IN C I RC L E IN-CIRCLE.ORG
SPRING 2022
COMMUNITY THROUGH THE WISDOM OF CRAFT AND THE ARTS
FEATURING:
how ‘bloom’ bloomed meet your creative neighbors inspiration for the scenes
a story of rebirth
diy giant paper flowers map of the event
this publication is dedicated to
BLOOM: A Story Of Rebirth
BLOOM is the vision and manifestation of a dreamseed planted by Circle Creative Collective. This Hudson Valley based women-run nonprofit is devoted to building thriving community through cross-cultural and intergenerational education focused on preserving the wisdom of traditional crafts and skills. BLOOM was conceived and produced by Circle, offering the classes and workshops where all the handmade costumes, and sets would be created. Co-founders Melissa, Jenny, and Mirabai Trent are
“beyond thankful for the rich tapestry of creative makers, performers, volunteers, donors, and sponsors who have come together to make the impossible very possible indeed!”
We’ve created this booklet to give you all a bit of backstory and give proper credit to the people and cultures that helped to bring this dream to life.
CIRCLE AND BLOOM’S CORE TEAM JENNY WONDERLING MELISSA HEWITT MIRABAI TRENT PHOTOS BY MATT PETRICONE WRITING BY JENNY WONDERLING DESIGN AND LAYOUT BY MELISSA HEWITT COLLAGES BY MIRABAI TRENT
CIRCLE CREATIVE COLLECTIVE circlecreativecollective.org info@circlecreativecollective.org 62 Plains Road, New Paltz, NY 12561 845-481-0739
@circlecreativecollective
Circle Creative Collective is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization rooted in the Hudson Valley with a mission of preserving and sharing the wisdom and healing of traditional crafts and skills. We gather in Circle to weave the fabric of community, inspiring people of diverse cultures and backgrounds to remember the lessons and skills of our ancestors, and embrace the wisdom of each of our unique traditions. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation, be a corporate sponsor, or volunteer, we would be truly grateful. Our programs are accessible to intergenerational and diverse individuals, many of whom cannot afford to pay. Please consider giving, no matter how small a gift. It keeps our programs blooming and accessible to all.
BLOOM’S SPONSORS
For more info contact hello@dirtygaia.org
Imagine a Future with Dirt Love
3616 Main Street Stone Ridge, NY 12484 845.901.2128 Mobile 845.687.7954 Office
This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.
This project is made possible with
Do Good Work.
funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.
goodworkinstitute.org
Faire Collection is committed to elevating the lives of our artisans by providing dignified wages, hardship grants, and robust employee benefits that provide a path out of poverty.
shopfaire.com
Intuitive/Healing Jewelry and SoulCollage ® Workshops aileenguralstudio.com
people have asked
“How did BLOOM…bloom?” Circle’s Co-Founders, Jenny, Melissa, and Mirabai (in no particular order) have each been holding the seeds separately for this multifarious dream for many years. All very connected to nature’s beauty and its healing capacity, they also had separate and distinct memories of when they first experienced the magic of the woods at night, when performance had merged with a sense of wonder.
Love-Fueled... BLOOM Budded. “Some kind of adventure in the woods at night?” That question was tucked carefully into the hearts of Circle’s team like a small and tender seed that would rise up when ready. One of them would eventually ask, “Should we start thinking again, more seriously, about our performance in the woods?” refueling that sporadic and ongoing conversation that began soon after Circle’s inception three years ago. The thought would flutter away with the autumn leaves, and then summer’s verdant grass clippings, then another season of leaves. They were too busy hurrying on to other projects that felt more pressing: the next email blast or workshop, grant application, or the need to design and create the next
craft kit they would sell on their site and at their seasonal Maker’s Markets. A few months passed. One year later, and then the next. Eventually another of the women would again ask, “How about this spring?” But that thought was still not yet ready to blossom. Until it was.
They each had distinct memories of when they first experienced the magic of the forest at night.
a pandemic that helped
set the dream in motion
C
ircle’s team was determined to inspire a sense of reconnection for those who felt isolated and seemed to be losing hope. Their in-person classes had halted for a time, on-line classes felt too…distanced. They felt that offering an experience that would eventually become BLOOM would be both ancient as well as wholly unexpected and new, and that the idea of outdoor performances in the woods was an exciting and untapped medium in the US. The team was familiar with festivals and ritualistic traditions around the world that for eons have demarcated the changing of seasons and honored our earth’s generosity, as well as the wisdom of the dark. Those celebrations have their
roots in nature-honoring, Indigenous ways on every continent. The Circle Sisters, as they are affectionately called, discussed integrating some elements from a few of those, while also allowing new stories to flow through. But what stories? All they knew concretely in those early investigations was that they wanted to evoke a sense of awe, and reignite a connection to the earth. They wanted to inspire people to get creative and become part of their community in deep ways, no matter what was happening in the world at large or in the face of any perceived or real threats. Years of offering workshops had confirmed for them first-hand of the healing, alchemizing powers of craft and connection.
“People might just need permission to be joyous again. This experience could bring local creatives together to create and share authentically.” The Circle Sisters loosely imagined a story where vignettes would build upon one another into an experiential and interactive journey. “Let’s have it be a kind of playful rite of passage that will remind us that we are each important, connected, and hold unique medicine for the planet and one other.” They wanted their guests to feel like they were stepping into a dreamscape where they might come to see things anew.
They wanted to evoke a sense of awe, and reignite a connection to the earth—to inspire people to get creative and become part of their community in deep ways.
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right time
I
n truth, the three women had already been operating their small but mighty, growing nonprofit on a shoestring budget and a lot of inspiration. To plan a full production of such scope seemed to anyone else, well, “Bonkers.” As a team of only three, they were already working hard to keep up with the many tasks they have in order to run their workshops and the rest. Could they afford an entire production, let alone pay themselves? Not at all, but one among them eventually declared wisely anyway, “THIS MAY… OUR PERFORMANCE AT NIGHT; IT’S TIME! PEOPLE NEED HOPE!” This was shared and received with the kind of confidence that moves mountains, or…at least blooms magic. That last declaration was made this past January of 2022, (yes, a mere handful of months ago), when Circle only had little more than a wild and farfetched intention. The team still had no idea what or where the performance would be, who would be the players, or how they would pay for everything necessary to bring a production of such magnitude to life. But love-fueled and determined, as they did everything, they knew they would find a way. And as if through an actual miracle of mythical creative proportions, they seemed to set a dream in motion as well as answer that in others. How
everything in its
&
right way
else could they explain how in no time, with few financial resources, they soon had the support of more than 150 talented new and old friends creating original handmade costumes, arranging the music, and dreaming up the beautiful details of the production? They have received an outpouring of gifts from friends and neighbors to make the costumes and added that to a stockpile of coveted supplies from reuse and recycling centers including much-needed fabric, wire, ribbons, all in keeping with their nonprofit’s goals to upcycle and be gentle on the earth, making useful of what has been discarded.
As if through a miracle of mythical proportions, they seemed to set a dream in motion as well as answer that in others.
coming into circle “It was January and there was snow falling outside the large windows. The three of us sat in a circle on the floor at the center of our sun-flooded studio and closed our eyes, just as we do weekly to reconnect with one another as a team. We regularly come together in that way for different reasons: sometimes to help clear some challenges between us, within one of us, or our friends, to call in or set an intention, or to help develop a creative idea. At that moment in January we were doing the latter. At Circle Creative Collective, we also bring everyone into a circle at the opening and
closing of each of our classes and workshops as a way of opening hearts, thinking about what and how we want to create, and working together in a truer way.” Circles are continuous, yet open and invitational. A circle is unbroken, an ancient symbol of life/death/rebirth, wholeness, feminine power, the seasons, impermanence, and unity.
Circles are fertile and round… like beautiful pregnant bellies and Mama Earth.
it’s only the beginning Circle’s longing is that many more outdoor dreamscape extravaganzas will happen in both spring and fal. If you would like to join us as a volunteer, sponsor, donor, or dreamer of extraordinary visions, please reach out to us: info@circlecreativecollective.org in-circle.org
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close your eyes and
feel the earth
T
he women sat crosslegged and received the meditation prompt one of them shared: “Close your eyes and feel the earth. Listen to what wants to come up through you. Connect to any particularly strong and visceral memories in your life that honor the earth, that changed you, and that reminded you of your importance here. Memories flooded their minds. They moved through and with them, returning to breath, to the quiet of stillness, to their connection to one another within the circle, and to themselves as pillars between earth and sky. Visions emerged. Stories. Snippets of borrowed wisdom; some uniquely their own. Eventually they opened their eyes. Tentatively, and soon more energetically, they sprawled ideas in their journals, words splattered excitedly: Bird People. Giant Nest. Star Beings. Rebirth. Seed Song. Fairies. Enormous Flowers. More random ideas that were body-felt, important. They soon shared their unique visions and began to string them together into what would become BLOOM. The women agree that none of the ideas that emerged separately that day could have been as complex or beautiful as what they would eventually weave together, heart upon heart. That single meditation prompt invoked all the team needed to move their dream forward in ways “that have been
profound.” There was much timeless wisdom that BLOOM would offer up including: honoring the return of spring, the importance of stillness and going within. The beauty of the dark to help us to know ourselves better and connect with the unseen world, and others. Then there was excitement with the realization that “because this will be interactive and guests won’t be just witnesses but participants, BLOOM and its music will become a part of everyone who experiences it.” One of the friends shared a memory that day from her childhood of walking, eyes closed, through the woods of an old home-for-the-blind where residents and guests could explore nature with their other senses heightened. “Sightless, my cousin and guided ourselves with the aid of just a rope that wove through endless paths. We were little, about 7 or 8, walking alone, trusting the rope. I experienced a kind of synesthesia: bird songs could be felt, scents suddenly became so potent you could taste them. And among those gifts, such gratitude for sight!” That memory would morph into Scene 9 in BLOOM, called Disorientation.
Stories were shared about the reminders of the sacredness of life from different cultures, the idea of a Soul Song was offered up, and these and other seeds began to form BLOOM’s garden of 13 core vignettes.
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6 3 0 B R O A D WAY, K I N G S T O N , N Y 8 45 - 663 -22 8 6 H U D S O N VA L L E YC U R R E N T. O R G H E L L O @ H U D S O N VA L L E YC U R R E N T. O R G
once upon a time i n t h e h u d s o n va l l e y ( a n d t h at t i m e i s n ow ) IF YOU PLAN TO BE A GUEST AT BLOOM, you will be stepping into an unforgettable fairy tale. You will be gifted a seed upon the path and are invited to consider:
“What do you want to grow in your life’s garden this spring and beyond?”
and the transformational capacity of our own hands and hearts.” Circle is working to do just that with our vibrant Hudson Valley Community: ONE PAIR OF WINGS, FAIRY CROWN, AND GIANT NEST AT A TIME.
Through this question you may begin to better understand what your heart’s longing is and what you need to weed from your life’s garden. “The world is as we dream it. Life is sacred; we must be careful what we dream.” —John Perkins One of the Circle Sisters had this to say: “The vision of BLOOM is inviting people to be able to come out of what they think life is or should be but for a moment, and to enter into the unknown, maybe even the slightly uncomfortable, but absolutely magical and life-changing. We are inviting our community to plant new dream seeds for a brighter future, for a more balanced, and jubilant tomorrow. To wake up to the miracle of ourselves, the earth, the cosmos,
“Dare to dream the life you desire. When we can come together with a common intention, it amplifies that intention. Not to mention, the world needs more fun and connection—things that can be harder to find alone.”
“While working on Bloom I created something I hadn’t imagined before. I look forward to seeing some other person wearing and embodying my offering at the event. I especially love the studio recently bursting with handmade characters, celestial garb and masks all draping the rooms. One day soon they will be combined, fitted, worn and brought to life.” - Nixa De Bellis check our event calendar for upcoming workshops in-circle.org
“In Circle’s studio, creating costumes for BLOOM, time and space expand into creative art play facilitated by loving intention and attention. There is little veil between dreamworld, the materials and medium one is working with, and the space and facilitators invite that in the spirit of play. It’s invigorating, and at the end you’re holding a piece of art in your hands to share. You can feel the sense of collaboration in it—community, connectedness, continuation.” - Lori Ruth Federman
by circle creative collective
at stone ridge orchard Guests to BLOOM should expect to walk about a mile on varied mostly flat terrain. The journey will take about 45 minutes with intermittent stations where you will encounter magical interactive scenes.
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Tick spray and tall boots are advised as a precaution against ticks or poison ivy. Car-pool if possible.
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Please bring a small flashlight. Leave your phones and cameras in car or off. Delicious food, cider, wine, NY beer and more will be available for purchase at os the beginning and the tend to of the journey. Come early ne r id ge or stay later to partake.
D N
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SCENES:
1: the curtain 2: seed journey 3: clearing 4: mother tree 5: choosing to be 6: nesting bird council 7: conception 8: sacred waters 9: weaving fates 10: disorientation 11: the quickening 12: birth 13: gathering fire
13
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BASICS:
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A: parking B: potties C: drink cart D: woodfired pizza
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2
5
3 4
Collages by Mirabai Trent
t h e i n s p i r at i o n f o r a f e w o f
BLOOM’s 13 scenes B
LOOM is Circle Creative Collective’s joyous offering to the community, celebrating and embodying our undeniable connection, as well as our potential for transformation through co-creativity.
Step into BLOOM’s scene 4, “MOTHER TREE,” where you will witness and embody the beauty of stillness. The journey here moves us from a more playful exploration, to something more internal and even sacred.
Guests on the candlelit paths will embark on an immersive, multi-dimensional adventure through birth…and Life through a new lens. This unforgettable journey will remind us that the seed of our own rebirth, and our fullest potential, is ready at any moment for us to plant with gratitude, like spring’s ripe fruits and blossoms. Here are a peek into some of the scenes.
Beneath a powerful 350-YEAR-OLD OAK TREE at The Orchard, we are invited to know no-thingness by a veiled woman in meditation seated at the base of the tree. She is wrapped in soft candlelight and the night, a pillar of concentration between earth and sky. In our distracted and busy world, meditation is a true gift that brings us home to ourselves.
“When you go into the space of nothingness, everything becomes known.”-Gautama Buddha
s c e n e t wo
seed journey A
t the very beginning of each guest’s journey through BLOOM, they will be given a seed by an animated sunflower on the path. This seed represents the guest’s life, and the new dream they are being invited to explore and call in. They will be asked playfully, “WHAT DO YOU WANT TO GROW IN YOUR LIFE’S GARDEN? What will you water? Hold it tenderly. Be gentle with your dream... curious.” Whether you are able to come to BLOOM or not, you can explore these important questions.
scene three
clearing A
s part of BLOOM’s Scene 3: Clearing, guests will step further out of time and space as they know it. There they will encounter a mystical being who will be tending a fire, inviting people to release into it what is not serving them or the world. Fire, a powerful element of purification and renewal, helps still the chatter of the mind, and connects people with one another, to nature, and the spirit realm. Dried herbs will also be burning nearby. “Smudging” is an ancient practice that has been used throughout cultures and faiths across the world to purify spaces, improve mood, and eliminate negative energy in the body, mind and spirit. There are early written records of the use of smoke in the Vedas, the ancient Hindu texts, to support recovery from illness. There is evidence of the use of healing smoke throughout time by ancient Egyptians, Israelites, Romans, Assyrians, Mesopatamians, Minoans, Mycenaens, and Australian Aboriginals. In China and Asia, herbs were burned in the form of incense and more, and the
use of myrrh and frankincense are well known to Christians. In Celtic traditions and across Europe, herbal smoke cleansing was used traditionally in both ceremonial and secular ways. It is very important that if you choose to burn, diffuse, or use herbs in any way, you consider if what you have chosen to burn has been harvested sustainably and mindfully sourced. Sadly, White Sage is now so widely and commercially sold that this sacred and important plant has now become almost endangered. Please utilize other generous and healing plants including mugwort which grows locally here in great abundance, as well as cedar, lavender and juniper. If harvesting, please ask first and take sparingly and remember to thank the plant that is giving of itself. To avoid over harvesting, collect only a small amount of plant material from any one population, then move around to other area sources so that you can encourage healthy seed reproduction. Harvesting less than 5% is the honorable rule of thumb, and even less if within the same area.
scene five
nesting/bird council
I
t has been said that there have always been spiritual, angelic guardians on Earth known as the Bird Tribe Beings or Bird People here to support our awakening into higher consciousness and help humans to remember the deeper reasons of why we are here. They have shown up by many other names in every corner of the world, legged, winged ones, here to unite earth and sky with the inspiration and harmony of song. Some believe they have come as messengers of peace and that their tribes are now returning in greater numbers. Those who tell of them believe that these winged beings have disguised themselves in the forms of Starseeds: angelic hu-
man babies. With their wings tucked in so tight you may not be able to see them, they just might be sharing songs of deep wisdom from beyond our farthest star, in voices so sweet that each listening heart opens like a hand. In BLOOM’s Scene 5, a human Starseed will soon emerge on earth made of stardust and love, holding the dreams of their life—of what was and what will be. This ageless and pristine eternal being is there to receive sacred instructions from members of the Bird Council. They lie curled in an enormous nest, resting before their arduous journey into form on earth
while a council of Bird People safely holds the sacred space around them. Through the power of song and the intentions of the circle, the winged ones are inviting the new life to embody fully, without fear. They sing the Soul Song, reminding the resting being not to forget the truth of their light, that they incarnated with all they need to be ready for their journey at this time on the planet.
The elders wrap the Starseed in layers of harmony and the warmth of their voices offered through the Soul Song.
About The Soul Song The words of BLOOM’s Soul Song originally fell through the night sky like a comet. They literally woke up Jenny Wonderling, one of Bloom’s and Circle’s Co-Directors, who could barely keep up with her pen as the lyrics splattered onto a scrap of paper. They were then arranged by a talented and exciting core team of local musicians including: Mirabai Trent, Matthew Gustafson (BLOOM’s Music Director), Madeleine Jayson, Natasha (“Tasha”) Pointdexter, Reesa Montana Grace Siegel, and Mariana Barcellos. The Soul Song carries each guest and performer through BLOOM’s candlelit paths and is intended to accompany them long after they leave.
Inspiration and Gratitude:
their authentic self. The song is offered as a way of celebrating someone, as a reminder, as well as offering a sense of belonging through unconditional love. The Circle Sisters were deeply moved by this story, and wondered, “how different might our world be if we each knew such invocations of love to remind us of who we are, and who we came to be?” “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” There seems to be differing opinions about the origin of these words, but whether the Hopi of what is now Arizona originally passed down this wisdom, or it came through poet June Jordan before being borrowed by Alice Walker and then Barack Obama, the words honor the capacity each of us holds to make positive change.
The lyrics of the Soul Song hold important wisdom carried forth from three main influences for which we are so grateful: The idea of a “Seed Song” was greatly influenced by Rowen White, an Akwesasne Indian and indigenous seedkeeper of sierraseeds.org. Years back she shared some of her gorgeous stories with our Hudson Valley community as part of a screening of local filmmaker Jon Bowermaster’s film Seeds of Hope. That evening, she had shared about her people’s ancient tradition of planting with reverence and intentionality. She spoke of how her people consider each seed “their babies,” and like their human offspring, also a sacred recipient of endless generations of prayers. The seeds, she explained, are sung the same beautifully welcoming songs that the mothers and midwives sing to human babies, offering interwoven connections from the start between humans and the natural world. Those honoring songs remind each new life to “TAKE YOUR TIME; IN YOUR TIME,” and that they are loved and so important… The Himba Tribe of Namibia in West Africa purportedly called their unborn child into form with the power of song. It has been said that mothers there wait to receive a unique song for their unborn child as a way of “calling them in.” A mother will sing this while making love to conceive, during pregnancy, and then throughout an individual’s life to remind the child of
The Soul Song You hold the answer You are the change Because of you alone Nothing is the same You were knit together In your mother’s womb Clothed like wild flowers You are in full bloom Take your time In your time You’re the one we’re waiting for Take your time In your time You are the keeper of your dreams
THE POWER OF SONG There are several words in English that make reference to songs’ mystical capacity for healing. Think about the words enchantment (to chant) and incantation (the “cant” has its origins in Proto-Indo-European roots meaning “to sing”.) Throughout BLOOM’s journey, the Soul Song will be sung by different characters in different melodies and tempos, as well as pronoun changes (from “you” to “I” and “we”) depending on the scene. In every form, it reminds each person of their purpose and the truth of their limitlessness.
What is YOUR Soul’s Song? What are your untapped dreams? Here is another of the stanzas of the Soul Song that will find its way into certain scenes:
You are the one we’ve been waiting for You are the keeper of dreams We ignite the soul song you hold inside To awaken your slumbering seed
scene nine
weaving fates
M
eet the Three Fates or Moirai: one spins, one measures, and one cuts the thread of life, singing each being’s Soul Song as they work. According to Greek and Roman mythology, the Fates (portrayed here as the Maiden, Mother and Crone) ensure that humans live out their destiny. Each traveler on BLOOM’s path will be called over by the Crone, (the one who cuts) who takes a moment to read the fate of that specific person, breathes a secret into a red thread and then ties it on each person’s wrist. These three wise ones will remind us that our destiny is woven in
the stars, and that we are connected by blood that runs red through us all, in spite of perceived differences. A red thread worn on the wrist has emerged throughout history and across the globe as an ancient symbol of our unity and life force. Expressed through Christianity, Kabbalah and Jewish Folk customs, Buddhism, Hinduism, and in ancient Chinese legends, the red thread reminds us we are not alone and can be protected against misfortune. It’s a symbol of faith and connection, and can help us manifest an intention, as well as to stay positive while facing adversity.
S
tone Ridge Orchard is a 200-yearold historic working farm on 115 acres in the heart of the Rondout Valley. We are a community of growers, makers and visionaries committed to celebrating, studying and exploring the rich history of food, agriculture and craft of the Hudson Valley while boldly imagining the future. Fiercely dedicated to saving farms, creating community, uplifting the hands that grow our food and preserving our planet and the astonishing ecosystem that supports us, Hudson Valley Center for Food & Agriculture at Stone Ridge Orchard is at the forefront of the next generation of farming, preserving the rich traditions of our past while looking cleareyed into the future. Founding farmer, Elizabeth Ryan, has been fighting the fight for sustainable and regenerative agriculture and the many cultures that have supported the industry since her days at Cornell University where she received her degree in pomology in the 1970’s. She went on to become a pioneer of hard cider, founding member of GrowNYC Greenmarket farmers, recipient of the Cornucopia award from Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture and a Smithsonian Fellow. Hailed as a culture preservationist, a savior of family farms and an advocate of ecology, she now helms six farms in Ulster and Dutchess County woven into a broader context by the nonprofit The Center For Hudson Valley Food and Agriculture. You are cordially invited to join the inaugural Stone Ridge Farmers and Makers Market which kicks off a new vision for community and collaboration in the Hudson Valley. Each week farmers and makers will gather to celebrate a community-based model prizing a unique selection of locally made and farm fresh products that highlight the diversity of Hudson Valley and celebrating a different local nonprofit every week.
• Hudson Valley Farmhouse Hard Cider STONEGrown RIDGEFruits FARMERS AND MAKERS MARKET • Sustainably •Every Hudson Valley Farmhouse Hard Sunday from 10-3 pm, rain orCider shine • Wood-Fired Pizza • U-Pick Apples • Sustainably Grown Fruits OPENING ON MAY 29TH through December • Weddings & Events • Wood-Fired Pizza • U-Pick Apples • Weddings & Events
• Hudson Valley Farmhouse Hard Cider • Sustainably Grown Fruits • Wood-Fired Pizza • U-Pick Apples • Weddings & Events
3012 Route 213, 3012 StoneRoute Ridge 213, Stone Ridge 845-687-2587 stoneridgeorchard.com 845-687-2587 stoneridgeorchard.com
circle asked
SOME OF THE ARTISTS WORKING ON BLOOM:
Why are you passionate about the medium you will be sharing? What do you want to water in your life’s garden? What are you weeding/releasing this spring? HERE ARE THEIR ANSWERS (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER): MICHELLE BIONDOLILLO-KEESSEN Sewist, Mask and Wing Maker, Creative Costume Manifester www.schuylark.com
MATTHEW GUSTAFSON BLOOM Music Coordinator Contributor of Song, Ideas, Support innerflamerecordings.com I go about each day and notice the sounds of music in all the worlds we put ourselves in. Sound is an inevitable part of our reality, and to have this vast appreciation for it has kept me inspired since a very young age. BLOOM is calling on us all to remember our deepest roots, and asking us to remember our unique truth, so it is only natural that I feel so honored to partner with Circle in organizing/co-creating the Soul Song and soundscapes present throughout the performance. I am nourishing the possibilities that are present in every moment, and growing this sense and awareness of the gifts and miracles ever-present. So long as we have the eyes to see them, the faith to know them, and the heart to receive them; we are unstoppable. I am weeding the limitations of my mind, and releasing doubts that have kept parts of me stagnant in the past. The seasons have taught me about the rhythms of our Earth. Ebb and flow, nurture and release, and being in harmony.
MADELEINE GRACE Soul Blossoming Soundscapes, Contributor of Songs and Ideas sonicelixirs.com My passion project Sonic Elixirs is one of expression and space holding. We use sound to create and hold space and give life to the unexpressed parts of ourselves that are not always honored or welcomed. Bloom and Sonic Elixirs each call into the deep parts of our hearts to say, “We are safe here, we are welcomed here,” and fulfills the longing of our heart, to be accepted and connected to those who surround us and to the source of creation itself. This spring I am watering a deep bow to my inner guidance. I am weeding the creeping illusions that have kept me feeling disconnected from my inherent interconnectedness, and I am releasing stagnancy to embrace vitality.
When I first saw the vision of what Circle Collective was wanting to create, the maker in me was inspired to be part of this production. Not only was it a chance to use my skills as a designer, sculptor, general-creator-of-things, it was a chance to work with a great group of creative people. What I’m hoping to grow is my connection to this community, to become more involved, stretching myself with new challenges and make some cool costumes for Bloom. What I’m looking to release are certain limiting beliefs I have in myself and to push myself out of my comfort zone.
NATASHA “TASHA” POINDEXTER Musical Visionary, Singer, Percussionist, Intuitive Musician Music is life and I feel BLOOM is something that will bring people together. I am grateful to share and also receive the medicinal aspects of sound. I will
continue to water my dreams and not fall into doubt. I will continue to trust in my soul purpose and path creator has thoughtfully planned for me.
to water my enjoyment of the beauty of the world, my connection to family and friends through joy and song and art, I am hopeful that the weeds undergo alchemy and become a field of wildflowers.
ELI MILES Resident Faun Indispensable Costume Support I’ve been working with Circle for a little while now and I love it! I first found them through a wing-making workshop earlier this spring. Since then I have come back to the studio weekly to help with costume-making. I will be taking part in the Bloom performance as my faun character, Cedar. It’s so fun to bring fantasy into this world. In my life’s garden, I am planting new experiences and growing into myself. I will try to weed and release some negative thinking so I can try new things and succeed. I’m super excited to be part of this, can’t wait till show day!
MARY LEROY Craft Maven Maker of Handmade Beauty Spinner in “The 3 Fates” marysmagicwoolshop.com I am passionate about spinning wool because it is an ancient and traditional craft that I feel connects me with the women of my ancestry. Right now, I am watering seeds of connection with my children and nature by making a conscious effort to spend more time outdoors. I am weeding out negative self-talk. I am worthy of love simply because I am alive, despite the mistakes I have made and regardless of what I can produce.
FELICIA “FIFI” FLANAGAN
JULIE ROSE
Costume Creator, Mirrored angel on the path Local Performer feliciasartwork.art
Homeopath, Play Therapist Dancer in the Scene “Disorientation” Choreographer, Tai chi teacher
I am passionate about this creative event because of the community spirit, the gifts it will bring to the people who attend, and the joy of creating together for a great cause! In my garden I hope
I feel so deeply that holding and creating spaces for people to dance with each other and with the rest of Nature, brings healing to the dancers and sends ripples of healing out into the world. Dancing has saved my life countless
times and has given me a way to listen to and share consciousness and spirit with plants, creatures, stones, all the beings of our mother earth and with her great round body as well. I will continue trying as best I can to practice acceptance, kindness and clarity by watering my entire life’s garden, the dark, the light, the mixing of the two and the mysterious. For me at this time in my life there are no weeds and that which needs to die back into the earth of my being will do so when it is time and will provide nourishment for new growth.
ROBERT GULOTTA Adventurer Extraordinaire of Life, Photography and Lighting As a photographer I love creating emotion with light. Working on the lighting for BLOOM gives me the opportunity to help create deeper emotions than I can create with a photograph, magnifying feelings into a ‘wow’ experience that’s bigger, and more gratifying for me than what I normally am able to create. Having the opportunity to be a small part of this production while connecting with the magnificent humans that have loved this concept to fruition was something I could not pass up. This spring I am watering the seeds of so many new friendships and connections, growing a beautiful community around me filled with supportive, loving individuals, and weeding out the thorns of the past and future in order to be more fully present in this garden.
MARY TIGHE Light Wielder Singer in Scene “Sacred Waters” Animal lover, moment embracer, soul chaser, dedicated and generous human family member and friend, Mary helps ease grief as a soon-to-be Funeral Director. She also performs regularly on the side to keep her own heart inspired. “I am passionate about the self reflection that Bloom is encouraging and facilitating. I need to “water” viewing my instrument as a temple, enriching it with good nutrients & thoughts while weeding through the resentment I have held onto for far too long.”
MARIANA BARCELLOS Singer of Songs Performer in scene “Choosing to Be” I am passionate about sharing cultural expression through BLOOM. We as creative humans are in need of opportunities to explore our expressions through movement, songs, sounds, colors, textures and stories. Sharing moments like this together is healing because it makes us feel like we belong to a tribe, to a culture that holds us for who we are. We can be who we are weaving together an idea to be communicated. And what is better than to BLOOM when it is Springtime? I am giving water and nourishing my musical work in the world as a sing-
er-songwriter and as a singing teacher. I truly believe that we all can sing and through singing we move energy in our bodies. It is therapeutic and necessary especially in these times. Singing gives us energy and joy and it is our inner instrument. Listening to each other’s songs creates understanding and deep connections. I am weeding all that does not serve me anymore: shoes and clothes, books and tools, so I can have time to practice and develop more of my passions and necessities.
DAGEN JULTY Merrymaker of Inspiration and Joy BLOOM’s Greeter/Jester Dagenjulty.com Dagen Julty has been blending the creative arts, spirituality and merry making since 1996 when he invented his performance character Happy Dan The Music Man to entertain children of all ages. Currently he is working on the concept of shamanic clowning to find ways to inspire and Enlighten the world in these challenging times. Please tell us why you’re passionate about the medium you will be sharing with the world through BLOOM: I have always felt a calling to be a Merrymaker, to make the world a happier place. And my favorite way to do so is in a theatrical context when people are in a more receptive state of mind. I am both watering and fertilizing my presence on stage wherever that may be now that things are opening up I have so much to share with the world. I am releasing any fears of being misunderstood or unappreciated.
ANA GIOIA Doula of Creativity and New Life Performer in “Sacred Waters” Scene Wildandsacredbirth.com Bloom is a portal through which the spirit and creativity of the community can funnel. It is a live tendril of the spark of creation. I can’t imagine a more vivid or communal way to celebrate all the beautiful themes. As a doula, guiding people through these thresholds is what I rejoice in doing and do so with deep reverence, compassion and awe. I’m personally watering my connection with my own bodily and spirit portals, the reawakening of Eros as it relates to all things, embraced responsibly but with freedom and honor. This also pertains to the awakening of my voice as a mature woman, the journey from maiden to mother and landing in that role fully, transcending and including all former aspects of the feminine and masculine as well letting new ones emerge, as they play in the tantric dance within all of us. I am weeding my over-responsibility and concern for the reactions of others, understanding that if I am to live in my truth I can’t control how all perceive me but I can find peace and liberation in that as well.
JESSICA CAPLAN Sacred Sound and Song Weaver Water Midwife in “Sacred Waters” jessicacaplan.com, soundmind.space Jessica is a singer, soundstress, and
Sonic Embodiment coach who helps women re-member their authentic voice... Voice, music, and movement are among my greatest loves in life - my favorite ways to connect with people (which is another love). I see the voice as the soul’s expression, and music such a powerful medium for story-telling, connection, and interbeing. I am watering deep presence and authenticity in my life, and releasing the stories/beliefs that keep me from that!
things with materials that nature offers us. God gave all creatures everything they need to thrive. Making shelters and cooking devices with cob provides me deep connections to nature by creating the most crucial of life’s needs with gentle processes. This Spring I am watering my personal relationships and focusing on being useful to my community. I hope to achieve this by being positive and productive.
(among other projects). Kathleen is the founder of Gateway House, a spiritual community which celebrates multi faith, Celtic Turn of the Wheel ceremonies, weaving fire, music and performance. I am passionate about collaborating with Bloom and The Circle Collective as deep kindred spirits who are igniters of the sacred vision of beauty & community. I am watering a new way of loving in my life right now. I am releasing echoes of the past. I am in deep awe & gratitude for Great Mystery’s miracle of grace in my life.
AMA’ZJHI DONA HO DIANA SEILER Limb and Heart Healer Thai Yoga Massage Dancer in Quickening Scene HudsonValleyThaiMassage.com I love to dance this body of mine! My soul feels most alive and joy pours out of me when I’m embodied, moving and expressing myself freely. I enjoy the creative experience of combining rounded and staccato movements in various ways and shifting pace and position in space to feel a change of mood and perspective. I am watering clarity, courage, and discipline. I’m weeding all whining, resistance and procrastination.
The Creator of Violet Alchemy® Healing and Purification amazjhi.com As a sacred sound intuitive and divine voice channel, She delivers transmissions of divine love, light and Shakti. “In the ever expanding garden of our life WE choose to see the many stages of creation in all forms, always ready to enter the spiral with dance and sound.”
KATHLEEN MANDEVILLE Ritual, Theater, Dream Maker Crone of the Flaming Heart in “The 3 Fates” Scene ignivox.net
JAMIE MANZA Natural Earth Building and Permaculture Weaver of the Giant Nest Instagram @rebelshelter I am passionate about creating useful
Kathleen Mandeville is producer/ director of IgniVox Productions, a production company dedicated to spiritual, regional and environmental witness through the arts, producing site specific, environmental pageants
MICHAEL GRIFFITH 5Rhythms Instructor Dance Ringleader, Birth Scene For 16+ years, the 5Rhythms dynamic movement practice has helped me to meet myself with love, to bring embodied presence, awareness and clear, loving action into my life. I’m dedicated to bring my love of the dance and offer this sacred space for us to meet ourselves together and dance! Dance + movement have been key medicines for my journey: heart and soul healing and transformation, continuing to grow and evolve as an imperfect human Being in Love, Joy, and Freedom. Holding space in which people can embody their truth in dance and movement, alone and in community, releasing the old, calling in the new, and living from their heart essence more and more—this for me is following my Bliss. Releasing expectations and untrue limitations, and watering Joy, sweet connection, and adventure.
contact improv, and ecstatic dance - for more than forty years. Dance has recently led me to see the transformational power of ritual to bring us the possibility of making real change in how we relate to the world.
SIBYLLE JUD Community Creatrix, Coaching Yoga & Breathwork Instructor Goddess in Mother Tree Scene sibyllejud.com I am excited about sharing a meditation circle beneath a 350 year old oak tree—don’t know if there’s anything more beautiful than that. The breath and nature are both powerful teachers to me and readily accessible to all who want to listen. Sitting with a tree has transformed my life many years ago and inviting others into communion with this particular majestic being is such a gift to me. Hopefully everyone else who will sit in stillness there will open to deep listening. Thank you Circle Creative for birthing this offering for our community. This spring I’m watering the expansion of our yoga studio, Iris, and her community through more offerings of yoga, breathwork, coaching sessions, fire walks and many more blossoming ideas. Trust is what I’m watering within. I’m letting go of fear in all its forms this spring and always. It’s a constant process of plucking and weeding.
Watering the garden of cocreation and weeding out conflict that derails or distracts from the joy of creation.
of that which we find essential to sustaining and procreating joyous life. He brings multitudinous life and professional experience along with a keen eye to everything on his path including architecture, writing, teaching, multimedia production, for the likes of the NY Times, Newsweek, Menla, and more. “Piotr wants to water “Individual realization through communal connection and participation” in his life’s garden.
ALISON SINATRA Piercer of Perceived Boundaries Bloom’s Loving Greeter, alisonsinatra.net Alison Sinatra is a longtime teacher of the healing arts bringing with her many tools to help mine for joy and authentic truth including Yoga Teacher, Breathwork Facilitator, Sacred Circle Holder, and Queen of Women’s Circles. I love planting the seeds of rebirth in people’s hearts and minds. This season I am watering more joy and unity and realising any energetic paralysis and fear.
PHOEBE SUMATRA LAIN The Essence of Flowers A guide in “Disorientation” Scene Phoebe Sumitra Lain is honored to be part of the magic of BLOOM. She has a deep love and connection to nature and the spirits of nature, with a special love for our flower and fairy friends. Phoebe loves working with incredible beauty, joy and power of the fairies, and does this through her work with flower essences and fairy school for children. She is happy to help bring the magic of the flower and the fairies to BLOOM!
PIOTR REDLINSKI DAN GETMAN Orchestrating Authentic Connection and Community Transformational Dancer I’m passionate about the transformational power of dance and collective ecstasy. I began with social dance as a child and have lived within a variety of different dance communities—contra, swing,
Image and Story Mosaic Creator Filmmaker and Photographer www.redlinski.net Esteemed photographer and filmmaker Piotr Redlinksi feels aligned “with BLOOM’s connection to the earth through performance arts and creations as a living prayer. At this time of an ongoing battle of confusion and darkness, we need to come together as a unified natural force for good and preservation
CLAUDIA SABINO Retreat Co-Facilitator and Consultant The Sunshine on The Path uplandscenter.org/team/claudia-sabino/ May I embody the Sun’s presence and emanate it’s wisdom and love to everyone that comes to THE BLOOM experience ! I want to water the simplicity of being here,now! Living in peace,spreading the
pure Love I carry within, so others will feel and dissolve the walls that keep their hearts separate from this pure joy!
to life. We are so lucky Circle has made this tremendous sphere of generative energy, to make something Bloom from within—and in our community!
DAVID BUDD Ritual musician player of the drums, riq, doumbek, tar DaturaRoadBand.com, @dbuddleia18
PHOENIX TRENT
Earth-based spirituality in community as a performing participant resonates deeply within my soul. There’s nothing more powerful than celebrating a love for life in creative and fun ways in a community setting with like-minded, like-hearted people. My relationship to drumming and rhythm mirrors my heart connection with, and reverence for, rhythms felt in nature.
Writing and singing have always been healing for me and I’m so excited to be sharing these passions through BLOOM. I’d love to water love, expression, connection, peace, and trust in my life’s garden. I’m releasing fear, stress, and anxiety to the light.
What I wish to water now is a mastery of balance—of activity and rest & meditation, and time to grieve and heal. [Out?/instead of: a balance of moving forward with clearing and clarifying things in my home with allowing time to grieve and heal, a balance of reaching out and making new connections with a need for maintaining inner quiet] What I intend to release is any fear of success. Related to this is the question - if I identify something in my life as a “weed,” what am I going to do about it? Do I act, or do I change my mind about what a weed is?
NIXA DE BELLIS Co-Creator/Wing Maker, nixadebellis.com While working on Bloom I created something I hadn’t imagined before. I look forward to seeing some other person wearing and embodying my offering at the event. I especially love the studio recently bursting with handmade characters, celestial garb and masks all draping the rooms. One day soon they will be combined, fitted, worn and brought
Support Powerhouse Phoenix Singer in Nest Scene
LORI RUTH FEDERMAN A guide in “Disorientation” Scene Psychotherapist The scene of disorientation in Bloom can be seen through a lens of early prenatal patterning, and the opportunity to orient and align— some of us missed that moment in real time, some of us forgot the consciousness of that moment, and some of us feel stuck there! I feel passionate about co-creating secure spaces for resilient expressive unfolding rooted in intentional contemplative containment: To me this scene is an offering to our inner child and our children! Bloom honors this process to creatively reclaim, reorient and experience blooming in play. I am watering the beauty of the simplicity at the center of sacred complexity, I am releasing the dross.
The Valley of Artists w e t h a n k yo u
Did you know the Hudson Valley made it to #5 on the Top 10 List of Most Artistic Areas To Live in America? Well according to matadornetwork.com it’s true. There are more artists per capita, per square mile than in most other places, as well as an inordinate number of artisans, healers, and earth lovers, all contributing to why and how BLOOM found just the right place and time to thrive and be co-created here. Many of those have joined the Circle Sisters to make elaborate original masks, wings, an enormous nest, giant flowers, or will be participating as dancers, performers, sewists, musicians, photographers at the event, and more. Not to mention their workshops are always robustly attended by an intergenerational and truly diverse community. “How lucky we have been to pool a great number of talents, offer a space for visions and voices to come together, and get a taste of what’s possible when people work and play to bring a story to life. And there is such productive play happening here, adults acting like small children, splayed happily on the floor with paints and scissors, letting their creativity fly free.” This exuberant participation speaks to the need of many artists and makers (and too, those who had not previously given themselves permission) to create beauty in community. “All the creative individuals in this valley doing incredible work separately in their homes, studios, and barns are actually part of an untapped and extraordinary web. Each individual holds the ability to amplify and inspire another. The kind of co-creating we are experiencing is too rarely done in-person on a large scale. We are so lucky to be surrounded by so many talented people who are this kind-hearted and generous!
DIY Paper Flower Tutorial Please enjoy this tutorial of how to cut and assemble a giant paper flower. In this process, we invite you to be creative and curious, to try new things, and to trust any spurts of inspiration that may arise. We are offering these directions as a diving board for you to experiment with and modify in any way.
This flower can makes a fun wall hanging, party decoration, or even crazy hat! SUPPLIES NEEDED:
PETAL SIZES:
• Colored cardstock
Draw a petal shape to your liking, here are measurements we like to use. Have your petal begin with a rectangular base and grow wider towards the top. 17 of Petal A: 3”h x 2.5”w 7 of Petal B: 5”h x 4.5”w 7 of Petal C: 6.5”h x 6”w 7 of Petal D: 8”h x 7.5”w 12 of Petal E: 8.5”h x 8”w
• 13 x 13 cardboard circle • Scissors • Hot glue gun • Hot glue sticks • Clothespins/clips • Pen or Pencil
STEP 1: CUTTING THE PETALS • Begin by drawing out a petal shape to your liking using the measurements of each petal size. To save paper, you can trace a few different sized petals on one sheet. • Using a clothespin, you can clip together (so they don’t slip) 3-4 sheets of paper and cut them all out at once to speed up the process. • At the base of the petal, cut a 1-2” slit up the middle, the smaller the petal, the shorter the cut.
STEP 2: SHAPING THE PETALS • Using some cylindar (we use a large glue stick), begin to roll the upper sides of your petals towards the middle on each side. To avoid creasing, do this step with multiple petals at once. • Using your hands, roll out the middle of the petal in the opposite direction. This gives the petals life and visual interest. Continue this step with all of the petals, but leave 10 of smallest Petal A unshaped.
STEP 3: GLUING THE PETALS • Place a small dot of glue on the left side of the cut on the flower petal base. • Overlap the right side of the petal base over the hot glue dot, allowing the petal to become raised and three dimensional. Continue this step with all of the petals other than the 10 unshaped A Petals.
NOTE: The amount you overlap the base impacts the angle at which it will sit on the cardboard base. With larger petals, overlap the edges less and incrementally begin to overlap them more as the petals get smaller.
STEP 4: ASSEMBLY! • Using largest Petal E to start, place a line of hot glue on the base of the petal and glue them down on the cardboard base, the tips facing the four directions. • Add two more of Petal E between each of the existing petals. • Begin gluing the next row with Petal D. For visual interest, glue the center of the petal down between two petals from the first row. • Continue this action with Petals C, B, and the shaped A petals.
MAKING THE CENTER ROSE BUD: • Using the flat small A Petals, glue two petal bases together, creating a bowtie shape. Make a crease at the rectangular base’s edge. • Roll the petals around and into each other to create a bud shape. • Glue four more petals onto the base of the bud. Repeating the step above, roll them into each other, but allow the bud to open by creating a looser roll around the existing bud. • Repeat the last step with four more petals. • Glue bud into the middle of the flower. ENJOY!
a story of rebirth
YOU ARE INVITED TO BE b o t h w i t n e s s a n d p l ay e r i n a n
enchanting outdoor performance
through an ancient candlelit orchard.
BLOOM IS LIVING THEATER WRAPPED IN A DREAM... an offering to the earth and our collective future.
memorial day weekend
M A Y 2 8 :adults S a t . J U N E 4 : families Sat.
AT STONE RIDGE ORCHARD Limited timeslots between 8pm to Midnight. ADVANCE TICKETS REQUIRED:
CIRCLECREATIVECOLLECTIVE.ORG sponsored by:
THE RESET mediation + coaching