Saturday 10:45am - 11:45am

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Finding Balance on Your Life Path led by Meera Mathur

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In this one hour workshop you will find clarity in what brings you joy. You will create your personal vision statement that will help guide you to living a more satisfied, balanced life. The workshop will provide you with tips and tools that will keep you energized and connected to your path

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Meera Mathur is a Framingham resident that has been a practicing meditater for over 30 years, an Exercise and Wellness Program Manager for over 20 years, a Reiki Healer, a Positive Psychology Consultant, Vibrational Sound Therapy Practitioner, Eastern Birds Sound Bath Band creator, and soon to be Stress Management Consultant Practitioner.

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Telling Our Sacred Stories led by Rev. Dr. Fran Bogle

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This workshop is designed to empower people to use creative and dramatic art as a tool for doing justice in our faith communities and the larger society.  We will focus on creating art and dramas which tell our stories and share our passion for justice. This is an interactive event so bring your ideas and enthusiasm.

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Rev. Dr. Fran Bogle directs the Just Peace Players Liturgical Drama Troupe, is the Interfaith Chaplain at the Scandinavian Living Center, the Community Chaplain with the Community Chaplaincy Council and co-supervises an interfaith field education and mentored ministry program with Rabbinic Pastor Matia Angelou. Fran loves to take photos, hug trees, travel and pat Jeannie the dog. 

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Just Music and Listening: Practices for Dignity and Well-Being in Relationships led by Sofia Wolman, Ben Freeman, Alexa Klein-Mayer and Azmera Hammouri-Davis

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In this workshop we will explore listening and music as contemplative practices that empower us to deepen our connections with one-self and each other, and to engage collective concerns about peace, justice, and healing in our lives and in these troubled times. All hearts, minds, and bodies are very welcome.

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Sofia Wolman works as a Consultant for Congregational Care at First Baptist Church in JP to support the community in cultivating capacities for resilience and collective self-care. She also serves as Clerk of the American Friends Service Committee's Peace & Economic Security Program. Permaculture, restorative justice, and the struggle for nuclear abolition are powerful influences in her efforts. Sofia holds a B.A. in Politics from Earlham College and an MDiv from Harvard Divinity School.

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Ben Freeman is an artist, educator, and chaplain from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is in his final year at Harvard Divinity School, where he thinks a lot about the connections between spirituality and play. Ben believes that nurturing a relationship with the inner child is a key component of spiritual well-being and collective growth. For him, this means getting in touch with his capacity for wonder - taking long walks, experimenting with different forms of creative expression, and getting curious about our stories.

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Alexa Klein-Mayer (she/they) is a Master of Divinity candidate at Harvard Divinity School with a focus on Buddhist ministry and interpersonal practices. Outside of class, Alexa plays guitar and dances, and coordinates for the Harvard Prison Education Project and HDS Students for Palestinian Rights.

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Azmera Hammouri-Davis currently works as an educator at Blackyard Schools in Cambridge, where she teaches Capoeira classes to youth to develop self-confidence and body/spatial awareness. She holds a B.A. in visual and Performing Arts from the University of Southern California, and is a Master of Theological Studies student at Harvard Divinity School.

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Connecting to the Divine Within You and  All Creation led by Fr. Don Pachuta, MD

 

Perhaps this represents the biggest challenge of life. Where do you find God? Who is God for you? Are you a part of God - or are you apart from God? Are you God’s image and likeness? Are you God’s offspring?

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The ancient Hindu religion clearly taught the oneness of us all, and our union with God. So did Eastern Christian religions, calling us to become just like God; as did Jesus. Buddha called us to compassion. Ancient Greek poets have called us God’s offspring. All religions and cultures in some way, including indigenous ones, pay homage to the Spirit of God, the Great Spirit as Creator, using countless names for the One Spirit. Many consider God, as Divine Breath, which permeates everywhere.

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This workshop will assist you answering the questions above and in your path to the divine in you and all creation; through song, story, Hindu and Buddhist meditation, writing, and imagery and visualization.

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Namaste! I honor the divine in you!

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Father Don brings a unique blend to Open Spirit as a physician, scripture scholar, and priest, and one of the most popular speakers. He has brought hope and inspiration to hundreds of people with life threatening illnesses, such as AIDS and cancer. His previous writings include: "The Life You Save May Be Your Own - The Mastery of Stress, Health, and Well-Being in Yourself and Others.” Currently he serves as the pastor of the ECC Community of Saint Luke, Framingham, MA and as a medical and spiritual consultant throughout the USA and abroad. He writes a scripture reflection, of the weekly readings, that goes out to a worldwide list, of clergy and laity, of many different religious traditions.      

 

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