No. 065: Grief and Gratitude
On Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday, and Regenerative School Updates and Offerings
Good morning Regenerative School community,
We hope this email finds you rested this morning. Our dear friend, Sara Jolena Wolcott, M.Div., of Sequoia Samanvaya penned a beautiful reflection and analysis of Thanksgiving yesterday titled “When it’s about the food: Thanksgiving, decolonization, and stories embedded in land and food.” As she breaks down the importance of decolonizing Thanksgiving (and many other holidays), Sara reminds us that “Grief and Gratitude can go together in very powerful and meaningful ways.”
We highly recommend you follow Sara Jolena Wolcott on Medium to read her poignant writing. For now, we will share some of her words below.
I’ve been dwelling with the question, how do we decolonize Thanksgiving/do Thanksgiving differently, for several years. This includes researching, listening, writing, and re-storying things differently. Moments of shock, grief, confusion, despair, curiosity, and loss. In the last two years, my partner, an indigenous woman, and I have been speaking at events and co-teaching courses on this topic.
None of which I ever thought I would do. Prior to entering my own spiritual journey of decolonization, in which I recognized the imperative of a decolonial pathway to our collective capacity to survive climate change, and live in hopefully better relationships with people and land and water, Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday. Not a lot of commercialization; something (I thought) everyone could participate in; and, well, it was all about food and friends and family… So, when I started hearing about the pressure to change Thanksgiving, I balked. Mess with my fave holiday? No way!
I’ve been through a big shift in the last ten years. “Staying in the trouble,” is, after all, so important. After the many books, films, individual perspectives, webinars, and dialogues that I’ve listened to and participated in, I am confident in saying… this holiday complex and messy…. And that’s ok.
I admit, I sympathize with the desire to take a break from politics and historical and contemporary trauma and ‘just’ spend time with family and friends and food and games… and gratitude.
Except that is not what we’ve been given to work with.
So let’s get into some of that. The holiday. And the food. And the land. And the spirit.
…
Thanksgiving is very much part of the stream of holidays that I have inherited from my religious, familial, and national ancestors. It is one of many holidays that we need to re-imagine.
Re-imagining a holiday/feast day is far more difficult than it sounds. It is not done in a single online event, or a talk, or by reading a book, or by experimenting with one day of the year. This kind of re-imagining takes years and lots and lots of people and lots of events and lots of cooking and lots of protests and lots of exploration… Yes, its complex. As with any meaningful ritual, there is a lot going on. False histories and true histories. Habits and food patterns. Deep emotional connections. Core human needs: for gatherings, for harvest celebrations, for sharing food, for family, for rest, for play. For time off—together. For a moment to mark the shifting of the season, and the beginning of the end of the year. For giving thanks.
…
Here’s something I keep hearing from many different sources: Thanksgiving is not just about Thanksgiving. The issues at stake here, of where we come from and how and where we are from, need to be addressed all year round.
It’s helpful if we step back and look at the year as a whole.
How are we re-storying our relationship with native peoples (including our own native heritage if that is something we have) all year round? How are we engaging with Indigenous Peoples Day; Fourth of July…? How are we engaging with how history is taught?
Americans put a lot of weight on Thanksgiving to carry and sometimes even transform something that is actually happening and going on all year round: the continued erasure of indigenous peoples' experiences. Shifting the larger narratives, especially in schools and the ways in which immigrants (and visitors) learn US history, will help make it easier to edit the ‘movie’ that is Thanksgiving. From land acknowledgments to landback to telling different historical stories to make contemporary global connections, there is a lot that can be said.
Thank you Sara, for sharing your words with us. And thank you to our community for listening and helping us do the work. Your willingness to “stay in the trouble” with us and our collaborators makes us so hopeful.
Here’s to making re-storying the past, acting radically with love and understanding in the present, and looking towards the future.
Keep scrolling for our monthly updates and offerings from Rē.
We are so grateful for each and every one of you.
Best,
The Rē Team
Deep gratitude for everyone who came out in community in the last couple weeks!
So many individuals stopped by during Amesbury Open Studios to chat with us about what they want to see more of in community! More than 75 people came out to support the documentary night last Thursday at @the.screening.room with Imagine Studios and @upstanderproject! We raised more than $400 for Wabanaki REACH and the MA Center for Native American Awareness, supporting indigenous initiatives that foster understanding and empowerment.
We are so grateful for everyone who spoke up, and everyone who stopped to listen!
If you were unable to join us in person, we encourage you to digest these important stories in your own time. Here is the link to rent and watch the Emmy-award winning documentary “Dawnland” and here is the link to watch the short film “Bounty.”
As we approach the end of this year, we invite you to help us grow this giving season. We are thrilled to share that we have 100% board participation in this annual appeal and have raised 28% of the funds needed to found our urban outdoor classroom and community garden. Rē is a community-supported nonprofit that opens up inclusive learning spaces for all. We need your help to grow our impact and nurture seeds of change. Click here to donate to Rē this year!
New Year: New Perspectives
Thank you to everyone who joined us last Sunday! We had such an inspiring conversation with Empower with Nature‘s Maya Galimidi about unleash transformation with “Nature's Lens: Shifting Perspectives.” We are excited to announce that we will likely run this course in the New Year for those interested in starting 2024 with the Power of:
Harmonious Coexistence: How to unlock the secrets of living in harmony with our environment. The long-term survival and well-being of humanity and the natural world depend on it. By recognizing our profound interconnectedness with nature, we pave the way for a brighter future.
Personal Transformation: How to embark on a journey of self-discovery and growth. This course will challenge you to see the world through a new lens, opening doors to personal development and heightened self-awareness.
“Nature's Lens: Shifting Perspectives” is a catalyst for positive change. We will help you strengthen your relationship with nature at a time when there are many urgent environmental and social issues facing the world. Stay tuned for more details!
OTHER UPCOMING COURSES
LEARN FROM INDIA: AN ALL NEW self-paced, five-part course from Ram Oruganti of Samanvaya Social Venture, Chennai is coming SOON to the Rē Online Library.
Topics covered include:
Future Institutions, Knowledge and Leadership
Indian Worldview That Sustains
Making Smaller Actions Matter: Sutras of Change
Building Support from Smaller Actions: Examples from Indian Experiments
Watch this space for more details!
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NATURE AND BELONGING with Empower with Nature‘s Maya Galimidi IS COMING BACK to the pre-recorded library! Ground and re-build connection to place. Explore diverse concepts and use phenomenological techniques to engage our senses and heighten our levels of observation. This is a great class if you just moved to a new place or if you have lived in the same region your whole life! How do you engage with Nature? What does place mean? Click here to learn more.
Rē is an environmental and social justice organization. We are teachers and students interested in ethical, sustainable tourism and regenerative education. All of our educational programming is designed to accommodate individuals from diverse backgrounds and abilities, and prioritize the preservation and regeneration of local ecosystems and communities.
PUERTO RICO TOUR SPRING 2024
This 10-day trip will be a unique window into the diverse landscapes and culture of Puerto Rico, a beautiful island rich in history. We hope to delve into and honor its indigenous roots by discussing the island’s continuously complex relationship to its colonizers.
Explore the colorful and historic streets of San Juan in the north and the artistry of the southern city of Ponce. We will anchor a portion of our stay in the coastal region of Cabo Rojo where our days will be split between experiential learning, sightseeing, and relaxing. Working with ISER Caribe, a local ecological restoration and community organization, we will follow their lead on various research projects from sustainable farming on local homesteads, to land preservation and marine conservation. We will also relax by the ocean and choose from an array of geographical delights such as caves, mountains, rainforests, and bioluminescent bays.
Help support important ecological work and cultural practices while thoughtfully touring this gorgeous island and its community.
Click here to reserve your seat.
Sequoia Samanvaya Offerings
Circular Time
Sara Jolena offers Circular Time sessions for individuals and organizations. Individual sessions (where you sign up as an individual and are part of a group) are hosted at the turning of the year (late December, Jan, and into early February - Lunar New Year). Organizations can book private sessions at any time. You can find out more here.
The ReMembering Course, (which Ashlei is excited about joining!)
Sara Jolena's foundational course has been re-centering, supporting, and orientating people into a more connected way of living for over six years. For some, it is a transformational journey. For all, it is a powerful experiential course into time and truth. We re-originate the story of climate change into the doctrine of discovery and the European witch hunts. In the process, we shift a series of other core origin stories: about governance/democracy, wilderness/nature, property systems, and the nature of security. For all who like connections, especially between the social and the personal, and who like to ask big questions without easy answers (ie, getting closer to different levels of reality), we invite you to join us! Send an email here for more information.
Upcoming Course: What Lies Beneath
This winter, Krissy and Sara Jolena are once again offering their beloved course, “What Lies Beneath”, where they explore aspects of the Haudenosaunee cosmo-vision (from Krissy's ancestors) that were left out of the original formation of democracy (by Sara's ancestors). You are invited into a powerful cross-cultural dialogue as we go deeper into foundational myths/stories. If you are interested, send an email here.
Sequoia Samanvaya’s Newsletter is a rich resource that includes stories, reflections, tid-bits, information about offerings, etc. We highly recommend subscribing!
The ReMembering and ReEnchanting Podcast offers great episodes on wide ranging topics. We love the episodes on Circular Time, and Green Spiritual Movements.
Interested in Volunteering?
As the weather cools down, consider hosting us for a cozy living room series, where we can gather indoors for meaningful conversations and shared experiences. We loved our time with you all last week at the screening room and are excited to host more important conversations in community. Have a topic you are curious to learn more about? Have a living room you would like to open up to neighbors and new friends? Write to us at admin@regenerativeschool.org!
Your participation and support are essential in our mission to foster positive change and growth in our community.
That’s all for this week!
If you are willing and able, please help us seed change by donating to our Giving Tuesday Campaign, every dollar counts!
We will see you on Friday, December 8th with our monthly reading list!
What have you been reading? What have you been loving? Write to us at admin@regenerativeschool.org and let us know!
Thank you and see you soon!