Circle Practice to Mark the Autumn Equinox

Indigenous Circle Practice is a way to listen deeply, share openly, hold silence, and transform communities. We will gather in a circle on the Autumnal Solstice sharing our feelings about this planet and the quiet turning of the Earth. Under the sensitive guidance of Strong Oak and her many years of experience with Circle Practice, the group will honor the reverence of the space and the gathered group while sharing what lays on our hearts as we mark the Solstice. You are invited to bring all your feelings about the beauty of this planet as well as you weariness and despair. You will be fortified by this experience so that you can continue the work we are all called to do to confront the climate emergence we are facing. Everyone is warmly welcome to join the circle.

Trainer: Irene “Strong Oak” Lefebvre, MSSA is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Visioning B.E.A.R. Circle Intertribal Coalition INC. She is of Mi’Kmaq and Maliseet descent. In 2017, Ms Lefebvre received the Visionary Voice Award from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, representing the state of Massachusetts in recognition of her work to end sexual violence. Ms. Lefebvre served on the Advisory Council for the National Sexual Resource Center from 2010-2016. She is currently a Peer Cohort, representing VBCIC, with the Just Beginnings Collaborative, a funding organization that seeks to build a movement to end childhood sexual assault nationwide. Ms Lefebvre is a member of the Governor’s statutory Restorative Justice Advisory Committee in Massachusetts and is currently serving a six-year term that began in November 2018. She is also a member of the Raliance Policy Group working on a three-year study on mandated reporting and its impact on survivors from marginalized communities.