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Numina Center presents "A Time In The Ashes" with Francis Weller
The Numina Center for Spirituality & the Arts presents a Friday evening presentation & a Saturday all-day workshop with Francis Weller at the Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa.

Many cultures see the time of grief following significant loss as a time of living in the ashes. It's a time of mourning, of digesting and metabolizing the sorrows that accompany loss. This season of sorrow is a period of interiority, a sacred time during which we are deepened by the work of grieving. We are remade during these times, broken open to the night world of soul where we recognize our intimate connection to the world. We return from this time in the ashes as men and women carrying gravitas for the community.But, what happens when our grief is not offered time and space to be acknowledged? Where does it go and how does it shape our daily life? Left unattended, our sorrows seep underground, darkening our days. Our unexpressed sorrows, the congested stories of loss, left untouched, block our access to the vitality of the soul. To be able to freely move in and out of the soul’s inner chambers, we must first clear the way. This requires finding meaningful ways to speak of sorrow.

On Friday February 24th, we will explore the soul’s relation to grief, and how grief shared deepens our capacity for compassion and eases the congested sorrows that cloud our hearts. We will discuss the Five Gates of Grief and ways to bring a soft attention to the layers of grief in our lives. We will also explore the obstacles to grief that hinder our ability to empty the bowl of grief that we carry. During this season of Lent, we are invited to honor the ashes of our losses and remember that “where there is sorrow, there is holy ground.”

On Saturday February 25th, there will be an all-day grief ritual with Francis Weller. During our time together, we will create a space to share our stories of loss and have them held in a circle of care. Utilizing the potent tools of writing practice and ritual, we will build a community of concerned hearts, and we will coax our grief and suffering into the visible world. It is the heart aroused, the heart willing to acknowledge the sorrows in our soul, and in the soul of the world, that is also capable of loving the world fully.

This gathering will include:
• Writing practice to assist in opening our stories of loss
• A community grief ritual, one of the most ancient art forms
• Avenues to express our grief over world events
• Small group work to deepen your writing process
• Deepening our trust in our emotional and body wisdom
• Awareness of cultural obstacles to grief such as ‘private pain’
• The poetic imagination to encourage our entry into the well of grief

Francis Weller MA, has been working with the emotional, creative and spiritual life of men and women for over thirty years. Francis is a community builder, writer, teacher and psychotherapist in Northern California. He draws from and extensive background in depth psychology, mythology, group work and indigenous traditions. His work embodies his love of soul, the arts, ritual and his devotion to bringing these into living and sustainable community. He has taught at numerous colleges, including New College of California, Sonoma State University and the Sophia Center in Oakland. He is the founder/director of WisdomBridge and is the author of a new book: Entering the Healing Ground: Grief, Ritual and the Soul of the World.

"Entering the Healing Ground takes us into the sacred territory of grief and ritual. Francis sees the importance of ritual as a language that speaks to the deepest layers of being human. He brings a healer’s touch to a terrain often neglected and denied in Western Culture. As such, he guides us into the difficult geography of sorrow and helps us find our way back to our souls. He brings much needed medicine to a culture that relies upon distraction and anesthesia to cope with the daily losses that surround us. This is a bold book, one that does not turn away from the immense territory of loss and suffering. He has kept faith with his indigenous soul and this offering is greatly needed." ~ Malidoma Somé, author The Healing Wisdom of Africa: Finding Life Purpose Through Nature, Ritual, and Community.

Who: Francis Weller
When: February 24th and 25th
Where: Church of the Incarnation, Santa Rosa
Info: www.NuminaCenter.org
Tickets: http://francisweller1.eventbrite.com/ - Lecture page
http://francisweller2.eventbrite.com/ - Workshop page

Many blessings to all of you!

02-24-2012

Numina Center presents "A Time In The Ashes" with Francis Weller

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