RITUAL ACTIVISM +
WRITING-AS-CEREMONY
A place-based practice for ethical attention, creative inquiry,
and relational action amid escalating planetary change
Image credit: Sebastian Unrau
Ritual Activism + Writing-as-Ceremony: a guided practice and facilitation offering that supports people and organisations to meet ecological and social realities with depth, discipline, and relational accountability.
The work brings together walking-with place, sensorium immersion, attentive ritual practice, and creative nonfiction / reflective writing as an embodied methodology: a way to sense, name, and respond to what matters in the face of local and global complexities, while staying grounded in ethics, consent, and care.
ritual
place
story
accountability
a practice for staying human in hard times
Ritual activism is the disciplined use of non-dogmatic ritual and story to deepen ethical attention, collective responsibility, and sustained action amid ecological upheaval, without slipping into spectacle or appropriation. Writing-as-ceremony is the practice through which attention becomes language, and language becomes offering.
Te Horo Beach, Kāpiti Coast Aotearoa. Image credit: Simone Gabriel
is this work for you?
This work is for people who seek to enliven their capacity to respond to a world in trouble, who are tired of shallow gestures or "quick-fix" measures, and who want a practice that can hold complexity, grief, responsibility, and beauty. For instance:
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Artists, writers, and creative practitioners seeking a rigorous, generative methodology
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Educators and learning leaders wanting place-responsive, values-led pedagogies
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Environmental / community / justice practitioners navigating burnout, moral injury, and ongoing commitment
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Arts, heritage, and cultural organisations working at the interface of community, history, and accountability
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Individuals in transition (postgraduate study, leadership shifts, grief thresholds) who want practice rather than platitudes
what you will gain
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A clear understanding of ritual activism: what it is, what it isn’t, and why it matters
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A grounded, repeatable practice of attunement (how to listen deeply with the world without extracting)
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Tools for working with planetary grief, burnout, and moral injury without collapsing or hardening
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A framework for designing ethical rituals that strengthen accountability, reciprocity, and care
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A lived introduction to writing-as-ceremony ~ writing as co-creative method and offering
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Practical prompts and processes that can be adapted for personal practice, classrooms, groups, and organisations
about
Simone Gabriel is a creative practitioner, educator, and arts leader working at the interface of ritual, story, and ecological responsibility. With over 30 years’ experience across performing arts, screen culture development, and higher education, Simone designs learning and facilitation that helps people meet change with creative depth, discipline, and care. Her doctoral research in Creative Communication develops Ritual Activism and Writing-as-Ceremony as place-based, relational methodologies that support ethical attention, grief literacy, and accountable action. Simone offers keynotes, workshops, cohort courses, and retreat-style intensives for artists, activists, educators, and organisations seeking practices that strengthen relational responsiveness in a time of accelerating change.
Image credit: Marc Morel
Story begins where the world listens back.
how it works
Sessions combine some or all of the following, depending on context:
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Walking-with / field practice (close attention to place, sensorium, liminal and imaginal thresholds, more-than-human kin)
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Ritual forms (simple, non-dogmatic practices: witnessing, offering, restraint, remembering)
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Guided writing-as-ceremony (creative nonfiction, reflective inquiry, ethical vow-making, accountable language)
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Group facilitation (co-regulation, listening structures, co-creative / generative conversation)
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Integration (how practices translate into daily life, leadership, pedagogy, or organisational culture)
Image credit: Colby Winfield
formats available
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Keynote / lecture (45–90 mins)
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Workshop (2–4 hours)
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Day intensive (with optional outdoor field component)
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Multi-week cohort course (online or hybrid)
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Retreat / residency model (place-based ritual and writing practice)
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Organisational facilitation / consulting (co-designed, context-specific)
Image credit: Jonathan Borba
ethics & commitments (non-negotiables)
This work is guided by an ethics of relationship, accountability, reciprocity, and restraint:
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No extractivism ~ place and culture are not “content” to be mined.
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Consent and care ~ human and more-than-human relations are approached with humility and limits.
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Cultural integrity ~ this is not a portable “Indigenous ritual toolkit.” Where work intersects with Māori knowledge and tikanga, it is approached with respect, transparency, and appropriate boundaries, in alignment with Te Tiriti responsibilities and local context.
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Trauma-aware facilitation ~ practices are invitational, choice-led, and paced; no forced disclosure.
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Practice over performance ~ ritual is treated more as disciplined relation than symbolic theatre.
Image credit: Casey Horner
what this is not
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Not therapy (though it can be supportive)
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Not a spiritual “hack,” trend ritual, or aestheticised appropriation
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Not a replacement for local knowledge-holders or community-led cultural practice
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Not activism-as-branding; it’s more commitment than "content"
grounded in relational ethics.
attentive. slow. generative.
the art of living co-creatively.
Image credit: Sunbird
I really really enjoyed this course. You are an inspiring and passionate teacher who pushed me to transform my story. You are incredibly articulate and I came out of every session with new, fundamental nuggets of knowledge... Thank you so much!
Charlie, F.
Emerging Creative Practitioner
- Wellington Aotearoa New Zealand -
Simone Gabriel, you are the most incredible teacher, mentor, creator, and person. I am beyond grateful for your presence in my life.
Kelly M.
Creative Media Producer
- Anchorage Alaska USA-
That was amazing! I came away with so much to think about. I really loved the focus on ceremony as leadership...so inspiring and provocative.
Audience member
Celebrants Aotearoa Conference 2025
- Wellington Aotearoa New Zealand -
what people say
Feedback from past work
next steps
If you’re interested, we can begin with a short conversation to clarify: audience, context, desired outcomes, and ethical parameters ~ and determine the best format (talk, workshop, course, retreat, or organisational facilitation). Please email to get the conversation started.