A Look at Hope Through the Lens of Film
Artists and spiritual writers through the millennia remind us how the capacity to hope keeps us human. Vaclav Havel encourages us “to work for something because it is good.”
We all too easily live in the illusion of self-sufficiency, relying on our own abilities, or, feeling incapacitated through our powerlessness, often succumb to despair.
“Where we have both dark and light we have also the inexplicable,” observed Samuel Beckett, who also noted, “The key word in all my plays is perhaps.”
The gift of faith makes the ‘perhaps’ moments in our lives even more poignant. Through viewing and discussing three films that evoke feelings surrounding the resiliency of ‘hope,” we will explore how the promise of life and freedom can break down the limitations of self-sufficiency and fear.
Session 1 – Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 7 p.m. EST- Lars and The Real Girl (US)
Session 2 – Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 7 p.m. EST- The Lives of Others (German)
Session 3 – Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 7 p.m. EST – Jojo Rabbit (US)
About the presenter, Rev. Larry Lewis:
Father Larry Lewis has facilitated film discussions since 2004. The author of The Misfit: Haunting the Human – Unveiling the Divine, Father Lewis received his Ph.D. in spirituality from Duquesne University, and has been a friend of the Guild since 1997. A Maryknoll missionary, Father Lewis spent many years in China and then at the Cenacle Retreat Center on Long Island, NY. He now serves in the Maryknoll Office of Society Personnel.
3 Sessions, select Tuesdays at 7 p.m. EST beginning November 9, 2021
List of dates: 11/9/21, 12/7/21, 1/11/21
Via Zoom
No cost
Misfits, Warriors, & Holy Fools: Spiritual Biographies to Live By
Who are these misfits, warriors, and holy fools? Through book talks and movies, we will examine contempory mystics who rose to a level of consciousness enviable to anyone living in these times of personal and communal unrest. We will walk with heroes and heroines, East, West, and Indigenous; gleaning insight to best prepare for what awaits us!
This is an ongoing series, and each session will cover a different topic. The program will be presented via zoom.
October 28, 2021 7-8:30 p.m. EST: Gifts of Power: The Writings of Rebecca Jackson, Black Visionary, Shaker Eldress, ed. by Jean McMahon Humez
No Cost
Register here
Writing Our Mythic Stories and Spiritual Autobiographies
We all have stories. Some stories define us. Some may point to our purpose in this life. Some may describe critical turning points. Some are welcomed as mysterious, challenging, explanatory, and mythic. Others are painful and tend to be repressed. Our stories speak to how we experience life and the ego persona we have cultivated. And those that change the way we live are called our sacred stories.
In this workshop we will compile our sacred stories to make a spiritual autobiography. We will notice how our stories reflect the mythology of our times and how we live into them. We will identify unconscious archetypical myths that have guided and navigated our soul.
St. Francis of Assisi prayed, “Who are you and why am I here?” By examining our sacred stories, we may find the answer. Each week we will focus on topics that build upon the prior week.
Week 1 – The Mythic Power of Our Sacred Stories
Week 2 – Discovering Our Personal Mythology
Week 3 – Identifying Our Soul Archetypes
Week 4 – Sharing Our Sacred Stories and Their Myth
About the presenter, Daniel Robinson:
Daniel Robinson is a professor, spiritual director, retreat leader, and lover of souls. His current passion is the mentoring of faculty, students, and pilgrims through the art of soul companioning by writing our personal stories, myths and spiritual autobiographies. He has served as a veteran and mentors Wounded Warriers.
Daniel is a member of the Northeast Guild for Spiritual Direction. He lives in Maine with his lovely wife, Heather.
4 Sessions, Sundays from 2-4:00 p.m. EST beginning January 30, 2022
List of dates: 1/30/22, 2/6/22, 2/13/22, 2/20/22
Registration closes January 28, 2022
The cost is $100
Good News from the Universe for Bad Times: Crisis, Transformation, and Deep Trust from a Cosmic Perspective
Join us as we reflect on the universal nature of crisis, change, and transformation as well as the resources available for cultivating resilience and trust during difficult times. Drawing on insights from modern cosmology and the evolutionary perspective, we find sources of support, renewal, and guidance that can sustain us through the challenges we face personally, culturally, and globally at this critical time.
About the Presenter, Steve Martin:
Astronomer, educator, and author, Steve Martin has taught astronomy, physics, and consciousness studies at colleges, universities, and learning centers across the U.S. for over 25 years. He is currently one of the lead instructors for the Deeptime Network, and he also consults at the Center for Spiritual Emergence in Asheville, NC.
Three virtual sessions, Mondays, 6—8:30 p.m. ET beginning April 25, 2022
The cost is $75.
The course is open all, members and non-members.
Session 1 – Monday, April 18, 2022
Session 2 – Monday April 25, 2022
Session 3 – Monday, May 2, 2022
More offerings available soon! To see our past offerings, see below.