Personal Exploration   

Indulge in the joys of journaling for creative self-expression. In this lighthearted, engaging course, students will learn, hands-on, about the benefits of journaling for personal growth, wellness, and fun! Along with brief lectures and discussions, most of the class time will be spent engaging in guided experiential activities and sharing (sharing is encouraged, but is always optional). All you need is a journal or notebook and some of your favorite colorful pens.  For optimal benefit, please also bring your curiosity and a playful spirit! This experiential course will be taught via Zoom, but for privacy reasons, will not be recorded.

NOTE: Two sections of this course are being offered, both on Zoom.

This course will be a revolutionary way of looking at life in our current reality through the teachings of Syd Banks, philosopher, author and recognized mystic. We will offer the expertise of a variety of global teachers in the fields of psychiatry and psychology in addition to videos of Syd Banks himself. Three Principles teachers Natasha Swerdloff and Dicken Bettinger's book, "Coming Home," and Michael Neill's book, "The Inside-Out Paradigm," shed light on how to deal with our personal and global challenges using our own wisdom and quiet minds to create peace within ourselves. Together, we will watch segments from the authors’ personal videos. Students do not need to read the books prior to class as we will be sharing interesting parts of the videos during the class, allowing time for discussion after each segment. For those who are unfamiliar with Syd Banks, the YouTube video "The Genesis of the Three Principles" is recommended.

WHAT PHILOSOPHY? No matter our religious beliefs, each of us has our own unique philosophy of life. It has three aspects: understanding of the cosmos (the orderly universe); how one lives in community (morality, ethics); and cognizance of self (knowledge, awareness). When we define our unique philosophy, we establish priorities which make it easier to make life's more difficult decisions, especially when we compare their relative impact and importance. The benefit is reducing stress and avoiding anger, resulting in a more peaceful and serene life. The course will review the philosophies of Lao Tzu and Jesus of Nazareth as we engage in critical thinking exercises to assist in perceiving alternate scenarios and in evaluation of a personal philosophy.

NOTE: The instructor will provide “Thinking Critically,” a book he wrote which describes the process, has exercises to help in your thinking, and is free to use during the course. If you wish to make notes in it and keep it, the cost is $10.

This is an in-depth, systematic presentation of universal Presence made experientially accessible through an embodied practice by which the basics of ordinary experience open into their Ground in Presence. The path makes conscious the foundations implicit in every moment of experience and is not based on belief, authority, or special experiences. It helps restore our sense of the Sacred Mystery of Being rather than promoting a specific doctrine. Drawing on the influence of various teachers (notably Adi Da, Hameed Ali, and Gurdjieff), a unique path of teachings and practices evolved over 30 years that was marked by the creation of a series of seven core mandalas. The course will follow this series to integrate the spiritual, psychological, and embodied dimensions of being human. The universal and integral spirituality emerging in our times is made accessible in a unique manner conveyed through lecture, practice, and discussion. All that is required is openness and a willingness to learn.

NOTE: There will be no class meeting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday January 16.

This course is an opportunity to discover and connect more fully with your true self and become the conscious co-creator of your life. You will discover false assumptions you hold about yourself and others, along with expanding your connection and trust in the wisdom of your internal guidance. Interactive lectures, discussions and journaling will facilitate the development of the conscious connection to your true nature. Discovering who we are at our essence, the passions of our soul, and our purpose in life can be a pathway to a happier and more productive life. This is an interactive experience in which students and teacher learn from each other.

NOTE: The required text is "The Evolving Higher Self: A Directed Guide to Fulfillment" by Charles Albert Huth.  This spiral-bound book can be purchased from Lighthouse-Empowerment.com for $14.99 + SH $4.50 or the e-book on Amazon.com for $5.95.

The Enneagram is an ancient, sacred symbol, understood in many ways. The most popular is as a system of nine personality types. When a person discovers their dominant type, things are revealed that can be highly useful for psychological growth and spiritual development. Then one can move with greater self-awareness, sensitivity, and tools to consciously grow, as well as help relieve oneself and others of needless suffering. There are numerous applications in diverse areas including: business, leadership, medicine, psychotherapy, literature, cinema, religion and spirituality, addiction recovery, and education. After reviewing the basics of the system, we look at how knowledge of these nine types can be applied in daily life. This online class will include guided meditations, teaching pieces, Q and A and discussions, breakout groups, required readings and video clips. All students must already know their personal enneatype and have worked with this knowledge for at least a year, preferably longer.  

Required Text: “Enneagram Applications: Personality Styles in Business, Therapy, Medicine, Spirituality and Daily Life,” by Thomson and Condon, and “The Enneagram: Understanding Yourself and the Others in Your Life” by Helen Palmer.

Most families have secrets that conceal shame-based histories and experiences. Some of these secrets become the subject of private or public memoirs. Many of these secrets involve taboos about sex, criminal behavior, war trauma, ancestry, or other shame-filled pasts. Some are buried with their secret-keepers. As we age, some of these secrets hold less power over our lives, and others are so painful or would create so much pain for others, that we keep them hidden. Using psychologist Evan Imber-Black's book, “The Secret Life of Families,” students will read chapters from the main text with optional additional articles for reading provided on-line. Journal prompts (optional) will be offered but not assigned to be turned in. No one will be expected to reveal secrets, and this is not intended to be group therapy. It is an academic exploration of the social and interpersonal dynamics in families that lead to secret keeping, and the motivations behind secret-keeping and revealing. 

Required text: “The Secret Life of Families: Making Decisions about Secrets” by  Evan Imber-Black, PhD (1998)

Want time and space to pursue your present interests? There are 'things' you need to get back to, but haven't yet? How often have you brought new things home, and then actually removed an equal number of things from your home? Do you keep having to rearrange the excess or even move it to a storage unit? How much money does it cost you to keep holding onto all those extra things? This course creates a safe, confidential environment where mutual support means the difference between success and failure. Techniques proven to work help clear your life’s clutter. In this course you will choose another member of the class as your 'clutter coach' and exchange home visits. While this might sound frightening, the rewards are manifold. As you learn to strengthen your clutter clearing muscles, you will notice a whole new attitude. Your state of mind will change, and you and your new friends will actually have fun doing what used to be drudge work.

NOTE: If you have repeatedly tried to get rid of your excess and become overwhelmed just getting started, or if you would be embarrassed having a classmate come to your home, it’s probably best that you don't sign up.

The global pandemic has been one of many situations testing our ability to not only survive, but thrive in the midst of change. We are experiencing a tech-driven society, social unrest, and unexpected personal situations. It's time to be intentional with the steps you take to master your life in family situations, relationships, community work, and more. Embracing change, changing your thought process, functioning in the midst of uncertainty, and being willing to take risks are just a few of the ways to enhance the more adaptable version of yourself. Students will be introduced to the Four Cs of adaptability: culture, connections, collaboration, and character, as well as discover ways to build personal adaptability when putting the Four Cs to work in reaching their limitless potential.
 

NOTES: Required Text: “Adaptability in Talent Development” by Esther Jackson (2021). There will be no class meeting on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday January 16.

The 60's and 70's were a time of social upheaval, which brought forth the so-called "New Age.” A leading architect of this new paradigm was a relatively obscure woman named Jane Roberts who found herself channeling a non-physical entity named Seth. In this course we will explore the phenomena of channeling and the major ideas that Seth introduced through Jane. Topics covered will include the nature of consciousness (especially how it impacts and creates physical reality), reincarnation, the soul, multidimensional personalities, the death experience, life between lives, alternative earth histories, and probable realities. Some of these concepts have been given credence by modern science, especially quantum physics.  We will use audiovisual materials extensively as well as transcripts of Jane’s sessions. Small class size will allow time for students with an open mind to entertain and discuss these intriguing ideas.  No orthodoxy will be taught, and no pressure to believe anything will be presented.  

What a challenging time to be aging solo! Some of us are childfree by choice; others wanted children but are childless by chance.  Some of us may even have had children who are not in our life now. Many of us are now also living without partners, even though we may have had a past partner. This lecture/discussion class is an opportunity to explore how aging solo at this time with its health challenges and other limitations is impacting our lives. What are our unique experiences, questions, concerns, visions and plans? How do we live fully and freely without the family that many people have in their lives? How can we create the relationships, sense of community and support that we would like or need as we age? Through sharing our own experiences, ideas, thoughts and feelings, listening to each other and discussing emailed articles, we can expand our vision of what is possible and desirable at this time, and create a greater sense of belonging and plans for our future.

Have you considered ways that you could offer your own depth of experience and wisdom to the next generations? This course will explore the potential and richness of mentoring: giving back to youth in our community or developing this kind of relationship as a parent, uncle, aunt or grandparent. The classes will consist of presentation, demonstration, interactive discussion, and small group practices. Students will learn a communication model that is positive in its message and approach and practice active listening, trust development and reflection, as well as becoming aware of beliefs that are held in unconscious ways affecting how we respond to others. Joining the class does not require a commitment to becoming a mentor, but simply opens the door to understanding how valuable such a relationship is in our modern culture. Countering the loss of so much positive intergenerational interaction, this course will reveal how easy and rewarding it can be to make a difference in a youth's life.

Make a leap in your awareness by exploring and embracing one’s own truth in order to achieve enhanced fulfillment in life. In this highly interactive Q and A wisdom-sharing experience, utilizing presentations and discussion, students will learn how to use self-inquiry tools to recognize and replace destructive, fear-based limitations with positive, truth-based self-confidence. In this course students will explore topics such as minimizing feelings of vulnerability, guilt, and shame while strengthening accountability, inner calm, and personal integrity. Students will learn to use tools that help eliminate stressful issues and silence the pain-inducing inner critic so that they consciously enrich their lives with affirming constructive energy and love from their essence. The course will focus on the benefits each of us can enjoy by learning to replace fear with truth, thereby empowering overlooked personal potentials. 

Students will explore the complexity and significance of feminism in contemporary Ukraine through stories of Ukrainian women writers, scientists, social activists, leaders and artists whose work changed their culture and the world. The values of the matriarchal cultures that sourced Ukraine continue to be transmitted through her folk arts, music, and dance. Ukrainian women continue to bring forth from within themselves individually and as a diverse community, new expressions of the values and beliefs of their culture. Discover the meaning of Ukrainian goddesses in Ukrainian women’s spirituality and the impact of Russian colonization on Ukrainian identity then and now. Class will combine lecture, guest speakers, discussion on current events that impact Ukrainians, ritual circle sharing, readings and reflective writing.

NOTE: Required text: “Your Ad Could Go Here: Stories by Oksana Zabuzhko,” Edited by Nina Murray.  Other resources: “Mapping Difference: The Many Faces of Women in Contemporary Ukraine,” edited by Marian J Rubchak.