Emotional Support Group for Animal Activists and Caregivers
Join us in a compassionate space to share and support each other with the emotional challenges that can come with animal advocacy and animal caregiving. All emotions and experiences will be held with care. ❤️
Find more information here, through Connect for Animals, including the Google Meet link.
With Peace and Joy.
2024 Denver National Animal Rights Day
Please join us at the 2024 National Animal Rights Day (NARD) in Denver, Colorado. Every year around the world, individuals join together to commemorate the trillions of animals that are exploited and killed. NARD is also a celebration of the progress toward the liberation of all animals. At the Washington Park Boathouse, we’ll memorialize all beings with honor and hold them in our hearts as we recognize their desire to be happy, safe, and free.
Please stop by the booth The Night Sky Garden and say hello!
VegFest Colorado 2024
Join me at VegFest Colorado in Denver! I’ll be a vendor so be sure to look for the booth The Night Sky Garden. Stop by for some treats! VegFest features speakers, food trucks, yoga, music and more. VegFest is “a celebration of plant-based living, respect for our planet, sustainability, and kindness towards our fellow earthlings!”
Transforming Grief: Support Group for Animal Rights Activists & Animal Caregivers
Join us on Thursday, May 16th at 6:00 pm MST for a compassionate presence held by our community. The more we come together and allow ourselves to drop into a space of authenticity, love, and connection, the more I sense us healing the world.
A grief group is a place where we can come together. We share our experiences of life—whether laughing, crying, grieving, or celebrating. In doing so, we discover the profound healing power of sharing our thoughts and feelings. It alleviates a sense of isolation, which, as activists and animal caregivers, we can often feel. Additionally, it brings forth beautiful wisdom and insight, providing answers we may not have known we were seeking.
While this is a grief group for activists and animal caregivers, feel free to share thoughts that don’t necessarily revolve around animal advocacy. Share whatever feels right in the moment, and it’s completely okay if you choose not to share. This is a time for us to explore the uniqueness of grief experienced by animal activists and caregivers.
Each session begins with a guided meditation, followed by an opportunity to share what’s in our hearts. There’s no need to prepare anything and no obligation to share if it doesn’t feel right. Listening deeply and simply being present is a gift in itself. I’ll remind us during the call, but this isn’t a space for coaching or advice. It’s simply a space for us to be seen, heard, and held.
You may bring:
1) Talking piece – I also encourage you to bring something to hold or keep in mind while sharing—whether a story, a photograph, or anything personally meaningful. Sharing is always optional but recommended 💙
2) Anything else to create a cozy atmosphere! Whether it’s a cup of tea, blankets, or comforting scents.
Below is the Google Meet link for the meeting. The grief group will commence at 6:00pm MST, so kindly click the Google Meet link a few minutes before to ensure we start on time together.
Please join us via Google Meet
If you having difficulty joining the Google Meet, please email Alaina at TheNightSkyGarden@protonmail.com
This is a space I truly believe in being somewhere that everyone should have access to. Therefore, this is not an event you need to pay for. However, any donations to support these sessions would be enormously appreciated. If you feel called to, you can send a small donation to Alaina using this link.
Rudy and Teddy’s Celebration of Life
at Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary
Please join us on Sunday, April 14th at 12:30pm to honor the lives of Teddy and Rudy.
“Teddy was almost 9 years old and found his forever home here at Luvin Arms in 2016 with his best friend Finn. He was one of the original residents and has been such a light Teddy loved roaming around in the pasture, spending quality time with Finn and his sheep friends, and eating yummy snacks like blueberries and bananas. He was such a sweet and happy man who loved life and brought a smile to everyone’s face.”
“Rudy was around 9 years old and was one of the pioneers of the sanctuary. He found his forever home here at the sanctuary in 2016 and has been a beloved resident ever since. Rudy was a sweet and gentle man who loved his flock of hens dearly. He enjoyed special snacks, lying outside in his backyard, and spending quality time with his ladies” (Luvin Arms).
Both Teddy and Rudy will forever be in our hearts and cherished as two individuals who brought Ahimsa to life at Luvin Arms. Their wisdom, compassion, and love will always be remembered.
Transforming Grief: Support Group for Animal Rights Activists & Animal Caregivers
Join a nurturing and judgment-free space where we as animal advocates and caregivers can openly connect without fear of judgment as we honor other-than-human individuals.
Throughout our gathering, we will compassionately delve into the array of emotions – sadness, guilt, cherished recollections – that remain with us, offering each other comfort through our mere presence and words.
We’d love for you to join us in:
- exploring the nature of the unique grief experienced by animal activists
- sharing of personal experiences (optional)
- safe space for supportive and open discussion
What to Bring: Please bring a photo and a story or several to share, if you’re comfortable.
We’d be honored to have you join us. Please use the Zoom link below to join the meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84279282320
Meeting ID: 842 7928 2320
Online Self-Care Workshop
Nurturing Compassion and Resilience for Animal Rights Activists
Description: Join us for a transformative online workshop led by Alaina. In the relentless pursuit of animal rights, activists often bear the weight of grief, compassion fatigue, and the need for effective self-care. This workshop offers a supportive community for animal rights advocates to explore self-compassion, hold space for grief, and develop resilience. We will address the essential role of self-care and emotional transformation in the path towards Animal Liberation.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants will:
Recognize the Importance of Self-Care: Gain a deep understanding of the necessity of self-care to ensure the long-term sustainability of their animal rights advocacy work.
Share Grief in a Safe Space: We’ll hold space for sharing stories and experiences without judgment.
Equip with Practical Tools: Learn about self-care ideas such as making time for wonder, laughter, and joy in your life. You’ll receive recommended resources, including videos, readings, etc. to develop personal resilience.
Build a Positive and Supportive Community: Foster a sense of community among animal rights advocates rooted in positivity and gratitude.
Integrate Interspecies Practices: Explore and practice interspecies and secular activities that aid in the transformation of grief and other emotions allowing participants to engage in meaningful rituals that bridge the gap between human and non-human individuals.
This workshop offers a unique opportunity to nurture your compassion, practice self-care, and find support within a community of like-minded advocates. It’s a space for healing, reflection, and personal growth on your journey to create a more compassionate world. Join us in building a brighter future for all sentient beings.
Testimonial about Workshop
“The self-compassion workshop offered some eye-opening insights. It emphasized the importance of being kinder to ourselves and how not doing so can lead to fear, self-doubt, and inadequacy, impacting our happiness and relationships with others. During the workshop, we learned practical ways to reframe our thinking, accept ourselves better, and show more kindness to ourselves and those around us. It was a thought-provoking experience that hopefully encouraged the attendees to consider new perspectives. In summary, the workshop provided valuable tools for personal growth and understanding. It encouraged us to be kinder to ourselves and others, prompting deeper introspection.” – Anonymous
Upcoming Online Grief Group
Watch the re-play on YouTube!
Description: Join us on Thursday, November 2, 2023, for a special event with our guest Barbara J. King. During our time together, Barbara will discuss intersectional grief, we’ll move into contemplative practice, and then open time for sharing. We aim to establish an online sanctuary, fostering an environment where we can openly share without judgment. It’s a space where we can naturally sense compassion.
A few other things:
- Although this gathering is centered around veganism and animal rights, feel free to express yourself on other topics. Please share, if you wish, what is resonating with you. It’s perfectly acceptable if you choose not to share anything at all.
- It’s important to clarify that this is not a platform for guiding, coaching, or advising one another. Instead, it’s a space dedicated to allowing each participant to be seen, heard, and supported.
- We do not record any of the group sessions for the sake of privacy and security.
Barbara J. King is an emerita professor of anthropology at William & Mary and a freelance science writer and public speaker. The author of seven books, including How Animals Grieve, Personalities on the Plate, and Animals’ Best Friends: Putting Compassion to Work for Animals in Captivity and the Wild, Barbara focuses on animal emotion and cognition, and the ethics of our relationships with other animals. Her book How Animals Grieve has been translated into 7 languages and her TED talk on animal love and grief has now received over 3.5 million views. Barbara’s work has appeared at NPR, Scientific American, Aeon, and Undark, and she regularly reviews books for NPR, Science Magazine, and the TLS in London. She lives in Virginia with her husband and rescued cats- finally succumbing to the inevitable, she is currently writing a book about cats! Visit her website & TED Talk.