"We are entering the long dark. I use that term not negatively at all. I use it alchemically, because certain things can only happen in darkness. We are in a time of decay, a time of collapse, a time of endings, a time of sheddings. These are necessary." Francis Weller

Let us gather again to continue the practice of bearing witness through a late summer night. Preparing food and an altar, taking a walk in the woods and with plenty of time for simply sitting together on the earth around the fire in silence, let us surrender to the alchemy of the dark. Together we can explore ways to expand our capacity for being with the losses and uncertainties of these times - taking refuge in elemental embodiment, the wisdom of plants, and the superpowers of compassion, curiosity and solidarity – in communion with the other creatures of the night. 

With Siegmar Zacharias and Lucy Powell

We invite you to think about what you want to dedicate this vigil to. Collectively we can stay present to it. We do ask you to commit to the full duration of the vigil, but napping is totally fine! 

Places are limited and can be reserved HERE, free of charge
 

Siegmar Zaharias is a performance artist and researcher, trained death doula and herbalist. She works with performances, immersive installations, discursive encounters and curations that deal with the generative dynamics of transformation. Learning from uncontrollable material like smoke, slime, drool, nervous system, death and grieving, she collaborates with humans and non-humans. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally in theatres and festivals, in galleries and conferences, in greenhouses, in the forest and up in the sky. 

Lucy Powell is an artist and meditation teacher who co-founded HILDEGARD at the end of 2022 as part of her commitment to inner and outer activism in the service of socio-ecological transformation. She works outdoors, collaboratively and in participatory formats. Other collaborative projects include the more-than-human artistic research project Holobiosonics, Satellite Salon for art-science conversations in Berlin and Edinburgh, and Salon Universitas at Kassel University & Kunsthochschule.