There's often a weird combination of things happening at this time of year. 

The rush towards the end of the year: final sales aka Black Friday, massive deadlines (especially for students), Giving Tuesday Fundraising pushes, holiday parties, sometimes intense travel (and all the headaches that go with that). 

And then there's the simple fact that in much of the world, the days are rapidly shortening. The deepening of winter also invites quiet, repose, reflection. People are tired.  The ongoing conflict in Israel/Gaza is draining, terrifying, and nightmare-inducing.  The jarring combination of "rush/urgency" and "rest now" is weird every year: this year it feels especially weird.

Yet another example: Black Friday and Native American Heritage Day are on the same day. Today. That is just.... weird. Indicative of so much of America. 

In the midst of this, two dear friends of mine, Amy Kietzman and Rev Rhetta Morgan, and I are coming together to offer a kind of Winter Solstice Advent Series.  Amy and Rev Rhetta are both remarkable women, experienced in online and in-person rituals. Amy has been a friend, student, and co-conspirator of ours for many years; she recently launched "Kindred of the Wild", a kind of "Church of the Wild"-inspired spiritual community informed by her longstanding Quakerism.  Rev Rhetta is an incredibly powerful singer/vocalist, poet, ritualist, interfaith minister, and community healer. The three of us have co-created quite a number of in-person seasonal rituals, mostly at Amy's place, The Outlaw Abbey, nestled in the middle of the woods outside of Philadelphia. Those gatherings have been infused with music, stories, and exquisite magic.  This is our first time doing an online offering together.

Advent: a time of waiting. A season for apocalyptic times. For listening to what is stirring in the darkness. The darkness can be a place of both despair and nourishment. So, too, can be the light. 

We are creating a container for sound and silence, story and song, art and active listening.  To listen to the coming of the winter solstice, and the turning of the year. 

As Rev Rhetta says, "Attention to darkness is attending to our wholeness." 

This is a donations-greatly-appreciated offering. It is not a course. (Though I think it’s a great way to move towards our next circular time reflection workshop!)

It IS for those wanting to say yes to wonder. Amidst heartache and exhaustion. Amidst fear and uncertainty. Amidst change and discomfort. Amidst overwhelm. Amidst all the 'should haves' ... there is also wonder.