GUIDING PRINCIPLESYes And - A radical acceptance and affirmation of the inherent value of every individual and every inspired contribution. Human As Artist - As human beings, each of us is gifted with the power to create. We are all artists in our own way, and we are all qualified to create and collaborate. Opt In - Joining into creative acts must always be consensual and voluntary. We acknowledge witness as a full form of participation, and we recognize that being present to a creative moment testifies to the healing power of the collective. |
ORIGIN STORY
Sound Intentions Circle is a co-created and affirming space where all those seeking liberation can come together. We collectively carry issues of injustice. In this egalitarian shape we dismantle hierarchy and engage in creative practices that bring us back to a more empathetic, expansive understanding of community - to ourselves, each other, and the Earth. Using words, rhythms, and melodies we shift and release that collective weight. Isabel developed Sound Intentions Circle during her studies at Union Theological Seminary, and in conjunction with her work at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and Blue Cliff Monastery. It was a response and contribution to the need for community-care for activists and faith leaders organizing and responding to racial and climate injustices. Harnessing her classical voice and mindfulness training, Isabel invites individuals to explore text, song, breath, and beat to express and embody story. She has brought this practice to nonprofit and advocacy organizations, universities, and houses of worship. She seeks to create new spaces that facilitate dialogue between people of different abilities and identities. Her work is rooted in "voicing the unvoiced", reconnecting to land/body, and collective liberation. Sound Intentions Circle acknowledges intersections in identity, faith traditions, and narratives. Sound Intentions Circle was a core offering of Isabel's residency at MINKA Brooklyn (2017-2018). |
THE ANCIENT MADE NEW
An ancient practice is given new life out of the work of artists, activists, and advocates seeking a way to re-connect and re-energize in the work of social and environmental justice. The circle can be made anywhere, any time, as long as there are people to form it. In circle, we tell stories with hopes that we may be truly heard*.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Deep listening - to others and yourself.
Get comfortable, check-in, find our breath, meditate, tell stories, construct poetry, sing songs and weave new songs together.
In the circle we are honest, open, invited to give voice to our experiences and intentions.
WHO IT'S FOR
Everyone. Especially those needing to be held, validated, and re-energized in a time of fear and disconnection.
CORE PRINCIPLES
Gathering in a circle is a universal human practice, which today we revive for our individual and collective liberation.
The circle does not identify with or appropriate practices of any one culture or religion.
We acknowledge that there are forces dividing us from one another and the Earth.
Entering the circle is a radical act of deconstruction and affirmation.
Witness is a full form of participation.
Engaging in the circle is consent-based.
*When working with deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, the act of being "heard" is translated through visuals (signing, writing, drawing, reading).
WHAT TO EXPECT
Deep listening - to others and yourself.
Get comfortable, check-in, find our breath, meditate, tell stories, construct poetry, sing songs and weave new songs together.
In the circle we are honest, open, invited to give voice to our experiences and intentions.
WHO IT'S FOR
Everyone. Especially those needing to be held, validated, and re-energized in a time of fear and disconnection.
CORE PRINCIPLES
Gathering in a circle is a universal human practice, which today we revive for our individual and collective liberation.
The circle does not identify with or appropriate practices of any one culture or religion.
We acknowledge that there are forces dividing us from one another and the Earth.
Entering the circle is a radical act of deconstruction and affirmation.
Witness is a full form of participation.
Engaging in the circle is consent-based.
*When working with deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, the act of being "heard" is translated through visuals (signing, writing, drawing, reading).