Honouring The Mother: A Mother's Day Gathering of Music, Cacao & Poetry.

Honouring The Mother is a bespoke, heartfelt experience in service to carving out intentional space to bring The Mother into our awareness across her varying forms; energetic and embodied. i.e. Mother Earth, Gaia, Pachamama. The biological mother. The mother figure. The mother within. The inner-parent.

Regardless of our individual relationship with The Mother, we acknowledge with grace, gratitude, compassion and forgiveness the role that The Mother plays in the experiential opportunity that is our existence.

This experience is enriched by music shared in community.

About the experience:

On offer are the virtues of heart, authenticity, reverence, devotion, nurturance, beauty, community, connection as we:

• drum The Mother
• chant The Mother
• sing The Mother
• speak The Mother
• receive The Mother (cacao ceremony)

We will gather in kindred community as our bloodlines have done across our ancestry known and unknown. We surrender into the simplicity of being immersed in evocative music and stories shared informed by wisdom born of lived experiences. We ignite our voices in the spirit of community co-creation. We unite with our tender heart with the aid of the energetic embrace of Mama Cacao.

Bring a contribution to the collective alter. Some ideas:

• If your biological mother or mother figure is no longer walking among us upon our beloved Mother Earth, you are invited to bring a framed picture of her along to place upon the alter with a candle lit to honour her essence.
• A creation provided by Mother Earth collected with intention; bark, flower/s, a branch, leaf, gumnut, etc.
• A piece of jewellary or other item of meaningful significance that threads you energetically to your mother/mother figure.
• Any items brought can be taken back with you at the conclusion of our event.

Considerations:

This gathering is intended to hold you in the space in your authenticity. This may mean, due to the theme and energy imbued, that it may be a tender space for you in moments.

Matters of the heart often carry a full spectrum of evocations from connection and joy through to longing and grief. Know this will be a gentle, nurturing space where you are welcome as you are.

Children are welcome to attend. Due to the nature of the event, we anticipate it would be best suited to children 8+ that would find genuine interest in such an experience. In saying that, all are welcome - babies in arms, toddlers in laps... May it be known to all considering attending that children may be present and innocent disruption may occur. You're welcome to reach out to discuss your individual needs.

The contributors of this bespoke experience:

Grace Elizabeth - @centreofyou_chapelst & her mother Elizabeth

Grace Elizabeth, co-founder, director and figurative mother of her business baby, Centre of You (COY) brings you this experience of warmth and heart. Grace will be weaving drum chanting, grounding practices, ceremony, song and storytelling into the evening. Elizabeth, Grace's 79-year-old mother and 'mama bear' of the COY community will be sharing her channeled poetry and nurturing warmth.

Dan Cully - @dancully_music

Dan Cully is a widely respected virtuoso of roots music and beyond, captivating audiences nationwide with his one-man band performances. Blending guitar, vocals, didgeridoo, harmonica, and foot percussion, Dan creates a unique sound that touches the soul and connects with the earth. The echoes of Dan's music will remain in your heart long after the evening has concluded.

Emina Ashman - @eminaashman

Emina is a poet, priestess and devotional bodyworker based in Naarm. For her, art is a channel for ritual and for romancing with life. Her words lend to perspectives on love, beauty and relational expression. She draws upon her background in acting and performance, creative-writing, connection to Lemuria, and a deep reverence for water and crystals. She has enjoyed many collaborations with theatre companies, music producers, sound healers, embodiment practitioners and poets alike.

Amla Periakarpan @amlamusic

Amla is a multi-instrumentalist (flautist, violinist & vocalist) & composer who creates original and improvised ethereal and worldly soundscapes.

Informed by her Classical background in flute and years of experience in a diverse range of musical genres with other musicians (Latin pop, Electronic, Mariachi, Celtic Folk, Jazz, Flamenco, to name a few), she floats through carefully crafted melodies and emotive lines that take you on a journey that you will not forget.

Michael Hornstein @basecampmelb

Michael is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (percussion & strings) with a deep love of heart-songs, kirtan and chanting music. He's inspired by a wide range of music from wisdom traditions to modern heart-led artists like Sam Garrett.

Stephanie Gaspodini @stephanie_gaspodini

Stephanie is a vocalist, songwriter and sound practitioner deeply dedicated to the power of music and mantra in bringing people together. With a soulful voice and a commitment to fostering connections, Stephanie will be supporting on vocals, offering heartfelt harmonies.

Things to note:

Centre of You has plenty of bolsters, blankets, and cushions for you to get cosy with. We recommend wearing comfortable, loose clothes to enable deep breathing and sitting/laying upon the floor with ease. A journal is recommended as are any familiar personal items that will aid you in feeling grounded (crystal, teddy, scarf, etc).

Personal responsibility: P lease make an assessment on whether you are feeling stable and resourced enough to explore the practices on offer in this event.

Arrival: Endeavour to arrive between 4:15pm - 4:30pm. To preserve the experience for all involved, doors will close at 4:45pm. Truly, it breaks our heart to have to turn latecomers away yet the disruption to the whole group experience by virtue of lateness does require management. We ask that you find understanding and consideration for the timebound nature of the container and make every effort to arrive on time.

Driving: Know Centre of You is on Chapel St and ample time to find a car spot is best to be factored into your plans. For this event, we recommend parking in Anchor Place, the open-air parking lot in the side street that runs opposite Centre of You (unmetered after 4pm).

Public transport - tram: Both the number 6 tram & 78 tram stop on the corner of High St/Chapel St. This is stop 31 on the number 6 tram (Moreland/Glen Iris) & stop 45 on the number 78 tram (North Richmond/Balaclava).

Public transport - train: Both Prahran & Windsor stations along the Sandringham Line will get you walking distance to Centre of You.

Finding Centre of You: Centre of You is nestled within the arcade that Chapel St Bazaar is in (217 Chapel St). It is up a flight of stairs with a wide landing at the half-way-point. Unfortunately, this current version of Centre of You does not have a wheelchair accessible lift. If you could use support in getting up the stairs or would like to discuss ways to make your experience at Centre of You more comfortable, please reach out via grace@centreofyou.com.au or via DM over on Centre of You Instagram.

Accessibility: At COY we aim to ensure our community and events are inclusive and accessible while alongside upholding the needs and responsibilities of our business and the businesses of our collaborating facilitators. Should you be in a time of financial challenge and unable to pay the full ticket price comfortably, please reach out to grace@centreofyou.com.au

Ticketing T&Cs: We get it, life happens, therefore we will gladly refund you up until 24hrs before the event start time. After that, we have a strict no refund/no transfer to future events policy.

If you are no longer able to attend and wish to pay forward your ticket to someone within the community, be in touch via grace@centreofyou.com.au or via DM over on Centre of You Instagram.

Questions? Email grace@centreofyou.com.au or reach out via Instagram DM.