Some assumptions about grief

The experience of grief is unique for each of us. While we can make some general assumptions, there's no template that describes the experience for everyone. Grief is cumulative. That is, each time loss is grieved, the grief encompasses the…

The guardian: noticing and sensing

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Circle started around the cook-fires of humanity’s ancestors and has accompanied us ever since.  We remember this space.  When we listen, we speak more thoughtfully.  We lean in to shared purpose. Christina Baldwin and Ann Linnea, The…

The roots of circle

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The circle is a common first culture that is indigenous to all peoples, including the white tribes of pre-Roman Europe. Campfire rings in Africa and the Nile Delta date back more than 100,000 years. Evidence of these long-cooled ashes of culture-building…
elephant sitting on bench

Dying without an elephant

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Toward the end of my brother’s life, he spent every waking hour in a faux-leather armchair by his living room window. He was companioned by the puff-puff-puffing of an oxygen concentrator, a walker with a basket full of pills, a laptop that…

Let the Sacred Festivities Begin

Christina Baldwin was the "sacred emcee" at Kelly Lindsay's celebration of life. What follows is her introduction, which makes more sense if you kept up with Kelly's CaringBridge blog. Christina and Ann Linnea are founders of The Circle Way…
Veins of a leaf

Poems and Essays Written in Honor of Kelly

Gathering by Gary Vallat (written after a massive circle for Kelly that took place at Soundview Center) For Kelly and Diana Lindsay The crowd enters the sanctuary milling about appreciating the beauty of the place, anticipating the…

Tributes to Kelly Lindsay

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Tributes from Healing Circles Langley Kitty Adams: Kelly’s mind was brilliant, but it was his warm welcome that drew me into HCL. In my raw state after the death of my husband, every time I walked through that door, Kelly greeted me with…
Snowy winter scene

Words from a Caregiver 

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Claire Robson from Vancouver, Canada, joined a new healing circle at Callanish and shares her experience and perspective as a member. 
Commonweal bluffs

Caring for a Soulmate

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Deborah Baker first learned about healing circles at Commonweal’s Cancer Help Program. She describes her caregiver journey and how healing circles could have helped. She is inspired to start a healing circle for caregivers in Hawaii.
Fire in wood stove

A Healing Circle for Supporters

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As co-host of a new healing circle for caregivers at Callanish (in Vancouver, Canada), Susie lets the circle do the work. With minimal structure, the participants create their own healing and meet their own needs.