Celebrating the ways fire can heal, as well as acknowledging the experiences that many in the Cariboo faced through this summer’s wildfires, the fourth annual Women’s Spirituality Circle Gathering took place Saturday, March 17.
Around 80 women came together for the event, held at St. Andrew’s United Church Saturday, which featured a panel on cultural teachings on overcoming challenges and relationships with fire, sharing circles and reflection, and workshops on release through dance, art for regeneration, writing to kindle the soul, and nurturing resilience.
“There was a really warm atmosphere from connection and openness and a willingness to learn and come together and support each other,” said Margaret Anne Enders, one of the organizers.
“It provided a lot of food for thought and a lot of inspiration.”
The main message: seeing how women and our community can rise from the ashes, and create sparks of hope.
Following the 2017 wildfires, the topic seemed appropriate.
“I think it really set the stage for people to be able to think about it in different ways and talk about it, and just to be able to look at it differently,” said Enders.
The spirituality panel, on fire teachings, was one such place where that happened.
Of the speakers, who came from various Indigenous and religious backgrounds, each talked about their relation to fire.
Annette Frank, who comes from a Tsilhqot’in background, spoke about overcoming challenges and moving forward, from teachings learned from her grandfather.
“We cannot walk backwards, we cannot walk sideways, you have to walk forward,” she told the crowd, relaying a moment when her grandfather taught her to move forward after the pain of a scraped knee.
“Fire is rebirth, fire is reconnecting, fire is grounding ourselves to move forward,” Frank said.
“Every one of you women, you matter, and you have a place. Give yourself that honour.”
It’s a theme that Enders said carried through many of the different speakers.
“At some level we have to figure out how to let go, to not be attached to things and outcomes; that change is just a thing that happens. I think the way the speakers presented was that — not denying that it was difficult — but one of those gentle teachings of being able to let go.”
One of the workshops, Spontaneous Art for Distillation, Integration and Regeneration, guided by Sophia Schneider, encouraged the gathered women to create images and then share them afterwards in a circle. Some recreated images from the fires, or channelled emotions they had into an art piece.
Through guided questions and encouragement, Schneider encouraged the artists to let the images sit with them, and see what message they needed to take or impart from them.
The Spirituality Gathering, which brings women together from a number of backgrounds ended out the day with a dance, listen and relax session where participants listed to original music by Carmen Mutschele, listened to some of the poetry written in one of the other workshops, and relaxed in the peaceful setting by the pond set up for the day.
To round out the day, participants were encouraged to participate in a seeds of hope portion.
“We wanted a way of providing something tangible that people could do to release some of the things they were holding onto, as well as make some intentions.
“People could write down things on cards that they wanted to release or give to the fire. Jacinta D’Andrea, the organizer, is taking those to burn and she will scatter the ashes on a garden and then she also had seeds that people could plant with intentions or with hopes for the future,” said Enders.
Overall, the event made space for women to share their experiences of the wildfires, and come together in community, healing and moving forward.
“It’s the setting, the welcoming, and giving the opportunity for women to be comfortable as they are and be seen and known as that and I think when we can foster pride about who we ourselves are and what we have to bring to the community.”
