11/12/2021
I am currently running these 3 'Gathering in the Twilight' sessions in the woods. I will probably run them again in 2022.
Meetings with Nature
Gathering in the Twilight
A series of three, monthly sessions during the autumn and winter.
We are living through times of profound change: Covid 19, the climate crisis, the ecological crisis, and the personal crises that accompany these. Some talk of us being in the last gasp of capitalism and the patriarchy with their divisiveness, oppressions and abuses of us all and of the earth herself. I think the majority of us feel wounded by this. We are at the end of an era and we are experiencing the chaos, turmoil and reactivity of such times. Many of us are saying ‘enough’, for example Extinction Rebellion, , Black Lives Matter and many other groups and movements.
There is a powerful feeling that humanity is out of balance and that we need to draw on different values, qualities and ways of being if we are to survive and thrive. How can we find ways to heal ourselves and our communities, and to remember that we are all inextricably connected with the wider Natural World and the Earth, our home? We will be exploring these questions together during these three gatherings.
As the year turns and the nights grow in length we will meet in the woods to do the work of heart-opening in the darkening days of autumn and winter, to feel held by Nature and the many beings who live in the woods, to grieve for our struggling earth and to honour and celebrate the sanctity of ourselves, each other and of all life.
We will call on the Veiled One, an archetype from the Sufi tradition. She reveals herself in the soft light of dawn and dusk. We can reach her by listening to the breeze in the trees and to our own needs, by attuning to our senses and intuition and by gently calling her.
She is the hidden face of our wounds – our shame, fear and anger. Often she has no voice to tell of her plight. At other times she must be silenced lest she say too much.
She visits us in our dreams and yearnings. She leads us to our own unique truths and she beckons us to the deep mystery within us.
Drawing on traditions of Wicca and Sufism, the practices of Joanna Macy, and reaching in to our own knowing and wisdom we will meet in a small group – no more than eight – and walk to a nearby place by the stream. We will warm ourselves around a fire and share our experiences. I will suggest ways of connecting with the other species and beings around us. We will create a ceremonial and safe space to express ourselves, to honour life and to begin to heal.
Sundays 17 October; 21 November; 19 December 2021
2pm – 4.30pm
Sliding scale of £40 - £90 according to your means for the 3 sessions
I will be asking people to commit to all 3 sessions so that we can get to know each other more and feel more able to share our experience with each other.
Please email me for more information and to book
Sue Ryall: I have always felt the tug from the land, the sky, plants, birds and animals, finding connection by being in woods, fields, watching birds, listening to the wind in the trees... My spiritual path has underpinned my life. I am drawn by mystery. I have had a regular Sufi practice for many years and am part of running ‘Celebration of Life’, a monthly gathering in Stroud for people of all faiths and none. I have been actively involved in ecopsychology over the past 15 years: undertaking trainings in ‘Nature Based Practices’, running groups based on Joanna Macy’s ‘Work that Reconnects’ and others to strengthen people’s connection with the land. I am engaged with XR and in exploring ways we will need to adapt emotionally and psychologically with the changes we are facing. I have been a psychotherapist for over 30 years.
sueryall52@gmail.com www.meetingswithnature.com
Time spent in nature can make us feel better. We often feel more at ease or settled in woods, among trees, listening to birds, being with animals, feeling the wind on our skin, the rain or sun on our face.
