Dear Friends,
Happy Fall! As the trees and landscapes change each day, I am struck by the awesomeness of the season. It is with wonder that I imagine what the inspiration behind the creation and the beauty of the season is. It is as if our landscape is a color palette rich in shades and hues changing every day. Karrie Kirchner shared her inspiration, not about the season of fall but about the 40th celebration artwork she created. Please take a few moments to read the story behind the art below. Once again, thank you to Karrie for sharing her gift with us.
The final Community Conversation is coming up. Please consider joining Nancy Benben for a chance to share your vision, desires and hopes for the Spiritual Life Center as we embark on the next 40 years. See details below.
Recently, Susan Izard had a chance to share with Courtney Canfijn her thoughts on the language of the soul. Take a few minutes to hear direct from her in her voice.
As the newsletter pivots to a monthly publication with more inspiration and news, the opportunity for your contribution expands. Please consider contributing with your poems, artwork, blogs or reach out with an openness to be recorded live. Please see below to be included in The Source.
If you are not meeting with a Spiritual Companion or if you paused your practice when we shifted to mostly on-line sessions, consider if this is a good time to engage. There are options for in-person, virtual and/or group sessions. Please see below for details. As you will read in Nancy's corner below, we have an update on our space and encourage those of you who are local and comfortable to meet either regularly or occasionally in-person.
"As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see."
--Vincent Van Gogh
As a reminder, if you have an original poem, reflection or artwork you'd like to share as part of the The Source, please submit a word document to Jane Virgilio at jvirgilio@spiritlifectr.org. More details below. Thanks to those who have already submitted.
If you would like to participate in a segment for VOICES: Hearing from You, please reach out to Courtney Canfijn direct at ccanfijn@spiritlifectr.org.
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For more on programming, please click on the underlined titles for details and registration information.
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“Are we going to become a completely virtual organization?” I was asked this question during a recent Community Conversation. My response was immediate: “No. Absolutely not. That is not our intention. We always plan to have a space where we can gather in person.” I understood why this question was asked. I live in Cape Cod. Our Board Chair Dorothy Goulart is in Minneapolis. Our Internship class is mostly on Zoom. Most spiritual companionship sessions take place on Zoom. It makes sense that some folks would wonder if a fully virtual Spiritual Life Center was coming in the near future – but that is not the case.
Meeting on Zoom certainly has many advantages – we’re reaching people across the country and in other parts of the world. More than half of our Internship is from outside the Greater Hartford area, 20% are from Massachusetts. The felt experience, the attention to noticing, and the witnessing of Spirit in all encounters are deeply present in our Zoom format. But it also has its limitations – we miss the conversations during breaks, the different energy that can flow while in person, and breaking bread together. That’s why we will continue to offer both options.
That being said, in-person use of our current space at Holy Family has sharply declined during the pandemic and continues to be very sporadic. This caused us to reassess our current space needs at Holy Family. After a great deal of discussion with our Board, Staff and leadership at Holy Family, we are “right-sizing” our space. We will maintain the office and Justice, the largest spiritual companionship room, which holds 7-8 people comfortably. As the need arises, we will be able to reserve and rent Anam Cara, and other spaces at Holy Family, for an extra fee. Importantly, the Board is creating an ad hoc committee to discern with the community what kind of physical space will best allow us to live our mission, vision, and DEI statement to its fullest and meet the needs of all our seekers. (Stay tuned for more information on that.)
In the meantime, please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. I welcome your perspective, wisdom and ideas.
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One of the Spiritual Life Center’s core values is “Deep Listening through Discernment, Silence, and Sensitivity to movement of spirit.” You might say it is the core of all we do as spiritual companions and seekers! As we begin this new phase of our journey, I’m curious about what’s been on your minds and hearts.
This fall, I’m holding a series of Community Conversations. What have you noticed about our community over the last few years as we navigated the tumult of the pandemic? What’s surprised you? What opportunities do you see? What makes you proud to be part of the Spiritual Life Center? I’m looking forward to gathering with you to share ideas, ask questions, and be together as Anam Caras!
Nancy Benben, Executive Leader
Please register for the third session below.
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JOIN WITH OTHER COMPANIONS ON THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY |
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Would you like to:
>Identify and trust your experiences of God
>Integrate spirituality into your daily life
>Find meaning in hopes, struggles, or losses
>Discern and make difficult choices
>Increase sensitivity to justice & nature
>Live more authentically in spiritual community?
Then you may want to be part of a Spiritual Companions Group. These small groups meet once a month to share participant's spiritual journeys with one another. It is a very respectful process, without advice giving or attempts to "fix" the presenter.
Note: we are considering starting a new group that will meet in person on a weekday evening. Let us know if you might be interested.
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The Revered Susan Izard shares with Courtney Canfijn her experience and thoughts on how you learn the language of the soul. What does it mean to "squish" soul down? She discusses some of her experiences and the gift of listening to our stories and have someone hear you story and be guided to more contemplative listening.
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New Position Opening
As shared last month, for the last 3 years, Nancy Janiszewski has been the hub of the Spiritual Life Center. She has gracefully managed the office, overseen all our financials, and made sure any questions or requests that came to the Center got to the right person, including the significant number of folks who are seeking spiritual companionship or programs. She has also been a key member of our Board of Directors, helping craft our strategic plan and leading the Financial Committee.
Last spring, Nancy discerned that it was time for her to take a step back from the day-to-day management of the office and finances of the Spiritual Life Center and spend more time with those beautiful grandbabies. Review the Job Description.
This is a wonderful opportunity for someone seeking a part-time role, with lots of flexibility on when work is completed. You will need weekly access to the office and ability to conduct local banking.
If you know of someone who might be interested, please share this announcement.
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In individual spiritual companioning, seekers enter the process of deepening their spirituality while working with a trained Spiritual Companion. There are many ways to participate including FaceTime, Zoom, Skype, and phone.
Read more about companioning at this link, complete an initial interview form, and we’ll give you a call. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for more information about this transformative experience.
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Welcome to The Source - Online. This new feature will now showcase your works in the electronic newsletter and on our website. For submissions, please send your poem, art, pictures or other reflections to Jane Virgilio @ jvirgilio@spiritlifectr.org and we will review for inclusion in an upcoming publication. Preferred format is word and/or .jpg for pictures.
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Inspired by our 40th Anniversary, Karrie Kirchner created and donated this original piece to commemorate the event and history of the center.
Read the inspiration behind the art HERE.
Look for it the next time you visit us!
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Collaboration Updates
See program offering below from Hartford International University.
They recently announced the joining of Dr. Lisa Dahill as the Miriam Therese Winter Chair for Transformative Leadership and Spirituality . Read more here.
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WILD SPIRITUALITY: HOW NATURE INVITES US INTO THE SACRED
This free, experiential workshop, offered by the Center for Transformative Leadership and Spirituality at Hartford International University, will be an immersion into a wild spirituality. It will enable you to explore the sacred fully present and alive within and as the living natural world itself. Our time together will include indoor presentation and discussion, outdoor wander and solo experiential time with the creatures of this place, and debriefing. Bring your journal, pen, and wear clothes and shoes befitting the weather!
This event will take place IN PERSON on Saturday, Oct 22, from 4 to 6 PM EST
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JOY IS LIKE THE RAIN/BOW: LAUNCHING THE MT WINTER CHAIR
Come celebrate with our collaborative partner, Hartford International University, as HIU hosts a festive evening to toast and launch the newly endowed Miriam Therese Winter Chair of Transformative Leadership and Spirituality. We will honor Dr. MT Winter and her visionary witness and leadership and meet Dr. Lisa Dahill (its first holder) and her vision of spiritual leadership encompassing our largest wild relationality. This event takes place IN PERSON on Saturday, October 22 from 6-9 PM EST. It will also be LIVESTREAMED.
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Spiritual Directors Corner
Justin Ferko was a guest presenter at a recent Internship class. He shared this beautiful and moving video. We thought you'd enjoy it as well.
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Happenings With Our Friends
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Justin Ferko will be offering a 1 hour lunch break with a remotely guided Forest Bathing for folks who are interested in establishing an Earth-connection practice that includes Pleasures of Presence and more invitations.
The first one is 10/18 from 12pm-1pm EST and the cost is $15.
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Get Social With Us!
As a community we have long been connected through the "center". The central place we gather, share our stories, learn and grow. Watch for new messages and inspirations as we further explore the use of meaningful content on the various social media platforms.
We are always looking for your input and feedback. Like us, follow-us, add a comment or share a post with your friends and contacts!
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Be part of the Community! |
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