This year Natural Lifemanship had its first-ever virtual conference. It was our intention to connect virtually in the same way we have in years past at our in-person conferences. We believe deeply in the power of connection to transcend space and time, and we KNOW that we don’t have to be physically together to be connected.
In the days leading up to the conference, we invited all registered participants to join us daily in a private Facebook group to explore rhythm, ritual, movement, breath, meditation, and other skills essential to living in a flourishing community together.
Because. . . we heal, grow, and thrive when part of a community committed to relationship with self and others.
As a way to connect with each other and with our world, we encouraged attendees to create nature mandalas at home – I learned this from one of our trainers, Mary Oliver, and love to do this with clients to help them come into the environment that will support their health and healing.
Those of us who get to partner people with horses to do healing work are often given the gift of space – I like to make full use of the amazing nature office in which I get to work.
Circles and mandalas are such a powerful symbol of community, never-ending connectedness, intentional space, and our interconnectedness with each other and the world around us.
We encouraged people to visit their mandala each day and listen to what their mandala tells them. Maybe add something, take something away, rearrange, etc. At the end of the week, we each released our mandalas back to nature after choosing one object to keep as a reminder of our time together.
The pictures of peoples’ mandalas were stunning and day by day my internal sense of connection grew, deepened, and blossomed.
Tami Bahr with Triquestion, LLC shared this story and I am honored to share it with you, with her permission of course. Thank you Tami for sharing a bit of you with us!
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“As I’ve reflected daily on my nature mandala, I noticed every day that the wind, storms, etc. moved things and altered my mandala. The first day, I remember thinking, ‘this is exactly why I was hesitant to put it outside, maybe I should move it inside to protect it.’
I paused for a moment and decided to leave it outside and make some small alterations in the hopes that it would withstand the wind better. The next day, the wind had moved things again, even the rocks which I thought would be impervious to it. But I didn’t think about moving it inside, instead, I incorporated the winds movement and adjusted my mandala.
Each day after that, the wind moved things and I adjusted it. It unfolded each day into a different mandala yet with its history still present, enveloped into its presence that day.
Then, I noticed that I too was evolving, each day feeling moved by the conference, adjusting, expanding, shifting. It was today, our last day when I paused to take a picture of the wind’s movements before adjusting it yet again.
I noticed a bit of panic when I couldn’t find one of the crow feathers and paused to really take in the space. That’s when I found it, hidden under the railing, waiting for me.
It struck me then that I have been finding hidden pieces of myself all week. Moved by the winds of experience in my life, waiting for me to find them by the willingness to adjust, to grow, to change.
I recognize the incredible sense of safety that I’ve felt this week from the NL community and thank you from the bottom of my heart for the interconnectedness you’ve created.
My journey continues but I’m filled with excitement, quiet is the fear and uncertainty, instead, I move forward feeling brave today to see where the winds take me. …..”
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It’s not too late to take part in this life-changing transformation
we are undergoing together!
We continue to connect in our private FB group.
We will continue to meet for LIVE Fireside Chats to discuss and process specific workshops as people watch the replays.
Sign up for VIP Access, and gain access to 90 hours of keynotes, workshops, daily healing practices, LIVE Fireside Chats, and CE’s through February 28th, 2021 and join our little circle – community – family!
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