Coming home to the alive world: writing with the Earth with Maya Ward

Gain an understanding of the cause and effect of nature disconnection and what we can do to reclaim this through the work of Co-becoming.

A person sitting on the ground with watercolours and painting in a journaling book

Event details

This event will run on the following date in 2023:

Sat 18th Nov
1pm – 5.30pm

$150*
Concession available

Book now

The work of Co-becoming offers deep and participatory access to nature and the animate world. Through somatic meditations and writing processes that unleash creativity, we come into conversation with the more-than-human realms. These powerful techniques open doors in a surprising and delightful way to a world that is wildly alive, intelligent, expansive and loving.
Influenced equally by her doctoral research in movement and meditation practices, and Western, Eastern and Indigenous philosophies, Maya’s courses are also fundraisers for a Yolgnu community, to support their capacity to keep their songspirals sung and handed down through the generations.

Trainer Profile

Maya Ward lives in Wurundjeri Country, in the mountain village of Warburton, and is passionate about deepening the connections between body, ecology and culture through writing, dancing and tending the earth.

Maya has worked as an urban designer, events co-ordinator at CERES, and as a permaculture teacher where she focused on developing intimacy between the human body and the places we dwell. Her memoir The Comfort of Water: A River Pilgrimage detailed her walk from the sea to the source of the Yarra following the length of an ancient Wurundjeri Songline. Currently her focus is on teaching courses that dive deeply into the ritual of Acknowledging Country, to explore how this call to engage properly with shame and grief could catalyse broader cultural engagement with the animate earth.

Workshop Specifics

In the workshop we will spend time in nature contemplation, writing and sharing our words. You will leave with a toolkit of techniques you can use to continue deepening your creative, expressive and spiritual practices aligned with ecological wisdom.

What you will learn :

– An understanding of the cause and effect of nature disconnection and what we can do to reclaim this.
– An embodied appreciation of the role of the sense organs in reviving sensuous, poetic nature connection.
– The place of the heart as an organ of perception.
– A taste of the rich historical and intercultural traditions of depth perception and why this is important in seeking deep connection on unceded Aboriginal lands’

What you will receive:

– Embodiment and perceptual exercises that support deep nature connections.
– Writing exercises that quieten the internal censor and allow us to touch deeper, participatory awareness, a process we call co-becoming.
– Tools to unleash the flow of creativity and support ongoing creative practice.
– A profound and delightful connection with your fellow writers through the process of sharing writing.

What should I bring:

– A journal to write in and clothes suitable for being outside – dress for the weather, bring a hat, drink bottle and something waterproof to sit on if it’s been raining.