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Programs and Projects
Follow these links for more details:
Cultivating Spiritual Practices
Overview
Meditation Courses
Enneagram Courses
Transformative Learning Opportunities
Overview
Embracing the Life We Are Given – The New Paradigm Shift
Reflecting on the Earth as a Sacred Community
Understanding Christian Beliefs Anew – Eco-Spirituality
Conversations That Matter – Discussion Courses
Summer Camp for Kids
Living in Harmony
Caring for God’s Creation: Church Programs
Overview
Church Renew Programs
Adult Education Programs
Conversations That Matter: Discussion Courses
How the Courses Work
Calendar of Discussion Courses
Voluntary Simplicity
Healthy Children-Healthy Planet
Global Warming
Choices for Sustainable Living
Discovering a Sense of Place
Globalization & Its Critics
Eating Sustainably: Menu for the Future
Exploring Deep Ecology
Connecting to Earth: Garden and Food
Community Garden
Blessing of the Beasts
Brochure for Passionist Earth and Spirit Center
Cultivating Spiritual Practices
Spiritual practices help open an individual to the presence and power of the Sacred Mystery that permeates all of reality. These classes are designed to initiate participants into a deep, loving relationship with the God. Through step-by-step guidance, participants become familiar with the inner dimension of their mind and emotions as they move toward the innermost experience of Spirit. The practices can initiate a personal transformation which alters our way of being in the world. Thomas Merton describes the goal of spiritual practices as an awakening of the True Self which expands the capacity for experience, for awareness, for understanding, for a deeper and more authentic life.
MEDITATION COURSES
A ten-week series of classes is offered every fall and spring. Each series teaches the basic skills and practices of meditation from a different vantage point – using the insights from Christian and Jewish mystics, Eastern spiritual traditions, transpersonal psychology and current studies in human consciousness. The study includes an investigation of the levels of human consciousness, the psycho-spiritual dynamics of inner growth, and the foundations of an integral spirituality which honors and includes all aspects of life. These classes are for experienced meditators who wish to deepen and mature their practice.
MEDITATION FOR BEGINNERS
This class is for those interested in learning or becoming re-familiar with the practice of meditation. It includes: basic instructions in a method of Christian insight meditation; the psychological and scriptural underpinnings of the practice; a map of the inner world; and guidance for applying these teachings in daily life. Meditation is taught as a way of self discovery and accessing the Kingdom of Heaven within.
Current Offering for Beginners– Encountering the Inner Christ
- This class is for those interested in learning or becoming re-familiar
with the practice of meditation. It includes: basic instructions in a method of Christian insight meditation; the psychological and scriptural underpinnings of the practice; a map of the inner world; and guidance for applying these teachings in daily life. Meditation is taught as a way of self discovery and accessing the Kingdom of Heaven within.
- Saturday, September 13, 2008 – 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Orientation to Meditation (prerequisite for Wednesday classes)
- Ten Wednesday classes: Sept. 17, 24, Oct. 1, 8, 15, 29, Nov. 5, 19, 26, Dec. 3 from 10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. OR 7:00–8:30 p.m.
- The same class will be presented mornings and evenings.
Participants can arrange to attend either session.
- Text: The Kingdom Within by John Sanfords.
- For more information: contact Ms. Terry Schuhmann at the Passionist Monastery at 451.2330 weekdays between 9:00-3:00 OR email earthandspirit@passionist.org.
- Suggested donation: $125. No one will be refused for lack of funds.
Download Brochure and Registration Form
MEDITATION FOR EXPERIENCED STUDENTS
Current Offering - Integral SpiritualityThis class is for experienced meditators who wish to deepen and mature their practice. The study will include an investigation
of: the higher levels of human consciousness; the pyschospiritual
dynamics of inner growth; and the foundations of an integral spirituality exemplified in Christian mystics.
Calendar of Meditation Classes for Summer
• Saturday, June 21, 2008
• Meditation for Experienced Students
• 9:30 to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, July 12, 2008
• Meditation for Experienced Students
• 9:30 to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, August 9, 2008
• Meditation for Experienced Students
• 9:30 to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, September 6, 2008 – 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Ten Tuesday classes: Sept. 16, 23, 30, Oct. 7, 14, 28, Nov 4, 18, 25, Dec. 2 from 10:30 a.m.–12:00 noon OR 7:00–8:30 p.m.
• The same class will be presented mornings and evenings.
• Text: Selected writings by Ken Wilber and Christian mystics
Suggested donation: $125. No one will be refused for lack of funds.
- For more information: contact Ms. Terry Schuhmann at the Passionist Monastery at 451.2330 weekdays between 9:00-3:00 OR email earthandspirit@passionist.org.
Download Calendar of Meditation Classes - Summer & Fall 2008
Download Brochure and Registration Form
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ENNEAGRAM COURSES
Enneagram: Part 1 - Introduction to the Enneagram
The Enneagram is a powerful tool for understanding one’s personality – how the mind and emotions function. This workshop is an introduction to the nine personality types described by the Enneagram. It includes the history of the Enneagram; analyzes how personality is formed; offers information on the three centers of perception; identifies the difference between personality and the True Self; and shows how to use this knowledge as a tool for finding new strengths, destroying illusions, and growing personally as well as spiritually. Participants come to appreciate why they see the world as they do and how other people can validly experience it so differently. The goal of this workshop is insight into oneself and compassion for others.
- Saturday, October 4 or November 22 or April 4, 2009
- Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Bring bag lunch.
- Instructor: Fr. Joe Mitchell, CP
- Where: Earth & Spirit Center
- Suggested donation: $35. No one will be refused for lack of funds.
- For more information: contact Ms. Terry Schuhmann at the Passionist Monastery at 451.2330 weekdays between 9:00-3:00 OR email earthandspirit@passionist.org.
Calendar
Course Description and Mail-In Registration (.pdf)
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Enneagram: Part 2 – Spiritual & Transformative Dimensions
This workshop explores the relationship between personality and higher awareness called essence. It examines the task ofpersonal growth, which the Enneagram describes as the transformation of thoughts and emotions defined by each type into their higher capacities. One objective of spiritual development is to become a more complete human being — learning to live from the inner core and adopting higher states at will. The goal of this workshop is personal transformation through self-observation enlightened by an understanding of the Enneagram as a sacred psychology. Process will include lecture-input and group interaction. Participants should have previous experience and familiarity with the Enneagram.
- Saturday, May 9, 2009
- Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Bring bag lunch.
- Instructor: Fr. Joe Mitchell, CP
- Where: Earth & Spirit Center
- Suggested donation: $35. No one will be refused for lack of funds.
- For more information: contact Ms. Terry Schuhmann at the Passionist Monastery at 451.2330 weekdays between 9:00-3:00 OR email: earthandspirit@passionist.org.
Course Description and Mail-In RegistrationForm
Register
Transformative Learning Opportunities
How do we understand the human condition? We have speculated on this perennial question for thousands of years. Every since our ancestors developed the capacity to think and wonder, we have been fascinated with a desire to understand our place in the world. As we witness the amazing experience of life from the miracle of birth to the finality of death, we cannot resist pondering: What does it mean to exist as a human being? What is our role here? What is our destiny? Today, this inquiry is so confusing not because there is a shortage of answers, but because our understanding of the human condition itself is shifting so profoundly. We live at an extraordinary moment when our conceptual framework of the world is being challenged and new perceptions of what it means to be human are emerging. These transformative learning opportunities explore the inter-connectedness of all life and expand awareness of the Earth as a sacred community.
Embracing the Life We Are Given – The New Paradigm Shift: Cosmology 101
From the scientific evidence available today, we know the world is more expansive and interconnected than anyone previously imagined. In down-to-earth terms, this study program explores the shift that is taking place in our understanding of the world, the opportunities it presents to the human community, and the implication is has for people of faith. How do we develop a new intimacy with the world in which we live? Can we once again get caught up in the grandeur of existence and mysterious Divine power from which all this has emerged?
Participants in this workshop will: grasp the shift taking place in our perception of the world; learn about the amazing web of life; understand the worldview they have adopted; explore the global challenges facing the human community; become acquainted with the universe story; and explore possibilities for cultivating a viable and hopeful future for our children. Our hope is to make sense of a world in transition. Our responsibility is to make something beautiful of it. Our dream is to find a meaningful home and a sense of belonging.
- Monday - Friday, July 21-25th, 2008
- Time: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Instructor: Fr. Joe Mitchell, CP
- Where: Earth & Spirit Center
- Suggested donation: $65. No one will be refused for lack of funds.
- For more information: contact Ms. Terry Schuhmann at the Passionist Monastery at 451.2330 weekdays between 9:00-3:00 OR email earthandspirit@passionist.org.
Download Brochure and Registration Form
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NATURE EXPLORE - SUMMER CAMP FOR KIDS
Nature Explore is a program of fun and education to help children connect with the Earth. It is designed to awaken a sense of awe and wonder as children are introduced to the beauty of nature, the joy of gardening, and the basics of nutrition. Campers will explore together in age-appropriate groups led by trained guides. Through games, instruction, and hands-on learning experiences, a child will be guided through self-discovery to develop an appreciation for this wonder-filled planet we call “home.”
2009 Kids Camp
- Who: grade school children who have completed kindergarten or above.
- What: Nature Explore Summer Camp is a complete program of fun and learning. It will connect children to nature, gardening, science and sustainability, food justice, responsible eating, the universe story, exercise and exploration.
- When: June 22-26, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to noon
- Where: Earth & Spirit Center
- Cost: $75.00 per child. Some scholarships available; inquire by emailing earthandspirit@passionist.org. Limited space.
- For more information: contact Ms. Terry Schuhmann at the Passionist Monastery at 451.2330 weekdays between 9:00-3:00 OR email earthandspirit@passionist.org.
Download Brochure and Registration Form
LIVING IN HARMONY - A FIVE WEEK PROGRAM TO CARE FOR CREATION
Be part of the solution!
. . . save money . . . save energy . . . save the planet
Most people now accept that damage is being done to the Earth. But few people understand what they can do about it. Here’s an opportunity to learn about the issues and how to live in greater harmony with creation.
The primary cause of climate change is carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere
through the burning of fossil fuels– gasoline, coal, oil, and natural gas, which power our homes, transportation, and the factories that product the goods we consume. Large-scale solutions
are necessary, such as switching to cleaner energy sources. But there are also dozens of things each one of us can do, right now, to begin making a difference. This workshop is full of positive, practical advice. Government and business each have crucial roles to play. But individual Americans must also start taking positive action, or else our children and grandchildren will surely pay the price.
- Five Weeks starting– Monday, November 3rd
- Time: 7:00 - 8:30p.m.
- Instructor: Phyllis Fitzgerald
- Where: Earth & Spirit Center
- Suggested donation: $30. Includes cost of textbook. No one will be refused for lack of funds.
- For more information: contact Ms. Terry Schuhmann at the Passionist Monastery at 451.2330 weekdays between 9:00-3:00 OR email earthandspirit@passionist.org.
Living in Harmony - Changing Personal Habits
Download Brochure and Registration Form
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Reflecting on the Earth as a Sacred Community
We live at an extraordinary moment when our conceptual framework of the world is being challenged and new perceptions of what it means to be human are emerging. Recent discoveries have awakened us to the remarkable and magnificent creativity of our planet as a living system. The Earth is not merely a scenic backdrop in which we live our lives. Nor is it primarily a resource for our consumption. Scientists speak of our planet as an interdependent web of life and theologians speak of the universe a single sacred community.
This workshop explores how we can make a transition from a period of human devastation of the Earth to a period when humans would celebrate the sacredness of all creation. Participants become familiar with observations and insights of Thomas Berry in his book, Evening Thoughts. This series of essays invites a deep reflection on our current ecological and cultural crises. As the lists of crises in our world multiply, Berry offers a way forward by deeply affirming the sacred quality of the Earth.
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Understanding Christian Beliefs Anew – Eco-Spirituality
Many churchgoers are struggling to make sense of their faith in the complexities and challenges of the modern world. This workshop is based on a conviction that Christianity is a storehouse of spiritual wisdom and a reliable guide navigating a meaningful life. The challenge is to reclaim the traditions in a way that makes sense in the contemporary world. In practical and inspirational ways, the workshop explores the spiritual wisdom contained within the Christian faith. It is an opportunity to consider the traditions from perhaps a new perspective and to have meaningful conversations about them. The goal is to help make the central tenets of Christianity a little clearer, a little more acceptable, and a lot more hopeful.
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Caring for God’s Creation: Church Programs
One of the great challenges to contemporary religions is how to respond to the environmental crisis. Religious traditions have always had a deep reverence for life on Earth. Many people of faith are now beginning to feel a sense of urgency about what is happening to creation. Environmental concerns are on the front page. Now your church community can become more familiar with these timely issues and explore appropriate responses.
Caring for creation requires a new moral awakening to the compelling demand – clearly articulated in the Bible, expressed in church statements from all major religious denominations, and supported by science – that humans must be stewards of the natural world in order to preserve for ourselves and future generations a beautiful, rich and healthy environment. This is a religious obligation, rooted in a sense of gratitude for creation and reverence for its Creator.
CHURCH RENEWAL PROGRAM
The Passionist Earth & Spirit Center offers a spiritual formation and education program conducted at a church or house of worship. It is designed to help people of faith develop an understanding of their responsibility of caring for God’s creation.
The program usually opens on Sunday evening and goes for two or three consecutive nights. It is designed to facilitate a spiritual awakening through proclamation and prayer. Each evening a practical and inspirational lesson will be presented in a way that helps bridge the gap between faith and scientific discoveries. Topics will include: Why must the church be concerned with caring for creation? How do Christians view the natural world? How does a Christian understand evolution? What contributions has modern science made? Why is there environmental degradation? Is there hope for the Earth?
The Church Renewal program focuses on:
- Worship – where people of faith articulate their fundamental beliefs and where they are transformed anew each week in God’s grace. When possible, a priest from the Earth & Spirit Center team will preach at each of the services on the weekend that the program opens. Music and prayer options will be made available.
- Education – know your tradition and know your world. In responding to environmental concerns, faith communities draw deeply on the resources of their own traditions. Their approach to particular issues is not driven by any political agenda, but by their most fundamental convictions about God and creation. Recent scientific discoveries have presented a unified picture of reality which the mystics have always intuited.
- Discipleship – love your neighbor and care for God’s creation. Faith communities have the responsibility of teaching and practicing the message of creation care and integrating it into the whole of religious life. Action steps will be offered.
As the time for the renewal program draws near, the church leadership will be furnished a booklet of practical suggestions on ways to promote and prepare for the program.
The Passionist Earth & Spirit Center can help religious leaders and people of faith become familiar with the issues necessary for building a just and sustainable world. Without politicizing a perspective or alienating people, the Church Renewal Program explains the religious responsibility to be faithful stewards of God’s creation.
Too often a discussion of environmental matters leaves people feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and helpless. We have discovered that solutions must inspire participation and action rather than frighten or disempower. The human heart is not changed by facts alone, but by engaging a hopeful vision and a positive future. Religion has a vital role to play. They are one of the few institutions in modern society that posit some goal other than accumulation for human existence here on this planet.
Please contact the Earth & Spirit Center if you are interested in scheduling a program for your church community. Contact us
Download Brochure
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ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR CHURCHES
Discussion Courses offered by the Earth & Spirit Center provide an enjoyable, supportive setting for people of faith to examine personal values and habits, engage in stimulating discussion, and make personal changes if desired. Many churches, schools and people concerned about caring for God’s creation are involved in these courses designed by Northwest Earth Institute.
Organizing a discussion course is easy. Gather at least eight people together at your church or school for a one-hour introductory meeting and contact the Earth & Spirit Center to set a date. A staff person will be assigned as a mentor to help start the group to ensure the best possible experience. The mentor will come to the initial gathering to describe the course. Those who are interested will form a discussion circle. The group will continue to meet for the weekly sessions. The only charge for participating is a nominal fee of $25 to cover cost of the book of readings and materials. The Earth & Spirit Center provides brochures, bulletin announcements, and course descriptions to help promote the courses.
Please contact the Earth & Spirit Center if you are interested in scheduling a discussion course for your church community.
Download Brochure
For a description of available Adult Education courses go to:
Voluntary Simplicity
Deep Ecology
Eating Sustainably: Menu for the Future
Globaization
Healthy Children-Healthy Planet
Global Warming
Choices for Sustainable Living
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Conversations That Matter: Discussion Courses
Overview – How the Courses Work
Discussion Courses offered by the Passionist Earth & Spirit Center provide an enjoyable, supportive setting in which to examine personal values and habits, engage in stimulating discussion, and make personal changes if desired. Since 1995, churches, schools and concerned groups of people throughout the country have been involved in these courses designed by Northwest Earth Institute.
Organizing a discussion course is easy. Gather at least eight people together for a one-hour introductory meeting and contact us to set a date. A staff person from the Earth & Spirit Center will be assigned as a mentor to help start the group to ensure the best possible experience. The mentor will come to the initial gathering to describe the course. Those who are interested will form a discussion circle. The group will continue to meet for the weekly sessions. The only charge for participating is a nominal fee of $25 to cover cost of the book of readings and materials. The Earth & Spirit Center provides brochures and course descriptions to help promote the course.
8 to 12 people meet weekly for little over an hour to discuss readings from a course book. The course books contain a diverse collection of short essays, articles and book-excerpts organized around weekly themes to create lively discussion. Discussion questions and a suggested meeting format are included as well. The first session is led by a mentor from the Earth & Spirit Center. Remaining meetings are facilitated by members of the group. There is no “set” outcome. The goal is for people to examine their own values and habits, listen to others talk about theirs, and ultimately allow their thinking to be transformed, deepened and inspired.
Voluntary Simplicity
This eight-session course addresses the distractions of modern society which keep us from caring for ourselves, our relationships, and our environment.
In a society that enjoys such unprecedented prosperity and abundance, why is there so much personal unhappiness and discontent? Why is there so much poverty and hunger? Why in a finite world do we continue to act as if there are no limits to growth, while polluting our air, water and soil and using Earth’s resources faster that the natural systems can be replenished? Simplicity is a movement, a practice, and for many, a purposeful way of living in a complex consumptive society. To simply is to reduce to essentials, to streamline and to clarify. Simplicity results in a life that is outwardly simple and inwardly rich.
Purpose of this course:
- To understand the meaning of voluntary simplicity;
- To explore the material and psychological distractions that prevent us from caring for the Earth;
- To consider the connection between our lifestyle choices and the condition of the Earth.
Download Course Description
Current Offering of VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY at the Earth & Spirit Center:
Thursday, September 11th at 7:00pm-Introductory session
Seven weeks beginning September 18th
$25 donation for class
For more information: contact Ms. Terry Schuhmann at the Passionist Monastery at 451.2330 weekdays between 9:00-3:00 OR email earthandspirit@passionist.org
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Healthy Children-Healthy Planet
This seven-session course explores the pervasive effects advertising, media, and our consumer culture have on a child; considers ways to created meaningful family times and healthful environments for children.
They say that our children are our future. As such, parents today must be intentional and countercultural in raising their children to teach and expose them to a natural world that they can experience and fall in love with. But first, parents must understand the affects of our culture that is systematically destroying the support systems that sustain us and disconnects us from the natural world without knowing it.
Purpose of this course:
Download Fall Course Information
Course Description pdf
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Global Warming
This is a four-session course focuses on the issues surrounding global warming and considers practical strategies for creating a viable future.
Purpose of this course:
- To explore personal values and habits as they relate to climate change.
- To understand the history and science of global warming.
- To empower individuals to take action to curb global warming.
- Current Offering of GLOBAL WARMING at the Earth & Spirit Center:
- Begins September 8, 2008– continues for four weeks
- Monday session - 7:00-8:30pm
- Learn more at a special Introductory Session on Monday, September 8th from 7:00-8:30pm
- For more information: contact Ms. Terry Schuhmann at the Passionist Monastery at 451.2330 weekdays between 9:00-3:00 OR email earthandspirit@passionist.org
Download Fall Course Information
Course Description pdf
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Choices for Sustainable Living
This eight-session course considers environmental implications of daily choices and provides information for alternative options.
Sustainable living is an approach, a practice, and for many, a purposeful way of living in a society that separates itself from the natural systems that make life possible. Sustainability is a belief that we should meet our needs today in a manner that does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Purpose of this course:
- To explore the meaning of sustainability;
- To consider the ties between lifestyle choices and their impact on the Earth;
- To learn about steps that can be taken to move toward ecologically sustainable organizations, lifestyles, and communities.
- Current Offering of CHOICES FOR SUSTAINABILITY at the Earth & Spirit Center:
- Begins September 8, 2008– continues for eight-weeks
- Monday session - 7:00-8:30pm
- Learn more at a special Introductory Session on Monday, September 8th from 7:00-8:30pm
- For more information: contact Ms. Terry Schuhmann at the Passionist Monastery at 451.2330 weekdays between 9:00-3:00 OR email earthandspirit@passionist.org
Download Fall Course Information
Course Description pdf
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Discovering a Sense of Place
This nine-session course focuses on the importance of knowing and protecting our own bioregional place on Earth.
With the wisdom that comes from truly knowing the place in which we live, we can create lifestyles and social institutions in harmony with their unique place, fitting culture to nature rather than the reverse. This means providing for energy, food, shelter and transportation in a manner that promotes local self-reliance and long-term sustainability.
Purpose of this course:
- To understand the meaning of a bioregion and what it would mean to develop a bioregional perspective;
- To discover how an understanding of and commitment to a place affects our willingness to accept personal responsibility to care for that place;
- To explore what it might mean to protect the place where we live.
Course description pdf
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Globalization & Its Critics
This nine-session course attempts to define and address the broader implications of globalization, a force that is shaping our world, our society and our local communities.
To its supporters, globalization is an inevitable force that will bring prosperity to Americans and raise the standard of living around the world. With this prosperity will come enhanced human rights in autocratic countries, healthy ecosystems all over the Earth, and a world of peace. To its detractors, globalization threatens ecosystems that support all life, it benefits the holders of capital over workers of the world, and it facilitates the centralization of power in transnational corporations. It objectifies humans in terms of their utility to the economy; natural resources in terms of their utility as raw materials for the industrial process; and the air, oceans and fresh waters as a free dumping place for toxins and pollutants created by economic development.
Purpose of Globalization and Its Critics course:
- To understand the structural aspects of globalization – its institutions, processes and effects;
- To examine how globalization impacts food production, the environment, social equity, public opinion and cultures;
- To explore a variety of possible future visions and how they can be cultivated.
Download registration form
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Eating Sustainably: A Menu for the Future
This is a six-session discussion course on the connection between food and sustainability.
Food is not simply fuel. Eating is an agricultural act, an ecological act, a social act, and a moral act. Every time we sit down for a meal, we are supporting a food system that has reverberating effects on the sustainability of the Earth. Farming policies and practices can help or harm the natural world. This discussion course offers a diversity of voices and a helpful study guide which can direct both individuals and communities toward a healthier and more equitable world through the food we eat.
Purpose of Food For Life course:
• To explore food systems and their impacts on culture, society and ecological systems.
• To gain insight into agricultural and individual practices that promote personal and ecological well-being.
• To consider your role in creating or supporting sustainable
food systems.
Current Offering of MENU FOR LIFE at the Earth & Spirit Center:
- Begins September 8th – continues for six weeks
- Monday session - 10:00-11:30 am
- For more information: contact Ms. Terry Schuhmann at the Passionist Monastery at 451.2330 weekdays between 9:00-3:00 OR email earthandspirit@passionist.org
Download Fall Course Infomation
Course description pdf
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Exploring Deep Ecology
This is nine-session course addresses core values and how they affect the way we view and treat the Earth.
Three tenets of deep ecology include: (1) humans are but one species among others in the community of nature, they are not separate from their environment; (2) everything is connected and inter-relationship are constantly changing; (3) ecological sustainability requires a long-term view, as well as an understanding of such ecological concepts as diversity and symbiosis.
Purpose of Deep Ecology course:
- To clarify Earth-related values through discussions about deep ecology and related topics;
- To discover how personal values affect the way we view and treat the Earth;
- To explore what it means to take personal responsibility for the Earth.
Download Brochure and Registration Form
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Connecting to Earth: Our Land
DEMONSTRATION ORGANIC GARDEN
Students from St. Francis starting the first seedlings for the garden.
The Earth & Spirit Center is located on 20.6 acres of wooded and grass land in the Highlands area of Louisville. The original red brick barn was built in 1915 to accommodate the animals and equipment used on the farm to support the monastery of Passionist priests and brothers.
Welcome to the Earth & Spirit Gardens and Biodynamic Learning Co-operative!
Sustainable urban agriculture, holistic healing, eco-creative artspace, & more…
The whole of the organism is more than the sum of its parts
Project Overview:
The intention is to cultivate an ecosystem of biodynamic learning and creation opportunities providing experiences and training for participants to nurture and evolve their wonder and reverence for the natural world, thus leading to personal and social transformation through more sustainable lifestyle choices and expanded food equity for the metro community. Specific components of the project include:
- Biodynamic permaculture demonstration gardens that illustrate the importance of listening to and honoring the earth rather in ways that are regenerative and sustainable for the entire biotic community. The demonstration gardens will focus on ways to truly create with the earth, using lunar planting, designing with the four directions, perennial polyculture, soil-building, and other land-honoring methods. Inherent in this approach is the understanding that new possibilities are continually emerging, and the gardens will be sites for discovery, learning, stillness, listening, sustenance, co-creation, contemplation, and healing. A percentage of the produce will be donated weekly to different communities and revenue from sales at local farmer’s markets will fund free sustainability workshops. Workshop participants will leave with the knowledge, skills, and tools to create individual home gardens that provide their families with year-round organic produce with a minimum of labor and no outside expenditure.
- An outdoor classroom, bio-creative community art spaces and a natural gallery, and interactive nature trails with spaces for reflection and education about native herbs and flowers. Near the vegetable gardens will be a perennial healing circle introducing guests to holistic healing and wellness through native herbs and flowers.
- A 4-acre CSA (community supported agriculture) mini-farm, incorporating on-site compost from Breaking New Grounds and volunteers from across the city, which will directly engage students of all ages with sustainable food production and an ethic of care for the earth.
- Workshops introducting ways towards more sustainable choices, including low-carbon home gardening, solar water heating, rain barrel use, home composting, composting toilets, cob and strawbale construction, canning, drying, and preserving local produce, ways of listening to nature, healing with the earth through drumming, interfaith eco-literacy, and more.
- A natural labyrinth, medicine wheel, and meditation spaces illustrating the importance of reflection, stillness, silence as we honor all rhythms and cycles of life.
The project is unique in that its mission is intrinsically connected to the land itself. Not only does is seek to co-create with the natural landscape and the abundance offered by the site (20.6 acres of open and wooded land with multiple natural water sources and a variety of habitats within an urban setting near 3 bus lines), it also seeks to incorporate the spirit of place sculpted by the communities it connects: The priests and brother of the Passionst monastery, the Sisters of Charity and retired people at Nazareth home, the children at St. Agnes School, those who are healing at Our Lady of Peace, the Louisville Nature Conservancy, and the Calvary Cemetery. Embedded in its mission is the intention to bridge inner and outer work and an understanding of the need to honor the natural rhythms and cycles of life whose wisdoms are present in the very neighbors who border the land.
Central to the evolution of the project is community collaboration, and we have volunteers from all over Kentuckiana working to bring it to fruition, but we need YOU, too! If you’re interested in helping out or learning more, please contact Holly Clark at hollyclark26@gmail.com or 727-1872 for ways to get involved. No prior experience is necessary, we’re all here to learn from the earth and each other! Check our calendar for free community workshops and garden work-days.
BLESSING OF THE BEASTS
Sunday, September 28, 2008 from 2-3pm at the Earth & Spirit Center behind the Passionist Monastery
The annual Blessing of Animals and Prayers for the Planet will be celebrated with an outdoor service at the Earth & Spirit Center. This event will highlight the gift of animals, the delights of the natural world, and our responsibility as stewards of God’s creation. Please have your pets leashed, in a cage or in a bowl.
ALL PETS AND THEIR HUMAN FRIENDS ARE WELCOME! see attached pdf
MEDITATION GARDEN
Under construction
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