St. Michael's College, U of T
Continuing Education: Religion, Scripture, Spirituality
Beginning with a contemplation of the many expressions of the sacred circle found in nature and continuing with the circular illuminations of the 12th century mystic Hildegard von Bingen, some refl ections on the Mandala by Carl Jung and others, you will deepen your appreciation of the Mandala by creating one of your own. Engaging with the mysteries of your own life and its resources for living, you will have the opportunity to render what’s often invisible, visible: available to be witnessed and savoured as a gift from Self for Valentine’s Day and beyond. Please bring your own “dry pigment” (or chalk) pastels, and/or Berol coloured pencils for the meditative workshop. Paper, clay and other materials will be provided.
Instructor: Regina Cowan, RN, BSc.N, M.Ed., ATC, Artist, Teacher and Integrative Arts Therapist
Date: Saturday, February 9, 2008
Time: 10am – 3pm (lunch included)
Fee: $60
Blue Card: Free
Partner School: $20
This workshop is dedicated to the memory of OscarRomero, (1917 - 1980) Archbishop of San Salvador, by a lifelong learner who has been a friend to St Michael’s for over forty years.
This workshop will guide us through breathing exercises, centering techniques and relaxing body scans that loosen muscles, relax the nervous system, harmonize emotions and ground the floating mind, as the Buddhists say. We will use guided imagery, breathwork, sunding, mantra and gentle movement as a means of transporting our consciousness towards stillness. Tibetan bowls, chakra bells, poetry, prayer-whispers and music from Gregorian chant to New Age will deepen the experience of finding God within. If you can worry, you can meditate.
Instructor: Kate Marshall Flaherty, SMC 9T6, award-winning poet, teacher, team member of the Children's Peace Theatre, and yoga meditation and retreat facilitator
Date: Saturday, February 16, 2008
Time: 10am – 3pm (lunch included)
Fee: $60
Blue Card: Free
Partner School: $20
Join us for a series of forays into the past to meet several key fi gures in the history of Christianity, including Paul of Tarsus, Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, and John Paul II. Situating them in their historical context, we will hear how their voices reverberated down the centuries, and discover how some of their words have had repercussions right up to our own day.
Instructor: *Sr. Margaret McGrath, M.A. Tour guide, instructor, lecturer at the SIDIC Centre (Service International de Documentation Judéo-Chrétienne), Rome – Italy 1972-79 and 1982-2002
Date: 6 Fridays, February 22 – April 4, 2008
Time: 1 – 3pm
Fee: $130
Blue Card: Free
Partner School: $20
People who find themselves involved in spiritual companioning or “soul friending” often ask what sources of inspiration and skill are helpful as a practioner. We will spend the day becoming acquainted (or reacquainted) with many different approaches that can be useful for anyone wanting to become more confi dent about being with others in a “soul friending” relationship.
Instructor: Carolyn Gratton, Ph.D. Author, international lecturer, psychologist and spiritual guide
Date: Saturday, February 23, 2008
Time: 10 – 3pm (lunch included)
Fee: $60
Blue Card: Free
Partner School: $20
This course provides an overview of the major religious traditions of the West – Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islam, beginning with a symbolic analysis of the creation story in Genesis, Chapter 1 and refl ected in the Qur’an, Chapters 2 and 3. The “lives” of the founders of each tradition are examined, both in terms of the historical facts and symbolic meanings. A brief introduction to medieval arguments for the existence of God isfollowed by a consideration of religious traditions and modernity.
Instructor: David Miller, Associate Professor (Emeritus) Concordia University
Date: 6 Wednesdays, February 27 - April 2, 2008
Time: 7 – 9pm
Fee: $130
Blue Card: Free
Partner School: $20
Boundaries are easy to see in the physical world. Although our own physical, psychological and spiritual boundaries are just as real, it is more diffi cult to “mark these” in our lives, particularly when we have learned that it is selfi sh to say “no” or the integrity of our selves has not been honoured by important people in our lives. Boundaries have been described as the “sanctity of the self in relationship”. This workshop will provide an opportunity to participants to explore their boundaries in an experiential way, to engage in dialogue about internal and external messages that infl uence our capacity to live from our authentic selves, and to learn how to respect the boundaries of both ourselves and others.
Instructor: Mary Klein, Ph.D., M.A.M.S.
Date: Saturday, April 12, 2008
Time: 10am - 3pm (lunch included)
Fee: $60
Blue Card: Free
Partner School: $20
What is MYSTICISM as a type of universal religious (or non-religious) experience? Even the defi nition of “mysticism” in the Oxford English Dictionary, as “union or absorption in God”, limits mystical experience to theistic traditions, leaving out much that scholars consider as mystical experience. Therefore, we begin with a typology of mystical experience, using the key theoretical writings of William James, W.T.Stace, R.C. Zaehner, Agehananda Bharati, and Walter N. Pahnke. Once the typology of mystical experience has been established, we shall look at characteristic mystical experience of mystics East and West. The class ends with student critiques of their favourite mystics.
Instructor: David Miller
Date: 6 Wednesdays, April 16 – May 21, 2008
Time: 7-9pm
Fee: $130
Blue Card: Free
Partner School: $20
When Jung returned from India in 1939 he decided to turn his attention to Western spirituality and offered a series of lectures in Zurich on “The Spiritual Exercises.” We will examine the relationship between Eastern and Western spirituality and discover if they are antithetical or complementary.
Instructor: Schuyler Brown Professor Emeritus, University of St. Michael’s College and Priest in Charge, Church of the Good Shepherd
Date: 6 Tuesdays, May 13 – June 17, 2008
Time: 7 – 9pm
Fee: $130
Blue Card: Free
Partner School: $20
The rich literature that is the Hebrew Bible contains stories about some remarkable personal alliances. The seven couples we will look at include Samson and Delilah, Boaz and Ruth, and Ahasuerus and Esther. Each session will be based on biblical texts and commentaries inviting discussion and further exploration.
Instructor: Rabbi Dow Marmur Rabbi Emeritus, Holy Blossom Temple
Date: 5 Mondays, June 2 – June 30, 2008
Time: 7 – 9pm
Fee: $130
Blue Card: Free
Partner School: $20