A single tree in winter against a blue sky

Finding meaning in circle

by Chris Camarata I've been facilitating a healing circle on death and dying for more than a year with Nicolas and Robin. Nicolas had been studying these often-avoided topics and wanted a forum where people could talk openly about their feelings…

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…
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. 

Healing Circles and Existential Issues

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Sometimes the topics brought up during our healing circles feel dizzying in their scope and make me wonder: Is there anything that is not fair game? Not really, because when we open the spaces for an exploration of the internal landscape, we…

Developing a Mindfulness Meditation Practice

Suggestions and resources for developing a mindfulness meditation practice

The Healing Power of Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. This kind of attention nurtures greater awareness, clarity, and acceptance of the present-moment reality. – Jon Kabat-Zinn The…

Healing Circles Gathering 2019

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During the Healing Circles Gathering at Commonweal on January 17-20, 2019, we spent an hour gathering a snapshot of who and where we are.

A Conversation with a Widow’s Nervous System

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The pain of loss is such an isolating experience, where the outside and inside of us are not aligned. We are out of sync with humanity, and yet we are inside an experience that each and every one of us will have.