Through a series of talks, workshops, and interactive activities, we will explore loving kindness towards the unique spiritual experiences and expressions of each person. Spirituality is thought of as an individual dimension of human development in which the individual seeks connection, life meaning, and purposeful activity, whatever its specific manifestation. In this view, one can have respect for many spiritual traditions without losing or betraying one’s own faith. Some people use the metaphor of a mountain, with paths that start at many locations but come together at the mountain top, to visualize the ideal societal state of respectful spiritual diversity.
Saturday, Jan 18
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Aya Despacho Ceremony
10am with Vicky Edgerly, 110 min
This is a beautiful and very moving ceremony where we come together in the spirit of community to celebrate the life of someone who is currently in the process of dying or has already departed, bringing balance and energetic closure to those of us left behind. Together, we will build a “Despacho” (a prayer bundle) consisting of many colored layers where we offer various elemental ingredients that have been infused with our own personal prayers, hopes and wishes for our loved ones who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge to the Afterlife. $20
Native American: The Spirit of My Relations
1pm with Zan Benham, 55 min
We are all creatures under the sun. We all live on planet earth and depend on her for our every need. Her seasons determine our lives, giving us a time to sow and a time to reap. The Earth Mother’s companions the Sun and the Moon manage her tides, climate and geographies. Her winds, rains, snow, sleet, earthquakes and droughts determine our environment, how we live, our traditions, customs and knowledge. This ultimately determines the geography of our spirituality. In the Lakota/Dakota and other Native American tribes there is a salutation, “Aho, Mitakuye Oyasin,” translated, “Praise be, To All My Relations,” or “All Is Related” or “All Is Relative.” Everything is related to everything else. $12.
Finding Enlightenment Through Love and Kindness
2pm with Gopi Chari, Mitreya Center, 55 min
For the past 11 years the Maitreya Center of Bradenton has promoted love and kindness in a setting that pulls the best from all religions in a search for enlightenment. The founders invite people of all faiths and spiritual paths to the center to do their own prayers in an atmosphere of love and kindness. The center offers meditation and classes throughout the week. Founder Gopi Phari will share with us the philosophical foundations of the center and how they support those on a path of ascension. $12.
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Practical Buddhism
3pm with Jamie Lee Silver, 55 min
We are all Buddhas. We all possess the wisdom and power of the entire universe within our own lives. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo taps into that power to produce actual proof and results right here, right now. Jamie Lee Silver has had a twice-daily practice of Nichiren Buddhism for 35 years. Come find out how this unique form of Buddhism encourages you to keep your desires and helps make your dreams come true. $12
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The Infinite Way: Consciousness Unfolding and the Mystical “I”
4pm with Richard Powell, 55 min
The Infinite Way is a spiritual movement and activity created by 20th century American healer and lecturer Joel S. Goldsmith. According to Goldsmith, the Infinite Way is a spiritual teaching consisting of principles which anyone may follow and practice, irrespective of their religious affiliation. The Infinite Way reveals the nature of God to be one infinite power, intelligence, and love; the nature of the individual being to be one with God’s qualities and character, expressed in infinite forms and variety; and the nature of the discords of this world to be a misconception of God’s expression of Himself in His universe. “The Infinite Way” is not a religion… but an experience in spiritual living. $12
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Sunday, January 19
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Course in Miracles: Love is Letting Go of Fear
1pm, with Brenda Maybury, 55 min
Channeled between 1965 and 1972, A Course in Miracles has become one of the most widespread bodies of spiritual teaching since the Bible. Since its wide-spread release in 1976, the teachings of A Course in Miracles have provided the substance for hundreds of books by dozens of authors. Two of the best known of these is A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson, and Love is Letting go of Fear by Gerald G Jampolsky. A Course in Miracles presents itself as a curriculum for those seeking to achieve spiritual transformation. Its underlying premise is that the greatest “miracle” is the act of simply gaining a full “awareness of Love’s presence” in one’s own life. $12
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Connecting to Spirit Through the Subconscious Mind
2pm with Johanna Erickson, 55 min
The subconscious mind is truly amazing. It’s constantly running in the background and it controls our habits, automatic actions and self-programming. It remembers everything we’ve experienced in this life, past lives and life between lives. It’s also an immediate connection to our higher self, spirit guides and those on the other side. Explore the dynamics between the subconscious mind and the spiritual world; including the higher self, spirit guides and souls on the other side. Then experience the connection for yourself, with a brief demonstration. $12
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Keys of Enoch: Breaking the chains of the Demiurge and Exiting The Matrix
3pm with Sharon-Elizabeth James, 55 min
The Fall – Knowing How things came to be in this creation experience upon this planet of duality (The Mixture as described by Jesus the Christ) and the way out of this “Half Light” and back into the “Full Light” of Being.
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Wicca: A Modern Reformation of an Earth-Based Spirituality
4pm with Vincent Pareti, 55 min
Take a peek behind the mysticism of Witchcraft, and how the religion of Wicca developed out of a collection of belief systems. We will discuss a little history, a little her-story, some Wiccan beliefs and practices, and how the religion has developed over the years. This presentation will be a magickal concoction of history, information, personal stories, and a dash of humor. $12