We will meet at confluence of the Anishinaabe Medicine Wheel teachings and the Work That Reconnects. This interactive workshop series centers on human creativity and empathy as powerful tools to mitigate ecological crisis and repair essential relationships. 

Positioned as a collective response to our collective struggles, we will focus on the specific needs and challenges of those directly connected to the Kichi Sībī (translation: Great River) also known as the Ottawa River watershed. Through our watersheds, we are all connected. Kichi Sībī connects the past, present, and future through the flow of water. 

The medicine wheel is a powerful tool used by many First Nations and Indigenous communities to better connect with the natural world and more deeply understand the knowledge, gifts, and teachings this world offers.  The Anishinaabe medicine wheel teachings make us aware of the multiple dimensions of our own wellbeing and emboldens us to act respectfully and reciprocally in our relationships with the more-than-human world. 

Over the past five decades, Joanna Macy, a scholar of systems theory, deep ecology, and Mahayana Buddhism, has created a body of teachings and group work that helps people transform grief or paralysis in the face of ecological and social challenges and recognize our agency in shaping a more compassionate and ecologically sustainable world. This work, called the “Work That Reconnects,” brings a fresh way of seeing the world as our larger living body.

Structure and Curriculum Overview 

Listening to the Land is a 4-month journey through 6 transformative modules, between March and early July. Sessions will take place at the NCC River House or Wabano Centre.

Week 1 - Saturday, March 22, 2025 (9:30 am – 12:30 p.m.):  

Introduction to the Medicine Wheel and the Work that Reconnects  

Week 2 - Saturday, April 12, 2025 (10 a.m. - noon):  Gratitude and Reciprocity  

Learn and experience practices for resourcing our mental health, maintaining energy and motivation to sustain heartfelt actions on behalf of life and for supporting ecosystem regeneration.  

Week 3 - Saturday, May 3, 2025 (9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.):  Honouring our Pain 

Receive teachings and experience group practices to help honor and release pain for the world, liberating energy and clarity for acting to support life. 

Week 4 - Saturday, May 24, 2025 (9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.): Seeing with New and Ancient Eyes

Experience vibrant group practices that bolster ecological connection and Earth as our larger living body, facilitating awareness of the powers of our deep ecology. 

Week 5 - Saturday, June 14, 2025 (9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.): Understand the teachings of “Deep Time,” & 7 Generations  

 “Deep Time” refers to a sense of time that extends far beyond our lifetime. It includes all that has gone before – that has shaped us and our world – and a sense of how our actions now will shape the future.  

Week 6 - Saturday, July 5, 2025 (9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.): Going Forth: Eco-Visioning

The series culminates with practices designed to empower purpose amidst uncertainty and identify your next steps to support vibrant life in the Kichi Zibi Watershed. 

Facilitators: 

Melissa Hammell is a certified Integral Facilitator® and community connector who is passionate about addressing intricate global challenges one cup of tea at a time. Being from a mixed family with strong Anishinabe roots, Melissa carries the responsibility of bringing different worldviews together through deep listening and relationship building. 

Robin Macdonald is a spiritually-rooted facilitator, moving at the intersections of social justice, Earth care, spirituality and mental health.  Part of the Scottish-Irish diaspora living on Turtle Island, Robin is a restorative justice practitioner, communal grief and Work that Reconnects facilitator, Yasodhara Yoga teacher and writer. Core to her work is the role of community in healing and thriving. 

Join the cohort now and be part of this meaningful journey to strengthen resilience as we deepen our capacity to act for a just and sustainable world. 

Registration Fees:

• Registration Fee = $340.00 
• Registration (Seniors, Students, Low-income) = $150.00

If cost is a barrier, bursaries are available. Please reach out to Beth Lorimer (blorimer@kairoscanada.org) for more information. This cohort will be capped at 22 participants.

Porgram Partners: KAIROS Canada, Ottawa Riverkeeper, Wabano Centre