JULY 14-17, 2013

Program Description

We live in a time of rising oceans and epic storms, literally and figuratively. We live on the brink of catastrophic destruction that can only be mitigated by nearly incomprehensible change. We have come crashing into the reality that we are not separate from the earth. It is not a question of whether climate change is happening, but rather how we are going to respond to it. Individually and collectively, how do we face this situation? What are we going to do? How are we going to live? These are spiritual questions.

This program puts the essential discussion of sustainability into the context of the sacredness of the earth. We will explore different spiritual teachings and practices on this sacredness, and how our relationship to the earth affects our relationships to each other and to our community. Then we’ll look at how we can learn and engage in spirituality to build resiliency as we prepare to transition to a world without oil.

Participants will engage the mind in educational sessions, the body in aware movement, the spirit in meditation and ritual, and the heart in compassionate community. The questions of how all that we are learning and doing impacts the way we live day-to-day and the potential for a transformed future will drive the trajectory of the program. Participants will eat local, organic food, preparing their daily breakfast with their peers in the living quarters on campus.