(more Zoom info here)
Scroll to the bottom for special invitation to connect with the spirit of our opening on your own time without Zoom
The next edition of Now What?!, a five week exploration of the art of being fully human in a time of crisis, opens on Earth Day, Friday 22nd April 2022. It is the co-creation of an ephemeral tapestry where new knowledge and ancient wisdom are woven together. A kaleidoscope of spaces supporting healing, transformation, and regeneration while honouring the grief that arises from the systemic harms that our civilisation—with us as part of it—keeps on perpetuating. A possibility of mutual respect through building, deepening and expanding our relationships. A commitment and opportunity to appreciate the sacredness, interdependence, interconnectedness of all Life. An active co-creation and development of a gift economy to support us and others through the process.
We invite you to join us in our ceremonies of honouring the Earth, and of welcoming you, in your full humanity. Honouring both the beauty and the horror of our reality. Inviting all of us to perceive reality in its fullness.
These ceremonies are offered with the intention of sowing seeds onto the soil of Now What?!, nurturing ways of supporting ourselves and each other. We particularly want to tend to the buds of connections that may sprout over the following weeks. And beyond!
For a wide embrace around dear Earth on the 22nd, we offer:
Ceremony #1 at 12:00 UTC -- evening in Asia, afternoon in India/Europe, morning in the Americas -- Local times and RSVP here
Ceremony #2 at 19:30 UTC -- evening in Europe, afternoon in the Americas, morning in Oceania -- Local times and RSVP here
The mycelial mat of Now What?! is a co-creation to which you too can contribute, and was born from these questions:
What are the gifts of engagement and support that you might want to offer to those who will be gathering?
What are the requests you are prepared to make that might spark generosity in others?
You can offer an initial answer to those questions via our Network Map. There is also an email list you can subscribe to for receiving regular Now What?! News updates.
The Ceremonies
In these strong times when both horror and beauty become so poignant, when we keep on being stretched by "paradoxes" and "polarities," we continue to honour the diversity of perspectives that make up the fabric of our reality. The two sessions will offer distinct sets of co-created ceremonial elements. A dynamic flow through gender, place, ancestry, history. The invitation is to see the possibility in that richness, to embrace the paradoxes of life. May they serve as the poles and beams holding the iridescent tent over our fairgrounds!
Honouring the deep resonances of light and sound, of connection to place and connection to movement, of the sacredness of body, of dance, of elements, Music and Ritual flow through our ceremonies. We'll hear the waves and wandering piano of AJ Hickling (Aoteara), the healing spiraling voice of Clare Hedin (UK, US, Greece), and the magic harp and singing of Vicki Burke (UK). Honour the deep ancestors through the ancient sounds of Sumiko Hayakawa (Japan), and our connection with the wings of nature through the flying energy of Joy Foley (Australia, UK). We will invoke intimacy and get intimate with invocation with the wise music of Gary Malkin (US), and welcome and honour Nature Spirits and the Inter-species and More-than-human World with the healing intuition of Anayza Stewart (Mexico, US).
Inquiry into the state of our world, the why of Now What?! and our personal intentions in this time of crisis and possibility will be guided by Na Kyong Lee (South Korea) during Ceremony #1 and Stephanie Mines (US) with Stef Vink (Netherlands) during Ceremony #2.
We will also engage together to explore our intentions, places and connections, through embodiment, and deep inquiry led by Dita Vizoso (World Nomad) during Ceremony #1 and Clare Hedin (UK, US) and Anayza Stewart (Mexico, US) during Ceremony #2.
All of this will serve to open the space for the diversity of emotions and feelings, of histories and stories, of intentions and expectations that many of you will be contributing to this magic container over the coming weeks, while we get together to embrace this radically generous Earth. Our home.
An Invitation into Ceremony without Zoom!
We also invite you to create and share your own way with inquiry, and with your own intimate ceremony!
Connect with the "field" of Now What?! during our opening on April 22, aka Earth Day or over the weekend that follows...
Take a bit of time to meditate on the questions below, and maybe even to talk about them with a friend or two, ideally while outside in Nature. Once you feel complete, create your own ceremonial offering to honor what has come up for you. Then come back here and use the "Add Response" option below (also accessible on the Flipgrid website) to record a short message to share some of what came up for you, in whatever language you prefer.
How might you practice the art of being fully human in a time of crisis during this edition of Now What?!
Are there needs you might meet, actions you might explore, or ways of being you might embody?
What would resource you for your journey while we are together, and and after this edition is complete?