Participants will have an opportunity to shed, briefly, the role of “human” and enter into a different way of knowing. We will listen to one another as members of a larger community of life and consider what our more-than-human kin might ask of us, teach us, or remind us of. Together, we will share both the joy of what it means to be alive in relationship with a living world and the grief of what is being lost.

The Council of All Beings is a ritual practice developed by Joanna Macy and John Seed. This workshop draws from that tradition while adapting the practice to the beings, landscapes, and ecological realities of Wisconsin.

In a world experiencing rapid ecological change, the grief we feel for wildlife and the natural world often goes unspoken or unacknowledged. This two-hour interactive workshop offers a gentle, supportive sanctuary to process animal loss and grief. Together, we will hold space for personal reflections on our connection to the environment, followed by a collaborative, hands-on ritual: the creation of a beautiful, collective altar/shrine dedicated to a deceased animal. Through shared storytelling, natural elements, and community art-making, we will transform sorrow into a meaningful tribute, honoring the lives of the creature kin who share our planet.