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FEBRUARY/MARCH
Creating the Changes You Want in Your Life and
Letting Go of What You Don’t
— A Journey of Discovery and Conscious Practice
So many of us battle with habits that are less than conducive to a successful, healthy or meaningful life path — maybe the way we spend our money, or the way we eat, or the way we don’t do something, like reading more or exercising more. Are any of your habits or absence of habits keeping you from feeling truly happy and fulfilled in this life?
Presenter: Suzanne Ballantyne
Dates/Times: Second Saturdays of the month: February 13, March 13, April 10, 10 .–noon
Suggested donation: $20 per session / $50 for all three
Supports for Your Spiritual Journey
Do you yearn to discover who you are in relationship to the Creator? Do you yearn to discover a spiritual practice which speaks powerfully to you as an individual? We all perceive and experience God in different ways based on our spiritual type. What is your spiritual type? Have you ever wondered why you prefer a particular spiritual practice over another? Gather with others in a five-part spiritual quest to explore these questions, discover your individual spiritual type, and experience a variety of alternative ways to enhance your personal relationship with the divine.
Presenter: Judy Homer
Dates/Times: Tuesdays, February 23, March 2, 9, 16, 23,7–8:30 p.m.
Suggested donation: $75 (for the series)
Praying in the Middle of the Night
Whether or not the night is literal or figurative, it can be a lonely, difficult time. This program will explore prayer possibilities when motivation is low and the holy one seems far away.
Presenter: Sister Mary Margaret Weber
Dates/Times: Thursday, March 11, 2:30–4 p.m. OR Monday, March 15, 7–8:30 p.m. OR Thursday, March 18, 10–11:30 a.m.
Free will donation
The Goddess — Her Many Faces
In ancient times, she was both loved and feared as the true source of life. Today, she is mostly relegated to the sidelines. But her power abides and it is time to acknowledge her presence in all of us as Quan Yin, the compassionate one; Radha, the lover and mother Goddess of the Celts; and Kali, the destroyer. We will acquaint ourselves with each one together through inner and outer practices and awareness. Bring a goddess symbol for our group contemplation.
Presenter: Avril Weiss
Dates/Times: Tuesday, March 16, 10 a.m.–noon OR Tuesday, March 30, 7–9 p.m.
Suggested donation: $20
LABYRINTH WALK
Spring Equinox
The season of spring is characterized by the potential for new life bursting forth everywhere! Come and walk with your potential for new life on one of the most beautiful outdoor labyrinths in the area.
Date/Time: Saturday, March 20, 7 p.m.
Location: Millbrook Baptist Church, 1519 E. Millbrook Road, North Raleigh
RSVP: 919-846-3601
Discovering the Joy of Deep Play!
A Day of InterPlay with Ginny Going
InterPlay is an active, creative way to unlock the wisdom of the body. In InterPlay, we playfully reintegrate body, mind, heart and spirit, claim our life’s desires, nourish our souls and rediscover the joy of play, connecting with the holy. It is invitational, affirming, gentle and accessible to anyone. No prior experience of any kind is needed — just a spirit of willingness.
Presenter: Ginny Going
Dates/Times: Saturday, March 27, 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Location: Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, 1801 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh (in the new chapel at the corner of Hillsborough and Cox Streets)
Lunch options: Bring a bag lunch or walk/drive to a nearby Cameron Village restaurant
Suggested donation: $50
APRIL
Imperfect and Proud of It!
“Be Ye Perfect. . . .” Have you spent years trying to be perfectly human? Humanly perfect? How has it been going? Perhaps you have discovered that these words, used together, form an oxymoron and one of the greatest obstacles to the spiritual life. If you are one, you can’t be the other! This program will look at how a “spirituality of imperfection” can be nourishing.
PLEASE NOTE NEW DATE FOR TUESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION:
Presenter: Sister Mary Margaret Weber
Dates/Times: Monday, April 12, 10–11:30 a.m. OR Tuesday, April 20, 1:30–3 p.m. OR Tuesday, April 20, 7–8:30 p.m.
Free will donation
Interior Life and Interior Design
Have you felt down in the dumps for no apparent reason? Have you surrounded yourself with things that sap your spiritual nature? In this program, we will explore how to nurture our “spiritual interiors” through our home’s interior design. Bring a photo of the room you most dislike in your house.
Presenter: Barbara M. Quinby
Dates/Times: Tuesday, April 13, 10–11:30 a.m. OR Monday, April 19, 2:30–4 p.m. OR Wednesday, April 21, 7–8:30 p.m.
Suggested donation: $20
The Spiritual Path to Aging Beautifully
This workshop is about the three spiritual principles that lead to aging beautifully, the empowering process of change and letting go, and the cardinal rule of aging beautifully. This is an experiential workshop supporting the position: Exercising and eating correctly, while necessary, are not enough. Real beauty will always be measured by the peace we make with our own soul.
Presenter: Ilene Cummings
Date/Time: Thursday, April 15, 9:30–noon
Suggested donation: $30
LAKE GASTON WEEKEND RETREAT
Breathing Spells for the Soul
Our days are filled with activity. Our conversations center on how busy we are. Since most of us are actually busy doing good things, could it be that how we approach our work is the issue rather than how much we have to do? You don’t have to be living a monastic life to experience moments of solitude. The way we approach our work is vital to our happiness and the good we are trying to do. This retreat will provide the gift of time and quiet as you experience the hours of pausing. In the past we have had seasonal retreats to explore the cycle of the year in seasons; this retreat will explore the cycle of the day and night and various attitudes that can be associated with them. Come explore how to take “breathing spells for the soul.”
Presenters: Sister Patricia Cornell, Sister Mary Margaret Weber and Nancy Cavallaro
Date/Time: Friday, April 16, 7 p.m., through Sunday, April18, noon
Suggested donation: $100
Ladies of the Lake
Get better acquainted with Celtic myth by exploring the archteypal themes in stories about Celtic goddesses and women of legend. Journey through the mists to discover Avalon and the ancient voices of a people who drew their worldview from their connection with the land and sea. Stories will be drawn from Arthurian romances, Welsh Mabinogion and Irish Finnian cycle. Feed your soul through listening to age-old stories and participating in discussions, creative exercises and ritual.
Presenter: Olivia Woodford
Dates/Times: Wednesdays, April 21, May 5, 19, 7–8:30 p.m.
Suggested Donation: $20 per session / $50 for all three
For the Beauty of the Earth, For the Beauty of Women:
An Earth Day Celebration
The beauty of the universe surrounds us! We have set aside this day, April 22, named it “Earth Day” as a time to offer praise to our holy creator for this beautiful domicile, a beauty reflected in each one of us, and reflect on our relationship to it. On this 40th anniversary of Earth Day, we offer two events with which to celebrate this day:
1. Meet at A Place for Women to Gather on Thursday, April 22, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. to consider the significance of this day, particularly as it relates to women, through reflection, celebration, and ritual. (Suggested donation: $20)
2. Take part in an Earth Day Labyrinth Walk beginning at 2 p.m. at the beautiful outdoor labyrinth at Millbrook Baptist Church, 1519 E. Millbrook Road, North Raleigh. As you walk, conscious of not only the Earth’s beauty but also its needs, perhaps you will be led to a new insight about how you could respond. The Earth will rejoice and so will you!
Life Path Mapping
To be conscious of one’s own journey and its purpose is a responsibility we all face. But how can we become aware of its progression and purpose? In this workshop, Avril Weiss will present some tools to become aware of the path immediately ahead and how to begin to access one’s purpose as well. There will be guided visualization, group work, dyads and writing time. Please bring your journal and one object of great meaning for our collective altar.
Presenter: Avril Weiss
Dates/Times: Thursday, April 29, 10 a.m.–noon OR Tuesday, May 4, 7–9 p.m.
Suggested donation: $20
MAY
Is God Getting a Bad Rap?
Too often we hear, in response to some tragedy, “I don’t understand, but it must be God’s will.” In this program we will use content from The Shack and the Bible to understand that God is in the “business” of REDEEMING tragedies, not sending them to “teach us a lesson.” We will distinguish between WHY tragedies happen and HOW we can respond as people of faith.
Presenter: Ann Baucom
Date/Time: Tuesday, May 4, 10–11:30 a.m.
Suggested donation: $20
Color Your Life and Prayers
Doodlers of the world rejoice! This workshop will affirm your need to decorate the borders of your life in color while at the same time satisfying your inner urgings to “pray without ceasing.” Has your prayer life become somewhat dry? Learn and experience some simple, creative techniques for using color for giving and receiving forgiveness; for discernment; for healing of memories; for remembering key concepts in books, keynote speeches and poems; and for learning a thought provoking way of praying in color. Find yourself looking forward to your prayer time with relish and delight.
Presenter: Judy Homer
Dates/Times: Wednesday, May 5, 10–noon OR Tuesday, May 11, 1–3 p.m. OR Monday, May 17, 7–9 p.m.
Suggested donation: $30 (materials provided)
Assets for Living the Spiritual Life More Deeply
Spirituality is not lived in a vacuum. Experienced practitioners encourage balance and living in right relationship with others and ourselves. This program will explore some values to enhance those qualities and thus enhance the spiritual journey.
Presenter: Sister Mary Margaret Weber
Dates/Times: Thursday, May 6, 10–11:30 a.m. OR Monday, May 10, 1:30–3 p.m. OR Thursday, May 13,7–8:30 p.m.
Suggested Donation: $20
LABYRINTH WALK
In Honor of Mothers on Mother’s Day
What better way to end your celebration of Mother’s Day than by walking the labyrinth in thanksgiving for the journey she made possible! Whether the mother you are celebrating is the biological one or a woman who has nurtured your life’s journey, this gentle prayer form is an ideal way to say “thank you.”
Date/Time: Sunday, May 9, 4 p.m.
Location: Millbrook Baptist Church, 1519 E. Millbrook Road, North Raleigh
RSVP: 919-846-3601
RETREAT DAY
I Think That I Shall Never See . . .
A Tree That Doesn’t Speak to Me!
That is what you will be saying after attending this retreat day! In a home built with trees and surrounded by trees, located in the “City of Oaks,” we will look at all that trees have to offer us and how they have a spirituality all their own— one that is available to nourish us on our daily journey.
Presenters: Sister Mary Margaret Weber, Margaret Thurston
Date/Time: Tuesday, May 18, 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Location: 6405 Lakeland Drive, North Raleigh
Suggested donation: $30
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