Monday, September 13th at 7pm at the Stone Church, the corner of Main St and Grove St, Brattleboro

Fionntulach, the head of the Céile Dé Order in Scotland, will present an introduction, using words, chant and sacred story, to the ancient Celtic path of the Céile Dé.

The Gaelic word "Fonn" simultaneously means "land", "song" and "state of being". These sacred chants, many of which are centuries-old, are a major part of the Céile Dé tradition.

Is there anything more subversive than humor? The sly eye let's us in on the fact that someone knows something but they're not saying what. Sometimes the front is taken to extremes, leading on or awry…But more often deadpan is a barometer of the real.

Let's make a few key distinctions. Keaton's deadpan was total, unlike the Cheshire face, of say, Jack Benny. Or the forced layback grimace of Bruce Willis, fake unflappable. Keaton's mien says everything because it reveals nothing.

In the last couple of days, I was dreadfully ill. Apparently an intense stomach virus. I filled up the toilet bowl with projectile vomiting, etc. Anyway this led me to think that I might be dying, or rather to meditate on what it would be like if I were actually dying. I had a chance to see how I felt about that.

It seemed to me pleasant, just irresponsibly so. Like knowing you were going to fall into a deep, satisfying sleep and looking forward to it. Relief from all one's cares and woes ("slings and arrows of outrageous fortune").

The Vikramasila Foundation and the Palden Sakya Centers of America are pleased to announce that on Saturday, August 28 (corrected), the Ven. Khenpo Lama Pema Wangdak will return to Palden Sakya Vermont to give a Dharma teaching as well as to offer a Refuge ceremony to those members of the Vermont sangha who may be interested in taking refuge.

Indulge in hope for two days as you Walk the Purpose Path, a two-day workshop in life-visioning, August 13 and 14th. Life Purpose is on the minds of many of us today. Whether in a midlife passage, career or family transition, or other time of deeper reflection, having a sense of how we best fit in the world can mean the difference between inspiration and desperation. “This is a mental health priority, and even emergency, for millions”, according to iishana Artra, MA, CCP who co-created Walk the Purpose Path with Fred Taylor, M.Div., PhD. This summer in Brattleboro, they are providing a special opportunity to explore this fit as they launch their new life-visioning series with the mission of providing affordable access to an inspired life.

Good article in the Reformer on Saturday about the arrival of Rabbi Tom Heyn to Brattleboro Area Jewish Community

SUN. AUG. 8: 1-4 PM: AN AFTERNOON OF RETREAT AND RENEWAL ON THE MANITOU LAND

Co-sponsored by The Manitou Project and the Brattleboro Area Interfaith Initiative: Facilitators: Fred Taylor and Rupa Cousins

Do you feel a hunger for silence and solitude in nature?

Does your work in the world leave you feeling depleted and in need of renewal?

Is there a question you’d like to seek guidance for in your life?

*** EARTH MAMA WOMEN'S WEEKEND ***
July 17th and 18th, Alstead, NH.

Proceeds support the Orchard Hill School, a farm based school for kids.

Join us for two days of swimming, sauna, eating fresh food from the Orchard Hill Farm, yoga, herb classes, art making, fresh bread from Orchard Hill Breadworks, sacred fires, wildcrafting, and more! Join Sage, Ellen, and other green women for a weekend of celebrating each other and the earth. A relaxing time to just enjoy the summer, good food and good herbs. Hope to see some of you there!

A daylong retreat on “Intention, Awareness and Action” is set for Sunday, July 25, at the Vermont Insight Meditation Center.

Retreat leader Amita Schmidt, author of the book “Dipa Ma: The Life and Teachings of a Buddhist Master” and the Tricycle Magazine article “Which Buddhist Personality Type Are You?” will speak about spiritual intention and how to support it in one’s daily life.

What is dead or dieing in the gulf and elsewhere?

Birds fish, love, faith ,hope ,spirit ,trust,blue fin tuna,truth.

What SHOULD be dead or dieing: Oil company ceo's, liers, Cars, greed, the mistrust of our government.

I want to wash off a pelican and look at it clean and look at its eyes and face and beak and embrace it , but when i let it go all cleaned from the mess we've made where will it go?

In 1992, a program began in the world’s largest spiritual community to help schoolchildren cultivate self-awareness and presence.

Awareness through the Body (ATB) includes dozens of exercises & games that teach kids and adults to inhabit their bodies & spirits more fully.

The program has spread to Europe and made headlines in the international media.

This summer, for the first time, ATB is coming to the U.S.

The Shambhala Meditation Center of Brattleboro invites the public to a talk by author Roger Guest on his new book “The Tender Heart of Sadness: 28 Aspects of Warriorship” on Friday, June 11, at 7:00 p.m.

Author and teacher Guest was a close student of Ven. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, founder of the Shambhala Buddhist tradition. Drawn from both the Buddhist and Shambhala traditions, the book is written in an accessible and simple tone about themes from the Shambhala teachings with occasional stories of times spent with Trungpa Rinpoche.

The First United Methodist Church of Brattleboro will hold its First Annual Blessing of the Bikes next Sunday, June 13, 2010.We have invited motorcycle riders from throughout the region to join us for worship at 10am and a BBQ directly following.

We will have hamburgers and hotdogs, as well as luscious potluck salads and desserts. We hope to see folks from various veterans, police and firefighter groups, including the Vermont Red Knights, as well as many individuals from the greater Brattleboro area on their motorcycles. Christi Catino will sing “Jesus, Take the Wheel” as we worship God and love our neighbors and our postlude will be “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf.

I was sitting outside with my mother last night, enjoying the gloaming after a pleasant and peaceful Memorial Day barbecue, when it suddenly occurred to both of us to look for the Last Judgement chapters of the Gospels. We read a passage out of Mark about apocalyptic earthquakes, famine, and destruction — "When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come." I think I just laughed but it was nervous laughter. At no other time in my life have such apocalyptic words sounded so apt for our present condition. And that freaked me out.

But I was already freaked out. I had a mini nervous breakdown this weekend, created by a variety of factors — exhaustion, stress, Gulf oil spill disaster, financial market weirdness, strange storms that take down trees, and probably most of all, the need I've felt to continue to carry on with my life as though nothing were happening.

In 1992, a program began in the world’s largest spiritual community to help schoolchildren cultivate self-awareness and presence.

Awareness through the Body (ATB) includes dozens of exercises & games that teach kids and adults to inhabit their bodies & spirits more fully.

The program has spread to Europe and made headlines in the international media.

This summer, for the first time, ATB is coming to the U.S.