By creating sacred space to honor this harvest season, we also honor the planting and tending we’ve done in our lives this year.
In many cultures, the time around the Fall Equinox is celebrated with harvest rituals. The end of the growing season is a time to appreciate all we’ve gathered and to discern which bounty we want to save for leaner times. What fruits of your labors are you harvesting right now?
On a global scale, it also feels like we are harvesting the bitter fruits of generations of unconscious and unhealthy relationships (to our planet, our bodies, and military powers, in particular). Seeing our shadow is often painful, but it is a necessary step in the process of change.
Honoring the equinox, when the light and dark equal each other, is an invitation to connect with balance amid big shifts. It also reminds us that dark and light are neither wrong nor right—it is their endless interplay that produces the beautiful textures and necessary seasons of our lives.
In honor of this moment in the seasonal cycle, you're invited to a Virtual 7Directions Dance Ceremony
When: Saturday, Sept. 18, 4:00–7:00 pm PT / 7:00–10:00 pm ET
Where: Virtual on Zoom*
Cost: $45 per home
10% donated to the Vital Voices Emergency Fund for Afghan Women
No one turned away for lack of funds
To register: PayPal (mikijohnson@gmail.com) or Venmo (@MikiJ) and I'll send you the Zoom link
You can learn more about 7Directions here, and here are the basics: We'll quickly all say hi and name intentions, then I'll call in the directions and guardians of the ceremony, then we'll dance for about 90 mins; towards the end, you'll have time to journal/draw and we'll close by sending blessings to the world. The musical journey is specially created for this moment and these participants; it ranges from electronic, funk, and disco, to world and devotional tunes.
NO dance experience or skills required. This is about how it feels NOT how it looks. You cannot do this wrong.
If you’re wondering: a dance ceremony over Zoom? How does that even work? Pretty well, it turns out. I'll share music directly from Zoom to your computer. From there, I recommend wireless headphones or good speakers that plug into your computer.
Also, if dancing or having deep experiences in front of a camera feels vulnerable, I get it. I trust you to make the decision that’s right for you, and here’s what I can tell you: this is an intimate, deeply held container with a max of 25 people where everyone is present and moving—no screens off unless for technical difficulties and no participants who are just “watching.” I try to have personal contact with everyone before they attend and everyone agrees verbally to a contract for behavior (including confidentiality) before we begin.