WHOLEHEARTED
PATH
COUNCIL OF ALL BEINGS
Voices For The Voiceless
Sunday, December 22nd, 2019 | Portland, OR
Eagle Woman by Susan Seddon-Boulet
“The anima mundi — the soul of the world — is trying to speak. It’s telling us that its capacity to mend itself is at risk.
And we are a part of the anima mundi, intimately tangled in this net of events.”
~
Joanna Macy
This experiential workshop is centered around The Council Of All Beings, a communal ritual where we call on other-than-human life-forms to speak through us and express what needs to be said and heard in these times of ecological devastation. Expanding our sense of identity to acknowledge, name, and give voice to the hopes, desires, sorrows, outrage, insights, and wisdom of other beings deepens awareness of our interconnectedness with other forms of life, and strengthens our commitment to care for and defend the living Earth. The simple structure of this ritual allows us to experience a wider sense of family as we move beyond our isolated selves and reconnect with the beauty and power of our kinship with all life.
Through mask making, sharing, song, and ritual, we will create a sacred circle from which to give spontaneous expression to the suffering of our world. We will welcome the voices of all those who wish to participate in our Council, whether whale or wolf; ocean or oak tree; forest or firefly; honeybee or mountain. For many of us the deep grief we feel for the destruction of our more-than-human kin is ongoing and inescapable. We need transformative ritual spaces where that despair can be expressed and released so that our hearts remain open and responsive to the needs of these times, and our minds can imagine new ways of bringing our unique gifts forward in service to the healing and renewal of our magnificent world.
“We can hear it in water, wood, and even in stone.
We are earth of this earth, and we are bone of its bone.”
~
Barbara Deming
Lara Lwin Treadaway facilitates healing and transformation in community, weaving earth-honoring ritual, experiential group work, ways of council, poetry, storytelling, and song. She believes that sacred grief work, ancestral healing, earth reconnection, and the creative arts are pathways to restoring deep belonging within ourselves, between each other, and with the other-than-human world. Lara’s personal story includes many deep initiations through grief, loss, and trauma, leading to a hard-won respect for the alchemical journey of transmuting our pain into medicine for the world.
DETAILS
DATE/TIME: Saturday, December 22, 2019 | 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
LOCATION: The Little Church, 5138 NE 23rd Ave, Portland, OR 97211., OR
RECIPROCITY: Suggested Sliding Scale $50 - $150
10% of the profits from this workshop will be donated to Chintimini Wildlife Center, Corvallis, OR
In the spirit of the gift economy, you are invited to give what you are able to.
Work trade and scholarships are available. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
If you are able to contribute more than suggested please consider doing so to support this work.
Space is limited. Early registration recommended.
If you have any questions please contact Lara:
TESTIMONIALS
"The ritual cleared and cleansed me, the next day I felt a great capacity to hold life and things that were unbearable before.
It was a life-changing practice that I intend to make a part of my life on a regular basis. Lara is an extraordinary
spirit and a skillful facilitator. The container she created felt incredibly safe and inclusive allowing me
to do very deep work. This ritual is a much-needed balm for healing the collective."
~ Jana Holm, Portland, OR
"Those of us who love the earth and are awoke to what is happening are carrying so much grief. Taking the time to feel and express grief for disappearing species, desecrated places, and our difficult future does not mean we are giving up, but rather it can
re-energize us to continue our activism. Grief is the other side of love and we can’t have one without the other, yet there
are so few places where our grief is welcomed and accepted and can be fully expressed in community."
~ Sharon Blick, Eugene, OR
"Incredible! Amazing work! In these times of such incredible devastation in the world, and so much fear and rage and grief, this is exactly the kind of support that people need. Not only do I feel lighter but I feel more focused, more empowered, more resilient,
and clearer about what my role can be in this time of unraveling of our beautiful planet. I arrived feeling hopeless and
utterly in despair. I left feeling inspired and ready to cherish my life and to keep on loving this world. So deeply
grateful for Lara and the grief she has moved through to be able to hold others in this way."
~ Jenna Michaels, Portland, OR
"Lara’s insight, knowledge and compassion to serve people through the process of grief is so powerful and wise.
It’s very evident she has devoted herself to this much needed practice of healing. The love and
acceptance she evokes in this work is truly moving and powerful."
~ Gina Shuman, San Luis Obispo, CA
"This is a great opportunity to explore and express your grief, where you can truly go to very deep places and feel safe doing it,
being held by a facilitator who is kind, compassionate, powerful and experienced. Lara, I love the combination of your
skills and experience, your love and deep compassion for the work, your humor and seriousness with the
process, your kindness and the over abiding love that you share."
~ Jack Leishman, Ashland, OR
"Simply put, Lara is ideally suited for this sacred alchemical work. She has the capacity to hold deep space for the sorrows
of the world while being firmly rooted in the healing power of the good, the true, and the beautiful.”
~ Freyja Swan-Utsman, San Luis Obispo, CA