Offerings

On my offerings–
I believe strongly in the power of ritual and ceremony to transmute sorrow and loss into the healing of individuals, communities, and the Earth. Programs vary in theme and may range from four hours to three days, each one a different alchemical soup of processes including mindfulness and body-centered exercises, the expressive arts, ritual, and earth-based practices. My orientation to this work is as soul activism, recognizing that grief work is restorative, not about ‘fixing,’ but about the deep restoration of our connection to self, community, and the Earth. I believe this approach reflects what we are called to embody in this critical time. Read more about grief work as soul activism here.

Past offerings–
• Sacred Grief, Sacred Rage, Sacred Play, Haw River State Park, 2023, 2024
• Wintering: Tending the Dark Waters of Soul, Haw River State Park, 2024
• Staying Present and Connected in the Face of Uncertainty, workshop with school teachers; Foqus Foundation, Naples, Italy, 2023
• Tending the Waters of Our Grief, Deer Thicket Sanctuary, 2021, 2022
• Tending the Waters of Our Soul: A Monthly Online Group to Nurture Inward Awakening, 2022
• Art as Therapeutic Process, Elon University, 2020–ongoing
• Grief-Tending the Losses of 2020, The School at Space for Conscious Living, 2021
• Eco-Grief Tending in Community, Elon University, 2020, 2021
• Tending Grief in Times of Turmoil, The School at Space for Conscious Living, 2020
• Entering the Healing Ground, The School at Space for Conscious Living, 2020
• Entering the Healing Ground, Holistic Commons, 2019
• Monthly Grief-Tending Gatherings, College Park Baptist Church, 2019

On cultural exchange and cultural appropriation–
Similar to the dispersion of seeds by water and air, which leads to the creation of hybrid plants, diverse human cultures have historically encountered one another, engaging in genuine exchanges that interweave and blend cultural practices, resulting in the emergence of new, integrated forms. However, under the legacy of colonialism and capitalism these practices are often co-opted by dominant cultures, removed from their indigenous contexts, and used without proper acknowledgment, credit, compensation, or benefit to the originating culture. This appropriation of culture commodifies it, leading to its exploitation and potentially contributing to the erosion of the culture itself. In my work, any rituals, songs, or practices from non-dominant cultures are approached with deep respect and gratitude. They have been shared and gifted with blessings to aid in our collective healing. I am committed to acknowledging and honoring the sources of these practices, recognizing the responsibility that comes with engaging with them.