The Hollow Bone
“The bones seem to cut sharply to the center of something that is keenly alive in the desert even though it is vast and empty and untouchable– and knows no kindness with all its beauty.”
– Georgia O’Keeffe
I just returned from a desert sojourn to Ghost Ranch in New Mexico for the Western Constellations Intensive Conference. In this place lies an extraordinary paleontological site: a confluence of bones from ancient beings known as Coelophysis. This name means 'hollow form' and comes from the hollow limb bones. This feature, shared by many other dinosaurs, would have given Coelophysis a lightly-built body, helping it to be a swift, agile hunter.
There I camped in a canyon under cold stars and scrambled to keep my tent secure as the constant wind blew through. It was a rigorous schedule filled with Constellations workshops and practices designed to get to the marrow of things. At the end of this period of hallowed timespace, I did indeed feel like my bones were hollowed out. Released from the demands of my normal, relentless life…
The desert is a harsh, beautiful place. There we are not distracted by the dense foliage of green. The brilliant blue and barren stone affords a view framed by infinity.
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Digging in the Desert
On a clear day, rise and look around you…you can hear, from far and near, a world you’ve never heard before... sang Barbara Streisand from 'On a Clear Day You Can See Forever'
Constellations work is like being on an archaeological/paleontological dig. In this hallowed place I encountered the echoes of countless ancestors in the layers there.
There’s nothing like stepping out of your everyday life to bring perspective. I discovered within me a deeper clarity about my vocational life. A phrase kept echoing in my hollow bone of knowing:
“Kathleen Mandeville,” said the wind. “Your entire vocational journey has lead you to this specific historical moment. Your work is to hold the sacred in the politic.”
I don’t know exactly what this means (yet). I just know it seems to scour clean the cacophony of inner dialogues among my insecurities and their competing trajectories. I know it relates to my work as a priest, a constellation facilitator, a pastor, an activist.
Like the hollow bone of the Coelophysis, maybe I am becoming a more swift, agile hunter of that which nourishes me best, so that I may fulfill my vocational purpose.
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Into The Field
In Constellations work, we practice accessing The Field, the interconnectivity of all things.
We become self emptying, like hollow bones, allowing for intuitive receptivity.
Sometimes we need the extremity of the desert (or the mountain top), a retreat from our everyday lives, to refine our hollowness. And like all sojourns, the trick of transition is to integrate our knowings back into the vagaries of our mundane life.
Here is a simple ritual exercise we learned from Bill Mannle, one of the core faculty of the Western Constellations Intensive:
Take a scarf, or log, or anything and lay it out in a simple line
Stand behind the line, facing it
Consider where you are now or in the past
Don’t overthink it, just let it be in your field of knowing
Say out loud “I am here now”
Then step over the scarf
Continue facing forward
Feel where you are now as you step into the future present
And say “Now I am here.”
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I invite us all to step into the futurepresent of this profound moment of transition in our lives, in our communities, and in the world.
May we rise!
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Upcoming Events in June and Beyond...
Gateway House Sanctuary Meeting
Thursday, June 26th | 6:30 pm
May we come together to share ideas and resources on how respond in this critical time. Gateway House is committed to holding sanctuary within ourselves, our communities and our world.
Gateway House Sanctuary Group is evolving into a deep and performative practice, meeting almost every 2 weeks. We now have a name, the Sanctuary Sparks. At our meetings we share the various initiatives in which each of us are engaged. We learn music and drumming rhythms to take out into events and actions. From there we take our collective presence into the political arena of these times.
Join us!
RSVP 845-417-5430
The Sanctuary Sparks will be performing at Gateway House Summer Solstice
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Summer Solstice Ceremony
Friday, June 20 | 5 pm – late
GATE OF BUSTING OUT
CEREMONY at 5:00pm
Elemental Divination & Blessings with:
Amy Little as Water
Meryn Oakwood as Fire
Eric Brumett as Earth
Mirabai Trent as Air
Ritual Music with David Budd & Dancing Leaf
Haiku
The Sanctuary Sparks
Felicia Flanagan as The Mirror Angel
PERFORMANCES at 7pm(ish)
• Evan Pritchard
• Community Sing with Honey Sweet Harmony
• Jill Olesker
$15 Donation | Potluck (please byo utensils) & Fire
Please RSVP to 845-417-5430 for parking info.
Community Contributions
We invite your support of Gateway House's work and mission with gratitude for all who participate in offering their energy and talent.
The way you look at things changes the things you look at.
Constellations is a beautiful way of seeing how our past histories inform our present views. This work enables us to source a Kaleidoscopic gaze. One shift, one slight turn allows the luminous fragments of our life to be beheld in a wholly different view.
Learn more about this work here.
One-On-One Sessions
With one-on-one sessions of Kaleidoscopic Constellations, this offers you the opportunity to go deeper within an intimate container.
Inquire for Private Sessions that are available in-person or online.
Monthly In-Person Group
Saturday, June 21| 3 – 6PM | $50
Gateway House, 12 Fairview Ave, Rosendale
Upcoming Groups: *usually every 3rd Saturday
• Saturday, July 19
• Saturday, August 16
Space is limited; Advance registration is now required.
Please fill out this Registration Form below at least 4 days prior.
Kaleidoscopic Constellations
& the Sacred Language of Object Altars
Saturday, July 12th, 10AM - Noon
at the Rail Trail Cafe
Stone Mountain Farm 310 River Road Ext, New Paltz, NY
A workshop for healing, ritual, and ancestral alignment at the Rail Trail Cafe, Rosendale, NY
There is a language beyond words—spoken in symbols, shadows, and the silent presence of what came before us. In this immersive workshop, we enter that liminal space through the art of object altars and the healing field of Kaleidoscopic Constellations.
Many of us know the Rail Trail Cafe as a beloved site that welcomes all, providing a meaningful context as we gather community in its landscape. Together in this space we will call in the wisdom of our lineages, illuminating inherited stories and soul entanglements. Through intentional placement of meaningful objects we create altars that speak the unspeakable, and honor what longs to be seen, released, or embraced.
In this sacred circle, we will:
Experience the subtle field of Family Constellations in an intimate, symbolic way
Learn to create personal object altars as portals of remembrance and resonance
Participate in ritual, guided constellations, and deep intuitive listening
Reconnect with ancestral gifts, patterns, and inner alignments ready to unfold
Suggested Donation: $20
LEARN MORE