Cultivating community through Sageus Storytelling event

As we enter 2023 full of ambition, passion, and reflection, Sageus Collective had the pleasure to showcase its recent storytelling event and to highlight a need for cultural gathering. 

As we look back on Sageus Storytelling’s “Journey of Awakening” — the awakening highlights enlightenment, with everyone coming together to bring harmony — journey with us through the gathering below.

Sageus Storytelling: The Journey of Awakening

When Sageus Founder & CEO, ChiChi Wang, was conceiving of Journey of Awakening, she envisioned a quiet, lingering zen “awakening journey”.

An invigorating experience that closed one chapter of 2022 to open another in 2023, the first ever Sageus Collective cultural gathering — Sageus Storytelling — debuted with the theme “The Journey of Awakening” at the Kay Meek Arts Centre. The event saw a captivated audience gather to listen to four inspiring stories, as told by speakers Dr. April Liu, Judy Chen, Dr. Chang Lu, and ChiChi Wang who shared their personal stories on plant medicine, interfaith relations, spiritual astrology, and meditation.

Kay Meek Arts Centre executive director, Jon-Paul Walden, welcomed the audience with a video message, before the stories began. 

April Liu took to the stage as the first storyteller, speaking on plant medicine. Dr. Liu has an impressive background as a Senior Research Scholar, Author, and Community Organizer. She is also a Member of the Advisory Board of the UBC Museum of Anthropology and the Author of Divine Threads: The Visual and Material Culture of Cantonese Opera.

Next, Judy Chen shared about her experience with interfaith relations — highlighting her experience as a Buddhist researcher, and multi-national cultural exchange messenger. She is a member on the APRIL Board of Directors, and also served as Vice-Chairman of the Buddhist Council of New York.

She is committed to helping people understand Buddhism better through the research of Chinese and Japanese tea ceremony, Chinese calligraphy, music, Iaido, meditation, while naturally integrating Buddhist culture into daily life.

Following the first two inspiring stories from our speakers, there was a short intermission for guests to enjoy refreshments. Tea and snacks were provided by Van Cha — a tea house located in West Vancouver and in Downtown on Hornby Street.

Guests were also able to explore and purchase from SIX Incense, who also provided a generous gift at the conclusion of the night.

The talented Rayna Zhao’s special kong hou performance welcomed guests back for the second half of the night. The beautiful instrument dates back to ancient China, when it was only played in the royal palace. But the modern konghou today was revived in the 20th century. 

One of the big differences between kong hou and the Western harp are double-row connected strings — making it a musical instrument that demands high skill and advanced playing techniques. It retains the traditional style of Chinese music but with its own character and expression.

Following Rayna’s performance, Chloe Kwok presented two inspiring poems prior to and following the next speaker. She read from “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” by Walt Whitman, and “Anyway” by Mother Teresa.

Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself,

In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,

Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars

Walt Whitman

Resuming our evening of stories, Dr. Chang Lu shared his experience on Spiritual Astrology. Dr. Lu is a Post-doctorate and Research Scholar of the UBC Blockchain Project. He’s been invited to give lectures ranging from start-ups to large companies, and has also published academic research in many academic journals and books.

He holds a Ph.D. in Strategic Management and Organisation from the School of Business, University of Alberta.

To wrap up the night, Sageus Collective Founder & CEO ChiChi Wang shared her journey with Vipassana Meditation. 

As expanded in her bio on our About page, she has more than 15 years of experience in high-level government relations and business entrepreneurship, speaking at TEDx and UN Women Headquarters. She has also worked with the United Nations Development Programme, and United Nations Environment Programme on global initiatives.

Recently, she was named a winner for Business in Vancouver’s Forty under 40 award.

With Kay Meek Arts Centre being the arts and cultural hub of West Vancouver, former mayor Mary-Ann Booth provided closing remarks to the community.

Through events such as Sageus Storytelling, we strive to foster community — recognizing our individual dreams while collaborating on a global scale to achieve it. As Mother Teresa says, “Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.” 

Gather with us for our next event later this year, with more details to come. As we listen to the Sage within us, we can find the treasure that awaits.

With more than two decades of combined experiences working alongside global brands and organizations, Sageus Collective is a cultural leader in building digital platforms and cultivating community.

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