Offered as a part of the Earth and Spirit Council’s 20th Anniversary event at PCC-Sylvania. Speaking on Panel of Elders on Friday Evening, April 20, 2012, workshop on Saturday, April 21 at 9 AM.

For more information go to the conference information site here.

Workshop Description:

With our planet and economies in crisis, our political process in chaos, and our cultural story in transition, many people feel hopeless, cynical, or despairing. Active Hope is an empowering, creative stance for meeting these challenges. This workshop, based largely on the work of eco-philosopher Joanna Macy, explores new ways in which we can face these issues, find inspiration, and embody our gifts for the healing of our world. Through the use of deep dialogue, group ritual, music, and our own wild imaginings, we will explore together the ground of gratitude, honor our pain for the world, and grow our deepened sense of interconnectedness and empowerment as we face, together, the peril and beauty of our changing world.

Feeling overwhelmed by the climate crisis? Are fear and despair holding you back from action? How do we stay present, emotionally and spiritually, in order to participate effectively and joyfully in the healing of our world? How do we move beyond psychological  barriers to confront climate change with determination and empowerment? Come join us as we work through grief and despair to action, empowered to engage, advance, and defend a livable future.

Format:full day workshop, discussion, music, art, exercises!

Register: http://www.slcuu.org/adult re registration AND

Pay Registration Fee: $50 http://tinyurl.com/wkshpdesprempwrmt or via

check: First Unitarian Church, 569 S 1300 E, SLC, UT 84102 ATTN: Env Min Wkshp

“The Great Turning is a name for the essential adventure of our time: the shift from the industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization.”
~ Eco-Philospher Joanna Macy

Singing together is a vital tool in this shift!

Join in singing easy-to-learn songs that bring our voices together in harmony instantly, and that encapsulate the teachings of eco-philosopher Joanna Macy on the Great Turning: the shift toward a life-enhancing human presence on Earth. Woven in with the songs we will engage in interactive group practices developed by Joanna and others, known as The Work That Reconnects. Participants will come away with songs to share in their home communities, as well as a deeper understanding of the dimensions of the Great Turning and their unique place in it.

Saturday, November 12

First Unitarian Church – PORTLAND, OR

12:30 – 5:00 p.m.

Fee- $35 for UU church members, Transformative Voice Training Institute affiliates, and Singing Alive participants. $45 for general public.

Gretchen Sleicher  is a singer, songpasser, songwriter and facilitator of The Work That Reconnects, who lives in Port Townsend, Washington. She delights in weaving group singing and harmony-making into her workshop facilitation, to enhance the meaning and message with the joy of collective song. See the website: www.songsforthegreatturning.net

Barbara Ford  is a facilitator, singer, and artist, who offers workshops on the convergence of spirit, creativity, and justice work through GAIA Workshops-Growing Awareness Into Action. She is a member of First Unitarian Church.

For registration information, click here

or call Katie Radditz at 503-228-6389 x17

Questions? Gretchen at gsleicher@igc.org or Barbara at www.gaiaworkshops.net

This is a testament to the power of creative energy channeled in service to action. I have been processing the daunting information about the toxic tar sands issue, the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, the massive power of corporatocracy. I woke up with the start of this song in my head the other morning, and finished it by the time I’d finished my morning tea. It’s not a masterpiece, by any great shakes, but I will say that it helped me process a lot of feelings while I was working on it. And, since it is sung to the tune of “Under the Boardwalk” by the Drifters, I’ve had the joy of humming one of my favorite oldies over the past few days. Now, if I can just master the accompaniment on my baritone ukelele!

The Keystone Pipeline

(to the tune of “Under the Boardwalk”)

Because the sun comes up, and toxic tar sands start to leak

And the Earth’s getting hot, while corporate profits triple every week,

That’s why I’m goin’, down to DC,

for the future of our babies, it’s where I’ll be.

Well the corporations seem to think their scheme can’t fail

and the government acts like our very future is for sale

That’s why I’m goin’, down to DC, yeah,

for the future our babies, that’s where I’ll be

Bridge:

(The Keystone pipeline)

public relations can’t fix

(The Keystone pipeline)

all the harm it inflicts

(The Keystone pipeline)

It’s time for all of us now

(the Keystone pipeline)

To take a citizen’s vow

and stop the pipeline, pipeline!

Well the corporations seem to think their scheme can’t fail

and the government acts like our very future is for sale

That’s why I’m goin’, down to DC, yeah,

for the future our babies, that’s where I’ll be

____________________________________________________

The Ecovillage Five, headed for CD in DC

It all started several weeks ago at my intentional community, Columbia Ecovillage, here in Portland. Oregon. We are a 37 household cohousing community and urban permaculture farm in the northeast part of the city, and have lived together for 2 ½ years now, growing food, creating community bonds, and trying to live our values of deep democracy, sustainability, and friendship.

We share meals a few times a week, but that Friday I decided to organize an impromptu happy hour. It was one of the first sunny evenings we had had after a dreary spring and early summer. I shot out an email on our community listserv, announcing that I was making up a pitcher of margaritas and would be out at the patio around five o’clock. Typically, folks who get word arrive with glasses, wine, and snacks, and this was no exception. By the time we had all gathered, we had about 15 folks sitting around, licking the salt off their glasses and chatting.

Pam brought up the message she had received online from Bill McKibben about the planning of a massive civil disobedience action in Washington D.C. scheduled for later in the summer, including plans for two solid weeks of mass arrests at the White House. The issue was the Keystone XL Pipeline, a transcontinental, north to south underground pipeline proposed for approval by the president in November. I had received the same email, and we discussed the environmental effects of the tar sands and the pipeline: pipeline breaks that could poison the waters of millions of people,;heavy metals already causing cancers; songbird deaths; and, the biggest issue, a massive release of carbon into the atmosphere that would make any efforts to mitigate or reverse climate crisis impossible. NASA climatologist James Hansen stated that if the tar sands are unearthed and refined it is essentially “game over” in attempts to stabilize the climate.

Needless to say, despite the margaritas, the conversation grew somber as we sat with this information together. Pam then stated, “I want to go get arrested. This is so important.” I said, “I’m in!”,  and another neighbor, Peg, also said she would go. We started thinking about others we might ask from the community. Pam and I had both had some experience in environmental and social justice activism. Peg had none.  We got excited about the idea of traveling across the country together as a community to enact our values in another, more public way than our intentional community provided.

Over the next few days, we recruited two more neighbors. Pam calculated the carbon footprint for travel, and we decided to take a three day cross-country trip via Amtrak to Washington D.C. We found housing with the cousin of another community member, and I discovered through some of my connections in the faith community that the day we had selected- August 29^th- was designated as an interfaith day of action. We are researching the arrest process and legal implications as well, and are talking about how we will coordinate and support each other through the legal process. There have been many jokes about mailing cakes (organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc.) to the jailhouse.

We worked to get word out about the issue, sending out a press release, being interviewed on community radio, and preparing for the journey.  Other neighbors offered assistance to the effort; Heather would take care of my cat, Joe took the photo for our press release, a special send-off dinner planned, letters sent out to friends and family telling about our efforts and the issue.

Every day, as departure day approaches (August 24^th), I am filled with gratitude for the synergy of energy and support offered within the ecovillage and the larger community. Indeed, as a climate activist I had been contemplating civil disobedience for the past five years, but may not have made the choice to go across the country by myself.  It reinforces the whole “it takes a village…” idea to new heights of meaning in my heart. It takes a village to live together with care and intention, to dream, to share, to raise children, to sing and play, and, apparently, to go get a criminal record on behalf of the future of our planet home.

Workshops available for Unitarian Universalist Congregations and Districts

GAIA Workshops, in partnership with the national Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth, offers workshops for congregations and communities. We are planning regional tours, likely starting in New England in the fall. The basic daylong workshop costs $500, with 20 percent of the fee going to support the work of UU Ministry for Earth.

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011
Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly
Charlotte, NC

In partnership with the National Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth, this will be an experiential “mini-workshop” for members of UU Ministry for Earth and congregations interested in sponsoring a workshop in their congregation or district.

In the past several months I’ve been working, dreaming, collaborating and creating with a group of activists, teachers, and healers as we co-create a new collective with the intention of serving the activist community here in Portland, and perhaps elsewhere. The Cascadia Center (based out of Tryon Life Farm), is starting to offer sharing circles for folks involved with non-profits, activist groups, social entrepreneurs- anyone working in groups and/or coalitions who need some support and assistance in working effectively and joyfully. We plan to offer workshops in many spheres of support, covering theoretical, creative, and personal/spiritual issues. Here’s an introduction to our work:

“Ever been part of a group that foundered because of interpersonal conflict? Burn-out? Misunderstandings? Power dynamics? Ever felt like your work ends up supporting the system you are trying to change?

You’re not alone. Join us for a close look at how grassroots, socially entrepreneurial, horizontal organizations can interrupt irritating patterns to create a thriving human ecosystem of change. We’ll look at the deep stories we tell ourselves about social transformation, share practical tools we’ve used in various contexts, and respond to real-life experiences from participants to show how we work.
There’s a reason corporate America invests heavily in developing organizational patterns that keep people “productive”. For those of us working to create deep shifts in culture, economy, and politics, we see people as more than just efficient machines. Our metaphors, our meta-narratives, and our connectedness can shift everything . . . if only we can break out of the dominant story. It’s largely a matter of re-connecting our hearts and minds, relating to each other in new ways.

Brought to you by the Cascadia Center, a nine person collective that melds practical lessons learned over years of community organizing with principles of whole systems thinking, permaculture, critical theory, anti-oppression work, evolutionary and spiritual activism, and social ecology to address the difficulties of organizing head-on.”

I’m honored and thrilled to be collaborating with a group that honors systems theory AND art, facilitation AND ritual, anti-oppression AND permaculture. Look for Cascadia Center offerings on my workshop calendar soon.
For more information:
See cascadiacenter.tumblr.com and tryonfarm.org – For more info, write to cc@tryonfarm.org

“Circle Singing can be described lots of ways: vocal improvisation, vocal “jamming”, add-a-part/change-a-part, vocal orchestra, “voicestra” as created by Bobby McFerrin,  a “drum circle” for singers, or just plain “make it up” singing. It’s done all over the world in countless different ways and it dates back to the earliest forms of human singing.”                                                                    - SoVoSo website

Spend a fun and highly engaging afternoon learning beautiful songs, and exploring   rhythm, harmony, and melody in the creation of spontaneous music. Satisfying for the trained singer and non-experienced singer alike! Come with your curiosity; a love for music, the voice, and community; and enjoy a laugh or two along the way!

Rebekka Goldsmith is a vocalist, social artist and improviser who teaches vocal improvisation as a technique for developing personal intuition, risk-taking and creative capacity.

Rebekka has taught with master vocal improviser, Rhiannon and performed with Bobby McFerrin. Rebekka teaches and sings throughout the United States and Canada.  www.rebekkagoldsmith.com

To Register, go to http://pdxcirclesinging.eventbrite.com