"here's some ideas I'm interested in, but not insistent about"
The Sacred Arts Circle is a social/spiritual expressive-arts practice that harnesses participatory movement and sound to grow relationships and elevate consciousness. It's a collaborative vortex of eyes-open, heart-open inter-active meditation. We come together in a spirit of discovery and delight!
A SAC usually includes chanting, dance, percussion, spoken word, sacred sounds, ritual theatre – and many other forms of artful magic. Our goal is finding a collective state of deep engagement and creative interplay that enhances our relationships with self, each other, and our world beyond the Circle.
Sacred: Because we set aside precious time and make a safe space to mindfully experiment with the possibilities of our highest selves, honoring the Spirit in each of our paths.
Art: Because the vehicles of this transformational play are the diverse arts of human expression.
Circle: Because we move and live in circles within circles, where all are connected, and all are one. A "microcosm of the macrocosm."
In a SAC no one is "the leader" - the core idea is simple: everyone comes with something to share in which we can all participate. To make it easy to find and prepare an "interactive offering," most SACs have a theme to shape one's ideas around, announced in advance and reiterated in a brief ceremonial opening. A few example themes: Sacred Holidays (All Hallows, the Solstices and Equinoxes, etc.), Home, Relationships, Health, Gratitude, Forgiveness, the Four Elements and many more.
The SAC is a place to creatively express your beliefs, passions, confusions, experiences, values, implosions, reflections, insights, connections and revelations. It's a exploration of, and inquiry into, the depths and heights of the human experience.
SACs are not informed by the values of "professional art." The emphasis is on Expression, and the polish of the presentation is all but irrelevant. The most powerful and memorable moments in a SAC are often those when someone spontaneously speaks, or sings, or dances the raw emotions they are feeling with no rehearsal at all. There is no audience, there is no performer. There is only our circle of expression and exploration woven together without script or schedule, according to the ebb and flow of inspiration in the moment.
You might find yourself:
* guiding everyone in a simple chant, echoed line by line...
* sharing a poem or spoken word piece... perhaps with an "group participation" element...
* dancing or moving in ways that everyone else can mimic while telling a story...
* facilitating a pair-share moment about some topic relevant to the theme...
* taking us on a journey through visualization
* playing a musical instrument for the rest of us to dance to...
* creating a ceremonial moment inviting people to speak about fears, visions, regrets, intentions, commitments...
* sparking a vocalese or body percussion jam...
* telling a story and revealing a deeper meaning...
If this feels a bit outside your comfort zone, you are poised to discover that the transformational mechanism of the SAC activates when we mindfully lean into our "growing edge", taking advantage of a safe space in which we can experiment with new ways of expressing ourselves.
It's interesting to consider "what's next" when we have attained a state of good physical, mental and emotional health and wellness. For many people the natural progression is to become Source, to create, to delve into the beauty and mystery of life
Sacred Arts Circles are free - and small donations to the venue are appreciated
We will complete the evening with a vegan finger-food potluck
Sundays (SAC) intro playshops?
A)
There will be a series of introductory playshops over the next 16 weeks focusing on the Artful Expressions that usually appear in Circle. Each evening will be a safe, empowering opportunity to explore and experiment with the individual elements of: Spoken Word, Chanting, Ceremonial Moments, Movement & Dance, Music, Sacred Sounds, Adornment and more. Each session will focus on developing your own SAC "offering" through that week's Artful Expression... including approaches to researching, crafting and offering your interactive gift in the SAC.
A section of each alternating Thursdays playshop will explore ways to connect to and play with the offerings developed in previous weeks, building a broader understanding of how an unscripted SAC might flow gracefully and powerfully.
B) We will begin with Saturday evening event that describes the Sacred Art Circle, introduces core principles, provides time for Q&A, choosing a theme, and giving everyone an experience of a SCA in action using prepared in advance prompt cards from with everyone improvises and riffs. From there we will go into a series ...
#1 Theme: Something That Lights Me up (share a song, chant, poem, spoken word, or brief guided experience.) Something that fills my heart, inspires or expands me - and Why.
2) The Fountain (Water)
3) The Cauldron (Fire)
4) The Vortex (Air)
5) Cavern (Earth)
PLEASE NOTE: In order to foster stronger connections, Open Sacred Arts Circles only take place when the group agrees by consensus to welcome new friends in at the next gathering. This ensures that there is a strong foundation prepared to guide and support new celebrants. The invitation which was extended to you is for you alone – if you choose to be a part of future Circles, there will be other opportunities for you to bring a guest. Most Circles are not open to new people, allowing us to build on what we have learned at previous gatherings without having to focus on orienting new people.
It’s not a pagan circle
Not burning man
Not a workshop
Not therapy
Not a prep-planned ritual
Saying what it’s been--- does not = what it can be
music
movement
speaking
singing
ceremony
surprise and delight each other
participatory
safe space
agreement to engage
no fee
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