Seminars and Retreats
Year 2013
May
Free to Paint! A Spring-Time Intuitive Painting Intensive
May 22-28, 2013
Facilitator: Gabriele Uhlein, OSF. Cost: Sliding scale of $300-$150 (or $50-$25 per day for a shorter time), plus meals and lodging. There is a $10 per day studio fee.
Here are painting days for remembering how to paint from Source, freely and without judgment. Following Nature’ springtime energy, we give ourselves to the creative process, letting each brushstroke be fresh and true. What a joy to paint with integrity from pure, creative intuition! We will begin at 2:00 p.m. on May 22 and conclude with the midday meal on May 28.
Sacred Dance and Meditation Retreat
May 24-26, 2013
Facilitators: Henrita Frost, SSND and Johanna Seubert, FSPA
Cost: Sliding scale of $75-$150, plus meals and lodging
Come experience and learn simple, meditative, joyous, multicultural circle dances that use sacred phrases, chants, music and movements to connect you to all sacred traditions. The dances open the heart and touch the spiritual essence within us, bringing peace and integration. There are no performers or audience. To help integrate the spiritual energy and deepen the experience, we’ll have times of silent meditation. No previous music, dance or meditation experience is necessary. As a way to make life energy and deep peace a reality for others, you can learn the dances to share with friends and family.
Your Dreams are Alive!
May 24-26, 2013
Explore the invisible world of dreams and experience the wisdom of your dreams. Marge approaches dream study with the idea that your dream is communicating something that you need for your current life situation, that there is an “intelligence” at the center of your psyche that seeks to grab your attention via the dream. Carl Jung names this intelligence the “Self.”
This experiential program shows you how to make connections with your dream and how to continue to work with your dream symbols on your own. Only you, the dreamer, can know what your dream means because the dreamer experiences something that comes “alive” while exploring their dream. That sense of aliveness is what we are after in this dream program. Offered by Jungian Analyst Marge Zulaski. Cost: $100, plus meals and lodging.
Without Words: Deepening in Silence and Stillness
May 31 – June 2, 2013
Facilitator: Gabriele Uhlein, OSF, Ph.D.
Tuition: $125 – $175 (sliding scale for the weekend) plus meals and lodging. There is no tuition for additional days without a guide.
Silence, an amazing thing. A sound you rarely hear. Spend a weekend or more deepening your practice, finding the inner deep places and savoring the stillness in the spiritual sanctuary of the Christine Center. Sister Gabriele Uhlein, your guide for the weekend, will offer optional reflections based on our Christine Center bookstore bestseller: Silence: The Mystery of Wholeness by Robert Sardello. Nurtured by our wonderful vegetarian meals and meditation rhythm, your days can be as structured or open as you wish, with opportunity for woodland walking, daily group meditation sessions and personal ritual, all in sacred silence. Private spiritual direction and dreamwork with various members of the Christine Center core team can also be additionally and individually arranged.
Beginner’s Eye: A Visual Way Toward Wholeness of Being
May 31 to June 2, 2013
Facilitator: Tom Roberts. Tuition: $150, plus meals and lodging.
This retreat is a delightful blend of meditation, photography, and haiku. All are joined together to deepen your spiritual exploration while enhancing your connection with your true self, the Divine, and the world around you, ultimately emphasizing and cultivating your “being serene in the oneness of things.”
Beginner’s Eye is based on the Zen notion of “beginner’s mind,” that open and spacious place when you are completely receptive, fearless, and totally available to the moment; a place of clear-seeing awareness where everything is fresh and new.
The beauty of Beginner’s Eye is to discover the fascination and beauty inherent in the small and deceptively trivial patterns, color, and textures that exist in the world and constantly surrounds you. Through the practice of Beginner’s Eye, you will use the camera to cultivate your spiritual growth, thus deepening your sense of gratitude and wholeness. Ultimately, you will connect with the Divine so that you can embrace the meaning of life, to your greatest spiritual growth.
No photographic experience is necessary, nor is fancy camera equipment. Cell phone cameras are completely acceptable! Really! This is not a competition but a way of using the photographic medium as a way to deepen your spiritual growth by opening your senses to the way you relate to the world. It is not about what you see. It is about how you see.
The Beginner’s Eye experience allows you to become more open and receptive to the things around you without the biases, filters and fears which often cloud your mind. Your experience and connection to day-to-day moments become rich and joyous.
Requirements: A willingness to be open and creative. Some sort of photographic equipment. If you have a DSLR, bring only one lens, and yes, cell phone cameras are perfectly acceptable! Film cameras will not work well since we will be working with our photographic results the same day. No Photoshopping for this experience.
Yoga Without Postures: Inner Peace with Yoga
May 31 to June 2, 2013
Facilitator: Roberta Hodges
Physical postures are very helpful to yoga’s purpose, which is to calm the mind so that we may connect with Spirit, but they are not essential. Yoga includes many other simple practices which take us to this beneficial state of inner peace, especially practices of relaxation, breathing and meditation. This program will explore these other practices. Also included in the workshop will be the healthful and healing practice of Yoga Nidra, extreme relaxation of all levels of the body and the mind, as well as free time for simple relaxation in the stillness and beauty of the Christine Center. This workshop is suitable for all ages and all conditions. No previous yoga experience is necessary. Tuition: $150, plus meals and lodging.
June
Surrender Does Not Mean Defeat
June 7-9, 2013
Facilitator: Mike Ward
Please join us for a weekend retreat in which participants explore some basic principles of recovery, including surrender and acceptance, as they manifest in our daily lives. Meditation will be used as a vehicle in each of the five sessions. We will learn to quiet the mind and discern what barriers we may be holding onto that prevent us from “keeping it in the day.” All who are interested in recovery are welcome.
Mike Ward, a psychotherapist in private practice in Boston, MA, will lead the weekend. A practitioner of meditation and yoga for many years, he brings an experienced and joyous soul to this inner work. Participants are encouraged to attend all five 2-hour sessions beginning on Friday evening and ending with brunch on Sunday. Meditation, journaling and small group work will help provide contemplative focus. Bring something to write in, an open heart and a sense of humor!
For additional information you can call Mike at 617/731-4930 or e-mail him at mikehward@aol.com. He will not be charging tuition for the workshop, suggesting instead, a donation by participants toward the purchase of a new stove for the kitchen. Gifts for the ongoing projects are much needed and are most welcome! Tuition for similar programs is $150-300.
Developing a Christian Meditation Practice
Presenter: Fr. Steve Brice from St. Anthony Church, Loyal
Monday evening June 10 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
This offering was born out of discussions among those who a attended the “Introduction to Meditation in the Catholic Tradition” series offered this spring. Having answered our basic questions about meditation, we go on now to make it a part of our spiritual lives. Each week Fr. Steve Brice will offer some instruction and encouragement. Then we will enter the stillness to let God speak. Fr. Steve will draw upon the writings of Fr. John Main OSB whose life work was getting meditation out of the monastery and into the lives of ordinary people. All are welcome.
Free-will offering. Attend just this one, or attend the series of three June 10 and 17 and 24.
Volunteer Weekend (rescheduled from May 3-5)
June 14-16, 2013
Calling all hands for a weekend of work and fun! You’ll meet interesting people, share the good food of our table, and have a sense of accomplishment as we work on the trails, gardens, and grounds. Register early to reserve your shared room. Volunteers will have the option of tenting. Meals and lodging are provided.
Holding Center, Seeing True! A Summer Mandala Retreat
June 14-16, 2013
Facilitator: Gabriele Uhlein, OSF. Cost: Sliding scale of $200-$100 (or $50-$25 per day for a shorter time) plus meals and lodging. There is an additional $15 art materials fee. (Begins at 6:45 Friday evening and concludes with Sunday brunch.)
As we approach mid-summer, we honor being in the thick of creation in the midst of nature and the fullness of life. When life is full, we need to hold center more than ever. These days offer opportunity for mandala-making amid the challenges and demands of our lives in these unusual and ever-changing times.
Healer, Heal Thyself
June 15-16, 2013
Facilitators: Reverends Darla and Alden Hughes
Join us in a grand adventure with A Course in Miracles! We will use this sacred time to expand our God-given abilities to heal the sick and raise the dead. Together we will listen, learn, and do; listen to the Holy Spirit through prayer, learn to release past memories, and perform the action of working miracles. Come and celebrate miraculous experiences in the joy of healing sessions, live music, teachings, and prayer. This retreat will start at 10:30 on Saturday, and will end on Sunday. Tuition: $95 plus meals and lodging.
Developing a Christian Meditation Practice
Presenter: Fr. Steve Brice from St. Anthony Church, Loyal
Monday evening June 17 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
This offering was born out of discussions among those who a attended the “Introduction to Meditation in the Catholic Tradition” series offered this spring. Having answered our basic questions about meditation, we go on now to make it a part of our spiritual lives. Each week Fr. Steve Brice will offer some instruction and encouragement. Then we will enter the stillness to let God speak. Fr. Steve will draw upon the writings of Fr. John Main OSB whose life work was getting meditation out of the monastery and into the lives of ordinary people. All are welcome. Free-will offering.
MFR Weekend
June 21-23, 2013
Liaison Person: Laramee Paradise
This retreat is a feast of Myofascial Release Therapy — for MFR therapists and by MFR therapists. Some say we become who/what we spend our time with. If this is true, then participants in this MFR retreat could be assured of their continued growth toward optimal potential as MFR therapistss and human beings released from their limitations. All therapists must have taken at least one seminar by either John F. Barnes, PT, or Lori Zeltwanger, PT. For more information, call Laramee Paradise at 612-232-4669 or email ljparadise123@yahoo.com. To register, contact Liz at 715-267-7507 or email christinecenter@tds.net. Cost: meals and lodging, plus $25-35 room fee
Developing a Christian Meditation Practice
Presenter: Fr. Steve Brice from St. Anthony Church, Loyal
Monday evening June 24 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
This offering was born out of discussions among those who a attended the “Introduction to Meditation in the Catholic Tradition” series offered this spring. Having answered our basic questions about meditation, we go on now to make it a part of our spiritual lives. Each week Fr. Steve Brice will offer some instruction and encouragement. Then we will enter the stillness to let God speak. Fr. Steve will draw upon the writings of Fr. John Main OSB whose life work was getting meditation out of the monastery and into the lives of ordinary people. All are welcome. Free-will offering.
In the Company of Thomas Merton
June 28-30, 2013
Facilitators: Henrita Frost, SSND and Johanna Seubert, FSPA
Tuition: $75-$150 (sliding scale) plus meals and lodging
Praying is about becoming your authentic self in a global community of the natural environment, nations, family, friends, work and play. Begin or deepen your meditation practice inspire by Thomas Merton whose spirituality was rooted in solitude and contemplation. Become familiar with Merton’s life, practices and inspiration.
July
Drumming, Sounding and the Ringing of the Bells!
Independence Day Weekend at the Christine Center
July 4 – 7, 2013
Facilitator: Gabriele Uhlein, OSF, Ph.D.
Tuition: $200 – $250 (sliding scale) plus meals and lodging.
Going wordlessly deeper with sound and rhythm is a long-standing spiritual art, both east and west. Use sound to kindle creativity, relax tension and anxiety, stimulate the immune system, encounter the Holy and communicate with a power beyond the spoken word. Come for a longer meditative weekend of full-body listening, and give intuitive voice to your own unique vocal sound and vibration in intentional circles of contemplation, and deep attention. Hosted by Sr. Gabriele Uhlein, this weekend offers a variety of sound and rhythm experiences based on her own work in intuition training as well as other spiritual traditions that invoke the art and heart of music and drumming for deepening and healing. Bring your drums, bells and a willingness to sound – all the way from the bottom of your soul! We begin at 3:00 pm on July 4th!
Silent Retreat with Individual Spiritual Guidance
July 7 to 13, 2013
Spiritual Guidance: Sr. Marge Zulaski and Fr. Tom Borkowski
Arrival after 3pm on Sunday, July 7th ….. Departure 1pm on Saturday, July 13th
Enter this silent retreat for listening to your soul in the peaceful, natural sanctuary of the Christine Center. Each day a private session for spiritual guidance and personal discernment is available. Other optional choices: group meditation, Eucharistic liturgy, and the wonders of nature at the Christine Center. Individual spiritual guidance invites deep listening to God’s presence and movement in your life. This retreat offers a six-night stay; however, arrangements can be made to extend your stay.
Cost: $400, includes housing in a modern hermitage or guest house, and spiritual guidance sessions; $300, includes housing in a rustic hermitage and spiritual guidance sessions. Meals are an additional $32 per day or you may choose to prepare your own meals in a modern hermitage.
Spirit Alive Within and Without
July 12-14, 2013
Facilitator: Cecy Corcoran, FSPA, Ph.D. Cost: $75-$150, plus meals and lodging.
A retreat that draws us into body awareness and inserts us into the wild woods. As we awaken our senses to the textures of earth and sky, the smell of wet earth and warm air, we’ll be noting our inner responses. The senses are gateways that enable a dialogue between our innermost self and the most distant star.
This retreat is for anyone who wants to be here, now. It’s designed for you to slow down and to be in the awesome presence of soul, moment to moment. Bring journal or sketchbook if desired.
Note: participants should be prepared for the moderate exercise of walking in order to participate fully.
Yoga Immersion Weekend: Practice makes Progress
July 12-14, 2013
Facilitator: Rob Schultz. Tuition: $150, plus meals and lodging.
“To read uplifting books or listen to spiritual discourses is good. But to practice even a little is of the utmost importance.” –Swami Kripalu
Beyond yoga postures, the art and science of Kripalu yoga expands self-awareness and offers liberation in body, mind, and spirit by cultivating the greatest wisdom of all: direct experience. Plan on doing 6 hours of gentle to moderate Hatha Yoga. We’ll also meditate, contemplate, write, and rest. We’ll talk a bit of philosophy too.
Rob Schultz is a professional-level Kripalu Yoga teacher and reiki master. To alleviate chronic pain, he turned to yoga in the 90s and has been owner/operator of Point Yoga since 2008. His undergraduate studies were in religion. www.pointyoga.com.
Meditation and Loving Kindness
July 12-14, 2013
Facilitators: Henrita Frost, SSND and Johanna Seubert, FSPA. Tuition: $75-$150 (sliding scale) plus meals and lodging.
We invite you to enhance your meditation practice and experience quiet and renewal. With an emphasis on the cultivation of loving kindness, a form of Buddhist meditation, we can develop compassion for ourselves and others. When troubled by difficult emotional situations and the pressures of our lives, loving-kindness meditation can empower and strengthen us. Life’s challenges can become manageable and transformed, and one’s mind and heart will become open and calm with loving-kindness meditation.
Yoga Nidra: The Healing Power of Extreme Relaxation
July 28-29, 2013
Facilitator: Roberta Hodges. Tuition: $95, plus meals and lodging.
Yoga Nidra is the most powerful relaxation technique known. It means yogic sleep, conscious deep sleep. As simple as guided relaxation, it takes one into supreme relaxation of the body and the most profound stillness of the mind. This transformingly deep, blissful state of consciousness is the perfect condition for physical and emotional healing and also brings one into a deep state of meditation. It is particularly successful in treating diseases and discomfort caused by stress and is very effective for those suffering from physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. No previous yoga experience is necessary.
August
Finding your Inner Compass with SoulCollage and Musical Soul Journeying
August 2-4, 2013
Facilitator: Audrey Chowdhury
You will learn about and practice SoulCollage, a very simple yet powerful collage process where you create your own deck of inner guidance cards based on the many parts of your Self.
To register for this event, go to www.creativespiritguide.com. You may contact Audrey Chowdhury directly at acsunprairie@aol.om.
Enlightenment Retreat 2013
August 8-15, 2013
Facilitator: Theresa O’Connor
For those who long for direct daily Spirit-connection and ongoing multidimensional experiences and expression.
For those already living at deeper levels and looking to share the riches of this deeper lifestyle with companions on the path.
Retreat begins with the evening meal on Thursday, August 8, 2013 and concludes with the 12:30 p.m. meal on Thursday, August 15. Registration Fee: $300, plus meals and lodging.
This annual gathering invites people from all walks of life to come together for the honoring of and celebrating of heart and soul. For so much of each year, we are busy doers, leaders, planners and givers, however, for this spirit-infused week, we can be awe-filled receivers, multidimensional explorers, and expanders of inner and outer realities. So much can be discovered, enriched, transformed and mobilized within one’s life in just these few days.
Each person leaves the retreat with the experiential knowing that life is much more than body, mind, and emotions. Each person walks into the depths of his/her inner life, and is embraced by the unique cast of guides, helpers, light beams, masters and teachers, who are always alive and available as “team members” throughout one’s life. Coming to consciously know and experience one’s expanded and infinite Higher-Self aspects, is nothing short of life-changing and life-giving.
Bringing together the richness of current neuroscience and energy psychology, Eastern and Western mine-body-spirit methodologies, the anatomy and physiology of the human energy field, a lifetime of lived clairvoyance, clairaudience andclairsentience, as well as her ongoing experiences as a modern-day mystic, Theresa O’Connor is uniquely equipped, professionally and personally, to facilitate, guide, catalyze and mentor, on the road to lived wholeness.
Participants have said the following when leaving the retreat:
“I can now walk and live in loving Presence. I crawled in it before.”
“Everything has its aura; the plants are my family. I have a widening of consciousness of other energies; not all is physical.”
“Information has moved from my head to my heart. Connecting with my own inner light brings cleansing emotion and clearer purpose. In leaving here, I bring divine love with me.”
“For myself and my work, I wanted to deepen my connection with my higher wisdom and expand my experience of mystical levels. One can trust one’s own guides; it’s the difference of walking in the light instead of darkness.”
“The week itself is a playground — time and space for unwinding, creative expression, connecting with nature, spontaneity, relationship, tasty nourishment (food and otherwise), grounded companionship, learning, emotions and revelations of all sorts.”
Theresa O’Connor MSN, RN, CS
Enlightenment Coach and Retreat Facilitator
A pioneer, innovator, psychotherapist, facilitator, educator, healer and mystic, Theresa catalyses and coaches hearts and souls in those daring enough to work with her.
Throughout a career spanning three decades, Theresa has been and continues to be a forerunner in the fields of transpersonal, positive, and energy psychologies, as well as a facilitator of well-being in mind, body, and spirit wholeness.
With a graduate degree from Yale University in the area of psychosomatic research and mind-body interventions, Theresa uses well-researched and leading edge modalities with business and personal clients, within retreat experiences, and for ongoing groups. Through her facilitation and coaching, her client’s highest potential and most profound brilliance is brought forward for the betterment of the world.
Registration Fee:
$300 plus meals and lodging.
The registration fee deadline is May 10th, 2013.
A minimum deposit of $150 will hold your choice of lodging. Early registration is appreciated.
Balance of registration fee, plus meals and lodging is due upon arrival at the Christine Center.
See: www.GATE-Travel.org, and http://www.oconnor-associates.net/.
Theresa O’Connor, RN, MSN
Enlightenment Coach
theresa@oconnor-associates.net
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Sacred Mystery: Conscious Evolution and the Emerging Human
By visionary futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard with Jean Feraca
August 9-10, 2013 at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton, Wisconsin.
Collaboration by Holy Wisdom Monastery and the Christine Center.
Join us for ground-breaking conversations with Barbara Marx Hubbard, spiritual visionary and evolutionary educator. Be prepared to stretch your thinking and excite your imagination. Hear Barbara share her remarkable faith journey and prophetic call to advance a new era of conscious evolution. Personal testimony is a powerful force. It can awaken us to our own calling so we, too, can make a leap in consciousness and move forward with our own evolutionary journey.
Through interactive workshops by Barbara Marx Hubbard and inquiry and dialogue guided by Jean Feraca, you will learn to see with evolutionary eyes and gain insights beyond the reach of past generations. Learn how daily life shaped by these insights takes us to new depths of personal, communal and planetary enrichment and fulfillment.
Barbara will share her experience of the Christ presence. She will explore key New Testament passages that have transformed her understanding of our own scientific and technologically advanced age. Become engaged as she connects you with sources in the life of Jesus that point to our as yet unfulfilled human potential.
Barbara Marx Hubbard
A world-renowned inspirational speaker, Barbara Marx Hubbard is the author of six acclaimed books that communicate the new worldview of conscious evolution as the essential context for creating a positive future. To learn more, visit her website www.evolve.org.
Jean Feraca
Jean Feraca is a writer who honed her interview skills as producer and host of award-winning public radio programming for thirty years.
A Holy Wisdom Monastery and Christine Center Collaboration. Our chaotic world requires collaboration to bring a new perspective to present-day challenges. Our two spiritual centers – the Christine Center in Willard, WI and Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton, WI — are pleased to bring this retreat to Holy Wisdom Monastery. In collaboration, we go beyond our usual boundaries to co-create something that has never happened before. Please join us!
Contact Carole Kretschman at inheart@tds.net or 608-233-7390 if you have questions.
Register by July 9: www.benedictinewomen.org. Phone: Jamie at Holy Wisdom Monastery at 608-836-1631, x100, or jdunbar@benedictinewomen.org. After July 9, add $20 to cost. Please see attached PDF for more information.
Wild Brush of Soul: A Summer Intuitive Painting Intensive
August 13-18, 2013
Facilitator: Gabriele Uhlein, OSF. Cost: Sliding scale of $250-$125 (or $50-$25 per day for a shorter time) plus meals and lodging. There is a $10 per day studio fee.
As the sun shifts back into the southern sky here at the Christine Center — what a good time to harvest intuitive riches from summer’s fullness. These days are for honoring soul with brushstrokes free and grace-full enough to be any color and any shape, and exactly what each moment calls for! We will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Aug. 13 and conclude with brunch on Aug. 18.
Compassionate Acceptance: A Mindful Path to Healing Life’s Wounds
August 16-18, 2013
Facilitator: Tom Roberts. Tuition: $150, plus meals and lodging.
We all carry with us a store of life’s hurts, betrayals, and traumas. Deep healing occurs only when we soften our self aversion and begin to accept and relate wisely with deep compassion to that part of ourselves that needs healing. This retreat will provide a spacious and safe place to work on bringing mindful and compassionate acceptance to these difficulties. Through the exploration of Contemplative, Taoist, and Buddhist teachings and healing practices, you will finally be able to reach a kind of healing based on acceptance and compassion that is often overlooked. This depth of healing is integral to deepening the spiritual path.
Spiritual Deepening for Global Transformation: A Three-year Certificate Program
Begins August 23-25, 2013
You’re Invited!
Do you wonder how to survive spiritually in a world of unprecedented change and hectic, high-speed living?
Do you want to thrive not just survive? Do you want to make a difference?
Then, come discover how to create an authentic inner life, access a deeper you that will provide a solid, sacred ground of meaning and support.
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Here’s What our Program Can Do for You:
Offer a thoughtful blend of study, contemplation, dialogue and community.
Provide guidance and support for the questions that draw you towards a rich interior life.
Help you experience a oneness with all creation, from where you’ll gain the inner strength and confidence to make a difference in the 21st century global community.
Encourage you to meet life’s challenges with a depth of understanding and compassion so that you may accept all aspects of life as gift.
Invite you to experience Divine Presence in daily life inspired by spiritual teachings both East and West.
Offer opportunities to transform, heal and create a life of spiritual depth and grace for your own sake and for the sake of the world.
Twelve Weekends Open Doors to Inner Stillness, Compassion and Unity
Our program is built upon four weekend retreats each year that support your spiritual practice and daily life at home. Weekends begin with Friday evening dinner followed by the opening session and continue through Sunday’s brunch.
Grounded in the Franciscan tradition and their own in-depth experience and training in spiritual guidance, our Christine Center staff, and from time to time, other expert guides will gently accompany you on an inward journey of transformation rooted in personal prayer, contemplative dialogue and spiritual practice both East and West.
The beauty of the spiritual sanctuary at the Christine Center, the stillness and restorative nature as well as fabulous meals contribute to an uplifting and nurturing experience
Year One: The Art of Contemplative Living
In tune with the mystical spirituality of Francis of Assisi, a troubadour awake to intimacy with the Divine and whose life impacts our world across eight centuries, this first year draws from the Christian contemplative tradition, but also from the rich wisdom of Eastern masters.
Weekend One, August 23-25, 2013
Beginning with Life: Learning from Experience
Explore the age-old story of our relationship with self, others, God and the cosmos. What is my story? How does what I believe about myself inform my search for meaning, authentic relationships, humility before the Divine and commitment to my life’s work? What wisdom is mine from the spiritual path of contemplatives both East and West? How shall I begin or begin again more deeply the art of contemplative living?
Weekend Two, December 6-8, 2013
Growing into Myself: Becoming Who I Am
The art of contemplative living is experienced moment by moment. Learn ways to grow into your true self by listening with the heart, breathing with the spirit, practicing loving kindness and cultivating a disarming hospitality.
Weekend Three, February 7-9, 2014
Living our Heart’s Desire: Longing for the Holy
Learn to awaken to the spiritual dimension. Sit, chant, read, walk, listen, breathe: simple practices that reveal an interconnectedness of all life. Out of the quiet grows the truth that the longing of the heart is for deep peace. When you sit in meditation, you contribute to the wholeness of the world.
Weekend Four, May 23-25, 2014
Loving Deeply: Finding the Compassionate Center
In silence, you are invited to practice mindfulness, concentration, walking, and loving kindness meditations drawn from the Buddhist Tradition as well as from the contemplative practices of the Christian mystics. Experience how the contemplative life reveals Spirit in our hearts and in and through all beings. Daily life then becomes a journey of compassion in tune with the universe.
Year Two: Awakening the Spiritual/Earth Body
Gain deep insight into the wisdom of holistic health and the work of cosmologists to ground you in the sacredness of all creation, and become aware that matter “matters.” Develop the power of intuition and the energy of creativity. Commit to self-acceptance and the integration of body, mind, and spirit.
Year Three: Spirit Leadership for Global Transformation
Refine your personal vision and hone your skills of transformative participation. Become more aware of your gifts for compassionate service and imagine your capacity to make a real difference in the world. Learn to say with confidence of Soul: I matter, I can make a difference, I can change the world in very surprising ways.
To receive a booklet with complete details, including dates and descriptions for years two and three, plus an application form, please contact Cecy Corcoran at the Christine Center by email to christinecenter@tds.net, or by phone to 715-267-7507.
Program Facilitators
Sister Cecilia Corcoran, FSPA has a Ph.D. in Women’s Religious Studies and has particular skill in integrating outward experience with inward deepening.
Sister Henrita Frost, SSND has been seeking spiritual deepening for personal and global transformation for many decades. She is a gifted spiritual guide and a member of the Christine Center Core Team. She delights in the experience of teaching meditation and being inspired by those with whom she meditates.
Sister Johanna Seubert, FSPA has a Doctorate in music, with additional studies in theology, spiritual direction, and liturgy. She has given numerous spiritual growth programs at the Christine Center and at other locations. Johanna is a certified teacher of the Diamond Approach and a member of the Ridhwan Spiritual School.
Sister Gabriele Uhlein, OSF, PhD. is an evocative facilitator and artist. Known for her refreshingly practical spiritual perspectives, with emphasis on intuition and creativity, she offers learning opportunities grounded in the wisdom of the Christian mystics as well as contemporary spiritual thought both East and West.
Sister Marge Zulaski, OSF is a depth psychologist and Jungian analyst with a special interest in dreams. She teaches dream seminars and offers an understanding of Jung’s map of the soul as a way to wholeness.
Interested?
For more information, or to apply, contact the Christine Center christinecenter@tds.net or call 715-267-7507.
“Thank you Cecy, Johanna, Gabe, Henrita, and Marge for your courage and truth and loving kindness. It gives us all permission to be who we are.”
“I have always wanted to stretch my soul, to think more deeply about the divine. Now I see the holy in the everyday, and God in every activity.”
“What a rich opportunity to be with others who want to grow, become centered, and to learn how to make a difference in the world …. I am so happy the Christine Center is offering this program!”
“Finally, I was able to bring my whole self to the work of transformation and growth!”
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Silent Retreat with Spiritual Guidance
August 25-31, 2013
Spiritual Guidance: Sr. Marge Zulaski and Fr. Tom Borkowski
Arrival after 3 pm on Sunday, August 25 ….. Departure by 1 pm Saturday, August 31
Enter this silent retreat for listening to your soul in the peaceful, natural sanctuary of the Christine Center. Each day a private session for spiritual guidance and personal discernment is available. Other options: group meditation, Eucharistic liturgy, and the wonders of nature at the Christine Center. Individual spiritual guidance invites deep listening to God’s presence and movement in your life. This retreat offers a six-night stay; however, arrangements can be made to extend your stay.
Cost: $400, includes housing in a modern hermitage or guest house, and spiritual guidance sessions; $300, includes housing in a rustic hermitage and spiritual guidance sessions. Meals are an additional $32 per day or you may choose to prepare your own meals in a modern hermitage.
Mirroring God: The Quantum Imagination of Teilhard de Chardin
August 30 – September 1, 2013
Facilitator: Gabriele Uhlein, OSF, Ph.D.
Tuition: $125 – $175 (sliding scale) plus meals and lodging.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin has been credited with influencing every major western spiritual thinker in the latter half of the 20th Century! (And even the Dali Lama quotes him!) Discover for the first time, or be inspired again, with the thrilling quantum imagination and heart-felt spiritual energy of this seminal mystic and scientist. Sr. Gabriele Uhlein, a longtime student of his influence in both contemporary theology and ecological thinking, will offer a weekend of meditation, reflection and field experiences based on his life and insights. Come prepared to behold nature, yourself and the night sky in fresh and amazing ways. Beauty, awe and passion for the future await you.
MFR Weekend
August 30 to September 1, 2013
Liaison Person: Laramee Paradise
This retreat is a feast of Myofascial Release Therapy — for MFR therapists and by MFR therapists. Some say we become who/what we spend our time with. If this is true, then participants in this MFR retreat could be assured of their continued growth toward optimal potential as MFR therapistss and human beings released from their limitations. All therapists must have taken at least one seminar by either John F. Barnes, PT, or Lori Zeltwanger, PT. For more information, call Laramee Paradise at 612-232-4669 or email ljparadise123@yahoo.com. To register, contact Liz at 715-267-7507 or email christinecenter@tds.net. Cost: meals and lodging, plus $25-35 room fee
September
Fall Yoga + Meditation 3-Day Retreat with Andrea Russell
September 6-8, 2013
Facilitator: Andrea Russell. Cost: $200, plus meals and lodging.
This 3-day retreat offers an opportunity to deepen your yoga and meditation practice, learn ways to attune your practice to live in harmony with the season as well as ample time for reflection, restoration and enjoyment of nature.
Nature’s cycles are mirrored within our own body and mind. The fall season is an important time to nurture oneself after the high vibrant energy of summer, to ground and settle, as well as to cultivate inner strength — to maintain balance as the winds of change blow.
The retreat includes lodging of your choice, vegetarian meals, Alignment Yoga instruction, seated and walking meditation instruction, mindfulness practices, yoga nidra/guided deep relaxation, pranayama/breathing practices, as well as wisdom teachings based on yoga philosophy, mindfulness and Ayurvedic approaches to living in tune with the season.
Visit www.andrearussell.com for more information on Andrea Russell and Alignment Yoga.
Celebrating Hildegard of Bingen
September 13-15, 2013
Facilitator: S. Gabriele Uhlein, OSF, PhD. Cost: Sliding scale of $200-$100, plus meals and lodging.
Hildegard of Bingen is a remarkable 12th century saint, a “first” in many fields. She was an author, composer, healer, artist, preacher, visionary and vexatious advisor to emperors and popes alike. Come meet this great woman! Designed as a festive weekend, participants will hear her transcendent music, taste her amazing healing recipes, experience her brilliant writings, and marvel at her sublime illuminations and visions. Truly an inspiration for all ages, let Hildegard offer you fresh insight and wisdom for your own soul’s journey. Our program begins on Friday evening at 6:45 p.m. on September 13 and concludes with an 11:00 a.m. brunch on September 15.
Women’s Equinox Retreat: Celebrating Shakti
September 20-22, 2013
Join Coleen Elwood ERYT-200 of Peace Medicine and Tara Cindy Sherman ERTY-500 of Tree Spirit Yoga as they blend ancient tantric techniques with earth based shamanic practices for a weekend immersed in the beauty of nature and exploration of shakti, the creative feminine energy.
Tara and Coleen blend their combined 40+years of yoga experience with their passion for community, ritual, honoring the earth, and all things shakti. This weekend will include a variety of practices: Yoga That Nourishes the Body & Soul, Fireside Drumming, Shaktiflow (yoga dance), Chanting, Ceremony, Meditation & Yoga Nidra.
Please contact Linda Grimillion with questions or to register @ 651 303 8491 or Lakshmiconsulting@gmail.com.
Yoga Nidra: The Healing Power of Extreme Relaxation
September 27-29, 2013
Facilitator: Roberta Hodges; Tuition: $150, plus meals and lodging.
Yoga Nidra is the most powerful relaxation technique known. It means yogic sleep, conscious deep sleep. As simple as guided relaxation, it takes one into supreme relaxation of the body and the most profound stillness of the mind. This transformingly deep, blissful state of consciousness is the perfect condition for physical and emotional healing and also brings one into a deep state of meditation. It is particularly successful in treating diseases and discomfort caused by stress and is very effective for those suffering from physical, mental and emotional exhaustion.
October
Mahamudra
October 12-20, 2013
Facilitator: Susan Mickel
This retreat teaches essence Mahamudra, beginning with an emphasis on concentration, followed by emptiness and nonduality meditations, and nonmeditation. With clearing of the obscurations, the mind’s true nature is free to shine forth. The format is small group instruction, meditation, and discussion. Maximum of 25 participants. Susan Mickel is a meditation practitioner and teacher, and a trained Christian spiritual guide. A more complete bio is available at www.pointingoutway.org. For more information and to register, contact Susan Mickel at susanmickel2@gmail.com.
Yoga Nidra: The Healing Power of Extreme Relaxation
October 29-30, 2013
Facilitator: Roberta Hodges. Tuition: $95, plus meals and lodging.
Yoga Nidra is the most powerful relaxation technique known. It means yogic sleep, conscious deep sleep. As simple as guided relaxation, it takes one into supreme relaxation of the body and the most profound stillness of the mind. This transformingly deep, blissful state of consciousness is the perfect condition for physical and emotional healing and also brings one into a deep state of meditation. It is particularly successful in treating diseases and discomfort caused by stress and is very effective for those suffering from physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. No previous yoga experience is necessary.
Uplift Yoga Retreat – A Journey Through the Chakras
November 15-17, 2013
Facilitators: Twin Cities yoga instructors
Join Angela Coffee and Kate Karshna for the 4th annual Uplift Yoga retreat. Reconnect with old friends and make new ones during our shared, supportive, and joyfully inquisitive journey through the chakras. Situated within the energetics of yoga, Angela and Kate will use techniques of breath work, asana, meditation, sound, and creation to mindfully guide participants towards a deepening awareness of the unique wisdom of body and intuition.
During the autumn season of turning inward, our time together will cultivate loving awareness and gentle kindness toward mind and body. This retreat is accessible to all body types and experience levels.
To register, please contact Kate Karshna via upliftyoga@gmail.com or (612) 817-5142. For more information, visit upliftyoga.com.
Instructor Bios:
Kate Karshna graduated from the Yoga Center of Minneapolis’ 200-hour teacher training with additional training in Reiki, Para Yoga, Yin Yoga and Adapting Yoga for Disability. She is currently enrolled in a 500-hour certification program. Kate wants to share the “wish fulfilling tree of yoga” with the intention of uplifting humanity, one human at a time.
Angela Coffee graduated from the Yoga Center of Minneapolis’ 200-hour teacher training. A student of ParaYoga, a Reiki Master, and a Thai Yoga body worker, Angela describes her relationship with yoga as one that is centered in playful curiosity. As a teacher, Angela invites her students to courageously open themselves up in the extravagant abundance of each moment, and to be deeply rooted within the nourishing and grounding wisdom of themselves.
Spiritual, Creative and Dream Journaling Retreat
Three-day journal writing exploration
November 22-24, 2013
Facilitator: Cynthia Gallaher
Deepen your spirituality, better understand relationships, foster creativity and delve into your nightly dreams with more focus through journal writing. Over the course of this three-day retreat, leader Cynthia Gallaher will help you uncover the journaling method or methods that best suit your personality. You’ll take part in hands-on explorations of journal dialogs, Japanese haibun (journal entries that end in a short poem) and naikan gratitude journal methods, Leonardo Da Vinci-style notebooks, artists’ journals, modern dream journaling techniques and more.
This retreat provides a stimulating and non-judgmental atmosphere for both newer and long-time journal writers. By the end of the retreat, participants can experience more clear direction toward spiritual, creative and emotional renewal through journal writing, and be motivated to develop a regular journal writing practice. Tuition is on a sliding scale basis. Range is from $85-$125, plus meals and lodging.
Friday night, November 22, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.: Journal writing introduction, overview personality quiz and getting started.
Saturday morning, November 23, 9 a.m. to noon: Stepping Stones and Dialogues as the basis of modern journaling.
Saturday afternoon, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Japanese techniques, artist and creative journals, and what would Leonardo da Vinci do?
Saturday evening, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Dream journaling
What do you do when life gives you synchronicities, serendipity, coincidences or confirmations?
Sunday morning, November 24, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Final thoughts for future journaling.
Cynthia will also present a few PowerPoint presentations, provide handouts and display selected books on journal writing.
At the completion of this retreat, participants will be able to:
- Focus on the type of journal writing to fit his or her personality.
- Access their own list of numerous, personal journal writing topics and questions.
- Use journaling methods of Stepping Stones and Dialogues to address personal and creative issues.
- Understand and use the Japanese methods of haibun and naikan.
- Create a Leonardo da Vinci-style notebook, artist’s journal or other type of creative journal.
- Create an active, personal dream journal.
- Use journaling to explore and understand personal values, issues and memories.
Bio:
Retreat leader Cynthia Gallaher is a poet, playwright, nonfiction writer and journal writer. She leads journal writing workshops in libraries, schools, centers and spas throughout the Midwest, and teaches an online course on journal writing at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
MFR Weekend
December 6-8, 2013
Liaison Person: Laramee Paradise
This retreat is a feast of Myofascial Release Therapy — for MFR therapists and by MFR therapists. Some say we become who/what we spend our time with. If this is true, then participants in this MFR retreat could be assured of their continued growth toward optimal potential as MFR therapistss and human beings released from their limitations. All therapists must have taken at least one seminar by either John F. Barnes, PT, or Lori Zeltwanger, PT. For more information, call Laramee Paradise at 612-232-4669 or email ljparadise123@yahoo.com. To register, contact Liz at 715-267-7507 or email christinecenter@tds.net. Cost: meals and lodging, plus $25-35 room fee.
Silent Weekend Retreat
December 20-22, 2013
More information will follow.
Christine Center is closed December 24, 25, and 26.
Silent 7-Day Winter Retreat
December 27 to January 2, 2014
More information will follow.
2014
Refresh, Renew, Revitalize: Yoga and Meditation Retreat
January 10-12, 2014
Facilitator: Beck Anderson
Bring in the New Year with a soul-cleansing yoga and meditation retreat. The retreat will include breathing practices, breath awareness, yoga classes for every body, relaxation and meditation classes, creating art, listening, or creating music, journaling, and — weather permitting — time spent in nature. For more information, visit The-Yoga-Place.net/retreats or call 651-308-9367. Cost: $150, plus meals and lodging. Beck Anderson is an E-RYT, Certified Nutritionist and Wellness educator, Reiki practitioner, and holds a B.S. in Sociology and Art.
Nancy Boler Yoga Retreat
January 23-26, 2014
For more information, or to register, please contact Nancy at 612-724-7311 or nancy@boleryoga.com.
Mindfulness Meditation and Yoga Retreat
February 21-23, 2014
Facilitators: Susan Mickel and Sue Twiggs
Come learn two traditions in one weekend: yoga postures and mindfulness meditation. The retreat will be silent, alternating periods of yoga and sitting meditation. There will be leadership at all of the sessions and instructions at most of them, with opportunities to ask questions, group discussion, and talks integrating the two practices with day-to-day life. No prior knowledge of either tradition is necessary to attend. There will be sadhana for experienced yoga practitioners as well as yoga instruction for those new to the practice. Cost: $200, plus meals and lodging.
By Women For Women
March 7-9, 2014
More information will follow.
Jenifer Ebel Yoga Retreat
March 28-30, 2014
More information will follow.
Amie Heeter Yoga Retreat
April 3-6, 2014
More information will follow.
Spiritual, Creative and Dream Journaling Retreat
Three-day journal writing exploration
April 25-27, 2014
Facilitator: Cynthia Gallaher
Deepen your spirituality, better understand relationships, foster creativity and delve into your nightly dreams with more focus through journal writing. Over the course of this three-day retreat, leader Cynthia Gallaher will help you uncover the journaling method or methods that best suit your personality. You’ll take part in hands-on explorations of journal dialogs, Japanese haibun (journal entries that end in a short poem) and naikan gratitude journal methods, Leonardo Da Vinci-style notebooks, artists’ journals, modern dream journaling techniques and more.
This retreat provides a stimulating and non-judgmental atmosphere for both newer and long-time journal writers. By the end of the retreat, participants can experience more clear direction toward spiritual, creative and emotional renewal through journal writing, and be motivated to develop a regular journal writing practice. Tuition is on a sliding scale basis. Range is from $85-$125, plus meals and lodging.
Friday night, November 22, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.: Journal writing introduction, overview personality quiz and getting started.
Saturday morning, November 23, 9 a.m. to noon: Stepping Stones and Dialogues as the basis of modern journaling.
Saturday afternoon, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Japanese techniques, artist and creative journals, and what would Leonardo da Vinci do?
Saturday evening, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Dream journaling
What do you do when life gives you synchronicities, serendipity, coincidences or confirmations?
Sunday morning, November 24, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Final thoughts for future journaling.
She will also present a few PowerPoint presentations, provide handouts and display selected books on journal writing.
At the completion of this retreat, participants will be able to:
- Focus on the type of journal writing to fit his or her personality.
- Access their own list of numerous, personal journal writing topics and questions.
- Use journaling methods of Stepping Stones and Dialogues to address personal and creative issues.
- Understand and use the Japanese methods of haibun and naikan.
- Create a Leonardo da Vinci-style notebook, artist’s journal or other type of creative journal.
- Create an active, personal dream journal.
- Use journaling to explore and understand personal values, issues and memories.
Bio:
Retreat leader Cynthia Gallaher is a poet, playwright, nonfiction writer and journal writer. She leads journal writing workshops in libraries, schools, centers and spas throughout the Midwest, and teaches an online course on journal writing at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Jenifer Ebel Yoga Retreat
October 24-26, 2014
More information will follow.
2015
Meditation and Yoga Retreat
February 13-15, 2015
Facilitators: Susan Mickel and Sue Twiggs
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BIOS
Cecilia Corcoran, FSPA, Ph.D.
Now well into the second half of life, Cecilia enjoys being part of the team and community at the Christine Center where she dedicates herself to the mission and vision of the Center. She brings doctoral work in Women’s Religious Studies and international experience leading immersion and pilgrimages that touched into women’s lives, their faith and their struggles.
Henrita Frost, SSND, MS
Henrita Frost, SSND is a School Sister of Notre Dame from Wilton, CT. For over fifty years, she has been seeking spiritual deepening for personal and global transformation. Henrita received her education for Spiritual Direction at the Center for Spirituality and Justice in the Bronx, NY. Henrita has been meditating for many years and is currently studying in the Mahamudra teachings.
Johanna Seubert, FSPA, DMA
Johanna Seubert, FSPA, has been at the Christine Center since 1987 where she is currently on the Administrative Team and gives retreats and seminars on various Spiritual topics. She is also a trained spiritual director, a certified teacher of the Diamond Approach, and a member of the Ridhwan spiritual school. Her passion is the study and practice of mystical spirituality from many spiritual traditions. Johanna has a doctorate in music from the Catholic University in Washington, D.C. and did additional studies in scripture, religious formation and spiritual direction at Aquinas Institute. She also has training and experience in liturgical music from Notre Dame University. Johanna taught music at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin where she also chaired the music department.
Gabriele Uhlein, OSF, Ph.D.
Gabriele has a doctorate in process theology and Jungian-oriented psychology. Internationally known for her practical Franciscan perspectives, she offers seminars grounded in the experience and wisdom of the Christian mystics as well as contemporary eco-spiritual thought. A long-time student of meditation in both Centering Prayer and Vipassana traditions, Gabriele is also trained in the contemplative practice of mandala-making and the intuitive painting method of Michele Cassou’s Point Zero. She serves as a member of the Christine Center Core Team.
Marge Zulaski, OSF, Psy.D
Marge is a Jungian analyst with special expertise in dream work. She offers group dreamwork weekends and is available for individual consultation for dreams. As a clinical psychologist, she has worked in hospital settings and in private practice. She also offers spiritual guidance and discernment for persons in private retreats.
Guest Presenters
The Christine Center is pleased to offer programs by these skillful and inspiring presenters.
Beck Anderson
Beck Anderson is an E-RYT, Certified Nutritionist and Wellness Educator, Reiki practitioner, and holds a B.S. in Sociology and Art. Beck fell in love with yoga in 2003 in her native Minnesota while taking a yoga class. In 2011 she became a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) at the 200 level through Yoga Alliance and in 2012 opened The Yoga Place in Menominee, Michigan. Through her studio, Beck teaches private and group yoga classes, yoga workshops, teacher training and retreats. She practices and teaches yoga as a way to inner peace, mindfulness, and body awareness.
Lolly Bower
Lolly Bower, B.Sc, CYT. Originally trained as a yoga teacher by Swami Paramanda in 1976, Lolly has continued her studies, practice, and teaching in the years since. Interesed in the science end of what she was learning in traditional yoga, she returned to school and is a Phi Kappa Phi graduate in Health Promotion at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. She is trained in meditation, and is a certified Yoga of the Heart (R) therapist.
Audrey Chowhdury
Audrey Chowhdury, MS, ATR-BC, is a board certified art therapist, a SoulCollage Facilitator/Trainer, and a certified practitioner of Integrative Breathwork by Jacquelyn Small of Austin, Texas. She has been presenting retreats and workshops for several years in Wisconsin, the Midwest, and beyond. She loves witnessing the unfolding of wisdom, beauty, and deeply felt connections that occur during transformational inner work. Her style has been described as intuitive, warm, encouraging, open, and inviting.
Jenifer Ebel
Founder and Director of The Yoga Studio. Over 30 years of inquiry, study, and practice of yoga. Certified Yoga Teacher. 500 hours Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance. 12 years teaching experience. Teacher training in Iyengar, Kripalu and Anusara styles of yoga.
Gary Egeberg
GARY EGEBERG is an author, educator, and former California state prison chaplain. With an extensive background in recovery, addiction studies, and interfaith spirituality, he works with individuals who are struggling to break free from past hurts and regrets so that they can create a new path in life. A popular speaker, his retreats blend wisdom from several spiritual traditions, neurobiology, and psychology.
Cynthia Gallaher
Retreat leader Cynthia Gallaher is a poet, playwright, nonfiction writer and journal writer. She leads journal writing workshops in libraries, schools, centers and spas throughout the Midwest, and teaches an online course on journal writing at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Chicago Public Library lists Gallaher among its “Top Ten Requested Chicago Poets” and Today’s Chicago Woman magazine named her one of “100 Women Making a Difference.” Her most recent book is Omnivore Odes: Poems About Food, Herbs and Spices, and she maintains the “Frugal Poet’s Guide to Life” blog.
DelMarie Gibney
Del is the director of WomanWell. She believes “we are the ones we have been waiting for” at this critical time in our evolutionary journey. It is crucial to the survival of the Earth Community that we awaken to the divine beings that we are.
Gigi Heinz
Gigi is a certified Yoga Instructor, RYT, with Yoga Alliance. Gigi has been teaching and practicing yoga for 9 years, and has been a business owner and operator for “be well yoga” for the past 7 years. Her teaching style integrates Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Vini yoga. (www.bewellyoga.biz
Anne Hillman
Teilhard’s biographer Ursula King cites Anne as one of four people who have given us new metaphors and ideas about love for our Time. After a 30-year inquiry into the interior and group development needed for fundamental cultural transformation, she wrote Awakening the Energies of Love: Discovering Fire for the Second Time. Brian Swimme calls it “an experiential pathway into that necessary transformation.” Her retreats are inclusive of all perspectives and are an opportunity to experience the kind of love that unites differences. One participant wrote: “You speak from a deep place of authenticity and transparency, coming from your experience and your years of seeking and your passion for the “Good News” of God’s Love in the world. It was somewhat of a Pentecost experience: you are speaking your own words out of your own experience and we are hearing it through our ears and our individual experience but the Silent message breaks through and everyone, at whatever level hears the whisper, “I Love You.” You can be sure your work was an “encounter” with what is deepest within everyone there and they heard something of what they have been longing to hear.” www.annehillman.net
Roberta Hodges
Roberta has been studying, practicing and teaching yoga in the Himalaya tradition for 25 years, including Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and more recently, Tantra Yoga. She has made several trips to India for study, practice and inspiration. She is also a practicing massage therapist and energy worker.
Venerable Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen
Venerable Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen is an accomplished teacher and translator of Tibetan Buddhism. He received ordination and advanced religious training, including long periods in meditation retreat, with Sakya Tradition leaders, including His Eminence Luding Khen Rinpoche and His Holiness the Sakya Trizin. Active in bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the West, he founded the Sakya Phuntsok Ling Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 1986; Tsechen Kunchab Ling Temple in Orange County, New York, the Seat or the Sakya Order in the United States, in 2001; and the International Buddhist Committee of the Washington, D.C. area, which he cochairs, in 1987.
Marilyn Kile
Marilyn Kile is a licensed clinical social worker. Over the past 35 years she has worked as a psychotherapist, wellness/healing facilitator, sexual assault survivors’ advocate and college instructor. She created the Wellness/Sexual Assault Prevention program at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and was the Coordinator for 25 years. Health and healing, spiritual growth, exploring other cultural perspectives, travel, indoor gardening, her children and grandchildren are her main passions.
Susan Mickel, M.D.
Susan Mickel, MD, PhD is a meditation practitioner and teacher and a trained Christian spiritual guide. She has been meditating for over twenty years. For twelve years she has been teaching Buddhist retreats in the Burmese mindfulness tradition first, and also in Tibetan Mahamudra. Further biographical information is available at www.pointingoutway.com . She learned Burmese mindfulness meditation from several teachers, practicing at Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, and other centers. Daniel Brown, Ph.D. and Rahob Tulku Thupten Kalsang Rinpoche are her main current teachers of Mahamudra and Dzogchen. Her current personal practice and orientation is Buddhist. She is interested in interfaith discussion and exploration. Her undergraduate major was comparative religions. She practiced for many years as a behavioral neurologist, and she has more recently taken training in clinical psychology.
Beth O’Brien
Beth O’Brien, MA Education, MA Religious Studies, is a Benedictine oblate, spiritual guide, meditation teacher and staff member at Wisdom’s Well Interfaith Spirituality Center in Madison, Wisconsin. As a Christian contemplative, her interests include the Christian mystical tradition, interfaith dialogue, and carrying compassion into the world.
Kathy O’Rourke
Kathy O’Rourke teaches yoga based on the Anusara and Para yoga methods. An initiated student of master teacher Yogarupa Rod Stryker (Para Yoga), she is dedicated to seeing grace in the totality of experience and skillfully teaches with patience, enthusiasm and a good sense of humor. (www. tapestryyogacenter.com)
Thomas Roberts LCSW
Thomas is a Psychotherapist and Hypnotherapist in private practice (Innerchange Counseling) in Onalaska, Wisconsin. He has over 35 years of experience in clinical psychotherapy and his own personal Zen Buddhist practice. He holds licenses as an Independent Clinical Social Worker, Marriage and Family Therapist, certifications as a Fellow with the National Board of Clinical Hypnotherapists, a Diplomate with the American Psychotherapy Association, and as an Addictions Counselor in the state of Wisconsin. Tom is adjunct professor in the Department of Psychology at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin where he teaches Mindfulness and Recovery, and Positive Psychology classes. He is also adjunct professor at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud Minnesota Community Counseling and Community Psychology Program where he teaches courses in mindful approaches to mind-body healing.
Mary-Anne Schoenike
Mary-Anne Schoenike, BS in psychology and MS in education, along with being a Reiki Master/Teacher and Reflexologist. She has been a SoulCollage(R) facilitator since May of 2011. She enjoys her role as “witness” in the SoulCollage process, as workshop participants discover their “inner selves” and let their hearts and souls sing.
Rob Schultz
Rob is a professional-level Kripalu yoga teacher and a Reiki Master. He began practicing yoga in the 1990′s to alleviate chronic back pain. He delights in making the more “spiritual” yogic teachings accessible and relevant to a contemporary audience and blends guided imagery and grounded alignment cues while teaching yoga on the mat. His undergraduate studies were in religion. www.pointyoga.com
Santikaro
Santikaro, along with wife Jo Marie and various critters, are nurturing Liberation Park in a small coulee about 90 minutes south of the Christine Center. For many years, he studied as a Buddhist monk in Thailand. He emphasizes digging deep into the roots of early Buddhism and connecting them with our modern (and not so modern) realities. He teaches in Wisconsin and neighboring states, as well as other parts of the USA and world. In 2011, he underwent chemotherapy for an aggressive lymphoma and continues to recover from that strange experience.
Jacquelyn Titus
Jacquelyn Titus, B.S. Ed. is a spiritual guide and meditation teacher. Her interest in mind-body work has led her to serve as Reiki Master, chakra teacher, and as an Inner Body Focusing guide. She also enjoys leading individual rereats and facilitating ongoing women’s discussion groups.
Sue Twiggs
Sue Twiggs is a yoga practitioner and a 200-hour certified Kripalu Yoga teacher. She returns yearly to Kripalu for advanced training in pranayama and asana. She considers yoga to be a gift in her life allowing her to experience the present moment with richness and vitality. She practices both vipassana and metta meditation. Sue’s background includes a career as a psychotherapist and conflict resolution consultant. She is the owner and teaches at the Karuna Yoga Studio in Marshfield since 2003. Sue is also a published poet. Her studio’s website is www.karunayogastudio.com
Teresa Van Lanen
Teresa has worked for over 30 years with individuals, groups, couples and families to connect with their authentic true nature of joy and love. She assists clients to identify and cope with their own healing process, and to break through barriers and blocks to personal growth, happiness and creativity. Her articles can be found in Nature’s Pathways magazine and at the SelfGrowth.com website. (www. makingartoflife.com)