Interspecies Assembly at the Green Gathering

Last week, I Stand Beside joined the Green Gathering Festival in Chepstow, where we spent several days in the wonderful Permaculture Zone running creative workshops and hosting an Interspecies Assembly on Sunday. We’re deeply grateful to the Permaculture team, who so kindly welcomed and supported us throughout. In the days leading up to the Assembly, […]

Last week, I Stand Beside joined the Green Gathering Festival in Chepstow, where we spent several days in the wonderful Permaculture Zone running creative workshops and hosting an Interspecies Assembly on Sunday. We’re deeply grateful to the Permaculture team, who so kindly welcomed and supported us throughout.

In the days leading up to the Assembly, our tent became a space for reflection and creativity. People of all ages dropped in to make masks and “get to know their beings” , choosing animals, plants, fungi, or other life forms to embody. Over laughter, paint, and piles of cardboard, feathers and wool, participants explored the qualities and instincts of the beings they felt drawn to, preparing to step into their perspectives.

On Sunday afternoon, these beings gathered together for the Interspecies Assembly (ISA), a circle where participants speak as their chosen species, rather than as humans. The practice helps to cultivate deep listening, mindfulness, and empathy for the more-than-human world, offering a playful yet profound way to experience kinship with life. Our ISAs draw inspiration from Joanna Macy’s Council of All Beings, but focus more on joy and connection than on grief, celebrating what it means to be part of the living world.

The circle itself was gentle and intimate. Each being was welcomed in turn:

“Welcome, Rat”, “Welcome, Reindeer”, “Welcome, Moss”, “Welcome Owl”, “Welcome Raven”…

… before sharing what they noticed about the world around them, what ecological gifts they brought, and what advice they had for humans. The Assembly then explored how humanity might produce their food in a way that didn’t cause so much harm to the biosphere. The grass spoke of longing: “We can be the instruments humans play through.” The reindeer offered love and guidance: “Love each other, love the land.” Owls gifted the humans silence and listening. Raccoon reminded us: “Use your hands, your minds to free yourselves… never lose yourself in greed.”

Between voices there were pauses, a song, and moments of stillness. A real spider arrived in the middle of the circle, spinning her way through the tent and reminding everyone of the threads that connect us all. Children and adults took part together, some sitting quietly at the edge, others leaning in when moved to speak.

The atmosphere was open, welcoming, and deeply respectful. One participant described the experience as “an opportunity to listen differently, and to feel what it might be like to live as something other than human.” Another wrote afterwards:

“This wasn’t a topic I had considered much before, but the power of wearing a mask and the calmness of the communication were transformative. The mask helped me drop deeper and look at the bigger picture and the present moment.”

Another reflected:

“Although time-wise it was short, it showed the power of connection with kin-beings almost immediately profound. With more time, it could open an even wider space for hearing Earth’s voice.”

In the evenings, we also performed our Dance of the Sea Nettles, a movement piece involving two giant jelly fish puppets, celebrating marine life, which drifted like phosphorescent light through the twilight crowds, generating much joy!

The weekend was a gentle reminder of what happens when art, science, and care meet in shared purpose. The Interspecies Assembly showed that empathy and understanding can grow through simple, embodied acts of attention and that the circle between humans and the rest of nature can, with practice, be made whole again…

Watch this space and get in touch if you’re interested in hosting an Interspecies Assembly!