The Center for Sacred Studies is proud to present a unique Earth Forum One day Workshop with Luisah Teish. A world-renowned storyteller and performance artist, Luisah is a serious student of the Earth and Earth's magic.

Dancing in the Sacred Grove
Come enter the sacred grove in the mystical forest of the African diaspora. Here you will meet the spirits of Africa, South America, the Caribbean Islands and the United States in their expressions as deities inhabiting the natural world.
Teish will discuss guidelines for approaching the sacred sites of the African diaspora; and will recommend ways to evoke the energy of these sacred places, even when residing in urban areas.

The workshop will include:
Entering sacred space, at home and in nature.
Saluting the deities at the entrance.
Invoking the directions and the ancestors of the Place.
Creating altars of power and beauty.
Preparing and presenting offerings to the Spirits.
Working with the Spirits of Place for healing, empowerment, and love.
Praise poems, songs, and dances to celebrate the Spirits of the Earth.

Note:
Special attention will be given to the Water Spirits: Yemaya, Oshun and Mami Wata; the fires deities Shango, the Lord of the Flame and His father Aganju, the Erupting Volcano; and Obatala and Oya, the spirits of the air.
Please wear comfortable clothing, bring writing materials, an object for the altar and a small musical instrument. Open to men, women and children (7-97 years old) 

Luisah is an author of several books on African and African American Spiritual Culture and Feminist Myth. She is an initiated elder (Iyanifa) in the Ifa/Orisha tradition of the West African Diaspora, and she holds a chieftaincy title (Yeye'woro) from the Fatunmise Compund in Ile Ife, Nigeria. Presently, she is the Chair of the World Orisha Congress Committee on Women's Issues. She is also a devotee of Damballah Hwedo, the Haitian Rainbow Serpent, under the guidance of Moma Lola. She has a website at www.luisahteish.com where you can see more of who she is.