Coming Back to Life: Working with Grief and Gratitude through Planetary Crisis
By Contributor
On November 17 and 18, Kootenay residents have a rare opportunity to engage with a presentation and workshop based on The Work that Reconnects co-hosted by the Vallican Whole Community Centre. Developed by long-time activist Joanna Macy, this work aims to access our deeper sources of power and will appeal to both new activists as well as long time change-makers who are feeling bogged down in the current political climate. Folks can attend either or both events.
On Friday November 17, as part of the Vallican Whole “Whole Perspective” series, activists Marya Follingsbee, Gabriel Keczan and K.L. Kivi will be presenting “Working with Grief and Gratitude amidst the Crisis of our Times.” The presentation begins at 7pm sharp and admission is by donation.
On Saturday there will be a day-long workshop co-presented with the Vallican Whole. We will use talking, movement, voice and witnessing to explore our place in deep time and our power to live with intention in this fraught moment. Grief, praise, numbness, awe, gratitude, deep sorrow, wonder, insignificance, ancestral memory, presence – it’s all good. The facilitators will create a container for safely exploring and creating a community of deeper interconnectness and support.
“I connected with my friend Candace at a Joanna Macy workshop in Nelson over 20 years ago,” said organizer K.L. Kivi, “and we have been stalwart friends, allies and activist cohorts ever since. The workshop opened us up to each other and what it takes to keep on going. People need the strength of community to sustain their commitment to activist work.”
As facilitators, Marya, Gabriel and K.L. draw on their own experiences as activists in wilderness conservation, women’s issues, men’s work, grief work, watershed protection, Indigenous solidarity, youth empowerment, LGBTQ2s activism, etc. They also bring their skills from Art Therapy, Theatre of the Oppressed, Collaborative Empowerment work and Spiritual Ceremony among other modalities. They have each been called to do this work as a result of recognizing their own need for it, and listening to the stories of their friends and allies.
The workshop will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m on Saturday November 18. Cost is $60 – $200 (if cost is a barrier, please talk to us. No one will be refused admission for lack of ability to pay.). Please register early to ensure a place: marya.bee@gmail.com or Gabriel at 778-463-4447.
The Whole is located at 3762 Little Slocan S Road. For more info visit FB/TheWhole.
