Immersion Sessions

Soft Fascinations: Odes to the (Extra)Ordinary
with Rev. Ash Temin

The term “soft fascination” is used to describe the state of our attention when we find ourselves in the natural world without our usual distractions. Somewhere between the conscious attention of meditation and the open freedom of a wandering mind, this state invites us into a different spaciousness of mind and body and has been shown to expand our creative capacities.

In this immersion, we’ll first spend time outside practicing soft fascination in a small section of the beautiful Wolfe’s Neck environs. Then we’ll return to our group to bring what’s sparking for us into the practice of writing odes — a poetic form of celebration and affection — in order to explore our connection with the mystery of the more-than-human world. No writing or poetic skills necessary — simply bring your creative and curious self for a playful, gentle, imaginative experience.

World Building Our Way Beyond Broken Systems
with Madeline Bugeau-Heartt

In order to build the world we are longing for, we cannot just repeat the same patterns of harm and expect different results. How might we cede our colonial and capitalism-informed ways of being as we move towards a robust vision of justice for all?  During our time together, we will creatively collaborate to build a shared scaffolding for a better world, then cook up some “sacred instructions” as to how we might get there. We will experiment with what it means to side-step harmful patterns and begin to build new pathways towards a saner vision. 

Apology Lab: the Culture We Crave
with Devon Kelley-Yurdin

Apology Lab is an ongoing, participatory, and artful practice space that explores the landscape of interpersonal repair. This experiment was born from a felt and observed need for collective skill-building, and a commitment to exploring creative ways to tend to complex ecosystems of relationships within small, caring communities.

In this immersion, we will first ground in concepts from Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg’s book, On Repentance and Repair. This text expands upon medieval philosopher Maimonides’ five stages of repentance: naming and owning harm; beginning to change; restitution and accepting consequences; apologizing; and making different choices. 

While the steps/framework offered in this book provide guidance deeply worthy of our attention and practice, we will not stay long on the ideas offered. Instead, we will pivot our focus towards the yet-to-be-created conditions that we long to cultivate – a culture in which this framework can flourish.

Watch the Story Seeds Inside us Grow with Solar Playback
with Erin Curren, PhD

The work of recovery and reconciliation finds us navigating challenges, missteps, unintentional harms, embarrassments and lots of vulnerability. On this path we also are blessed with surprising  moments of repair, joy, connection and peace. Join seasoned Playback Improviser, Erin Curren, to spontaneously witness and watch as true stories told by those gathered are honored using Playback improvisation. 

In this collaborative storytelling and Playback immersion, audience members will spontaneously tell true stories, moments, and memories from their lives and watch as Erin honors those stories with improvisation. Using a series of prompts, we will warm up together and explore the story-seeds within us. Then we’ll watch as these stories become amplified using the tools of Playback: deep listening, metaphor, narration, song, movement, and more. Enjoy an interactive, engaging, insightful immersion session that provides an opportunity to deepen our connections to one another, our truths and our common humanity. 

Decolonizing Prayer: Learning from Quaker Experience
with Fritz Weiz & Mimi Marstaller

The practice of prayer without expectation, without spoken words, and from community, can be radically counter-cultural.

This immersion will include an experiential exploration of centering prayer in creation. Listening, trusting, and letting go. Quakers (Friends) have long experience worshiping in community based on the expectation and experience that when we gather together, we will experience the “inward light”. Prayer is a time of silent waiting, and of “giving over thine own willing, thine own running, and thine own desiring to know or to be anything; and sink down to the seed.” (Pennington, 1661).