Lament

What would happen if the whole world could Lament together? 

A Two Part Online Experience:

Dusk & Dawn

Friday, March 8, 6-8pm & Saturday, March 9, 6:30 -8:30am

In Sourcing Lament we will explore the genre of Lament as a writing practice, ceremonial journey and a form of spiritual activism. Held by the setting and rising of the Sun, we will gather at Dusk to begin exploring this sacred tradition, then gathering at Dawn to share the Laments we have crafted.

Lament is a form of spiritual expression found within many faith/religious traditions. A Lament is an expression of our profound love and hope for the Divine to act in accordance with our relationship as co-creators.

With the current state of the world, many of us feel powerless, living in a state of confusion, chaos, despair. A Lament, more than a complaint or vent, is an act of intimacy where we dwell with the Divine in solidarity with suffering.

Lament can bring us to a creative edge of what we hope, fear, or dare-not-say. This ceremonial workshop will be a sacred space for participants to gather and share, to compose and speak our own Laments and to be witnessed. 

Composing a Lament is one small action we can take here and now. Join me in igniting this global wave of Lament, shifting out of a polarized, hostile realm into a compassionate space, grieving together as we bring forth this healing process to the world.

Dusk Session (online/Zoom)

Starting at dusk Friday, March 8, 6-8pm

  • Welcome & Introduction

  • Fire Meditation & Interfaith Invocation

  • Exploration of the Tradition of Lament

The Sacred Journey Through the Night (offline)

  • Writing Our Lament

Dawn Session (online/Zoom)

Re-gather at dawn 6:30 am Saturday March 9, 6:30-8:30 am

  • Sun Ceremony

  • Sharing of Laments

  • Close 8:30am

After our ceremony together, you will be invited to submit your Lament(s) for inclusion in the growing online archive, where all are invited to continue to witness each other’s voices. 

What To Bring

Candle and matches

Journal/notebook and writing utensils

Registration

Cost:

$54 by Tuesday, February 27 - early registration appreciated to help us prepare

$72 by Friday, March 7, 4PM

All who have completed payment will have a space held for them and receive the Zoom information via email by Thursday March 7, the day before we gather.

Contact Kathleen to inquire about a sliding scale rate.

About Kathleen, Your Facilitator

The founder of IgniVox Productions and The Outer Edge coaching, Kathleen has led retreats and workshops in a wide range of communities from college campuses, summer camps, and low-income housing, to prisons and seminaries including Union Theological Seminary, General Theological Seminary, Jewish Theological Seminary. As an Episcopal priest, Kathleen served as the Rector of St. Clement’s, the Episcopal church/theater in Hell's Kitchen, and as Ecumenical Chaplain at Bard College. She facilitates sacred ceremonies and Constellations Groups at Gateway House in the Hudson Valley. Poetry as a form of getting to what is so - a divination - is a long-standing practice within her vocational work. During the Covid pandemic, she engaged in the practice of writing a-poem-a-day. Through a collaboration with City Lore, Kathleen is expanding this vision of a wave of lament for global healing.