The Sacred Art of Presencing Together
Saturday April 13th from 2 to 7 pm
Held in the Buddha Room (Room 9 at People’s Church)
Based on my own work and the work of Thomas Hubl and Joanna Macy, this gathering is to create a sacred and embodied container to surface difficult feelings and be seen, heard and held in community. I am offering this work in response to a deep need that I witness to have collective healing spaces and processes available to hold and transform uncomfortable thoughts and emotions. We will also learn skills to more deeply cultivate our ability to witness, to center and ground, to experience our interdependence and reframe problems as pathways of detoxification and transformation.
A brief outline of the day is as follows:
- Gather and Introductions
- Setting the stage talk / logistics and introduction to the work
- Qigong / and movement activity to orient to the room and each other
- Introduction to the Truth Mandala
- Brief Ceremony to create a sacred container
- Truth Mandala
- Ceremony to close the Mandala
- Break with art supplies and snacks available
- Dream / Vision Circle ( This involves envisioning our hearts desires for a beautiful, sustainable, regenerative world)
- Closing
The Truth Mandala is drawn from Joanna Macy’s work called The Work That Reconnects. It involves drawing a circle divided into four sections on the floor. The sections each have an object and a word. They are Fear, Grief, Emptiness and Anger. People sit around the circle in chairs and sit in silence (Quaker Style) until someone feels moved to get up and stand in one of the spaces holding the object. They then share their feelings and thoughts related to the word that they have chosen. The rest of the circle bears witness in silence (there are clear instructions on how to witness before we start). When they are finished they can step into another space or sit back down. The group witnesses in silence until the next person steps in. The whole process will be held in a sacred, alchemical and confidential container a clear opening and closing.
The Facilitator: Kat VanHammen is a former member of People’s Church and currently lives near Saugatuck. She has a masters degree in expressive arts therapy and is a yoga and Qigong teacher. She has more than 40 years experience teaching and leading workshops, ceremony and gatherings. Her adult life has been committed to trying to look more deeply and systemically into our culture and to find the tools to meet our current needs and challenges in an embodied, compassionate, rooted and creative way.
Cost is $60 – Some scholarships available.
To attend please pay and reserve with Kat at: Venmo. Tomkat658
Or send a check to Kat VanHammen 2742 62nd St, Fennville, MI 49408
Questions? Katvanhammen@gmail.com or 616 204-0219