<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><br></div><div><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><b>From:</b> "Barry Spector" <<a href="mailto:Barry_Spector@mail.vresp.com">Barry_Spector@mail.vresp.com</a>><br><b>Date:</b> October 24, 2015 at 11:38:07 PM GMT+2<br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:lrobpoet@sonic.net">lrobpoet@sonic.net</a><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>Reminder: Our Day of the Dead Ritual</b><br><b>Reply-To:</b> "Barry Spector" <<a href="mailto:reply-0a5f127d10-335f342ae7-ac3d@u.cts.vresp.com">reply-0a5f127d10-335f342ae7-ac3d@u.cts.vresp.com</a>><br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div>
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<title>Reminder: Our Day of the Dead Ritual</title>
<span style="font-family:tahoma,geneva,sans-serif;"><em>Grandfather, Grandmother:</em><br>
<em>Look at our brokenness.</em><br>
<em>We know that in all creation</em><br>
<em>Only the human family</em><br>
<em>Has strayed from the Sacred Way.</em><br>
<em>We know that we are the ones</em><br>
<em>Who are divided</em><br>
<em>And we are the ones</em><br>
<em>Who must come back together</em><br>
<em>To walk the Sacred Way.</em><br>
<br>
<em>Grandfather, Grandmother:</em><br>
<em>Sacred Ones,</em><br>
<em>Teach us love, compassion, and honor</em><br>
<em>That we may heal the earth</em><br>
<em>And heal each other.</em><br>
<br>
– Ojibway Prayer<br>
<br>
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<span style="font-size:18pt;"><strong>This is a reminder about<br>
our Day of the Dead Ritual<br>
on November 7th. </strong></span><br>
<br>
<strong>If you have already sent in payment: </strong><br>
Thanks, and further information will be sent out soon.<br>
<br>
<strong>If you are planning to attend<br>
but haven’t sent payment:</strong><br>
Save money by paying in advance -- by check or by PayPal.<br>
<br>
<strong>If you haven't let us know that you are coming, </strong><br>
please do so. <br>
<br>
<strong>If you're planning to bring friends, </strong><br>
please let us know their name and email.<br>
<br>
<strong>If you haven’t decided whether or not to come,</strong><br>
please consider:<br>
<br>
We’re all doing what we can, in our own ways, to make a better world. But periodically we all need an opportunity to release some of the weight and burden we are carrying. <strong>We have lost many elders this year.</strong> Everywhere we look, there is unbearable suffering. We are all like the man in Theodore Roethke’s poem,<br>
<br>
<em>…a god of nature weeping to a tree.</em><br>
<br>
We all have moments of isolation, and our conditioning says, “I’ll just stay home and grieve by myself.” But the teachings are clear all across the indigenous world: <em>the work of tapping into the great hall of grief is a communal effort.</em> Can't we all benefit from a feeling of community, even if only for a day. Will it be helpful for you to grieve, with others, the persons — and possibilities — you have lost? We believe it is useful to acknowledge the Dark Time of the year, of the world, of our souls. And some of us may need to acknowledge or make peace with our ancestors.<br>
<br>
Seventeen years' experience has shown us that when people are willing to acknowledge their grief and their darkness together, we can finish the day by rising into gratitude and even into celebration.<br>
<br>
Your presence would be a gift to this community. Even if you haven’t suffered any recent personal loss, the soul of the world continues to weep. <br>
<br>
<strong>If money is a problem,</strong> <strong>please let us know – scholarships are available.</strong> No one will be turned away for lack of funds. What we need for the ritual to work is your presence, your attention, your willingness to go into the darkness, or simply to support others in their grief. We can get you in touch with others if you need a ride.<br>
<br>
<strong>We can always use more drummers!</strong><br>
<br>
Join us!<br>
<br>
Love, Barry and Maya Spector<br>
<br>
650-327-5493/329-1415<br>
<a href="mailto:shmoover@comcast.net">shmoover@comcast.net</a> (for PayPal)<br>
<br>
685 ½ Fairmount Ave.<br>
Oakland, CA 94611<br>
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Barry Spector<br>
685 1/2 Fairmount Ave.<br>
Oakland, California 94611<br>
US<br>
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