#58 Andrew Lang on redesigning sacred, communal spaces
“Healing is at the core of this [work], that we’re trying to create a a radical space here that is different than what the culture desires us to create. Yes, that’s going to rub some shoulders and poke some shadows but part of shadow work is naming it early and still sitting in that space, with healing as the out loud statement, we are here for healing and we’re going to commit to community practices and accountability that are are here to heal us individually and collectively. ”
What can redesigning space in community look like after inheriting generations worth of dogmatised, static belief systems on what it means to hold and create space that preserves the inherent dignity of its people, and other spaces? Today we are joined by Andrew Lang, an educator in the Pacific Northwest and an alumnus of the Living School for Action and Contemplation, led by Richard Rohr, Cynthia Bourgeault, James Finley, Barbara Holmes, and Brian McLaren. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Unmasking the Inner Critic: Lessons for Living an Unconstricted Life. Along with blogging regularly, he facilitates workshops helping people to navigate their inner lives and explore their sense of identity and spirituality.
In this conversation, we explore pathways for redesigning communal spaces to restore their fluidity and sacredness, how abstract spaces are grounded in embodiment practices and hold you as you are, the interweaving layers of shadow work and how shadow work can bring down walls of defensiveness towards radical change in community.
What will be explored:
What brought Andrew to the space of facilitating workshops around inner work, spirituality and identity
Curiosity as a key pathway out of liminal spaces which fall between spaces you have outgrown and spaces which will hold you through the stages of your process of becoming
Laying gratitude as the foundation of our work to shift from the inherited blueprint of space and community as a static, impermeable box to more inclusive and dynamic frameworks
How abstract spaces challenge traditional frameworks of rigid space by being grounded in embodiment practices and holding you as you are
Exploring the interweaving layers of shadow work and how this can help us navigate the complexity of shadows within ourselves, spaces and communities
Elders mirroring possibility and the importance of addressing defensiveness to change by involving them in the redesigning process
What readers can expect from Andrew’s upcoming book Unmasking the Inner Critic: Lessons for Living an Unconstricted Life
Andrew’s resources:
Andrew’s blog and resources
Andrew’s workshops - learn more about the 6-week February workshop on shadow work
Andrew’s Instagram
