Winter Eliot 2022: REGISTRATION CLOSED FOR THIS CAMP

Smithing Our Souls:
Dynamic Balance & Harmony
In the Midst of Struggle & Transformation

Program Description: 
Dynamic Balance:  Understanding our being and developing skillful equilibrium of body, mind and soul 

Harmony:  Joy and rhythm that emanates from practicing dynamic balance in relationship with all creation 

Ruth and Deanna co-create containers of welcome and witness that invites participants to connect and reconnect to ways of ourselves so we can be in more authentic relationships and to find ways of cooling and calming our spirits. WE begin with acknowledging that the world around us feels, at the very least, chaotic and that we are often more in touch  with our anxiety, frustration and fear than with a sense of harmony.  The fundamentals of this workshop invite us into our inner wisdom to find what joy and peace we innately have access to, in the context of a gathered community of beloveds. Together we will practice smithing our souls with faithful, liberatory practices.  This will be a holistic offering engaging every bit of our beings. 

Smithing our Souls is a term that came to Ruth after Hurricane Katrina and has emerged in our collaboration as a way to name the unnamable, the processes through which the universe and energies around us are constantly shaping us into the enlightened beings we are called to be.  The smithing of our souls can feel very harsh - like the hammering of a blacksmith’s tools - or as light and gentle as a butterfly landing on your shoulder.  Often both and so many feelings in between.  With intention and care, we will join in collective spiritual practices of dynamic balance and harmony in the midst of struggle and transformation.

The program is open to everyone of all abilities and experiences. Soul Smithing is for everyone!

Bios: For nearly two decades, Ruth Shekwaga Kaliat Osunlade Idakula (she, her)  has dedicated her life energy to organizing, education and advocacy for social, racial, and economic justice and equity. Born and raised in Nigeria, Ruth has been a resident of New Orleans for over 23 years. Ruth served as Co-Director of the Center for Ethical Living & Social Justice Renewal in New Orleans.  Ruth is currently the program director for Dignity in Schools and she also is an instructor/educator at Tulane’s Center for Public Service and a fellow of   Mellon Graduate Program in Community-Engaged Scholarship. Ruth’s leadership is grounded in sustaining spiritual practices and she serves as a faith leader, religious educator, and facilitator for collective liberation in New Orleans and beyond.  Ruth is an every believer in the magic that we can all create at every given moment.  She has deep joy in creating magic in the kitchen and in her growing backyard sanctuary.

 Founder of Ever Unfolding LLC, the Rev. Deanna (De) Marie Vandiver (she/they) is a Minister of Love and Liberation affiliated with the Church of the Larger Fellowship Unitarian Universalist and a member of the Un/Learning for Liberation Beloved Conversations Virtual design team and coaching staff.  Deanna served as Co-Director of the Center for Ethical Living and Social Justice Renewal in New Orleans for many years before moving to the Pacific Northwest and has served in many emergent leadership roles since arriving to the Salish Sea.  With certification in Spiritual Leadership Coaching (Peace Ministry LLC) and Experiential Education and Leadership (Tulane University’s Center for Public Service) and rooted in the Undoing Racism™ analysis of the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, Deanna offers spiritual accompaniment to beloveds on the journey toward collective liberation. Deanna finds sustaining joy by the water and magical possibilities in every glue stick, garden, and collaboration.