Wisdom Circle - Courageous Inquiry
2020-02-11 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Third Haven Friends Meeting, 405 South Washington St, Easton, MD, 21601, United States
Wisdom Circles
Our ancestors gathered in circles around the fire to tell stories,
solve problems, seek the common good and celebrate the joys of life.

The Practice of Courageous Inquiry
6 Tuesdays 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
January 21 – February 25, 2020
Third Haven Friends Meeting
405 South Washington St., Easton MD 2160

“Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves
as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Live the questions now.
Perhaps then, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

In this Wisdom Circle we will practice courageous inquiry, a process for using questions to live with purpose and courage. At each gathering we will choose a question to consider through quiet reflection, prayer and group discussion. Questions will focus on an aspect of spirituality, such as “Who is God for me?” and “How is Spirit calling me to engage with life?” We will use poetry, scripture and other inspirational material to guide us in examination of the questions chosen each week.
In between each session we will practice courageous inquiry with contemplative and journaling exercises that deepen the conversations begun together each week. Participants will leave the Wisdom Circle experience with a way to form questions big enough to live in and practices that enhance the ability to listen for answers.
$75.00 per person – Pre-registration is required. Please register by Tuesday, January 14.
Online: http://bit.ly/wisdomcirc2 Email: info@retreathousehillsboro.org
Mail: The Retreat House, P. O. Box 3, Hillsboro MD 21641 – please indicate “Easton”

Linda Mastro, a Roman Catholic lay woman, lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Linda is a skilled retreat leader, spiritual director, life coach, and writer. She is co-author of the book Petite Retreats: Renewing Body, Mind, and Spirit without Leaving Home.

Wisdom Circles: The Sounds of Silence
2020-02-11 10:00 - 11:30
Wisdom Circles
Our ancestors gathered in circles around the fire to tell stories,
solve problems, seek the common good and celebrate the joys of life.

The Sounds of Silence: An Exploration in Contemplative Prayer
6 Tuesdays 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
January 21 – February 25, 2020
Private home in Centreville

In this wisdom circle we will explore the many ways to pray silently and deeply. Each week we will experience and practice forms of contemplative prayer such as praying with the body, the written word, centering prayer, music, and nature.
This circle is for you if you find your prayer life is superficial, if you need a quiet break from a hectic schedule or if you want to experience silent prayer in a group setting. Those new to these practices are welcome, as well as those experienced in contemplative prayer. The wisdom circle is not specifically Christian-all who seek a deeper spiritual life are invited to attend.
$75.00 per person – Pre-registration is required. Please register by Tuesday, January 14.
Online: http://bit.ly/wisdomcirc2 Email: info@retreathousehillsboro.org
Mail: The Retreat House, P. O. Box 3, Hillsboro MD 21641 – please indicate “Centreville”

Julia Morris-Myers loves discovering the sacred in everyday life. She is a musician, teacher and spiritual director on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where she lives with her husband and assorted pets. Julia is the Director of Music at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Centreville and has
certificates in leading groups and in spiritual direction from the Shalem Institute in Washington, DC, and Bon Secours Retreat Center in Marriottsville MD.

Wisdom Circles: Tending the Holy in the Fallow Season
2020-02-12 18:00 - 19:30 | J. L. Stam House, 114 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD, 21620, United States
Wisdom Circles
Our ancestors gathered in circles around the fire to tell stories,
solve problems, seek the common good and celebrate the joys of life.

Winter Wisdom: Tending the Holy in a Fallow Season
5 Wednesdays 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
January 29 – February 26, 2020
The Stam House
114 Washington Ave., Chestertown MD 21620

Winter is the season where all around us fields lay fallow. The spiritual life does well to emulate nature’s wisdom. We need stillness. We need rest. There is a time for going deeper that has nothing to do with productivity. We have been trained to ignore the rhythms of nature, to stay busy and efficient at all times. So it will take a new kind of attentiveness to sink into our own fallow season.
Our Wisdom Circle will explore ways to attend to the holy within each of us through guided meditation and contemplative practice. Each session will focus on a particular topic, learn practices to use in the week ahead and spend some time together in quiet.
Winter’s stillness and quiet will support our quiet practices. We’ll learn waiting with the fields as we allow ourselves to rest in the Spirit of the season.
$75.00 per person – Pre-registration is required. Please register by Wednesday, January 22.
Online: http://bit.ly/wisdomcirc2 Email: info@retreathousehillsboro.org
Mail: The Retreat House, P. O. Box 3, Hillsboro MD 21641 – please indicate “Chestertown”

Debra Donnelly-Barton is a graduate of The Stillpoint School for Spiritual Direction and the General Theological Seminary in New York. She has an MA in theology from St. Mary’s Seminary and University. Debra has studied the Ignatian spiritual exercises as well as an intensive training in centering prayer with Thomas Keating.

Wisdom Circle: Praying with Imagination
2020-02-13 18:30 - 20:00 | The Retreat House, 22005 Church Street, Hillsboro, MD, 21641, United States
Wisdom Circles
Our ancestors gathered in circles around the fire to tell stories,
solve problems, seek the common good and celebrate the joys of life.

SEEING THE WORD: Praying with Imagination
4 Thursdays 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
January 30 – February 20, 2020
The Retreat House at Hillsboro
22005 Church Street, Hillsboro MD 21641

We are pleased to offer this unique experience! Praying with Imagination is a contemplative prayer practice using art, music, imagery and color to help us encounter the Holy Spirit in personal and creative ways. Participants will be encouraged to play and create however they choose — journaling, drawing, collage, or just doodling!
Each week we will explore a beautiful passage of scripture accompanied by music or a simple art activity to enrich the theme. The passages include magnificent images from the famous Saint John’s Bible, inspiring us to open the “eyes of our heart” and contemplate what the spirit is calling us to do in the world today.
The Saint John’s Bible is the first of its kind in 500 years. Commissioned by the Benedictine monks at St. John’s, as a tribute to the new millennium, it has over 160 illuminations–or images reflecting the scripture–to bring the Word of God to life today. By praying with the illuminations, we may search deeper into the meaning for our lives.
$75.00 per person – Pre-registration is required. Please register by Thursday, January 23.
Online: http://bit.ly/wisdomcirc2 Email: info@retreathousehillsboro.org
Mail: The Retreat House, P. O. Box 3, Hillsboro MD 21641 – please indicate “Hillsboro”

Heather Hall is graduate of Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction. She is a lifelong learner and seeker who graduated from Education for Ministry and JustFaith. Heather was active with St Mary’s Episcopal Church in Anchorage, Alaska, where she led Adult Education classes, workshops, retreats and Outreach programs. Born and raised in Maryland, Heather recently returned to the Eastern Shore to establish her encore career as a life coach, spiritual director and storyteller through arts & crafts.

Wisdom Circles: Cultivating Peace in Small Community
2020-02-13 18:30 - 20:00 | St. Anne’s Church Parish Hall, 199 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis, MD, 21401, United States
Wisdom Circles
Our ancestors gathered in circles around the fire to tell stories,
solve problems, seek the common good and celebrate the joys of life.

Cultivating Peace in Small Community
5 Thursdays 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
January 23 – February 20, 2020
St. Anne’s Church Parish Hall
199 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis MD 21401

“The measure of our compassion lies not in our service of those on the margins
but only in our willingness to see ourselves in kinship with them.”
~Fr. Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, Los Angeles

In our world, it can be hard to find the space and time to connect and reflect with others. In this weekly gathering, we will explore the age-old spiritual practice of small-group discussion about the cultivation of peace and kinship in the world. We call it a ‘wisdom circle’ because it’s only together that we can discover our greatest wisdom, expand our awareness and embrace the needs of our world and community around us.
Each week, we will read and reflect on spiritual writings including: Watchman Nee, Proverbs, Thich Naht Hahn, Gordon Cosby, Jesus, Julian of Norwich, various poets, and David Steindl-Rast and take away a daily gratitude practice to explore in the week to come. We will share a bowl of soup at the start of our gathering.
$75.00 per person – Pre-registration is required. Please register by Thursday, January 16.
Online: http://bit.ly/wisdomcirc2 Email: info@retreathousehillsboro.org
Mail: The Retreat House, P. O. Box 3, Hillsboro MD 21641 – please indicate “Annapolis”

Heather Strang is a graduate of the Shalem Institute, a spiritual retreat leader and an active companion in the prayer ministries of St. Anne’s Church. As a professional chef, Heather merges her love for teaching with her life-long love of cooking in her private culinary classes taught for both children and adults. She lives with her husband in Annapolis, Maryland.
