Janet Blayone

Peace River, Ab

Canada

Profile Information:

How did you learn about Art of Hosting (please add the date and place) and what attracted you to it?

Learned about AoH 9-ish years ago. That AoH is a practice rooted in individual response and commitment, its organic fluidity and connectiveness to other practices in my life sparked a deep re-awakening. Because I live in a remote area and life was full, attending a workshop wasn't an option. So I read everything I could get my hands on. Some pieces (like Circle & Appreciative Inquiry) were old friends. Other pieces I yearned to experience in person. Finally on November 11 - 14, 2013, I convened on Bowen Island, BC with 35 other seekers and host team Chris Corrigan, Caitlin Frost, Amanda Fenton, Teresa Posakony and Tenneson Wolfe. It was even more magical than I had hoped!

Tell us about your experience with Art of Hosting as part of your life and work. What would you say your competence in it is? (new, starting practitioner, experienced practitioner, steward)

I am a geeky, gawky freshly hatched AoH chick.

At this first workshop, there were some dear old friends (Circle, The Work of Byron Katie, Appreciative Inquiry, NVC, mindfulness living) and some exciting new ones (Open Space, World Cafe, enriching Check-ins/outs). (One I did not meet is one I most cherish: the practice of living from heart space which I've studied with Heart Math, Drunvalo Melchizedek's "Awakening the Illuminated Heart", the Hathors, Bashar, Matt Kahn and others.)

But the big gift was Pro-action Cafe. The collective wisdom of the group has galvanized me to put the Call to a dream I've held for several years. Total delicious transformation, with all the shivery chills of fear and twangs of excitement.

What is the primary field/topic/focus in your hosting work?

I am blessed with a life of flow, where personal, family, community and work are woven together by practices that help me live in coherence with myself, with others and with All That Is. I see AoH as another valued container and tool to integrate into all the parts of my life.

My Big New Calling is to repurpose my home into a homestead garden/farm where people can learn essentials to sustain themselves and the planet through the tumultuous changes ahead.

Where do you live/work?

I live in Peace River, a small remote town in northern Alberta, Canada - up where the Prairies meet the Permafrost. I'm a sister, a mother, a grandma, a friend and a neighbour. A gardener in love with soil, a cook, an artist and a sometimes writer. I've worked for a non-profit community council for 25 years, providing life long learning opportunities for adults. A elder edgewalker, I foray out periodically to forage and harvest juicy bits to bring back to seed and feed my northern peeps.

Are there interests/passions that you'd like to share?

Earlier this year I purchased 160 acres of land 20 minutes from Peace River - old growth boreal forest with clean abundant spring water and deep rich virgin soil. Then I found a castoff farmhouse to be repurposed, moved onto the land and renovated for energy efficiency and shared living. I had a vague plan to create a space to share my grandmother and garden growing wisdom using my retirement savings. Now I know we'll begin in the spring, using permaculture design and Art of Hosting to create the space for Humanity 3.0 to learn the practical living skills and bush-craft knowledge of their ancestors while reconnecting to their inherent inner wisdom and our deep, collective interconnectedness. I invite you join us, in body or in spirit.

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