Emily Johnson/Catalyst: Kinstillatory Mappings in Light and Dark Matter

April 9–9, 2020
8:00pm

This month, Emily Johnson's monthly ceremonial fire will take a different shape. In lieu of gathering in Abrons' amphitheater, join us for This Night of Holding Fire,

This month, Emily Johnson's monthly ceremonial fire will take a different shape. In lieu of gathering in Abrons' amphitheater, join us for This Night of Holding Fire, a remote fire-side gathering from wherever you are. On April 9 at 8PM EST, light a candle and take a moment to be in grief, to express gratitude and care, and to set an intention. If you wish, please take a picture of your candle and share on social media with the hashtag #ThisNightofHoldingFireA note from Emily Johnson: We invite you to hold fire with on April 9th at 8 pm EST from where you are. Light a candle, sit with us, gather from across our distances - let us be tender with one another. Let us, in this moment, extend a technology of care through flame that is outside of the digital space/time- where we hold space for one another and all of our relatives who are not in the zoom room…let’s take a little break from our screens. We conceive of the emergence as coming from within this quarantine, and to create, as Adrienne Maree Brown says, an emergent geography from ‘within the heartbreak*’. We cannot skip the heartbreak. This Night of Holding Fire is a different shape of gathering in which we all have responsibilities. To love. To be in this moment. To be in grief. To be alone, but not alone. Let’s hold the fire with care, and let it do its work. Let this gathering step toward an emergence that activates our kinstillatory* (Recollet) relationships now. In other words, this is not a place-holder for potential ‘in the future’ fire gatherings - it is the fire gathering. We reach toward joy. With you. We believe in joy. With you. However, we do feel that it is important to acknowledge and even announce fear, anger, rage… …if these are our moments, these must emerge and transpire, too. An emergence means that we have to let go of expectations, to encourage interstices and the inbetween as spaces of possibilities - some of which are unimagined as of yet. Join us from where you are. April 9th at 8pm E.S.T. Light a single candle and stay as long as you like. *Thank you Mylan Tootoosis for articulating and thinking ‘within the heartbreak’