Several people and groups have expressed a desire to meditate, pray, or conduct informal ceremonies following the recent damage. In a way, these are much like the condolences and offers of help that we were offered in the week after the fire; they’re a chance for people to express their feelings and do something positive with it.
We’ve begun thinking about these as earth and spirit healing activities. Several people have offered to do some healing activities within the Orchard, from yoga and chanting sessions to creative activities using salvaged metal. Most have suggested doing some sort of fundraising collection, or session fees. We’ve developed these ideas into a series of Healing Ceremonies, on weekends in September.
- Reiki, T’ai Chi (Sept 1), OM chanting (Sept 15) , prayers with a Forest Church (Sept 15), and with St Dunstan’s, Kings Heath (Sept 14) . These are open to all, and are led by people inspired by the thought of directing healing energy to the Orchard.
- Creatures from The Ashes - an extraordinary workshop with local artist Tom Ellis to make utterly unique phantasmagorical creatures from some of the fire-born scrap metal. The date is Saturday 7th September, 1-4PM. Places are limited, and must be booked in advance. Tickets cost £20 per creature, bookable via [email protected]. A portion of the proceeds will raise funds to aid the recovery of the Orchard. If there’s interest, we will run the workshop again just before Hallowe’en, indoors at the Art Rooms Kings Heath, on 26 October.
- Storytelling in the Park and Orchard - a fundraising event to aid recovery of the Orchard, with well-known storyteller Graham Langley on 14th September, 4:30 to dusk. Tickets cost £5 adults/£2 children. They are available from Kitchen Garden Cafe shop, Xover Nutrition, and during other scheduled events at Highbury Orchard. Limited to 40 people.
- Planting/sowing wildflowers, setting some land art and non-invasive ‘soil healing’ plants in the open space where the fire took its greatest hold, across the upper portion of the compound, where the sheds are. Open to all, and design ideas welcome! We’ll be listening to people’s ideas during the first four sessions, and setting out a design on the final session 15 September, 1PM onward.
We plan to clear the compound site of its debris first, hopefully through August, leaving September for the healing ceremony dates. Some of these dates will offer more than one activity. Here’s the schedule!
Posters & Flyers
HealingCeremonies_flyer (pdf for download)
(right-click to download flyer)