We’re calling our community together for an evening of prayers, songs, poems, and truth-telling on the one year anniversary of this horrific tragedy of hate and violence we’re witnessing. We are calling our community together to be present for each other and to listen deeply.

This past year has seen so much violence, hatred, and division. Gaza has been decimated and countless Palestinian lives have been lost. Innocent children are starving. Many Israelis are still in captivity. Genocide is being perpetrated in many places around the world, like Sudan, Congo, and the West of China where the Uighurs live; even in our own country, genocide against Indigenous peoples continues unresolved and unhealed in the form of cultural genocide, breaking of treaties, non-recognition of so many tribes and nations, etc. And worldwide, our greed-based global economy is causing ecocide, wiping out species and whole ecosystems across the face of our mother earth.

Alongside movements for justice and peace, we are witnessing our government turn their backs on saving the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters in Palestine. Let us cultivate the power through community to be advocates, love each other, and stand firm in our dreams for a brighter, more beautiful world our hearts know is possible. Your voice is welcome and invited in its fullness. Let us listen, be with, and breathe together in our myriad of voices and remember what we came here for. Liberation ~ May we welcome intentions for peace and offer each other glimpses into unity like never before, as we acknowledge our inner world and outer world, openly in community.

Bring your hearts and the pain, grief, medicine of your authenticity to be held in safety. So we are coming together to touch this great suffering, to grieve together, and to find hope and purpose through the cultivation of compassion, wisdom, and insight, in a spirit of love and unity.

People of all beliefs, backgrounds, and spiritual paths are welcome. We will build a common altar and create a non-judgmental and loving container where healing can take place. All will be welcome to share poems, songs, and prayers, and to speak their truths in a sacred circle.

We have a broad diversity of views, and love brings us together listen and learn from each other, to understand more deeply, to love more strongly, and to find the unity we need to work together for peace and justice for all who are affected by this violent and dehumanizing conflict.