Within the Larger Earth Community

Our Earth is immensely beautiful and innately fragile. In our solar system, Earth is unique in its ability to support life. As humans we have developed the ability to determine the Earth’s future. If we are to become a viable species, we must learn how to live in ways that are mutually enhancing with the larger community of life.

Sense of Place offers programs related to Earth-based spiritual wisdom. Call Samantha at 650-328-7756 for information on current offerings.

Offerings include:

Seasonal Celebrations marking the Solstices and Equinoxes which celebrate the change of seasons and offer a space to honor the healing of the Earth, ourselves and our relationship.

Winter Solstice Ceremony
December 21, 4 PM, Bayfront Park
As darkness turns to light, and the tide begins to turn, we will gather to shift our own energies and build our visions for the world. We will celebrate both the Bayfront Park’s place in the ecosystem and all the wild places of the earth. In offerings to the waters of the Bay, we will give up our fears, anger, and sadness, and discover a lightness of spirit and action that can empower our work for the well being of the land. We will launch our traditional tule spirit boat, with all our wishes, hopes, and intentions, to carry our messages out the sloughs and into the world on the turning of the tides.

Bayfront Park is off 101 and Marsh Road in Menlo Park. Park on right next to the pond, and climb first hill. Meet on the hill at 4PM on Wednesday, Dec. 21. Children welcome. Free.

Sponsored by Acterra and Exploring A Sense of Place; hosted by Circling the Bay and Earth Caretakers. For further information about the gathering, or to volunteer, contact Ginny Anderson, at freyjand@comcast.net. (650-323-4494) or megbeeler@earthlink.net (650-328-4347).

Making a Tule Spirit Boat
December 10
Spirit boats are traditionally used to carry messages from this world to spirit helpers in the parallel worlds of nonordinary reality. Setting our intentions first, we will spend a few hours gathering and weaving tules, an indigenous plant that grows around the San Francisco Bay, into a simple spirit boat for our community winter solstice ceremony.

This is an annual ceremony that evolved from local ancestral guidance, and is a wonderful way to connect with the history and ecology of the Bay. Native peoples used tules to make boats that crossed the Bay; for houses; and for mats, rope, sandals, and snares.

We visit Alviso Slough in the south bay to gather tules, then return to Menlo Park to make the boats. This is a really fun day if you like being in the mud, making things, connecting with your ancestors, and taking time out from holiday stress. It is not hard or difficult work, but come prepared to get your shoes muddy. Children ten and over welcome. The day will be a benefit for Acterra and Exploring A Sense of Place, two South Bay organizations which take action for the earth. Donations of $20 and up welcomed.

Saturday, Dec. 10, 2:30 PM, meet at Alviso Slough to gather tules at low tide; 4 PM meet in Menlo Park to create the tule boat. Please email megbeeler@earthlink.net to register and for directions.