WorkshopsHere are a few of the workshops I'd be delighted to bring to your community or group.
![]() Leaning Into Grief: Personal and Planetary Sorrows May 16-18, 2025 / St. Andrews House in Union, WA Facilitated by Peter Jabin, M.Div., LMHC, Pastoral Psychotherapist Cristina Manzoni, MA, CCC, FT, Palliative Care/Hospice Chaplain Reve Shannon, Grief Mentor Grief is an integral part of life that requires our attention if we want to be fully available to life. In our culture, however, we have forgotten how to share our grief with one another. When we add to our personal losses the experience of economic instability, ecological degradation, the extinction of species, individual and collective health crises, and the unrest and turmoil within human societies, the burden of grief that we are carrying as individuals can begin to feel unbearable. There are very few spaces where we are invited to experience and express this complex grief in community. This retreat will utilize Francis Weller’s “Five Gates of Grief” to connect participants to their distinct and multifaceted experiences of grief in the context of a co-created "village." The weekend will be facilitated by experienced grief mentors who have apprenticed in the grief ritual tradition of the Dagara tribe as brought to the U.S. and shared by Malidoma and Sobonfu Somé. We have been oriented to this tradition through mentorship with Francis Weller and others. Participants will be guided through chanting, poetry, teaching, writing exercises, small group sharing, and the creation of a grief shrine. Our time together will culminate in a communal grief ritual, in which we will witness and support each other as we move into the shared experience and expression of our sorrows and losses. All participation is invitational; nothing is "required" beyond being present with and sharing the griefs you are carrying, to the best of your ability. Fee: $525-$625. If the fee presents a barrier to your participation, please let us know. Registration Deadline: Friday, May 2. Registration is limited to 30. Click to Register Previous Retreats Include October 18-20, 2024/ Camp Burton on Vashon Island May 17-19, 2024 / St. Andrew's House on Hood Canal October 13-15, 2023 / Camp Burton on Vashon Island May 19-21, 2023 / St. Andrew's House on Hood Canal ![]() Moving Through Grief: A Group for Gay Men facilitated by Peter Jabin, M.Div. LMHC and Dennis McCarthy, MA LMHC Dates TBA Given the shame and trauma that were part of the cultural air we breathed as gay boys growing up – and that continue to be part of our cultural context, some amazing advances notwithstanding -- gay men have a particular and complex experience of and relationship to grief. Through this series, we facilitate a deep conversation about the unique experience of and relationship to grief that we carry as gay men in our culture, to see more clearly where our avoidance of grief creates barriers and obstacles to living the lives we so deeply desire, and to free each other in our shared witnessing to a richer and more joyous experience of life. Ultimately, this is about living more deeply. Each session includes an advance reading, small group process, large group conversation, and a ritual element. We draw from Alan Downs’ The Velvet Rage as well as Francis Weller’s The Wild Edge of Sorrow. For the sake of the continuity of the conversation and a sense of safety within the group, we ask that all participants commit to attending all three sessions. Registration is limited to 15. All Gay, Bisexual, and Gay-Identified Trans Men are welcome. Please contact Peter Jabin with questions or the inquire about future dates. ![]() QueerSpirit:
The Spiritual Gifts of Being Queer A facilitated conversation exploring the distinct spiritual heritage and aptitudes of LGBTQ individuals.
View JAKE Talk - May 2014 | Drawing from his experience leading a queer men's spirituality group of the same name from 2009-2013 at Gay City Health Project, Peter addresses the distinct spiritual heritage, aptitudes and responsibilities that are ours as queer men. That we are here, now, is no accident. ![]() Original Face:
Spirituality & Creativity in the Pursuit of Wholeness The famous Zen koan asks "What was your original face before you were born?" This question is meant to confound the ego and open us to an experience of the deeper Self. I team up with art therapist Darcy Marlow to offer this dynamic and engaging two hour workshop designed to open an exploration of your original and most authentic self. Through discussion, meditation and creative expression, we will provide a safe and thought provoking forum for self-discovery. ![]() Praying the Beads
In this workshop, we consider the history of prayer beads across the world’s faith traditions leading to the development of Anglican or Protestant Prayer Beads in the 1980's. Participants have opportunity to practice contemplative prayer using the beads, as well as to begin to write their own prayers for use with the beads. Prayer beads and prayer books are available for purchase. The workshop can be expanded to provide participants the opportunity to create their own prayer beads. |