May 23 @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Exploring the intersection of cosmology, ecology, and spirituality
We hope you’ll join us for this first-of-its-kind retreat. Portland poet Jeff Howard has become a Soup & Words regular over the past few months, and he is offering up a day that is unlike anything we have done out here. We’re pretty excited!
From Jeff:
The science of the past century provides startling insights into how the Earth and its intricate life systems—including our own minds—have arisen through the physical processes of the universe.
Learning to dwell in the realization that we have been “knitted from the void” and are profoundly home in one of the Milky Way’s vast spiral arms means learning to see our world, our lives, our very consciousness in Deep Time. This six-hour retreat will use science, poetry, and guided meditation to explore the path from the Big Bang to the world we know today. We will consider how this perspective can inform our understanding of the mounting ecological crisis, our major social challenges, and Plas Newydd Farm itself.
We’re hoping to get out on the landscape for this one, so come prepared for some all-weather tromping! A $20 materials fee is included in the ticket price.
Coffee, tea, water and light snacks will be provided. Please bring sack lunch and any special snacks you need (you will have access to fridge, stove and microwave if needed.
This is a free event, but we welcome a donation if you are able. Ticket options below, or you can donate on the day with cash, check or card. Thanks for your support!
Accessibility Note: This workshop takes place in an historic farmhouse that is not currently wheelchair accessible. We will work to accommodate access however we can, but please email arts@pnfarm.com to confirm that the space will work for you before you commit to the workshop!
About our teacher
Jeff Howard is an interdisciplinary social scientist whose career has focused on environmental policy and technology policy. He’s also a poet and photographer whose work has been published in literary and environmental journals. Prayers of the New Earth, a collection of framed photos and poems, has been displayed in Portland, Snohomish, and Pittsburgh. As a Buddhist and activist, his creative and intellectual fascination now focuses on humanity coming to recognize its position in deep time, that is, recognize itself—body, mind, soul—as a creature of the cosmos, a creature of ecosystems, a creature of Earth. He lives in Portland.
You can find his work around the web. Here are links to several recent poems:
- “Gathering Day” and “Ritual of the curvature,” Unearthed
- “Come back,” The Fourth River
- “Steady state,” Amethyst Review
- “Portents,” Consilience
TICKETS COMING SOON!