Written by Sensei Kritee Kanko
This talk was excerpted from Showing Up for the Planet, a daylong program on August 22 hosted by Marin Sangha. Speakers in addition to Kritee included Thanissara, James Baraz, Donald Rothberg, Teja Bell, Kristin Barker, and Eve Decker.
View the slide deck from the presentation.
Forming “Islands of Sanity” Practice Circles
Read the full guidelines here.
- Bring together 6-8 friends
- Hold regular meetings (>3 per month, 120-150 minutes each)
- 20-25 minutes: Silence/somatic practices (to attune to each other)
- 30-35 minutes: Check-ins with wholehearted listening without interruption
- 60-90 minutes: Discuss (or prepare for) “Third pillar” strategic actions or scheduled sharing circles on money, lifestyle, race/religion, gender
- Have a transparent structure/format for:
- Grief/rage work for processing trauma
- Action strategy and understanding of the movement ecosystem
- Information flow
- Decision-making
- Learning through feedback
- Restoring after conflict
- Flow of money (if any)
Highlights
“We can’t solve climate now and then come to racial healing.”
“Grieving lessens the burden on our bodies. When you release that pressure, when you grieve, there is clarity.”
“I hope whatever you do, you do it with community.”