad of Soil, Soul, Society – a profound framework of ecological and spiritual consciousness articulated by educator, activist, and thinker Satish Kumar. This philosophy will shape our calendar of events, workshops, and courses inspiring participants to engage with the natural world, deepen inner awareness, and cultivate sustainable communities.
Rooted in Soil
Kumar’s invitation to reconnect with Soil echoes Braziers Park’s long-standing relationship with the land. Our 55-acre estate has been a living classroom for sustainable agriculture and ecological experimentation since its founding in 1950. Just as Kumar encourages reverence for the Earth and a re-balancing of human-nature relationships, Braziers has always offered a place to live, learn, and grow in conscious connection with the land.
This connection stretches back to our founder, Norman Glaister, and his pioneering involvement in the Grith Fyrd movement – a network of rural communities established in the 1930s as a response to the alienation of industrial modernity. Grith Fyrd aimed to bring people back to the soil, rebuilding life around craft, self-sufficiency, and meaningful labour. These same principles remain alive today in our educational and communal practices.
Nourishing the Soul
The second strand of Kumar’s vision, Soul, speaks to the inner life of the individual – the cultivation of peace, empathy, and self-awareness. At Braziers, we honour this inner work through reflective practice, group process, and creative exploration. Our School of Integrative Social Research was founded on the belief that personal transformation and social evolution go hand-in-hand.
The inner life was also at the heart of the Order of the Woodcraft Chivalry, another key influence in Braziers’ heritage. This early 20th-century movement promoted growth of character and conscience through ritual, nature connection, and communal living. Closely associated with this was the pioneering of the early Forest School Camps, where young people were invited to learn through experience, cooperation, and immersion in the natural world. These camps fostered emotional intelligence, resilience, and moral development long before these became mainstream educational goals.
Norman and his wife Dorothy Glaister’s involvement in both The Forest School (a pioneering progressive school in the UK, established in the early 20th century) and Forest School Camps as well as the Grith Fyrd movement shaped the founding ethos of Braziers Park: Living close to nature and within a supportive community nurtures not only the intellect but also the soul.
Contributing to Society
The final dimension of Kumar’s trilogy, Society, calls for compassionate action in the world – a commitment to building inclusive, cooperative communities rooted in ecological justice and human dignity. Braziers Park has long served as a microcosm for such experiments in living. As a residential community, research centre, and home for alternative education, we offer spaces where individuals can question dominant paradigms, explore new social models, and co-create futures based on mutual care and sustainability.
Central to this is our practice of the Community Sensory Process – a unique method of deep listening, collective reflection, and group adaptation developed at Braziers in the 1950s. Emerging from our founders’ interest in Depth Psychology and group dynamics, it supports shared understanding, emotional intelligence, and non-hierarchical decision-making. The process remains a living part of our community life and educational practice, helping people connect across differences and cooperate with awareness and care.
Join Us
As we move into 2025 and beyond, our programme will host a range of public events – from immersive retreats to skill-sharing workshops, and participatory courses – all grounded in the living principles of Soil, Soul, Society. These offerings will continue Braziers’ legacy as a place of radical inquiry and rooted practice, where past and future meet in the service of a more conscious world.
We invite you to walk this path with us – whether as a visitor, participant, volunteer, or member. Together, let’s explore how caring for the Earth, tending to the inner self, and building compassionate communities can become not only a vision, but a lived reality.
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If this vision speaks to you, we invite you to take the next step. Browse our upcoming courses and gatherings – each one presents an opportunity to learn, connect, and contribute to a more regenerative and compassionate world.
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