The ATS Group will meet only once in December–on Saturday, December 7, at Ancient Future in Sacramento. We will not meet on December 21 because of the holidays.
Sandy Kaufman will provide a presentation for us on “Mussar.” Mussar is a Jewish Spiritual tradition which can be enjoyed by all. It is a practical set of teachings for cultivating personal growth and spiritual realization in the midst of day to day life. The ultimate goal is to become a more whole and holy person. The core teaching of Mussar is that our deepest essence is inherently pure and holy, but this inner radiance is obscured by extremes of emotion, desire and bad habits. Our work is to uncover the brilliant light of the soul. Sandy will share a little history of Mussar and it’s rejuvenation in recent years. We will talk about the practice and how it is implemented in our lives daily. We each have a spiritual curriculum unique to us. We discover our curriculum through the study of traits common to all. We will explore one trait as an example of how we grow though the teachings of Mussar.
I am excited to share our events for October and November (and a bit behind in uppdating this blog).
Suzan Dalle returned by popular demand to our October 5 ATS event at Ancient Future in Sacramento. She shared about how she has learned to integrate her dualistic nature, giving insights and wisdom for how we can do this too.
As a follow-up to Suzan’s teaching, on Saturday, October 19 at the Davis Holistic Health Center, I will share the teachings from Leslie Temple Thurston of Corelight for how to transcend the “dualistic” thinking and behaviors we engage in so that we can live more integrated, peaceful lives and awaken more to the truth of who and what we are. I will lead the group through an experiential process to help with integrating this material. The techniques I will share come from Leslie Temple Thurston’s “Marriage of Spirit” book.
On Saturday, November 2 at Ancient Future in Sacramento, Mary Kieran will be present on “Human Design,” which combines the Hindu chakra system that involves “centers of awareness” with the I-Ching, the Kabbalah, and astrology. If there is time, Mary will also discuss information she has studied about the “heart-line” in each person’s hands that indicates one’s “relationship style.” This event will be somewhat experiential.
Note that the group will not be meeting on the third Saturday of Novvember or December in Davis. We will resume the Davis gatherings in January.
We welcome new people to come and check us out! There are usually one or two new people at each gathering.
Our schedule for July and August is thrown off a bit due to my summer travels. Please see below:
In July, we will meet only on the second Saturday, July 13, from 10 am to noon, at the Davis Holistic Health Center (1403 Fifth St.). Suzan Dalle will join us again to share about her experiences transforming a fear of living an authentic life into embracing that authenticity, free from egoic attachments. Suzan has faced the possibility of dying at least three times: from Cystic Fibrosis, cancer, and a severe vehicle accident, where she was hit by a vehicle while crossing a street. After the accident where she was hit by the vehicle, she wasn’t breathing for about six minutes, and she had a near death experience. Each time she was seriously ill or injured, Suzan was able to use her innate healing powers to heal her body. Last year, Suzan severely broke her ankle, and after being operated on (with plates and screws put into her leg), she was able to mostly heal her ankle within months. Her doctors were amazed at how fast and how well she healed. The biggest lesson she’s learned through all of this was/is to not be afraid to fully live and embrace an authentic life without fear.
We will meet just one time in August, on Saturday, August 3, from 10 am to noon, at Ancient Future in Sacramento. (2331 K St.) After our meditation, I will share and we will discuss the documentary “Kumare.” Kumare follows American filmmaker Vikram Gandhi as he transforms himself into a wise Indian guru, hoping to prove the absurdity of blind faith. He heads to Phoenix, Arizona, to see if he can build a following. In the end, though, he finds himself forging profound connections with people from all walks of life – and wondering if and when to reveal his true self. Will his followers accept his final teaching? Can this illusion reveal a greater spiritual truth? Winner of South by Southwest’s Audience Award, Kumaré is an insightful look at faith and belief.
Beginning in September and right up through the rest of 2013, we will have some wonderful and amazing guest presenters. Come back to visit this blog page as we get closer to fall for more on this.
On Saturday, May 4, we will meet from 10 am to noon, as usual, at Ancient Future in Sacramento. The focus will be a presentation and discussion on the nondual wisdom teachers and teachings that are the foundation for our group’s existence. I will begin by leading the group in a meditation that will last about 20 minutes. I will bring books and other resources on nondual wisdom as well, and I welcome you to do the same. For some of our future ATS gatherings, we as a group will decide on readings and/or videos we want to watch and then discuss at our gatherings, including for the upcoming gathering in Sacramento ATS event on June 1. New people are welcome to come! This is a good gathering to begin our group with.
We will not have our usual monthly gathering on May 18 because I will be out of town.
For the Sacramento June 1 gathering, we will discuss a nondual wisdom teacher’s writings or book that the group will decide on at the May 4 gathering.
For the Davis June 15 gathering, I will offer a satsang, sharing my own experiences in the moment with awakeness and why we suffer and get attached to our thoughts. Please come with questions to ask me.
On Saturday, Mafch 16, the ATS gathering takes place at the Davis Holistic Health Center, from 10 am to noon. During this gathering, I will share an award winning documentary on the Dalai Lama that takes place at his residence in Darmsala, India. We will start with a meditation, as always, and we will discuss the video after it is over.
In April the ATS group will only meet on Saturday, April 6, at Ancient Future sanctuary from 10 am to noon. After the meditation, we will watch and discuss the first half of the documentary “Zeitgeist.”
In May, we will return to meeting the first Sat. in Sacramento and the third Saturday in Davis.
At the upcoming ATS gathering in Sacramento on Saturday, January 5, we will once again create Soulcollage cards to usher in new energy and the wisdom from our deepest selves relating to what we might manifest in the New Year. I will lead us through a guided meditation designed to help prepare us for whatever wants to come forth. You can read about Soulcollage at http://www.soulcollage.com Creating soulcollage cards for the New Year has become an ATS tradition.
For our upcoming gathering in Davis on January 19, I will lead the group through a meditation and some experiential exercises designed to help you experience Reality as it actually IS, when our minds don’t get in the way. You may have a glimpse of how through your direct experience with “the world” you are able to sense that there is no separate self, and that it is possible to experience the unity of all things.
In February we will not be meeting on our regular Saturdays because I will be out of town on those weekends. Instead, we will have one gathering in Davis on Saturday, February 23. During this gathering I will lead a meditation and we will then have a discussion about spiritual teachers and teachings and spiritual practices that inspire us.
Mark your calendars for our gathering in Davis on Sat., November 17: a Toltec Shaman will lead us through some profound spiritual exercises. This will be a special treat.
At the Sacramento ATS gathering scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 1, I will share some nondual wisdom teachings I recently heard about, and will lead the group through some experiential exercises designed to help you experience non-duality or feeling a deep connection with all that is.
At the Davis ATS gathering on Saturday, Dec. 15, we will discuss the knowledge of indiginous peoples throughout the world about the coming planetary changes that begin on 12-21-12, and how to stay centered to “weather the approaching emotional and physical storms” that will come.
On Saturday, January 4, in Sacramento, the focus of our gathering will be a conversation about the gratitude and appreciation we feel when we live in and from our hearts, and how we can share from this sense of abundance with others, and especially with those less fortunate than us. We should each come away with inspiration, and heart-opening ways to more effectively live from a sense of spiritual abundance. This will be a wonderful way to begin the New Year with a deeper connection of meaning and purpose in our lives.
Hi Friends.
Just want to catch you up on the Awakening to Spirit group happenings these next few months.
We will not have our usual Sacramento gatherings in July and August, but we will be meeting in Davis the third Saturdays of both months. On July 21, from 10 am until noon, we will watch the DVD “I Am,” in which Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) converses with prominent philosophers and spiritual leaders about what ails our world and how we can improve it. Traveling the globe to conduct his in-depth interviews, Shadyac finds insights and inspiration from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, historian Howard Zinn, philosopher Noam Chomsky and other luminaries.
On Saturday, August 18, I will lead in the group in a meditation to connect with their deep, wise, Greater Self. Then I will pair up group members who don’t know each other, and each group member will take turns being in the role of giver and receiver of spiritual wisdom. The receiver will ask the giver whatever profound questions the receiver wants to have answered.
In September, the ATS group will meet again in Sacramento, on the second Sat. (Sept. 8) for a special mandala creating workshop with Vina Parmar, an amazing Buddhist meditation teacher who has led dozens of mandala workshops over the years. The third Sat. of Sept. (Sept. 15) the Davis group will learn self-muscle testing from me, to use for accessing deeper bodily truth/wisdom.
Be sure to check out the website blog posts for updates if you don’t always check your Facebook page. https://awakening2spirit.org
As always, email me if you plan to come to any particular gathering.
Here’s the update for the gatherings in June and July:
On Saturday, June 9 in Sacramento, Bella Dreizler will lead us through the Five Rythyms Dance process. I have done Five Rythyms Dance a few times and love it! It is a wonderful way to learn to meditate with the assistance of body movement and to come into your body more fully. Your body movement becomes the meditation. My experience with Five Rythyms was that I felt at total harmony in my body and there was no separate “me” from “my body” and the “body” of the group. Bella is well-loved in the Sacramento community and she has led people through Five Rhythyms Dance for many years. You don’t have to know how to dance or be athletic to benefit from and enjoy this movement meditation process. There will be a $20 fee for this gathering, to pay Bella and for the room rental.
On Saturday, June 16, Jean Adamian will present to us about “Resonance Repatterning,” an energetic healing technique that helps to heal the emotional and physical body from life traumas that stay blocked in the body. Jean will talk about the process and then demonstrate it with a member of the group. Jean is an herbalist who has also done energy healing work for 25 plus years.
On Saturday, July 21, We will view the documentary “I Am” and discuss it. It is a wonderful doc of spiritual luminary interviews.
We have two wonderful ATS gatherings to look forward to in May!
On Saturday, May 12, at the Sacramento ATS gathering, Barbara Mariano will share about her ability to communicate with animals and lead us in an experiential exercise to learn the basics of how to do this.
On May 19, at the Davis ATS gathering, Kathy Zavada will return to sing and play her music for us again. She is a wonderful, inspiring inspirational singer/songwriter whose music opens our hearts and sends us souring. Kathy will lead us in some chanting and also share songs from her 8 CD releases, including songs she hasn’t yet recorded. Kathy is nationally renowned, with I-tunes of her music downloaded to every corner of the planet. Her inspirational recordings have been on Amazon.com’s 10 “best CDs” list. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear her and share in the love-vibes we will be feeling!
On Saturday April 21, at the Davis ATS gathering, I will discuss the spiritual value of money, and lead the group through an experiential exercise to connect with its true meaning for our lives. See my previous blog for more description. Be sure to email me if you plan to come to any of these gatherings.