COMMENTS FROM PARTICIPANTS...
"The openness of each elder was totally inspiring to awaken my personal passion for ritual. I love life & my dance with it! I went through a lot of judgement & projection as to what others were experiencing, but brought it all home to learning within myself. I feel invigorated & inspired to hold sacred space. I am honored & humbled by the great wisdom life holds."
"This was a great group of elders. Their views & messages were warm upbeat but truthful. It was meaningful heartwarming & promising. I look forward to experiencing how this weekend expresses itself in my daily life. Rod McAffe's saying, "Being spiritual is easy."
"Gratitude for tapping into soul stillness, feeling renewed & replenished....Sadness at returning to mundane, over-busy world. New ideas for bringing practice into daily life.
"My next steps in my journey on this planet, being the change and inspiration that I want to see in this world, furthering my cultural knowledge & putting it to use."
"Elders: They were fantastic, thoughtful, open hearted and generous. Will their presentation be available online so I can hear them again? And hear the ones I couldn't attend? What theologians describe as "holy envy," longing for the deep cultural roots, the ways of learning and teaching and sharing, for knowing one’s own lineage back for 9 generations. Though I can never have these things, I'm very grateful for a deeper sense of them, and a combination of love, admiration and awe that these traditions continue. As the local tribes say, we’re still here! Though their history is deep, they’re not history, but vital cultures. The world is so much richer for their being here. "
Noticed a foundation/root of local/regional elders/ancestry felt very important as core & intermixing of other traditions to enhance, add flavor, Loved Elio, Sobonfu & Vivek, Agni Ceremony offered a whole new dimension to Fire... Would love to hear Sobonfu teach about children, birthing, relationships, more. Woody's presence, stories, indigenous way of community was a treat. Overall Amazing event, bringing real elders together whose humility & wisdom was so apparent, wonderful watching them engage with each other & the rest of us.
"The presence of the local elders was very grounding. I really like the addition of the guest speakers so we got a chance to hear stories from more elders. For me, that informal time of elders sharing their stories was very powerful and moving. I wonder if there is a way to create more "story" time. I thought both Sobonfu and Raina were very strong female elders. The energy felt very balanced. It was great to have the presence of the younger generation. It feels really important to continue to reach out to the younger generations (teenagers to 30). They seem to really get what we are doing and need a place to focus all of their energies. They need to know what they are seeking exists."