Kwanzaa Celebration at Whitney Art Center January 18th

                                                                     *******
Over the years, Women's Interfaith's focus has been on encouraging and nurturing meaningful conversation.
Here's a link to an interesting article:
the power of conversation

Wednesday, December 18

WII altar with lights December 2011

Annual Celebration of Light 

The season of light is upon us. Now is the time to reconnect to the light within ourselves, which is the essence of our being. How can we each share that light with the world? Join the Women’s Interfaith Institute in what has become a beloved tradition on Wednesday, December 18th for our annual celebration of Light, Spirit and Community. Through sacred music, healing prayer, divine dance and guided meditation we will share the ceremonial illumination of Light as expressed through various faith traditions. Rabbi Kaya Stern Kaufman, Rev. Susan Jameson, Shirley Edgerton, JoAnne Spies and others will guide the evening as we call forth brightness and hope, and set our light-filled intentions as 2013 comes to an end and the New Year approaches.

If so moved, bring an object for the altar that represents what brings forth your light.

THIS MONTH'S QUOTE:

"There is a crack in everything.    That's how the light gets in."   Leonard  Cohen

Wednesday, November 20

Harvest Gathering
with Satyena Ananda

 

Your gratitude is one
of your greatest powers,   

for only when you find gratitude
do you begin to be liberated     

Grace, Gratitude, and Joy

We gather together at this time of Harvest to give thanks for our many blessings and to share with each other the fruits of our lives as well as the gifts we have received. We all know the power and grace that comethrough gratitude. When we imagine a circle of "women of faith," connected and focused on Gratitude and Blessings, we tap into the incredible goodness that we have the power to unleash in the world.

Please join us for our traditional gathering as we share an evening of:

Connection, Inspiration, Ceremony, Gratitude, Prayer, Song

And a Harvest Feast

This year we will be using the power of our voices to acknowledge our appreciation for what we are harvesting: gratitude for what has been, what we have received, what we have learned, how we have grown, the gifts we have given,  the joy we have known, the strength we have called upon, the challenges we have conquered, the love we are harvesting,

the action we have been called to take.

Please bring an object for the gratitude altar that represents the blessings of your harvest along with a short written paragraph about the greatest blessing you have given and the greatest blessing you have received. 

There is such Power in collective Prayer and Intention

 Let us take this opportunity
to join our hearts

To call down a Blessing on all life!

Bio:  Satyena Ananda is a holistic educator and spiritual guide with thirty eight years background and training in designing and implementing programs and experiences for people of all ages in the areas of healing, personal transformation, holistic living , ceremony and spiritual direction.  Her work promotes spiritual connection, peace, self-acceptance, love and spirit-empowerment.  She is co-founder and director of Starseed, an interfaith healing sanctuary and holistic retreat center in the northern Berkshires. 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013   

5:45-8:45pm

  First Congregational Church
        4 Main Street, Stockbridge MA   

Maya Angelou

"Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to welcome good into your life."   *~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~ Meaningful conversation has been at the heart of Women Interfaith gatherings. Here's an interview with poet David Whyte about the importance of wholehearted conversation: David Whyte on 'Courageous Conversation'

Wednesday, October 16

Transforming Your Relationship    with One who has Passed with AnnE O'Neil     5:45-8:45pm   First Congregational Church         4 Main Street, Stockbridge MA      Most psychological models of grief focus only on coming to emotional closure. New age practices often look at the ongoing spiritual connection but do not deal with the pain of having lost someone dear to us.   In this evening, we will find the middle road between these paths by looking at the hard realities of mourning while also inviting a new and more open spiritual connection with our loved one's soul. This will be accomplished through writing exercises, one-on-one sharing, and guided meditation. Join us for an evening of healing, sharing, and opening. *  *  *  Rev. AnnE O'Neil, founder of your soul path, is an energy healer, Interfaith minister, and grief counselor. She was ordained by One Spirit Interfaith Seminary in 2008 and is a Certified Instructor and Practitioner with One Light Healing Touch.   Her work is primarily with those who have experienced a significant loss in their life, supporting them through the healing process to a place where they are once again excited by the possibilities of life.   AnnE's recently published memoir, If You Want the Rain, Welcome the Rainbow: A Memoir of Grief and Recovery, recounts her journey with this process and looks at the damage we do when we dismiss and/or diminish our feelings of grief. She also teaches energy healing classes to help people learn to release heavy and foreign energy and raise their own vibration.  For more information, go to www.yoursoulpath.com  Guests are asked to arrive at 5:45 pm and bring a dish to share  for a pot luck dinner which begins at 6 p.m. AnnE''s program begins at 7 pm.  WII’s monthly gatherings meet at the First Congregational Church of Stockbridge,  4 Main Street, Stockbridge, MA. All are welcome; suggested donation for non-members is $5-10. For more information, call Alison Gaines at 413-442-3604.

Wednesday, September 18

The Art of Mindful Conversation

What is mindful conversation?    What does it have to do with creating a healthy community? Wendy Krom, a community organizer and student of Shambhala Buddhism, is currently organizing local congregations to form the Berkshire Organizing Sponsoring Committee. The foundation of this congregation-based approach to community organizing is relationship building. As we get to know each other one-on-one  and learn one another's stories in community, issues of concern reveal themselves and leaders naturally emerge.Wendy will lead us in the practices of mindfulness meditation and conversation.  In describing the work of community organizing, the practice of meditation and the study of Shambhala Buddhism, she will help us discern how our relationships with one another form the fabric of enlightened society.

Wendy Krom 

Wendy Krom is Founder and Director of Community Consulting Services, which provides training and technical assistance to non-profit organizations and community groups. www.communityleadership.com

She has extensive experience in community coalition building as a means to prevent alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse and has helped neighborhood groups become organized and young people to form peer education groups in their schools and communities.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Prayer For Our World

Holy One of Blessing,  Source of Life                                                                                                     we offer our prayers for our Great Mother, our world of unspeakable beauty 

and unspeakable tragedy.

May the light of compassion grow in the hearts of all human beings, to transform the darkness of greed into the growing awareness that all life is sacred.

May You guide us with wisdom and strengthen us with courage to make the changes we need to make

to safeguard the future for our children and generations to come.

May You awaken our leaders to the one simple truth that we are all inextricably connected to one another.

At this time of particular danger and struggle in the Middle East we pray for all peoples who long to live under your canopy of peace.

Keep them safe when they are threatened and

protect them from harm.

When they are wounded and bereaved

grant them healing and comfort.

May they find strength and courage in the days ahead.

(this paragraph adapted from Rabbi Karyn D. Kedar)

Dear God, hear our prayers, grant us wisdom, courage

and the holy chutzpah

to continue the work for healing and peace .

Amen


received from Rimon in the Berkshires
Resouce Center for Jewish Spirituality
 http://www.rimonberkshires.org/

Share your prayer for peace.. 

Wednesday, June 19

 Women's Interfaith is honored to host Francesca Margulies as our June program presenter.

Francesca Margulies

Remembering Who We Are Through the Art of Eurythmy                                                                                                                                   presented by Francesca Margulies

 
'I feel myself within myself. Myself and the world are one.'
Rudolph Steiner 

Eurythmy is an art of movement that expands the way we think and feel about ourselves and the world. Developed by Rudolf Steiner, creator of Waldorf world-wide education, Eurythmy is language and music made visible through movement. Eurythmy transforms physical and emotional imbalances, and encourages the body, heart, and mind to come to a state of inner warmth and strength. 
Francesca Margulies came to Eurythmy as a classically trained ballet dancer in the School of American Ballet under George Balanchine, having danced with professional ballet companies in televised productions and on Broadway.  She taught Eurythmy at the Rudolph Steiner school in Great Barrington and will share some of its history as well as lead us in a gentle guided session.  
"I bear within myself  the forces to make me strong." - Rudolph Steiner


Guests are asked to arrive at 5:45 pm and bring a dish to share for a pot luck dinner which begins at 6 p.m.
Francesca's program begins at 7 pm. WII’s monthly gatherings meet at the First Congregational Church of Stockbridge, 4 Main Street, Stockbridge, MA.
All are welcome; suggested donation for non-members is $5-10.

For more information, call Alison Gaines at 413-442-3604.

Wednesday, May 22

Our Narratives: Seeking God, Finding Faith
While our culture offers many occasions to share our psychological selves, it is rare and beautiful to have an opportunity to share the stories of our spiritual journeys. Women's Interfaith Institute (WII), in conjunction with facilitators Ani Grosser and Wendy Rabinowitz, will be offering that chance to Berkshire women at our pot luck gathering this month.

The program, "Our Narratives: Seeking God, Finding Faith", will lead you through a reflection on your own spiritual life and invite you to connect with others with their stories and challenges.

We will specifically look at four aspects of one's spiritual evolution: 
1. The Discovery 
2. The Inner Journey and the Struggles 
3. How Your Faith Manifests in your Life and in the World 
4. Going Forth 

Wendy Rabinowitz

 
The program format includes guided meditation, the skills of deep listening from Communologue, and the connectivity offered by The World Cafe model. 
The evening will be facilitated by Ani Grosser, counselor and facilitator of empowerment groups, and Berkshire resident and Wendy A. Rabinowitz, an artist, workshop leader, and spiritual journeyer. 

Both Wendy and Ani are former members of the Board of Directors and dedicated friends of Women's Interfaith Institute. To learn more about these passionate and effective women please see their websites: Wendy's website: Living Threads Judaica 
Ani's website: The Center for Compassionate Relationships 

Ani Nadler Grosser

 




Time and Location:
5:45-8:45pm 
First Congregational Church
4 Main Street, Stockbridge MA