A Warm Welcome from Kelly Gordon

I wanted to introduce myself. I did a little bit in one of my videos, but then I realized I didn't fully, because it's awkward introducing yourself, isn't it? Like, what do you say? But I think one thing I will say that's important to say is to tell you where I'm from and a little about my background. So I am currently in my home and

This is my ritual space. This is my sacred place where I do many of my ceremonies indoors And I am living on the lands of the Líl̓wat Nation, ucwalmícwts speaking peoples, and also the N'Quatqua Nation. I am of Irish, English, and Scottish ancestry. My ⁓ ancestors settled here

in these lands around here and also the west coast of BC and Canada about four generations ago.

So I'm grateful to be here, and I also acknowledge the harm and the continual harm from colonialism to these lands and to the people that are from these lands. And it's part of my practice to address white supremacy and how it still lives within me and my body, to also address patriarchy and how I've internalized patriarchy.

to look at ways in which I have repressed my queerness and gender fluidity because of the culture that I live in. And it's been a process, I guess, of about, I don't know, 30 years. I'm 44 now, but for very long time of looking at these layers with some really incredible teachers over the years and trying my best to, again, undo white supremacy and patriarchy, heteronormativity from my system. a lot of work, a lot of time to do that. And I'm committed to continually working with this and working with other people in communities that are also dedicated to decolonizing and to try to find ways in which we can live with also the land in more reciprocal and healthy and beneficial ways.

And I acknowledge that we're doing this online and online, unfortunately, like there's pros of this because we get to connect with each other. But there's also ⁓ so many ways in which our technology is harming the earth. So here we are. yet, you know, unfortunately, I need a freaking computer and cell phone in order to survive in capitalism. ⁓ Maybe you can relate to that.

So there we go, but I'm really grateful that we're here and that we can connect this way. My background is, for about - I guess, since 2004, I started training in Pilates and Yaumna body rolling and then moved on to somatic movement therapies. I studied energy healing, such as Reiki.

and other forms of energy work. And then I got into kind of Celtic ⁓ practices of ceremonies and rituals and traditions, and then a whole bunch of different ⁓ work in healing, in the healing arts. I have had a severe chronic illness for most of my life that makes it so that I have periods of time where I've been quite ill and then periods of time where I'm able to do more in my life. ⁓ But it's hard living under capitalism with a body that cannot always work. yeah, hello to anybody else that has to deal with that and then is also going into perimenopause. And I wanted to talk to other people  who were going through perimenopause. I wanted to talk about it in a way where ⁓ people like me who identify as gender fluid or non-binary would have a space to feel comfortable and ⁓ to be able to be ourselves while we're talking about perimenopause.

And so Heather, Danielle and I wanted to offer some resources that we have found through gathering information about perimenopause. And we wanted to offer our kind of expertise, myself as an embodiment practitioner and also somebody that's done ritual work for a very long time. And then Heather, who is an expressive arts therapist.

We wanted to bring together our gifts and our skills to create some kind of offering and container and course where you could take what you want and then leave the rest. And maybe you'll want to engage in some conversation with us later on. I don't know what that's going to look like, but you can definitely reach out to us, ask any questions. ⁓ And we want to hear from you and what your experience has been.

And I know you have expertise as well. You have knowledge, you have wisdom. You're in a different body than I'm in. You maybe come from different culture, language, background. And so you have also so much to offer to this conversation. And we wanted to create a space where we could do that together.

So there's videos and there's documents and there's resources. There's some videos that are meant to do kind of back to back which will be explained in the lessons.

Take what you want and leave the rest. And we ⁓ believe that this is a powerful stage of life. This is an important stage that, at least within our culture, unlike death or birth, isn't necessarily honored as a rite of passage. And we feel it's powerful to honor this time of life as a rite of passage and to have ceremony and to have ritual to acknowledge that it's an important rite of passage and to support us in this journey.

So I hope that you enjoy it and again, reach out to us. And I wish you the best with your perimenopausal journey. I am very much on it, in it. Don't have all the answers.

And I feel like I am supported by you. I feel you.

in this space with me and I'm grateful. Thank you.