Contemplation. Community. Change.
Honoring the sacred path of making change in the world.
The Alter is an emergent and experimental community of spiritual changemakers. Join us for workshops, rituals, and interactive events for a growing network of people living at the intersection (and often the edge) of spirituality + social justice.
Upcoming Events
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Re-Enchanting Ourselves to the World w/Chelsea MacMillan
Four alternating Saturdays: September 23 & October 7, 21, & November 4 11am-1pm
Prospect Park (meet up locations will vary)
$80 for all four sessions ($65 if you sign up by September 9!); $25 for a drop-in
What wisdom can we receive from the earth? What does it ask from us in return? Can we quiet ourselves enough to hear how we can best show up as allies to this living, breathing planet?
We may know intellectually that there is no separation between us and the more than human world, but in the go go go of daily life, it can be nearly impossible to know that in our bodies.
Together, we’ll ground in a practice of communing with the natural world all around (yes, even in New York City) and within us by visiting, and honoring, the last true forest in NYC. In turn, we’ll learn how to reconnect to awe, reawaken our awareness of our place in the ecosystem, and remember that we are worthy of this beautiful earth.
In this program we will:
Cultivate awe and reverence
Learn how to receive guidance from nature
Explore how to be loving allies with the earth
Reconnect to ourselves as the embodiment of the earth
The Sunday ALTER
Sunday ALTERS are currently paused.
Join us at THE ALTER on Sundays as we gathering in community to honor and reflect upon the ways in which we are transformed by the world — and how we are called to engage in acts of liberation, both personally and collectively.
The sacred journey of making change in the world asks for regular intention and care. As we navigate how to live in a changing world — an apocalyptic world, where things previously unseen are being revealed — this practice becomes more and more necessary.
WHO
Seekers, dreamers, activists, anyone longing to co-create a more beautiful world. You and others who are asking the big questions about who they are, what they believe, and how they are called to make change in the world.
WHAT
A simple, yet powerful hour-long service rich with contemplative silence, collective prayer, singing, and thought-provoking sermonettes with Rev. Chelsea and other guest speakers, followed by hour of small group discussion and reflection on the day’s themes.
WHY
A regular Sunday communion keeps us nourished and grounded as we practice:
how to live in a time of great unknown
connecting to God/Spirit/The Great Mystery
listening deeply to ourselves and each other
WHERE
At home, on the road, wherever you can connect via Zoom or FB Live with other like-hearted folks from around the world. Sign up through Eventbrite (links below) or tune in for just the first hour at our Facebook page.
Suggested donation: $5-20
If $20 isn’t accessible, no sweat! Pay what you can, if you can. No one is turned away for lack of funds. If you’re flourishing financially, consider donating more.
Every month, 15% of your contribution is donated to an organization doing important, liberatory work in the world. This month, THE ALTER supports the Frontera Fund, which helps provide abortion access to Texans.
Hearing the Call
Contemplation
We are changed as we make change. When we humble ourselves to the Great Mystery, we can hear that which has not yet been heard and imagine a world beyond our wildest dreams. With a wide-eyed, open-hearted interspiritual orientation, we recognize that God/Spirit/Consciousness/Love Itself moves through the world in myriad and mysterious ways.
Community
Calling all dreamers, seekers, and sacred activists, anyone yearning to transform the world as they transform themselves, for the sake of a more just and loving planet. None of us can do this alone. (And even if we could, would we want to?) As we honor each other’s gifts, we can create an ecosystem of change, together.
Change
From the smallest deeds done with great love to newsmaking civil disobedience, all acts of liberation are sacred. What we need, more than ever before, are people who are fully awake to the crises we face and are following their unique callings to answer the cries of a hurting world. Together, let’s change the way change itself happens and create movements that are more regenerative, inclusive, and visionary.
Who’s behind The Alter?
Rev. Chelsea MacMillan
Chelsea is an organizer, spiritual director, writer, cofounder of Brooklyn Center for Sacred Activism, and co-host of The Rising: Spirituality for Revolution, a podcast for sacred activists. With a diverse background in interspiritual ministry, climate justice organizing, and the performing arts, Chelsea has spent the last 15 years facilitating humans of all ages and backgrounds in transformational and meaningful experiences.