who are these groups for?

We do not become healers.
We came as healers. We are.
Some of us are still catching up to what we are.

We do not become storytellers.
We came as carriers of the stories
we and our ancestors actually lived. We are.
Some of us are still catching up to what we are.

We do not become artists. We came as artists. We are.
Some of us are still catching up to what we are.

We do not become writers, dancers, musicians, 
helpers, peacemakers. We came as such. We are.
Some of us are still catching up to what we are.

We do not learn to love in this sense. We came as Love.
We are Love. Some of us are still catching up to who
we truly are.
​
-Clarissa Pinkola Estes

I've been asked many times, "What kinds of people sign up for Seeds of Connection groups?" and it has been a challenging question for me to answer.  There is an incredible amount of diversity in our groups - the ages range from late 20's up to mid 60's.  Some are parents and moms, and some are child free by choice, some have experienced child loss.  Groups have included women and non-binary folks, straight people, queer people, single people, married people, people practicing polyamory, and those single by choice.  There are those who identify as disabled or neurodivergent.  Many group members are people who are seeking deeper understanding of their own privilege.  We have folks in group who spiritually identify as pagan, Christian, agnostic, exvangelical, atheist, and more.  Some group members have done many groups with me, some are brand new.  There are people who are artists with formal art training, or who art journal regularly, and there are people who describe themselves as "terrible" at art.  The diversity of our group spaces is something I really love and celebrate!  

When I considered what the common thread might be what I came up with is that most of the people who come into these group spaces are people who are longing to go deeper in some way.  Current and previous group members are people who want to:

• learn to sit with, accept, and understand more deeply their own emotions
• deepen their connection to their own intuition
• deepen their connection to their creativity
• be more committed to their own self-care
• step more deeply into social justice and anti-racism work
• build their capacity for holding space for themselves and others
• create deeper connections in their relationships
• deepen their ability to parent their children with joy and compassion
• access more support for the ways that their life and identities are changing and transitioning
• deepen their understanding of how unresolved trauma affects their life
• build their capacity for recognizing patterns, beliefs, and behaviors in their life that no longer serve them
• build a bigger "village" of support and friendship
• deepen their art journaling practice or how they relate to art making
• challenge themselves to step out of perfectionism
• create opportunities to take the next steps and trust the process - even when it feels scary
• learn and practice using tools to ground and center themselves - even as we live through stressful, ongoing, "unprecedented times"
• support concurrent work with a therapist, or build on previous therapeutic work
• get more comfortable with making mistakes and sitting with the unknown
• give themselves space to explore different ways of expressing and connecting to their spirituality
• deepen their connection to and acceptance of their bodies and their body + mind connection
• build their capacity for doing personal work in the realms of self-acceptance and self-compassion
• deepen their knowledge of who they are and what is important to them
• have support for their personal and unique self-healing journey
• be more present in their own lives

​Not every person who participates in Seeds of Connection wants to mark off everything on this list, but most folks are thinking about deepening their connections in one or more of these ways.  If any of these resonate for you, maybe you want to join us for an upcoming group cycle!

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This is part of a longer blog post that I broke into smaller segments for readability.

• Full length post is here.
• The "roots" of Seeds of Connection
• An overview of group - How & What
• When our body & emotions are talking to us
• What actually happens in a group session?
• You Are Here > ​Who are these groups for?
• A little more about me

calendar & registration for upcoming groups