Workshop with Owen Ó Súilleabháin - When Hope and History Rhyme – Becoming the Ancestors of a Beloved Community

Throughout our lives, we carry many ancestors within us to be honored and remembered. We often draw from our literal ancestors, the old names and stories that came before us in our family lives. But we also walk alongside figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as we work to build a “beloved community” around us. When we realize this, we free ourselves to walk as that ancestor now, reshaping our identities and calling on ancestors old and new.

Join musician and teacher Owen Ó Súilleabháin for an afternoon workshop that invites the mystery of ancestry to be revealed. Owen draws on his background in Greek and Roman philosophy and peace studies to inspire creativity and compassion in individuals and organizations. His own ancestry, the Celtic tradition, is an ancient indigenous culture. Ireland was a land of continual colonization for thousands of years, and its native culture is one of the colonized, not the conqueror. This has endowed Celtic culture with the wisdom of anam cara or soul friend – placing the values of belonging, care, and community at the center of everyday life.

In this time of great confusion and uncertainty, making the space to celebrate truth and beauty can seem like a radical act. Truth and beauty are the inalienable right of each infinitely perfect soul on the planet. Experience an afternoon of song, story and poetry, and learn the depth and wisdom from the Celtic tradition, in both its ancient and contemporary expressions.

As the words of the poet David Whyte encourage, this workshop will invite you to leave ‘half a shade braver’ that you may dare to become ‘the ancestor of your future happiness’.