Reality. Grief, Hope!
a 3-part series July 24, July 31, August 7
Sundays, 2:30-5:30pm
in-person and on-line
Summer deepening, heat rising. The scorching is unavoidable. Cool deep streams of hope are flowing all around us, and yet, how do we draw these soothing waters into our life? Helping us begin fresh, again and yet again. Together we'll build a strong, fire-proof container, strengthened with art, reflection and dialogue, reminding us that streams of hope are always present. With eyes wide open, we will have the opportunity to share our privately held concerns with others. Over three sessions we will be facing reality; entering the landscape of grief and lament; and discovering the stream of hope that is always flowing from our hearts. The goal of this work is to awaken our relationship with ourselves, our community and the future. Our devotional frames will come from Jewish and Christian lament traditions, mourning ceremonies, prophetic literature, world poetry and stories told.
Schedule for the Series:
July 24: Facing Reality
The road to hope is a spiritual practice that begins with facing reality. The Earth is crying out to us; Injustices scream all around pleading for our attention. Why is it so hard to hear the call? Why is it so hard to respond? Together, we will create a circle of courage as we deepen our truths through reflective writing practices and build resilience through shared dialogue. The Biblical prophets will guide us as we do this transformative work. Theologian Walter Breuggemann describes this confrontation as the urgent task of our time.
July 31: The Landscape of Grief and Lament
This landscape of grief and lament is filled with sadness yes, but also other feelings of fear, anger and numbness too. These feelings are unique according to our own lives. In the supportive strength of our grief circle, people are welcome to share the multitude of feelings we hold in response to the world around us. The shattering of pottery will begin our meditation on brokenness (through the Japanese art of shattering and repairing called Kintsugi). We'll deepen this journey through gestures that activate our bodies' felt experiences, writing laments and learning the art of writing public death notices which alert the community to what is being lost.
August 7: Rivers of Hope
Although the wind blows terribly here/ the moonlight also leaks through the roofplanks/ of this old house. This 1000 yr old poem from Japan carries a deep truth of interconnection. The Hebrew word for brokenness is also the same word for hope. Ash Wednesday leads to the resurrection of hope. The memorial day for mourning, the Ninth of Av, is a day of fasting in the Jewish community, remembering destruction and ending with mythological images of hope and consolation. It takes four generations of Monarch Butterflies to make one round trip of 3000 miles, and it is repeated each year. This final session will focus on the moonlight of hope as we harvest our experiences and explore hope as imagination, hope as trust, hope as connection, hope as power. We'll repair and beautify the ceramics we shattered (Kintsugi), revisit the public impact of our death notices, and dream our future. David's story, Sense of Hope and Wonder, based on the Monarch Butterflies long migrations, will provide our frame.
Co-facilitators for this series are Maggid David Arfa, and Susannah Crolius. David Arfa, Maggid (Hebrew for Storyteller) is also an Educator that explores the spiritual dimensions of wonder, grief, hope and activism. He retrained as a spiritual care provider in 2015, and worked for several years as the chaplain for Providence Behavioral Health Hospital (PBHH) in Holyoke. There, he developed specialties in trauma informed care, spirituality and addiction, and grief and loss. After the sad closing of PBHH, he began his current position as the coordinator for bereavement services for Baystate Hospice where he leads grief support groups and provides one on one grief counseling. You can learn more about Maggid David here.
Cost: We hope you will join us for all 3 sessions in this series, in person or virtually. The cost for the series is on a sliding scale of between $60 - $90. Options for payment include Venmo, Paypal, check or cash.
Space is limited. Please pre-register at artandsoul.wm@gmail.com.
A ZOOM link will be sent upon registration to those who are participating virtually.
a 3-part series July 24, July 31, August 7
Sundays, 2:30-5:30pm
in-person and on-line
Summer deepening, heat rising. The scorching is unavoidable. Cool deep streams of hope are flowing all around us, and yet, how do we draw these soothing waters into our life? Helping us begin fresh, again and yet again. Together we'll build a strong, fire-proof container, strengthened with art, reflection and dialogue, reminding us that streams of hope are always present. With eyes wide open, we will have the opportunity to share our privately held concerns with others. Over three sessions we will be facing reality; entering the landscape of grief and lament; and discovering the stream of hope that is always flowing from our hearts. The goal of this work is to awaken our relationship with ourselves, our community and the future. Our devotional frames will come from Jewish and Christian lament traditions, mourning ceremonies, prophetic literature, world poetry and stories told.
Schedule for the Series:
July 24: Facing Reality
The road to hope is a spiritual practice that begins with facing reality. The Earth is crying out to us; Injustices scream all around pleading for our attention. Why is it so hard to hear the call? Why is it so hard to respond? Together, we will create a circle of courage as we deepen our truths through reflective writing practices and build resilience through shared dialogue. The Biblical prophets will guide us as we do this transformative work. Theologian Walter Breuggemann describes this confrontation as the urgent task of our time.
July 31: The Landscape of Grief and Lament
This landscape of grief and lament is filled with sadness yes, but also other feelings of fear, anger and numbness too. These feelings are unique according to our own lives. In the supportive strength of our grief circle, people are welcome to share the multitude of feelings we hold in response to the world around us. The shattering of pottery will begin our meditation on brokenness (through the Japanese art of shattering and repairing called Kintsugi). We'll deepen this journey through gestures that activate our bodies' felt experiences, writing laments and learning the art of writing public death notices which alert the community to what is being lost.
August 7: Rivers of Hope
Although the wind blows terribly here/ the moonlight also leaks through the roofplanks/ of this old house. This 1000 yr old poem from Japan carries a deep truth of interconnection. The Hebrew word for brokenness is also the same word for hope. Ash Wednesday leads to the resurrection of hope. The memorial day for mourning, the Ninth of Av, is a day of fasting in the Jewish community, remembering destruction and ending with mythological images of hope and consolation. It takes four generations of Monarch Butterflies to make one round trip of 3000 miles, and it is repeated each year. This final session will focus on the moonlight of hope as we harvest our experiences and explore hope as imagination, hope as trust, hope as connection, hope as power. We'll repair and beautify the ceramics we shattered (Kintsugi), revisit the public impact of our death notices, and dream our future. David's story, Sense of Hope and Wonder, based on the Monarch Butterflies long migrations, will provide our frame.
Co-facilitators for this series are Maggid David Arfa, and Susannah Crolius. David Arfa, Maggid (Hebrew for Storyteller) is also an Educator that explores the spiritual dimensions of wonder, grief, hope and activism. He retrained as a spiritual care provider in 2015, and worked for several years as the chaplain for Providence Behavioral Health Hospital (PBHH) in Holyoke. There, he developed specialties in trauma informed care, spirituality and addiction, and grief and loss. After the sad closing of PBHH, he began his current position as the coordinator for bereavement services for Baystate Hospice where he leads grief support groups and provides one on one grief counseling. You can learn more about Maggid David here.
Cost: We hope you will join us for all 3 sessions in this series, in person or virtually. The cost for the series is on a sliding scale of between $60 - $90. Options for payment include Venmo, Paypal, check or cash.
Space is limited. Please pre-register at artandsoul.wm@gmail.com.
A ZOOM link will be sent upon registration to those who are participating virtually.