The Kindling Songs
cyndele — to light up · cynd — nature, what we are made of
The Kindling Songs is a participatory musical journey that follows the arc of Joanna Macy's ‘The Work That Reconnects’: arriving with gratitude, honouring the pain, seeing with new eyes, and going forth. In times of complexity and accumulating crises, the music invites us to tap into our inner strength, reestablish ourselves as nature, and heal ourselves individually and collectively — reminding us that in difficult times, we still hold the power to forge new stories and reclaim our shared future.
Between the Trees Festival
Glimpses from Previous Gatherings
To the Wild
It Will Find You
Roots
(We Are Not) The Wall — Reprise
Reimagining the Album as a Participatory App
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The industry stripped the context and containers away from music releases with mp3s and streaming. Remember the vinyl sleeves and the inlays that were sometimes whole works of art in themselves? The Kindling Songs app reclaims that space and turbo-drives it with a deeper dive into the possibilities opened up by the Work That Reconnects framing.
Each song comes with an intro, a video, reflection questions, suggested activities to explore, and the opportunity to reflect — and to gather those reflections up to receive your own kindling…
Step inside the app →
The Kindling
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For anyone keen to stay with the trouble and explore new ways of living and being, there are a lot of resources out there waiting for your attention. Books, podcasts, practices, substacks, coaches, whole movements.
It can be overwhelming!
The Kindling is a curated glimpse into this world — resources that have actually helped me navigate the strange weight of living through these times.
If you add your own reflections in the app, you’ll be offered a bespoke armful of kindling for your own fires — resources tailored to the themes of those reflections.
You’re welcome to explore the kindling at any time →
The Spiral of the Work That Reconnects
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1st Movement: Coming from Gratitude
The spiral begins in appreciation — for the living world, for each other, for simply being here. Gratitude steadies us and opens the heart, so that what comes next can be met rather than avoided.
Songs
- They Say
- She, Me and My Mirror
- The Call to Action: (We Are Not) The Wall
2nd Movement: Honouring the Pain for the World
We let ourselves feel what's genuinely hard — grief, fear, anger, despair — without rushing past it. Joanna Macy's insight is that this pain is evidence of love and connection, not a private failing, and that it moves through us more easily when it's witnessed by others.
Songs
- The Burn
- Human
- The Boldest Devastation
3rd Movement: Seeing with New Eyes
Having metabolised the pain rather than pushed it down, perception shifts. We start to notice we're part of something larger than the isolated self — a web of relationship and support that was there all along.
Songs
- It Will Find You
- To the Wild
- Roots
4th Movement: Going Forth
The final turn, back out into the world. Not with answers, necessarily, but with renewed energy and a clearer sense of what's ours to do next.
Songs
- Down to the River
- The Bluest Skies
- The Long Way Back
Format
- Length — 60–90 min
- Set-up — solo acoustic, minimal PA
- Gatherings — house concerts, folk clubs, cultural centres, festivals, workplaces, arts & music venues, ecological & social change festivals, intentional communities, wellbeing & workplace events
Keynote Concerts
Looking for something different to kickstart your conference or event? Music lands in the heart and the body before it moves up to the mind. If you’re hosting conversations or workshops on regenerative practice, ecology, the climate crisis, or the future of economy or governance, why not let the music do the work of embodiment for you? The Kindling Songs can be adapted to your needs.
Get in touch
If you’d like The Kindling Songs at your festival, school, retreat or gathering — or you’re just curious whether it would fit — tell me about your room and your people. I read everything that comes in.
or leave a few details and I’ll come back to you