Spirits of place are our closest neighbors in the larger web of relations, those whom we most impact and are most impacted by. In addition to our human kin, they include animal and plant relations, mountains and rivers, ancestors of the land, the elders who bring rain and storms, stone people, elementals, local deities, nature spirits, and other strange old powers whose bodies we perceive as the natural world.
On October 22nd-23rd, 2011 nearly 20 ceremonial leaders and teachers of diverse backgrounds and roughly 120 total participants gathered for a full weekend of embodied learning, interfaith dialogue, and co-creative ritual around the theme of honoring spirits of place.
On Saturday we met from 9:30am to 6:00pm at the Unitarian Center in San Francisco for a day of teachings, ceremony, and interfaith dialogue. On Sunday participants gathered at one of four locations on the land in and around the City for earth-honoring rituals co-led by conference presenters.
Conference presenters are listed below. Please see the our full conference program for their specific offerings or more information on their background:
Charlene Sul - www.ohlonenation.org
Trebbe Johnson - www.visionarrow.com & www.radicaljoyforhardtimes.org
Ukumbwa Sauti -www.ukumbwa.com
Chandra Alexandre - www.sharanya.org
Hua Anwa -www.huaanwa.com & www.circlesofempowerment.org
Tom Pinkson - www.nierica.com
Morpheus Ravenna - www.beansidhe.net & www.thestonecity.org
Ginny Anderson - www.eco-psychology.com
Craig Chalquist - www.chalquist.com
Catherine Herrera - www.flordemielfilms.com/Catherine Herrera.html
Carmen Saldivar - www.1000hummingbirds.concarino.org
Maria Owl Gutierrez - www.mariaowl.com
J. Phoenix Smith - www.ecosoulwisdom.org
Atava Garcia Siewcicki - www.ancestralapothecary.com
Michael Mason - baba-who-babalu-santeria.blogspot.com
Daniel Foor - www.ancestralmedicine.org
Conference Sponsors Include:
Kelley Rainwater, Chapel of the Divine Mother, www.chapelofthedivinemother.org
"Artemis" Diana Halfmann, Elemental Wisdom, www.ElementalWisdomSF.com
Daniel Foor, Ancestral Medicine, www.ancestralmedicine.org