|
May 4-6, 2018
The Joyful Soul and Dance of Grief WAS AMAZING!! We will do it again sometime. Here's what we did: The focus of this weekend healing retreat is on helping you build the capacity to thrive in a world that offers many reasons to grieve, strengthening your capacity to work through grief, and helping you develop the capacity to be a nurturing presence for yourself and others, regardless of outer circumstances. You will be supported in releasing grief from the body in a ritual ceremony with drumming and simple chants. Chant and drum are spiritual technologies that build community, support the ability to access and express grief, and invite joy. A specific use of sound and movement will help you gently let go of grief that is bottled up in your tissues, in your unconscious. Many people find that this experience helps them connect with a more authentic and jubilant self. Communal Ritual led by African drummer Onye Onyemaechi. For more than 30 years, Onye has brought African drumming and ritual to groups worldwide to elevate consciousness and promote deep healing. He is our resident minister for the weekend and will also be available for private consults. Grief Dula Sheridan Hill will lead chanting to soothe us and inspire vocal release of grief. She has worked with grief since losing a parent to gun violence as a teenager, and has hosted the Black Mountain Grief Circle since 2015. Sheridan's career as a biographer centers around the transformative power of releasing story. Kim Hughes' spiritual journey led her from psychologist to sound healer and spiritual adviser after concluding that, “As spiritual and human beings, our egos are rightly the servants of our Sacred Selves, or souls,” she said. Many people who have heard Kim say that her gentle presence in a room is palpable. Kim will use crystal bowls and vocalizing to nurture us. Julia Considine, MPH, blends 20 years of cross-cultural healing modalities with formal training in health and healing. Julia is our grief shepherd. The lovely, Irish, Catherine Rich will offer, during our ceremonial grief ritual, a 15-minute therapeutic reflexology session for each participant. She receives her NC massage therapist license in April. Organic, vegetarian food prepared by Chelsea Monard Fox, a mother and an earth steward who finds great joy in nourishing people with homemade food. Chelsea loves eating wild foods, teaching earth-based education & mindful eating. Ceremonial fire circle and walking barefoot by the Swannanoa River for grounding, purification, and healing (the Friends meeting house sits at the confluence of the Flat Creek and the Swannanoa River) Grief is a portal. We don't ask to go there, usually are dragged there, but if you find yourself at the threshold of grief, or in close proximity to others who are grieving, you do have choices to make, including:
LOCATION: Friday and Saturday of this healing weekend will be held at the Swannanoa Valley Friends Meeting house in Black Mountain, a few miles east of Asheville. The peaceful property is set back, privately, and stands at the fork of the Swannanoa River and the Flat Creek. Sunday morning's session will be held at Harmony Hill, a private residence a few miles away in Black Mountain. LODGING OPTIONS: FREE - SVFM, limit 5 - Five people may bring sleeping bags and sleep in the Swannanoa Friends meetinghouse for free, however you must be completely cleared out Sunday at 8 AM when they come in to set up for their Sunday service. We envision a weekend that guides you in connecting with a more authentic you. The Flow of the Weekend Acknowledging Grief as a Gateway Preparing to Meet the Forces of Grief Understanding Community Supported Grieving Engaging the Heart Acknowledging and Releasing Anger Being Present With What Is Connecting with All is Well Space is limited. General info is now available at EventBrite: details will be sent out to the Healing Circle email list. Email Sheridan to get on the list. |
|
Chelsea Monard Fox, our food steward mama.
