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Lakes Basin Journal
Great Lakes Basin
photo-journal
February 7, 2004
(click on thumbnails
to see photos in a larger format)
This February
2004 monthly gathering of the women of the Great Lakes Basin was
significant in that we hoped to discern who we are as a community
and where we want to go from here. Our original intention was
to be part of recording the O Beautiful Gaia CD with Carolyn McDade
and the women of Atlantic Canada and Atlantic New England. Our
CD is now out in the world, so it is time for us to identify who
we are and how we can best continue to live out our ever-deepening
commitment to our planet, its threatened waters, air, land and
species. To facilitate the process of discernment, today's planning
committee offered us a combination of creative tools including
meditation, song, art and discussion.
The day began
with a deeply moving Power-Point meditation put together by Penny
Hackett-Evans with images she found online and based on words
by Joanna Macy. It was the perfect introduction to the day.
The meditation
was followed by introductory remarks by Joan Tinkess.
And then we
stood and sang. Of course we sang. That is who we are.
Pam then introduced
our art project. By email we'd been asked to bring art materials
so we could each create a collage. As Pam reminded us, image comes
before word, so we were invited to let our hearts speak through
art and tell us where we wanted our Great Lakes Basin community
to go from here. We had a half an hour to let our Inner Artist
have her say.
A few of our
sisters, like Pat Noonan, had to leave early today, but at least
I got a picture of her collage before she left.
After we'd
completed our collages, we were asked to form small groups and
share what had emerged.
In my group,
Marianne began our sharing, followed by Jean, then her daughter
Marion Overholt, and finally I (Patricia) shared my collage.
We then gathered
to sing the Blessing Song before we broke for lunch. Most women
had brought their lunches, so we sat and talked as we ate. For
the first time in a year, we had the special gift of having Mary
White--our beloved Gaia sister who had been so ill--with us again.
I couldn't stop holding her hand, resting my head on her shoulder
and just drinking in her presence.
As we ate our
lunches, members of the planning committee took each of our collages,
punched holes in the corners, and strung them together so they
could stand up around the altar.
After lunch,
Peggy/Sooz facilitated a large group discussion around the questions:
Who Are We Now? and How Do We As A Community Want to Continue
Our Commitment To Gaia? Marianne wrote down our responses as we
spoke. Many views were expressed, but there appeared to be a consensus
that we want to sing, to continue our monthly gatherings, to deepen
our knowledge of and commitment to Gaia, and occasionally to take
our songs and reflections into the community either through workshops
or presentations. We also want to do what we can to help our O
Beautiful Gaia CD reach a larger audience. But, whatever we do,
we do not want to spead ourselves too thin. Our discernment continues.
After the discussion,
we had a break. Silliness and conversations soon gave way to a
familiar song.
It was time
to sing Happy Birthday to our dear sister, Peggy/Sooz whose 60th
birthday is February 8. She is on her way to Costa Rica where
she will blend a vacation with a workshop on alternative sources
and uses of solar energy.
We finished
the day by singing songs from the CD--"Great Waters",
"Does It Fit In the Circle of Life", and "O Beautiful
Gaia."
The "Women's
Peace Prayer" was our final song, and, as always, that got
the drummers drumming and the dancers dancing.
When we concluded
the day, there were two VERY HAPPY women in our circle! After
17 months, Penny and Joan were finally allowed to retire as co-coordinators
of the Great Lakes Basin O Beautiful Gaia community. There are
no words to express our gratitude for the extraordinary job these
women did in keeping us on track, serving as a liason to Carolyn
McDade, Jan Devine and the Atlantic Canada and Atlantic New England
regions, and doing more behind-the-scenes than we will ever know.
We would not be who we are or doing what we do without their leadership
and hard work.
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