Presented by Rabbi Michael Lerner on March 12th.     DVD coming soon!

 

Presented by Adam Warcup on February 23rd.     Buy on DVD

 

FREE WEBCAST  
Thursday, March 25, 7:00 p.m. CDT

Thursday, April 23, 7:00 p.m. CDT 

Therapeutic Touch (TT) is an energetic healing modality of the heart, mind, and hands that can be taught in a simple way to enable you to help your family and yourself during these stressful times.  The movements of TT can ease pain and bring a profound sense of peace, relaxation, and wellbeing. When it is used frequently in a family, it can inspire kindness and caring. While TT is often used on patients in healthcare settings by practitioners with higher levels of expertise, this presentation is for beginners and will focus on the very heart of TT: compassion and love for one another.

An online workshop will be available on Saturday, April 25th, for anyone interested in deepening their TT practice. Learn more and register here. 

Marilyn Johnston-Svoboda, RN, EdD, QTTP/QTTT (Qualified Therapeutic Touch Teacher), is a retired professor of nursing. Taught by Dora Kunz, who co-created TT, Dr. Johnston has led numerous workshops and conferences for over 30 years, teaching TT, imagery, and other wellness and healing modalities. She currently teaches several TT workshops each year and mentors many students. In her private practice, she creates a caring and peaceful environment in which to administer TT for those who are ill along with those who seek to maintain well-being. Dr. Johnston is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and a credentialing trustee of the Therapeutic Touch International Organization.

This program will be presented as a special, no-audience webcast. To participate, visit our webcast page, YouTube channel or Facebook page and watch via live stream.

Wednesdays 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. CDT 
October 19 – November 9 (4 classes) 
TS Members: $60 • Nonmembers: $75

Tuesdays, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. CDT  
July 19 – September 27 (11 meetings)

Thursday, May 21, 7:00 p.m. CDT

Do you ever feel disconnected from others? Maybe even disconnected from yourself? Through the lens of spirituality, we will acquire tools to understand ourselves more thoroughly and connect with others more deeply. In this way, we will increase our insight into the transformational journey we call life. The discussion will include contemplation and meditation exercises, self-observation and journaling techniques, and more.

Barbara B. Hebert, PhD, currently serves as president of the Theosophical Society in America. A third-generation Theosophist, Barbara has been involved in local, regional, and national offices throughout her years of membership. In addition to her years of service with the Theosophical Society, she has been a mental health practitioner and educator for many years.

TS members: free • Nonmembers: $10 in advance, $15 at the door

Register here

Saturday, May 16, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

This unique retreat focuses on the needs of those who are caring for the chronically ill or dying. Caregivers will have the opportunity to learn, relax, and rejuvenate through a series of talks interspersed with activities designed to inspire, empower, and revitalize. Professional providers will offer free services for relaxation, such as Therapeutic Touch™, hand massage, reflexology, yoga for stress relief, and mindfulness. The day will conclude with the opportunity to participate in sound healing and relaxation. A continental breakfast and vegetarian lunch will be provided. Participants will leave the day with a plan for continued revitalization and self-care.

Space is limited. You must be a current primary caregiver to someone chronically or terminally ill to attend.

Facilitators: Marilyn Johnston-Svoboda, EdD, RN, QTTP, QTTT; Janet Wehr, RN, QTTP; Lisa Leamy, BSN, RN, QTTP; Ananya S Rajan, MS, LPC; Barbara B. Hebert, Ph.D., LPC-S

Keynote Speaker: Chaplain Linnea Winquist, MDIV/BCC, Director of Spiritual Care and Education, Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital

$10 includes continental breakfast and vegetarian lunch

Register here

Friday, May 15, 7:00 p.m.

Join us for an immersive healing experience! A Gong Bath™ is a powerful vibrational journey that positively affects emotional balance, cellular healing, and spiritual awareness. An alchemy of eastern philosophy, bio-energetics, and quantum science, it is a powerful healing modality. During the Gong Bath, participants are bathed with rhythms and multi-tonal octaves that are naturally revitalizing, stress reducing, and profoundly healing – physically, mentally, and spiritually. This gong bath will focus on the Divine Feminine, the aspect of the Self associated with the seven chakras: earth consciences (root), sensuality (sacral), creation (solar plexus), intuition (heart), community (throat), self-insight (brow) and collaboration (crown).                            

Bring a pillow and a mat or blanket to lie on. 

Richard Rudis (Sonam Dorje) is a published writer, musician, and lecturer on the subject of vibrational sound healing as it is reflected within Tibetan Buddhism. An American practitioner of the Vajrayana path and a sound pioneer, he has studied sacred instruments and their playing techniques across Asia, conducting transformational sound mandala concerts internationally. For more, visit www.sacredsoundgongbath.com.

$30 in advance, $35 at the door Registration is limited to 60 people

Register here

Saturday, May 9, 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

“To love is to know Me: thus one shares in my glory and enters into my boundless being. All his acts are performed in my service, and through my grace he wins eternal life.” Bhagavad Gita 18:55-56

What is Divine cannot be conveyed or known through words or concepts, and the realization of Oneness is possible as we open up to what is already within us, in the center of our being. During this meditation retreat inspired by the sacred text The Bhagavad Gita, Juliana Cesano will lead a series of guided and silent practices, as well as direction for daily living.   

Please bring your own vegetarian lunch. 

Juliana Cesano is a second generation Theosophist and has been actively involved with the Society’s work for over twenty years. She volunteered for two years at the international headquarters in Chennai, India, and has been part of the staff at the headquarters of the Theosophical Society in America for the last ten years. She is a certified yoga teacher, 200 CYT, and is currently the manager of the Quest Book Shop.

TS members: $60 • Nonmembers: $70 • $80 at the door

 Register here

You can also join Juliana for her talk “The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living” on May 7.

Saturday, May 2, 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.  CANCELLED

Ayurveda is India’s ancient holistic medicine system. Its focus is to create harmony within our own unique being and with the world around us. Learn how to view your health and self-care in completely new, profound, and simple ways. Join Ayurveda doctor and clinical researcher Swati Mhaske to learn the essentials of Ayurveda, easy self-care practices, and healthy routine adjustments for radical healing of the body, mind, and spirit.

Topics include:

• Basics of Ayurveda
• History of Ayurveda and its significance
• The five elements, the doshas, and their role in self-care
• Discovering your unique dosha constitution and how to keep them in balance
• Daily life Ayurveda practices for self-care to practice every day

Handouts on Ayurveda lifestyle and healthy recipes will be provided with the lecture.

Swati Mhaske, BA, MS, MSc, Pharm, is an Ayurveda physician and has had extensive hands-on training in Panchakarma (detoxification and body cleanse procedures). She offers one-on-one Ayurvedic and Panchakarma consultations in treating lifestyle disorders, hormonal imbalances, fertility issues and other health imbalances in adults and children at her company HemaVeda in Crystal Lake, IL.

Thursday, April 30, 7:00 p.m. CDT   CANCELED

How does understanding our purpose lead to a more spiritually fulfilling life and motivate us in the co-creation of a positive, cultural shift? In this presentation, we’ll explore how Purpose is the key to a global culture that values collaboration and compassion above division and confrontation. Navigating from a place of purpose, we can embark on an exciting spiritual journey that nurtures both personal transformation and an emergent culture of peace, purpose and unity.

Emanuel Kuntzelman is a social entrepreneur, philosopher, environmentalist, and lifelong seeker of spiritual understanding. As founder and president of Greenheart International, he has devoted most of his working life to promoting cultural understanding, personal development, and social action. He is a founder of the Global Purpose Movement and contributor to the recent books The Intelligence of the Cosmos and Purpose Rising.

Sunday, April 26, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.  POSTPONED

Please join us for this free family-friendly community event in celebration of Arbor Day! Bring your own vegetarian picnic and enjoy music, games, a treasure hunt, and tree planting ceremony. You are also invited to participate in a labyrinth walk and tour our sustainable gardens maintained by Sustain DuPage. A limited number of picnic benches will be available, so please bring your own blanket or lawn chairs. This is an outdoor event rain or shine, so make sure to dress for the weather!

Saturday, April 25, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.  CANCELED 

Restore your vitality, refine your will power, and rest into a deeper sense of You. Learn about the powerfully healing and transformational technique of yoga nidra, a Sanskrit term meaning yogic sleep. This workshop includes conscious movement, deep breathing exercises, and a long yoga nidra session practiced lying on the back in a supported restorative yoga posture that will lead you into deeper states of relaxation by systematically quieting the nervous system. Yoga nidra is safe for all practitioners and no experience is necessary. Please wear comfortable clothes that allow you to move freely, and bring a yoga mat and one or more blankets. 

Mia Park has thousands of hours of training in traditions that include tantra yoga, yoga therapy, trauma informed yoga, yoga for children and seniors, meditation, alignment, and more. She is a YACEP, E-RYT 500 and 200 CYT, 500 hour Viniyoga teacher, domestic violence advocate, Rest and Renew restorative yoga teacher, iRest Level 1 teacher, and a Certified Integrated Ayurvedic Practitioner and Advanced Yoga Teacher. For more information visit miapark.com.

Saturday, April 25, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. THIS IS RESCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, MAY 30

Come together to be a healing part of history as we change the world! Qigong teachers Reneé Ryan, John Robertson, and Mark Weaver will lead participants in their respective styles, creating a continuous global wave of qi, or life energy. In over 80 nations, people will come together, breathe together, and focus on healing and hope for our world. 

Gather outside (indoors, if inclement weather) at 9 a.m. for instruction, 10 a.m. silent group practice, and 11 a.m. an instructor meet-and-greet. To learn more about World Tai Chi and Qigong Day events, visit www.worldtaichiday.org.

All are welcome to attend this free event! No experience is required.

Thursday, April 23, 7:00 p.m. CDT  CANCELED

Learn about the latest research on human memory from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience. Studies of patients with amnesia and of brain activity associated with learning have shed light on mental time travel—when we mentally re-live past experiences. Other aspects of memory research will also be touched on, including false memories, implicit memories, and sleep. This research offers a way of thinking about the brain basis of conscious experience.

Ken Paller, PhD, is a professor at Northwestern University, where he holds the James Padilla Chair in Arts and Sciences and directs the training program in the Neuroscience of Human Cognition. His most recent experiments have shown that memory processing during sleep can reinforce prior learning, providing novel evidence on sleep’s role in memory—as described in his Scientific American article, “Sleep Learning Gets Real,” and his Frontiers for Young Minds article, “Do House-Elves Clean Your Brain While You Sleep?”

Friday, April 24, 7:00 p.m. CANCELED

Celebrate the vitality of spring! As the frequency and vibrations of crystal bowls bring harmony to the etheric, emotional, and physical bodies, the brain shifts into higher states of consciousness, thoughts are slowed down, and the heart opens to healing. Deeksha, or the Oneness Blessing, creates balance in the hemispheres of the brain, releases fear, and invites the higher frequency of love to enter, allowing us to reconnect with our spiritual essence.

Wear loose, comfortable clothing and bring a mat and/or blanket.              

Yolanda Lozano has over 20 years of extensive bi-cultural training in the healing arts from master teachers in India, China, and the United States. She integrates breathing techniques, toning and chanting, meditation, movement, vibrational energy healing, and self-care while listening to the True Self within. For more, visit www.yolandahealinghearts.com.

You can also join Yolanda for Crystal Bowl Sound Healings on May 31 and July 26.

Thursday, April 16, 7:00 p.m. CDT  CANCELED

With so much stress, conflict, and tension in the world today, the Buddha’s teachings on cultivating a peaceful heart and mind are very timely. These teachings are not concerned with metaphysical or philosophical speculations, but rather provide practical guidelines for developing and applying mindfulness and wisdom in our experience of life. Through this practice we can learn to live truly meaningful lives with a light and peaceful heart, unburdened by fear, anxiety and anger.

Ajahn Pasanno (Reed Perry) was raised in Canada. He was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1974 and shortly after went to live with Venerable Ajahn Chah as one of his first Western disciples. In 1982, Ajahn Pasanno became abbot of Wat Nanachat in Thailand, where he was responsible for training monks and novices and became a very well-known and highly respected Dharma teacher. In 1997 he moved to California, joining Ajahn Amaro in establishing the Abhayagiri Monastery.

CANCELED

Saturday, April 18, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. CANCELED

Venerable Ajahn Chah was one of the most influential and highly respected Thai meditation masters of the 20th century. The teachings of Ajahn Chah were simple, direct, and profoundly insightful, inspiring several generations of disciples. We invite you to join two such teachers, Ajahn Pasanno and Joseph Kappel, for this daylong exploration of the spiritual path. The program includes teachings and reflections, periods of sitting and walking meditation, and time for Q&A. This is an extraordinary opportunity to deepen your understanding and practice of the Dharma. 

Please bring your own vegetarian lunch.

Ajahn Pasanno (Reed Perry) was raised in Canada. He was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1974 and shortly after went to live with Venerable Ajahn Chah as one of his first Western disciples. In 1982, Ajahn Pasanno became abbot of Wat Nanachat in Thailand, where he was responsible for training monks and novices and became a very well-known and highly respected Dharma teacher. In 1997 he moved to California, joining Ajahn Amaro in establishing the Abhayagiri Monastery. 

Joseph Kappel lived as Pabhakaro Bhikkhu with Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho in Thailand and Great Britain from 1971 to 1991. He was among the first to assist in establishing the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England. In 1991, two years after he left the robe of a monk, Joseph attended the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course and completed that training with Jon Kabat-Zinn. He continues to offer courses and retreats based on Buddhist principles in numerous settings.

Thursday, April 9, 7:00 p.m. CDT  CANCELED

In the final stages of Ancient Egypt, a profoundly powerful and mysterious philosophy called Hermeticism emerged from the encounter between Greek and Egyptian cultures. This occult wisdom described the limitless powers of the mind and the meaning of existence and became a source of endless mystery and inspiration to Renaissance scholars. 

In an evening of lost history and practical spirituality, historian and occult scholar Mitch Horowitz will investigate Hermetic wisdom, explore its sources and controversies, and reveal why it may hold exactly the keys modern people are seeking to a universalistic faith of inner development, karmic values, and personal power. 

Mitch Horowitz is the PEN Award-winning author of books including Occult America, One Simple Idea, Mind as Builder, and The Miracle Club. Mitch has discussed alternative spirituality on Dateline NBC, CBS Sunday Morning, and NPR’s All Things Considered, and written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and many other national publications. The Washington Post says Mitch “treats esoteric ideas and movements with an even-handed intellectual studiousness that is too often lost in today’s raised-voice discussions.”