THE COUNCIL OF ALL BEINGS
Voices For The Voiceless
Sunday, December 22nd, 2019 | Portland, OR
Eagle Woman by Susan Seddon-Boulet
“The divine communicates to us primarily through the language of the natural world.
Not to hear the natural world is not to hear the divine.”
~
Thomas Berry
This experiential workshop is centered around a communal ritual called The Council Of All Beings, where we call on animal, plant, mineral, microbial, and elemental life to speak through us and express what needs to be said and heard in these times of environmental collapse. Giving a voice to the voiceless by naming and expressing the hopes, desires, sorrows, fears, and insights of the other beings we share this world with, deepens our sense of interconnectedness with all forms of life. By moving beyond our isolated selves and reconnecting with this wider sense of kinship, we can experience a sense of family beyond the human, and be strengthened and inspired in our commitment to care for and defend the living Earth.
Through mask making, group sharing, sacred song, and ritual gesture, we will come together on the land to give expression to the wild, and open to the wisdom of the "others". 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 grief we feel for the destruction of our more-than-human kin is ongoing and inescapable. We need transformative spaces where despair can be released, our hearts can be empowered to remain responsive to the challenges of these times, and our minds can imagine new ways of bringing our 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 has been facilitating healing and transformation with individuals, families, and groups for over two decades. Over that time she has come to trust deeply in the power of sacred grief work, ancestral connection, earth-honoring ritual, and the creative healing arts as alchemical pathways to restoring a sense of belonging within ourselves, between each other, and with the world. Lara’s personal story includes many fierce initiations through trauma and loss, leading to a hard-won respect for the 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