There is a vitality, a life force, an energy that is translated through you into action,
And because there is only one of you in all of time, that expression is unique—
It is your business to keep it yours completely and to keep the channel open.
—Agnes de Milne

Present at the Passing
First Congregational Church, Santa Cruz
Thursday, September 1, 6:30pm -- FREE EVENT

Jan Landry (retired Hospice nurse and co-owner of Awareness and Relaxation Training), Julie Boudreau ( Hospice Education & Outreach Coordinator), Alexandra Kennedy (therapist and author) and Tandy Beal present this workshop on being a supportive presence at the end of life.

Waking Up in Paradise Retreat on the Big Island
October 9-16 2011

This week-long retreat offers an opportunity to connect and live from your spiritual center in a community of conscious women on sacred Hawaiian land. We will shed a sense of time and boundaries as we fall back into natural rhythms and live in an environment without walls. This retreat will encourage us to shed the stresses of everyday life, cultivate true rest, allow life in all its richness to flow unimpeded through us and relax into the welcoming silence that awaits us.

Our days will incorporate early morning swims (with the dolphins if they choose to be with us), yoga and meditation, afternoon snorkeling to see turtles, colorful coral and fish. There will be plenty of time to gaze out at the ocean and watch sunsets from the hammocks and bamboo furniture on the lanai, walk through the garden, pick papayas off the trees, get a massage, nap, write in your journal, and most importantly just be.

As we dive deeper and deeper into the ocean both within and without, we will lovingly observe the messages surfacing from our bodies, dreams, meditations, and journaling. Every evening there will be meditation, teachings and sharing, along with periodic rituals that help build the collective energy. Other than these evening discussions, five of the seven days will be spent in silence.

You are invited to join us for this special retreat. Come be nurtured and transformed by the magic and power of the Big Island and reconnect with your truest self.

For more information, contact Alexandra.

Grief Therapy
November 4-5 2011

Offered at John F Kennedy University Graduate School

"Until grief is restored in the West as the starting place where man and woman might find peace, the culture will continue to abuse and ignore the power of water, and in turn be fascinated with fire."
—Malidoma Some

Each one of us will be called on at different times to face loss—but will we embrace it or shrink from it? It is our ungrieved losses that take a toll on our hearts and deaden us to life. How can we tap the power of grief to transform our lives, open our hearts and awaken us to a deeper participation in the world? How can we learn to actively grieve in the midst of our daily lives—without feeling overwhelmed? How can we support others who are grieving? Addressing these questions, this course will offer a unique perspective to grieving while weaving together inspiring case histories with practical advice, suggestions and effective strategies. We will explore stages and tasks of grieving, common somatic and emotional reactions, damaging effects of unresolved grief, fears and concerns, types of grief dreams. Lecture will be combined with experiential exercises and discussion.

John F Kennedy University, Campbell CA
408 874-7760

Date tbd, Fall 2011

Bringing Forth What is Within Us
(This was Spring 2011 ) Within each of us is an inner force that guides our unfoldment into a unique being—with a purpose to fulfill, something unique to express, and our own gifts to contribute. The Hopis believe that each person is given at birth a particular gift by the Creator, a gift that a person must express in his or her lifetime. Join a loving community of women as we tap into juicy spring energy to connect with/ vitalize our own unique expressions and explore/uncover where our unfoldment has become blocked or inhibited. Using meditation, teachings, silence, journal exercises, and sharing, we’ll go with the flow of the day as it unfolds. We will spend time in the magical forest at the Land of the Medicine Buddha—communing with our tree sisters who have much to teach us about expressing our true essence—without apology, fear or hesitation.

To reserve your place (limited to 15), please email Alexandra.