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Spiritual Enrichment

Spiritual Enrichment is a committee of the Board of Deacons that supports, nurtures and encourages “listening with the ear of the heart” while exploring the questions, uncertainties and wisdom that such listening calls up as we walk – individually and collectively – on our spiritual journeys. Toward this mission, the committee sponsors retreats and groups for Plymouth members and friends. We sincerely hope you’ll find opportunities in 2012 to enrich your spirit.

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Winter-Spring 2012 programs

 

Drawing for the Truly Terrified

Saturday Jan. 14 (five meetings), 9:30 a.m.-noon, Room 205

"There is a silly myth out there that only people who are gifted can draw. I have taught drawing for 20 years and I have not met a student who could not learn to draw. In this course, we will 'experience' drawing as an exciting adventure and we will do five definite exercises that establish the foundation for drawing. The goal in this class will not be to create the 'perfect' drawing but, by the end of the workshop, each student will have tools to take home which will help them practice and improve their skills over time. To be able to create an image that could only be done by you with your vision is exciting and affirming. Drawings are as unique and diverse as we human beings are. I will be showing slides of drawings done by many master artists such as Rembrandt and Picasso for examples of this. There will also be books on approaches to drawing to refer to in class. Join me and discover what you didn't know you were capable of. Art making is not a competitive sport but an experience available to each one of us to create and make our individual voice seen visually. It is also a lot of fun." —Sally Nystrom, artist/teacher

Sally Nystrom's special gift is to teach people who have never drawn or painted how to do it. She graduated from St. Catherine's College. She furthered her studies with extensive classes in art history. She began teaching in 1996 in a private studio with Sally Brown and on her own, including for the University of Minnesota's Split Rock program for 16 years. When Sally is not teaching, she works on a series of figurative oil paintings. She shows her work in Minnesota and Wisconsin. She is part of The Rain Collective, a professional artist group.

$100 for series, register.

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The Holocaust: Spiritual and Cultural Resistance & A Child Shall Lead Them by Youth Performance Company

Saturday, Feb. 11, 3:00 p.m. workshop in Jackman, followed by light supper, and 7 p.m. performance in the theater.

The story of the Terezin concentration camp reverberates for us today in its profound lessons of both courage amidst horror and global inaction to prevent the annihilation of innocent people. However, most people know little about the details of Terezin, its role during the Holocaust, and the powerful connection between young Petr Ginz, imprisoned at Terezin and later executed at Auschwitz, and Petr’s legacy of spiritual resistance that survived the war.

This workshop conducted by World Without Genocide will tell "the rest of the story" to provide a broader context for educators and audience members.

$20; students free; six CEUs for teachers; register online:
www.worldwithoutgenocide.org/RegisterFeb11

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Spiritual Writing

Saturday, Feb. 25, 9 a.m.-noon, Fireside Room

Most of us experience times and episodes in our lives when something extraordinary breaks into our normal routines. For a moment at least we sense we are on sacred ground so rich that we see our lives in a larger perspective than we ever thought possible.

How can we capture the meaning inherent in these experiences? We often feel that we lack a language to describe them or we feel too embarrassed or confused to talk or write about them because they are so deeply personal.

This workshop explores what it might be like to write about the experiences in our lives that are deeply moving and meaningful to us. It is designed to help participants explore the boundary between our day-to-day lives and the world of spirit. It offers a path for deepening our understanding of those experiences and it offers a series of exercises to guide participants in sharing their experiences through writing and discussion.

This workshop is offered for those who have little or no experience with writing beyond a journal as well as those who have published their work yet want to discover new ideas and directions.

Rev. Dr. Lanny Kuester is an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ and has written and explored writing as a spiritual practice for years. He will be illustrating some of his teachings and techniques from his book Secrets of the Grand Canyon: A Spiritual Journey.

$25; please pre-register.

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Compassionate Communication
Introduction and Basic Training

Two Saturday classes
Feb. 18 or May 5, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fireside Room
Yvette Erasmus

Would you like to deal with conflict more skillfully? Be sensitive to others without giving up your own needs? Deepen intimacy and have more ease in relating?

Compassionate Communication, (NonViolent Communication) offers simple yet powerful tools to move from confusion and conflict to clarity and co-operation. These tools have a 40-year record of increasing peace in personal professional, organizational and governmental relationships.

This introductory workshop will offer you a brief history of compassionate communication, an overview of its philosophy, beginning-level practice and inspirational stories of how the tools improve daily life. This course is open to everyone and also works well as a review.

Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D., developed the program he calls NonViolent Communication and three copies of his book of the same name are available in the Plymouth Library.

The workshop facilitator, Yvette Erasmus, M.Ed., has experience teaching Compassionate Communication at the Aslan Institute and leading preschool children, teachers, parents and prison inmates to a more spiritually centered communication model. She’s also a graduate student working to complete a doctorate degree in psychology.

Cost is $75, partial scholarships available; limited to 25. Please pre-register.

For additional information, go to www.cnvc.org or contact the program coordinator, Anne Seltz, at anneseltz@aol.com.

Co-sponsored by the Religious Exploration and Spiritual Enrichment Committees.

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Dreamwork—Mining a Spiritual Resource

Saturday, March 10, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Fireside Room

Ancient and “primitive” cultures listened deeply to their dreams to guide their personal and collective lives. Since the Enlightenment, our western cultures have undervalued dreams for the information and enrichment they can provide. In this course we will review theories about dreams from modern psychology (Freud, Jung and their followers), read some accounts of dreaming related in Scripture, and explore how other cultures have used dreams for guidance and deepening connection to the divine.

We will also work with our own dreams using art materials and various forms of writing to come closer to that which our unconscious is trying to make us aware. If we contemplate, actively, the content of our dreams we are bound to be more awake and alive.

Susan Deborah “Sam” King is a writer, teacher and leader of groups on creativity and spirituality. She lives in Minneapolis and on an island off the Maine coast. Her website is
www.susandeborahking.com

$35; please pre-register.

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Exploring Your Spirituality Anew—The Gifts of the Celts

Saturday, April 28, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Fireside Room

A Celtic understanding of the structure of the Universe. Is God above us or beside us? Let us revisit through Celtic eyes the withdrawal of Christ into heaven, especially looking at Luke 24:51. Where is Christ now? A Celtic understanding of the use and meaning of Biblical
numbers to convey spiritual truths, especially looking at John 21. Why 153 fish? How many hours was Christ in the Tomb? Why?

A Celtic understanding of the nature and purpose of worship. Define “God,” “Father,” “conceived,” “heaven,” “hell.” Why do the Celts talk about “the heart beat of heaven in human flesh”? How do we get in sync with God?

A Celtic understanding of the thought behind Genesis 1, 2 and 3. Is humanity created good or are we fallen? An introduction to Pelagius and Augustine and the topic of original sin. Is sin a broken law or a broken heart? A Celtic understanding of dying and death. In life, in death, in life beyond death, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses and the veil between the eternal and the transient worlds is tissue thin at death, at communion and at special moments in life. When sight gives way to insight.

Ivan Gregan (Seumas Eoin macSheumais na Gregan o’ macGhrioghair) is a linguist at heart; he converses in many languages but especially English, French and Gaelic. His special interest
revolves around Celtic theology, history and Biblical interpretation with a keen interest in translation and composition of the Celtic Liturgical Texts and religious poetry. Ivan’s quest in life is to make Worship glorious and the Gospel relevant by helping people see through the many layers of meaning in the Biblical Texts. He has one son, William (Seumas Uilliam macSheumais Eoin)—the next
generation of Gaelic speakers.

$75; please pre-register.

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Register online for most Spiritual Enrichment programs.

At a glance...

Yoga

PlymouthSpirit blog: Explore spirituality from
your laptop or home computer

Winter-Spring 2012 programs

Drawing for the Truly Terrified

The Holocaust: Spiritual and Cultural Resistance and A Child Shall Lead Them

Compassionate Communication:
Introduction and Basic Training

Spiritual Writing

Dreamwork—Mining a Spiritual Resource

Exploring Your Spirituality Anew—The Gifts of the Celts

Centering Prayer

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For Lent

Lenten Meditations begin Feb. 22 and continue through Lent. To receive via email, send a note to publications@plymouth.org
or watch for a printed booklet in February.

Centering Prayer, begins Feb. 26 and continues through Lent, 9:30 a.m., Sundays, Fireside Room. Diane Boruff and Jan Mattox lead.

For centuries, contemplation was the goal of Christian prayer. In the Christian tradition, it is considered the pure gift of God, as it is the opening of mind and heart—beyond thoughts and words—to the presence of God. Rather than an intellectual exercise, sitting in the silent prayer leads to “resting in God” as Gregory the Great expressed it at the end of the 6th century. In the 21st century, our hearts still long to draw closer and to rest in God’s presence.

Centering Prayer is a method and discipline designed to promote contemplative prayer. Each Sunday, there will be helpful instruction and then we will pray in silence. After the prayer, there will be time for discussion. This ancient Christian spiritual practice of meditation allows us to draw closer to God and to know God in daily life. In this age of media overload and busyness, it is transforming to add the joy of silent prayer to daily life. Today mediation is widely recommended by doctors to promote mental health and well-being. With modern machines, neuroscientists can now document the beneficial changes in brain activity and body functions such as blood pressure that occur during meditation. Science is now catching up to the knowledge that the mystics have experienced for ages. While in the prayer one goes inward in silence, the “fruits” or blessings of the prayer are revealed in daily life. Praying in silence with a group deepens the experience and adds a dimension of community. Having come to deep interior silence, one goes out into the world to serve in love. All are welcome to join in silent prayer.

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Yoga

Ben Lee

Every Wednesday except holidays,
6:45-8:00 p.m., One Groveland

Beginning Yoga: Have you ever wanted to touch your toes? Do you often feel tension in your neck or shoulders? Ever wonder what yoga is all about? This fun and exciting class will leave you feeling stronger, calmer and more flexible.

Each class begins with gentle movements designed to enhance body and breath awareness, then moves into traditional yoga poses that create strength, energy and flexibility while at the same time supporting the development of a perfect balance between body and mind. Class ends with a guided relaxation to strengthen your immune system and leave you feeling light and refreshed.

This invigorating class is open to all levels and is set in a safe and supportive environment. No experience necessary. Just wear comfortable clothing and enjoy.

About the instructor: Ben's been studying and practicing yoga since 1994 and teaching since 2001. He brings his knowledge of anatomy and a thoughtful approach to individual differences to each class. Ben’s class combines postures and sequences from various styles of yoga that emphasize strength, energy, balance and deep relaxation.

Cost: $10 per session (no pre-registration)

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Explore Spirituality from Your
Laptop or Home Computer

Plymouth’s Spiritual Enrichment Committee hosts a web-based discussion forum that invites your participation. Each week, one of our clergy posts the liturgical reading for the next week’s worship and offers questions for discussion. We encourage members to share their own reflections on the website. It’s free, convenient and another means of rich, meaningful spiritual experience we so deeply enjoy at Plymouth. Go to plymouthspirit.wordpress.com

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