“…in this shadowed terrain [of these times] we encounter a landscape familiar to soul—loss, grief, death, uncertainty, vulnerability, and fear. We have—in the old language of alchemy—crossed into the nigredo, the blackening. The alchemists described this time as a season of decay, of shedding and endings, of falling apart and undoing. It is not difficult to see these are the conditions of our world. This is not a time of rising and growth. It is not a time of confidence and ease. No. We are hunkered down. … From the perspective of soul, down is holy ground… How can we meet these times with courage and faith? Courage to keep our hearts open to face the world as it is and faith that something lingers in the descent. How can we, once again, come to see the holiness that dwells in the darkness?”
~Francis Weller, in, In the Absence of the Ordinary: Soul Work for Uncertain Times, p. 2.
Are you longing to be in the circle with other facilitators? Do you find a deep need to connect with yourself, others, and the sacred, however that is defined for you, especially during these times?
Please join us as we co-create a space of deep caring for our souls, and as we nurture sacred ground for truth and healing, touching on themes such as:
- Attuning to deep listening, acknowledging the wisdom of ourselves, others, and the web of life.
- Exploring restraint and healthy limitation: ripening before moving into action, invoking the sacred “no,” finding alignment with our souls and what the world needs.
- Developing our capacity for turning to wonder, for not knowing.
- Calling forth and imagining regenerative, life-giving possibilities.
- Presuming nothing, staying open to what’s next?
As facilitators with a commitment to and passion for deepening spirituality, Mary Peters and Marcia Eames-Sheavly aim to bring the fullness of our experiences to this program. We are eager to be in the circle with you, and we’re committed to making this available for all members of our collaboration; more to come about program materials and their availability.
The facilitators’ interest in this topic has been seeded throughout our Courage & Renewal work, and has most recently become more fertile through our involvement in the two-year Souls on Deck cohort experience which was supported in part by a Lilly Endowment. We are grateful to continue ways of centering the Sacred in our work as facilitators.
Our Complex Lives as Sacred Ground will be grounded in the Courage & Renewal® approach which you can learn more about in Parker J. Palmer’s book, A Hidden Wholeness. All Courage & Renewal facilitators are welcome.
The Center for Courage & Renewal and its facilitators do not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, height, weight, physical or mental ability, veteran status, military obligations, and marital status.
