Feeling Stressed?
Just in time for the holidays…
Constellations for a #Metoo World:
Re-Discovering Hope,
Connection & Community
December 16th, 10a – 5pm
Oakland, CA
A day dedicated to healing
and renewed commitment to the common good…
Sliding Scale Priced – Register by December 11th to save $10!
Something has changed…
Maybe it really is social media and its ability to connect us all. But it’s clear that our awareness of social issues has become intensely magnified. It’s not that the issues haven’t always been there, but now we share an awareness that is unbelievably intense.
#Metoo, #blacklivesmatter, political refusals to work together, red vs. blue, fake news, natural disasters here and abroad, climate change.
We’re all understandably touchy. #Metoo points to the underlying dynamic: that as we are more exposed to and informed about the world’s brokenness, our personal traumas are re-awakened and energized. We can’t unsee it anymore.
We all know that this is necessary – numbness and denial doesn’t work. It just buries the issues and allows systemic injustice to continue. But it’s hard, very hard, and we justifiably feel ourselves hitting our limits.
We need a break. In the sense of “a rest,” yes, but also in the sense of asking, warily, for a bit of mercy. And then we feel guilty about wanting and asking for a break when so many in the world don’t get one, can’t get one, will never ever get one.
Is there anyway to stay sane, healthy and – as they say these days – woke?
A different way to look at our heart-ache…
There really isn’t any choice about it: we need to stay connected and involved. The good news is that there is a way to do that and not be eaten up.
Neuro-science confirms what the best of traditional cultures know: we cannot be fully human without each other. “I am through others” is the principle of Ubuntu, from Zulu (South African) culture.
Enduring the onslaught of trauma in the world is impossible without coherent connection. But with it, we can find the strength that comes from having a good place in community.
Constellations: a power plant for hope
What if – when you look at #metoo or #blacklivesmatter or climate change – in addition to the suffering, you see and feel your good place with respect to it? And that leads you to the next step and the next step?
If this were so, you might have what is generally called “hope.”
This is my offer to the community this holiday season: a day of constellations to engage the issues – personal and public – that have our hearts these days, and to re-discover some strength and hope, in whatever way you need them.
If you are new to Constellations Work, visit my family constellations page to find out more.
Your facilitator for this event:
My name is Leslie Nipps. I have seven years of experience leading constellation events, and over twenty years of gathering people for spiritual and healing work as an Episcopal priest. I have trained with Bert & Sophie Hellinger, Francesca Mason Boring, Jane Peterson, Michelle Masters, Carl Buchheit, Heinz Stark, William Mannle, Dan Booth Cohen, and many other leading constellation facilitators.
Like you, I am struggling with these issues, and wondering how I can retain my strength and keep my heart open. I’ve always cared about and stayed informed about larger world issues, even as I have my own personal history with trauma. And sometimes, I feel like it’s just too overwhelming. For me, constellations offers a way to stay in touch with all of it, while feeling something larger than myself.
Find more information about me on my About page.
What will we do?
Mostly, we will be doing constellations together – these are friendly but deep group processes that will help us move forward on problems that are really holding us back.
We will do one or more full group constellations on a theme of interest to the group. This process allows us inside into the larger dynamics involved that lead to both a sense of relief at seeing the big picture, knowing our place in it, and energy for moving forward into action.
We will also do several short constellations to look at our personal wounds in a contained way – not taking on too much at once, but taking a brave look at our lives and what invisible resources may be there to support us.
There will also be an opportunity to give to a local cause, if you like (see below), and to swap info informally about our favorite local causes, non-profits and issues. We’ll also have some group discussion, journaling, meditations/prayers, and breaks.
Justice-Making in Oakland…
Part of the proceeds of this event will be towards RESTORATIVE JUSTICE FOR OAKLAND YOUTH (RJOY). For the last ten years, RJOY has been bringing the methods of Restorative Justice (as modeled by South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Process) to Oakland schools as a way to keep students in school and bring radical reconciliation and hope to disadvantaged city youth. I’ve been supporting them for years, and they are an organization that I feel passionate about. I love that they are:
♦ A locally grown and sustained organization.
♦ Modest in size but big in impact.
♦ Oakland local!
♦ Focused on systemically-intelligent ways of helping kids who got some of the short sticks our society hands out.
♦ Is anti-racism and pro-love oriented.
From their website:
An emerging approach to justice rooted in indigenous cultures, restorative justice is reparative, inclusive, and balanced. It emphasizes:
- Repairing harm
- Inviting all affected to dialogue together to figure out how to do so
- Giving equal attention to community safety, victim’s needs, and offender accountability and growth
Punitive school discipline and juvenile justice policies activate tragic cycles of violence, incarceration, and wasted lives for youth of color. Founded in 2005, RJOY works to interrupt these cycles by promoting institutional shifts toward restorative approaches that actively engage families, communities, and systems to repair harm and prevent re-offending.
Learn more about RJOY here and its good, paradigm-busting work.
Pricing (An Invitation):
I want this workshop to be a gift to you and the community that needs it. And, okay, I admit it, I need to charge something for this event for my own fiscal wellness. So, here is my offer:
The cost of this event will be sliding scale, from $45 – ??? through December 11th. That means, you are invited to register for any amount above $45, and going up to any level that feels right to you. (After December 11th, the minimum registration goes up to $55.)
Why $45 and up? First, people who are perhaps feeling the pinch these days are still getting a super deal on a full-day, transformational workshop (while inviting those with more resources to offer what they can). Also, at this price, I know we’ll be able to give something to RJOY that feels meaningful, also on a sliding scale basis. Up to $500 income, I will donate 20% of that income (up to $125) to RJOY. From $500-$750, I will donate 30% of that income (up to $225). Above $750, I will donate 40% of the income (up to ???).
I know that sounds a bit weird, but here’s my thinking: I invite you to be in prayerful consideration of 1) your resources, 2) your needs, 3) what the workshop is worth and what I’ve provided, and 4) how much the works of RJOY moves you and what you would like to give to that. And, then, whatever decision you come to, feel deep peace and wellness with that. I know that is how I will feel!
Can you wait to figure that out at the end of the workshop? Sure! To register requires a minimum payment of $45 (through December 11th), but if you’re pretty sure you want to give more, but want to be certain (or you are surprised by how moved you are by the workshop), yes, you can offer more at the end of the day. Having said that, I do invite you to spend some time with your heart beforehand, so it’s not all a last minute urgent decision at the end of a long, perhaps tiring day. And, if you know you want to give more than $45, I invite you to go ahead and make that offer now. Thank you!
One last thing (early bird pricing): Workshops like this are impossible if all of the registrations are last minute. So, to encourage early registrations, the minimum cost will go up to $55 after December 11th.
Other Details:
Early bird deadline (save $10): December 11th
Time & Place: December 16th, 10a-5p, 55 Santa Clara Ave., Suite 125, Oakland, CA
Space limit: 20 people
Getting there & parking: AC Transit stops one block away. MacArthur BART is 1.25 miles away. There is plenty of free street parking.
Refund Policy: Full refund until 48 hours before the event starts, minus a $15 admin fee.
How to register: Email me to register and let me know what you would like to pay. I will then send you a paypal invoice to complete the registration process.
So, to relieve some stress
and bring strength to these days…
Questions?
Let me know! Contact me at leslie@conviviumconstellations.com.
