“I’m awake. My body is a compass, knows the way. I know it in my bones. Winding, waking, walking through the forest. Going home. Already home.”
Tana, thank you for these beautiful lyrics. Poetry that articulates the perennial nature of the human journey. When we find ourselves lost, wandering in the dark corners of our psyche, may we re-member the wisdom of these bodies. Each of us containing millions of years of knowledge. May we surrender to our inherent belonging to a much greater lineage of life of which we are inextricably a part. We are already and always home.
One of the gifts of maturing as an idealistic leader of an organization, is the growing capacity to trust in the ever-reliable cycle of getting lost and found, falling apart and coming together, dis-membering and re-membering. These cycles don’t just apply to humans, but to relationships and organizations. COVID was a time of dis-memberment for Good Medicine, a letting go of its original structure and purpose. Sometimes, when struggling in the weeds of a difficult process, it becomes hard to see and trust in the larger arc of the natural cycle unfolding. Now, from a slightly wider vantage point, I can feel the shift. The past year has been a time of re-membering, finding ourselves again.
As providers at the Good Medicine Collective, we are remembering who we are.
Practicing our innate belonging and compassionate full-bodied presence … we are re-membering who we are.
Exploring how pain and trauma hold the keys to our liberation … we are re-membering who we are.
Listening deeply to ourselves, each other, this co-created magnetic vision that has attracted us all to one another … we are re-membering who we are.
Allowing for the emergence and the mystery of what arises when we let the words come after or alongside the process … we are re-membering who we are.
We are a Collective of human beings on the path of our own healing which is intricately entwined with your healing and inseparable from the web of our greater communal healing. We believe compassionate community is itself essential medicine for healing the wounds of isolation and disconnection that manifest as dis-ease in these unique bodies, psyches and spirits. As Good Medicine providers, we are practicing communitas – the capacity to include community in the concept of self. When there becomes an opportunity to experience a moment of intense shared humanity, a healing process is catalyzed.
At Good Medicine, we are creating those opportunities. We call this ceremony: the practice of remembering our innate belonging to each other and this earth, our past and our future. We will inevitably forget our nature and become lost. Together, may we find our way home. Through programs and offerings currently in development, we will re-member in community. With wayfinders of psychedelic medicine, creative expression, song, heart-centered sharing, breathwork, awareness practices, shared meals, grace and gratitude, may we help each other find our way back to our own hearts, and the one beating heart of our community.
No matter what is transforming in these bodies and spirits, we need each other- our community- to be in the arena with us. Together, may we persevere against the tides of a fragmented culture and live our way into a more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.*
With enduring love and communitas,
Liz Strawbridge
*Charles Eisenstien: A More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible
Words Worthy of Your Attention
An ode to wonder and mystery, The Emerald Podcast with Joshua Schrei feels like an antidote to an information-overloaded culture. Lyrical and poetic, each episode is its own work of art, weaving mythology, current events, music, philosophy, religion, ritual and science.
For a taste, try: Your Consciousness Comes From the Moon.
Our own Andrew Forsthoefel speaks with Jasper Mutsaerts about his personal journey towards greater self-awareness, meaning and truth. As one who facilitates ceremony, Andrew says. “We invite people into the medicine of who they really are… The fullness of our humanity is welcomed, and indeed required, in order for us to connect and find health together.” Link to the intervew here.
Upcoming Good Medicine Circles
☀️ Sanctuary 1st Sunday @ 7pm. Next is THIS SUNDAY 9/4/22
Join us for song, chant, freestyle vocalization and silence to nourish the soul while a living mandala unfolds during the experience. Gather in candlelight with Andrew and Sabra for an evening to rest and journey with the music and unfolding art.
☀️ Lila Yoga Fridays @ 12pm and every other Tues @ 10am. Next is 9/6/22
Rooted in principles of yoga and inspired by the Sanskrit concept of Lila or “play” Genell leads an invigorating and inspiring circle to awaken the body, mind and heart. *No class Fri 9/2!
☀️Song 1st Tuesday @ 5pm. Next is 9/6/22
This is not about how good your voice sounds, but how your sound can become a sacred instrument of expression. Together, we will harness the power of circling and sharing song for community healing and connection.
☀️Meditation 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays @4pm. Next sit 9/11/22
Drawn from Buddhist traditions, Beau facilitates a meditation style emphasizing a calm and pleasant abiding, liberating ways of paying attention, and the blooming of the heart through practices like loving-kindness.
☀️Breath 3rd Tuesday @ 5:30pm. Next is 9/20/22
Experience the healing power of your own breath in this Group Breathwork Session and integration practice (sharing circle) guided by long-time Breathwork practitioner and ceremonialist, Tania. Gather and breathe deeply in community to restore, release and empower your sense of belonging within yourself and with others.
☀️Art 4th Tuesday @ 5pm. Next is 9/27/22
We want you to join us in song! This community circle is for anyone who is interested in using the creative arts as an aspect of their healing process and integration. Join Cat to explore a variety of media and activities that foster self-discovery and deeper self-knowing.
☀️Good Medicine Integration 4th Wed @ 7:30pm. Next is 9/28/22
Safe sanctuaries to integrate experiences from any altered state of consciousness. The container will be held by Therese, Andrew and Liz and facilitated gently for participants to continue their integration in the presence of a supportive circle.
*New programming is currently in development. STAY TUNED!
Located in the Studio, 231 York Street in Portland
Events, Workshops & Retreats
*Offered by GMC providers
☀️Women Awake Join Therese in this 8 week online offering that combines science, ancient wisdom and modern practices to help you shift into deeper self-purpose, fulfillment and lasting impact. Starts 9/27.
☀️Iceland Retreat Join Genell and Liz for a retreat in Iceland to experience the truth of your wild elemental nature, Sept 24th-30th.
☀️Riverbird Ketamine Assisted Therapy (KAT) Groups Riverbird offers ongoing group cohorts for Ketamine-assisted therapy. Healing for Healers is a 2 week offering for those who identify as healers to begin the slow work of recovering compassion and meaning. Riverbird is also offering 8 week cohorts for those who are struggling with depressive, anxious or intrusive thoughts. Group work has the unique capacity to restore a sense of deep connection and belonging.
☀️Fall Cleanse Join Genell and Liz for their biannual 3 week seasonal cleanse, this fall starting Oct 16th, 2022.
☀️Living Awake: This innovative and intimate 8-week program aims to harness the power of the immersive group Ketamine Assisted Therapy (KAT) to support transformation through ongoing heart-centered community, medicine ceremonies, and integration. Winter 2023 start date TBD.
Good Medicine Collective (501c3) is an incubator for culture change, harnessing the transformative potential of psychedelic medicines, relational practices and integrative healing therapies to help us remember and embody our inherent belonging. We envision a community whose primary value is compassionate relationship to ourselves, each other and the earth.
For transformation to be sustainable and enduring it must occur on the level of body, psyche, spirit, AND community. We can’t do this alone. Please support us in our vision of a more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.
DONATE HERE