THE VILLAGE

How Mōhalu Cuts The Root of Imprisonment:

The Village

Mōhalu gathers people into circles to feel without suppression. We call this work The Village. The Village is the place where we sit in a circle, tell the truth, and find freedom in feeling. Our circles echo the village of old: where no part of you is turned away, where you are safe to feel all that you feel, and where elders walk with you as you make the descent into the depths of your being.

A 2 hour session typically looks like a Check-In, Doing Work, and Check-Out (and often weaves in poetry, music, breathwork, somatic meditations, laughter, and good ole talking-story). 

  • Check-In: One-by-one, people name an emotion they’re feeling and describe a part of themselves they are drawn to “do work” on. 

  • Doing Work: In the company of elders and the group, one person is given the space to feel the totality of their feelings, welcome any and all parts of themselves, and uncover their innate wisdom and wholeness. What does doing work look like? A person follows the thread of emotion in which they are allowed to slow down, breathe, speak from the soul, cry, yell, laugh, smile, or move the body.

  • Check-Out: One-by-one, people share how “the work” they witnessed impacted them (what revelations, feelings, and questions it brought up for their own life).

The Village is the place where you find those who dare slip beneath the still surface of the well (of David Whyte’s The Well of Grief):

Those who will not slip beneath
    the still surface on the well of grief,

turning down through its black water
    to the place we cannot breathe,

will never know the source from which we drink,
    the secret water, cold and clear,

nor find in the darkness glimmering,
    the small round coins,
          thrown by those who wished for something else.

Is This Work A Fit For You?

If you find yourself saying yes to the following questions, this work might be a good fit for you. If you find yourself saying no, it won’t be a fit.

Weariness and Root

Are you tired of the heaviness and suffering of life? Do you suspect that the root of your troubles lies in running away from feelings? 

Community

Are you willing to welcome all parts of you and others in the company of a village (a village is a group of truth-seekers holding space and being seen with no hierarchy and where empathy is woven into our practice)? 

Own Your Own Shit

Are you willing to own all the suffering you face as yours and yours alone (not content to merely complain, blame, gossip, project, or externalize)? 

Are you willing to own your own shit through the power of I-statements? 

Tell The Truth Through Your Words

Are you willing to tell the truth through your words? 

Are you willing to name what’s going on inside (your feelings, your hangups, your joys – speaking from the soul without a script)?

Tell The Truth Of Your Body

Are you willing to tell the truth of your body? (if you name grief, the truth of the body is to cry; if you name anger, the truth of the body is to express energy, boundaries, or sadness)

Are you willing to “do work” and dive into the well of raw emotion? Are you willing to follow the thread of emotion: slow down, breathe, cry, yell, laugh, move the body, alchemize feeling (find freedom in feeling), and ground the medicine in the body?

Are you willing to feel without armour? Are you willing to feel even if it feels scary or too feral, crazy, intense, ugly, messy, and muddy? Are you willing to do the hard shit?