Spirits of place are our closest neighbors in the larger web of relations, those whom we most impact and are most impacted by. In addition to our human kin, they include animal and plant relations, mountains and rivers, ancestors of the land, the elders who bring rain and storms, stone people, elementals, local deities, nature spirits, and other strange old powers whose bodies we perceive as the natural world.

We invite you to join nearly 20 ceremonial leaders and teachers of diverse backgrounds this October 22nd-23rd for a full weekend of embodied learning, interfaith dialogue, and co-creative ritual on the theme of honoring spirits of place.  

On Saturday we'll gather from 9:30am to 6:00pm at the Unitarian Center in San Francisco and on Sunday we'll circle at one of four locations on the land in and around the City (e.g., San Bruno Mountain, Pacific Ocean, Mount Tamalpais, Oakland Shoreline) for inclusive, earth-honoring rituals led by our conference presenters. For an early list of presenters see: www.earthmedicine.org/2011-conference. 

Early registration (before September 1st) is $65 and includes a year membership with the Alliance. To register please visit: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/183067. Spaces are limited to 250 participants. We hope you can join us!

Mt Umunhum is a southern anchor in the ring of sacred mountains circling San Francisco Bay and is also the focus of a long-awaited summit restoration project. We'll make offerings and prayers to celebrate completion of the first stage of the clean-up and to call for full funding for the remainder of this mountain healing. For more info please see: http://www.openspace.org/plans_projects/mt_umunhum.asp 

The Guadalupe River sources on the northern slopes of Umunhum, winds through downtown San Jose, and enters the south end of the San Francisco Estuary at the town of Alviso. In May of 2011, for the first time in decades, the Guadalupe was opened to tidal flow as part of a larger, multi-year wetlands restoration project. For more info on this exciting water and wetlands healing see: http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_18178132.  

We'll gather on Saturday, July 23rd from 11-3pm at Ulistac Natural Area to offer community ritual and prayers to support these two major acts of ecological repair at the southern and northern ends of the Guadalupe Watershed. Please meet at Lick Mill Park at 4750 Lick Mill Blvd in Santa Clara, CA (street parking is fine if the lot is full). We'll walk into Ulistac Natural Area across the street by 11:15am at the latest.  

All are welcome, no experience needed with ritual. Ceremony is by donation, $20-40 suggested. Be sure to bring what you need to be comfortable for a few hours in the elements (we'll mostly aim to be in the shade). Simple, biodegradable offerings are also welcome. Thanks for supporting this prayer even if you can't make this gathering!   

We're happy to share another new interview through the Voices of the Earth Project!  This offering is through our earth-honoring ritual and ceremony series.  

Alex Stark is an internationally recognized consultant and teacher on issues on creativity, efficiency, and design. He is an expert and teacher in Feng Shui and European Geomancy, a graduate of Yale University School of Architecture, and a practitioner of Andean shamanism from the Central Highlands of Peru. For more info on Alex's services and teachings visit: www.alexstark.com. For our 2011 interview with Alex click here.  Alex will also be a featured presenter at our Oct 22-23rd conference on honoring spirits of place.

The Voices project is looking for volunteers to help transcribe interviews and help get the word out about the project! To learn more or get involved, contact project director Elaine Gast Fawcett at: elaine@fourwindswriting.com