Allah-Akbar (God is Great) The calligraphy of the Arabic language contributes to the beauty of its poetry.

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Experience the music and symbolism of classical Sufi poetry, the delightfully mystical voice of Islam.

We’ll focus primarily on Rumi and Hafiz, but we’ll fold a few other representative authors into the mix, as well as do a little writing of our own!

			With a master’s degree in comparative religion and a graduate certificate in holistic healthcare, Kim has been a spiritual director, qigong instructor, and yoga therapist for more than 12 years. She has had a centering prayer practice for over 20 years and delights in leading contemplative retreats. Kim is a published poet, essayist, and fiction writer.
	Kimberly Beyer-Nelson

For more information:
Call (360) 598-4434.

People who love this world, people who pay attention, are gardeners, whether or not they have ever picked up a trowel.

Because gardening is not just about digging. Gardening is about cherishing.

And to cherish, one must be present.

Garden columnist, Henry Mitchell, wrote that one day we would all die, but that the questions is how we spent our days. Were we fidgeting over moles and fungi and varmints, or glorying — year by year — in the daffodils?

This is a workshop for people who love life.

And for people who wish to love life but are temporarily stymied. 
 

Terry talks about —

• Learning to be intoxicated with the world around us, focusing on what nourishes our soul.
• Opening our heart to the rhythms of the garden.
• Learning to practice the sacrament of the blessed present.
• Working to embrace the demanding marriage of loving and losing.
• Cultivating appreciation for ordinary gifts of grace, the value of solitude, and the healing power of nature.

Terry’s stories will lead you to nurture your soul and renew your sense of what it means to live fully alive.

			Terry Hershey has served as a Protestant minister, and is now a writer and garden designer on Vashon Island. Terry holds a mirror up to our fast-forward, disconnected lives, and offers us the “power of pause” — the wisdom of doing less and living more — in order to to regain emotional and spiritual balance; to find the sacred in every day. The Power of Pause (Loyola Press) is his tenth book. Terry’s work has been featured on The Hallmark Channel, CNN, PBS, and NPR. But mostly he loves to dance with his son, and watch bald eagles ride the currents in the canyon behind his house.

For more information:
Call (360) 598-4434.

In 1945, an incredible manuscript was found among the writings of what is now called the Nag Hammadi library. Written in Coptic, the Gospel of Thomas contained the sayings of Yeshua, the man we know as Jesus.

Come and share a contemplative and experiential journey into the heart of the words and the hearts of humankind.

The class is co-taught by Rev. Tom Thresher and Kimberly Beyer-Nelson, MA in comparative religion.

Kimberly Beyer-Nelson		With theological training, a master’s degree in comparative religion and a graduate certificate in holistic healthcare, Kim Beyer-Nelson has had a centering prayer practice for over 20 years and delights in leading contemplative retreats. She has been a certified yoga therapist, spiritual director and Reiki Master and has been teaching Yoga for Emotional Balance for years in both hospital and community settings. In 2002 she published “A Little Book of Wholeness and Prayer.” She is also a poet, essayist, and speculative fiction writer.
Rev. Tom Thresher		Tom is currently the pastor of a nascent Integral Church in western Washington. His recent book — Reverent Irreverence: Integral Church for the 21st Century…From Cradle to Christ Consciousness (Integral Publishers) — explores how churches can use their unique role in western culture to support the evolution of human consciousness.
Long a student of consciousness and spirituality, Tom’s exploration was inspired by eight years of intensive transformational work in a small group setting nearly 40 years ago. Ironically, that experience led him into economics. After completing a Masters in Economics and a Doctorate in Education at Stanford University, Tom taught economics for a decade. Following a personal crisis, he left college teaching and worked for 12 years as an artist/craftsman. A series of extraordinary events led him to seminary in 1998. He is now an ordained minister and spiritual teacher in the emerging field of Integral Christianity. Over the years he studied and worked with a Native American shaman, explored Zen and Yoga, and developed his own Westernized spiritual practices. For the past nine years he has led groups exploring the interface of religion, spirituality and science. He continues to develop and lead workshops in Transformational Inquiry and Integral philosophy.

For more information:
Call (360) 598-4434.

Come and share a time of
silent meditation in our chapel
as a way to enter the New Year with grace, calm, and peace.

We’ll ring our sitting bell at 10 am and sit for half an hour. Then we’ll do some very gentle movement, and sit for another twenty minutes.

We’ll leave in the quiet, taking our contemplative mood back out into the world.

We hope you can join us for this special Sunday event.

For more information: Call (360) 598-4434.

The symptoms of depression affect millions of persons across the globe.

But not all kinds of depression are the same. Some people get teary, some irritable, some can’t sleep, some sleep too much, some eat everything in sight, others can’t face food, some withdraw, some lash out, some just worry.

	Kimberly Beyer-Nelson has been a certified yoga therapist, spiritual director and Reiki Master and has been teaching Yoga for Emotional Balance for years in both hospital and community settings With theological training, a master’s degree in comparative religion and a graduate certificate in holistic healthcare, she has had a centering prayer practice for over 20 years and delights in leading contemplative retreats. In 2002 she published “A Little Book of Wholeness and Prayer.” She is also a poet, essayist, and speculative fiction writer.

Exploring and telling our stories feeds the soul and forms community.

We will “look at the past through the lens of adult experience, write about it from a holistic or spiritual perspective, and come to understand it differently in the process.” —Dan Wakefield

	Sue Sutherland-Hanson, MAT, M.Div.   Sue enjoys creating contexts for people to see the wisdom they embody. She has led workshops on spiritual autobiography, creative writing, modes of creativity, and the spirituality of the body. An award-winning poet and essayist, Sue teaches English to students from all language backgrounds at Edmonds Community College. Her passion for diversity and her lifelong connection to the Northwest infuse her art, teaching, and spirituality.
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Writing can be a spiritual tool used to bring all of your life into the light of grace leading often to transformation.

This is not a writing class; a variety of levels and abilities are expected and welcome.

Adapting prompts from Dan Wakefield’s book The Story of Your Life — Writing a Spiritual Autobiography, we will recall our childhood, adolescence, mentors, and influencing experiences. (No text is needed.)

You can start with the Saturday morning session as an introductory “launch,” or just come to these for four week-night sessions for continued exploring, writing, and sharing in community.

Exploring and telling our stories feeds the soul and forms community.

We will “look at the past through the lens of adult experience, write about it from a holistic or spiritual perspective, and come to understand it differently in the process.” —Dan Wakefield

	Sue Sutherland-Hanson, MAT, M.Div.   Sue enjoys creating contexts for people to see the wisdom they embody. She has led workshops on spiritual autobiography, creative writing, modes of creativity, and the spirituality of the body. An award-winning poet and essayist, Sue teaches English to students from all language backgrounds at Edmonds Community College. Her passion for diversity and her lifelong connection to the Northwest infuse her art, teaching, and spirituality.
	DOWNLOAD A FLYER

Writing can be a spiritual tool used to bring all of your life into the light of grace leading often to transformation.

This is not a writing class; a variety of levels and abilities are expected and welcome.

Adapting prompts from Dan Wakefield’s book The Story of Your Life — Writing a Spiritual Autobiography, we will recall our childhood, adolescence, mentors, and influencing experiences. (No text is needed.)

You can take this Saturday morning session as a stand-alone workshop, or as an introductory “launch” for four weeknight sessions to continue exploring, writing, and sharing in community.

	Carmi Soifer, M.Ed., is an award-winning poet and writing teacher. She brings decades of experience, care, and spirituality to her classes. Carmi has taught  community workshops on both coasts, and was Artist-in-Residence at Rocky Mountain National Park. She is eager to bring poetry to Sound Spirit.

Carmi’s acclaimed poetry class is offered again!

Would you like to bring out the poet in you, in a safe and caring environment?

Do you want to write from deep spirit, in a way that communicates your own truth?

Are you interested in stretching and learning through craft? 

In this class, the emphasis is on fun. You’ll discover things you never thought you’d say, and ways you never thought to say them.

Through exercises and examples, we’ll build craft from our teachers, tune in to deep sources within, and learn to expand through our writing.  “Poetry from Our Sources” is appropriate for every level of
poet and would-be poet.