The Return of the Sacred Masculine-
Marriage with the Divine Feminine
Matthew Fox

The Goddess has been returning to Western consciousness for decades through the women’s movement, Goddess rediscoveries, and more. It is time to resurrect the “sacred masculine” as well so that the Goddess may have a proper consort. Much of what passes for masculinity in our culture and religion is anything but sacred. It is toxic, and this toxicity affects not only men but also women in their roles as mothers, sisters, spouses, and human beings. This workshop, based on Matthew Fox’s new book, The Hidden Spiritual Life of Men, will explore ancient archetypes of the sacred masculine including Father Sky, the Green Man, the Spiritual Warrior, Hunter-Gatherer, the Fatherly Heart, the Grandfatherly Heart (eldership), and more. In addition to some lecture, groups will form to play with these archetypes and share with the larger group. The “sacred marriage of the masculine and the feminine” will also be addressed.

www.MatthewFox.org

Matthew Fox, PhD, is a lecturer and author of 28 books including Original Blessing; The Reinvention of Work; Creativity; One River, Many Wells; A New Reformation!; and The A.W.E. Project. Fox has been renewing the ancient tradition of “Creation Spirituality.” This tradition is feminist, welcoming of arts and artists, wisdom-centered, prophetic, and committed to ecojustice, social justice, and gender justice. Fox believes that by “reinventing work, education, and worship we can bring about a nonviolent revolution.” He is currently working on a project for inner-city teenagers called YELLAWE.

Touching Enlightenment:
Finding Realization in the Body
Reginald Ray

To discover the body is to discover our deepest self, and, in turn, to arrive at the deep spiritual fulfillment we all seek.
—Reginald Ray

In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the body is the gateway to enlightenment. When we look at the body from the outside, we see something ordinary, but through the eye of meditation we find innumerable interpenetrating realities as our inconceivable life comes into birth. In this weekend intensive created for meditators of all levels, we explore a series of body-based practices from Tibetan yoga, including the practices of prana breathing, earth breathing, and diagnostic breathing. We also examine the foundations of a strong inner and outer meditation posture, as well as how to uncover and connect with the emotions to receive the wisdom they hold.

Reginald Ray, PhD, brings 38 years of study and intensive meditation practice within the Tibetan tradition as well as a special gift for applying it to the unique problems, inspirations, and spiritual imperatives of modern people. He teaches within the dharma and meditation lineages of the great siddha Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. A member of the faculty of Naropa University since its inception, Ray is the author of several books, including Touching Enlightenment, Indestructible Truth, and Secret of the Vajra World.

Drumming and Mind-Body Synchronization
Glen Velez

The legacy of the frame drum extends to ancient times as an instrument used widely for ritual and healing. In this workshop, participants will experience the pulsing of the drum with the rhythm of their own voices in a percussive language inspired by konnakol, or South Indian rhythm singing. As a group, we will call for guidance and support from ancient drummers, and use our honest endeavors to create a resonant body-voice-drum sound temple.

This workshop will explore simple movement, rhythmic breathing, and the tones of the frame drum to help strengthen the connections between the body, the voice, and the drum, as well as to experience the joy of being alive. Participants will use active listening, synchronized pulsing, overtone singing, and call and response to generate a sense of unity of purpose within themselves and the group as a whole as we explore the language of rhythm. People of all frame drum experience levels are welcome.

www.glenvelez.com
www.myspace.com/glenvelez

Glen Velez, a four-time Grammy® Award recipient, has played a seminal role in the history of world music during the last 25 years in introducing modern audiences to the frame drum. He has taught extensively in university and workshop settings worldwide, investigating the healing properties of drumming and sound. As a master teacher, Velez has developed his own teaching approach called “The Handance Method,” which incorporates voice and body movement into the process of learning to play the frame drum. His most recent recording, Rhythms of the Chakras Vol. 2 (Sounds True), is scheduled to be released in fall 2008.

Introduction to Rumi
and Classical Sufism
Imam Bilal Hyde

Often considered the religion of the heart, Sufism is known to be the inner mystical teachings of Islam. The traditional training of the Sufi was systematic in its approach to awakening the heart to the Divine ideal. Through spiritual practice and contemplation, Sufis train themselves to remember the Divine in all circumstances of pleasure or pain, leading to both ecstatic awareness and spiritual sobriety.

In this workshop, we will study a variety of classical texts from various Sufi luminaries, including Jelaluddin Rumi, Ibn Arabi, and Hafiz. Through practices in breath, silence, and zikr (remembrance through chanting), we will gain a greater understanding of ourselves and the principles necessary for pursuing any spiritual path. In light of current world conflicts, study of the mystical teachings of Sufism is useful in better understanding Islam in general.

Imam Bilal Hyde has pursued traditional Sufism for 30 years, having studied in Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia. He was trained as an imam in Mecca and Medinah, and currently lives with his wife and daughters in Albany, California. Hyde has served as the imam at San Quentin State Prison and at several Sufi orders. He teaches classes on Qur’anic recitation and the inner meanings of the Qur’an, and leads retreats throughout the United States.

TaKeTiNa—Rhythm for Evolution
An Intensive One-Day Rhythm Workshop
Reinhard and Cornelia Flatischler

TaKeTiNa is one of the most effective musical learning processes of our time. This rhythmic work can be a form of meditation as well as a support for those in pain or psychotherapy, or both. It is definitely a joyously challenging rhythm and singing experience!

The TaKeTiNa process incorporates three different rhythms—in the feet, hands, and the voice—and guides participants into an experience that uncovers the body’s innate rhythmic knowledge. The TaKeTiNa process is a way of integrating movement, rhythm, and voice, and, as a nonlinear process, allows participants to learn at their own pace. TaKeTiNa is an established curriculum used at music universities, health clinics, theater and drum schools and widely used in corporate work. In this one-day workshop, you will have the opportunity to discover how rhythm can increase your quality of life.

Reinhard Flatischler received a diploma in concert piano from the Vienna Conservatory of Music. He left the world of classical music, and through his travels and study of drum cultures, Flatischler synthesized a remarkable way of teaching rhythm and percussion called TaKeTiNa. He has applied these discoveries about rhythm’s potent healing power in research on pain management and chronobiology. Flatischler is a standing member of the International Society for Music in Medicine. He is also founder and composer of the international group, MegaDrums, with Airto Moriera, Zakir Hussain, Glen Velez, Stephen Kent, Wolfgang Puschnig, and others.

Cornelia Flatischler, wife of Reinhard Flatischler, is coleader, a master teacher of TaKeTiNa, and a member of MegaDrums. A gifted instructor and musician, she has taught at music universities and the Vienna Conservatory of Music. She has been a student of tai chi, chi gung, and tao yoga for more than 25 years.

Deconstructing Corporate Media:
Using Independent Media as a Weapon for Justice
Dahr Jamail

This workshop will focus on how, if one is willing to take some risks, it is relatively easy to work as an independent journalist in this current climate where the mainstream media is in a self-described “crisis.” With newspaper sales diminishing and fewer people than ever watching television for their news, the Internet leaves the door open for those willing to take creative and sometimes personal risks in an effort toward getting the truth out. Guided by Jamail, we will investigate the cracks in the foundation of the dominant media monolith that allow our seeds of resistance to sprout.

Dahr Jamail is an independent journalist who has been covering the Middle East for five years. He reported for eight months from occupied Iraq and is the author of Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq. Jamail writes regularly for Inter Press Service, Foreign Policy in Focus, and TomDispatch.com. He has also been published in The Independent, The Guardian, The Sunday Herald, The Nation, and Al-Jazeera, among others.

The Poetics of Enlightenment:
Creativity in Tibetan Buddhism
Steven Goodman

Join us for an experiential celebration of the enlightened arts of Tibet. We will explore the radiant mysteries of the heart, using the elemental energies of sound and light, as well as their magical displays: poetry, music, dance, and painting. We will learn about the “crazy wisdom” traditions of India and Tibet, and how they can open us to delight and amazement. Through guided practices, we will experience ways of moving beyond the bounds of the ordinary— and into open spontaneous presence.

Steven Goodman, PhD, is Cochair of the Asian and Comparative Studies program at CIIS, where he teaches Buddhism and comparative philosophy. A former Rockefeller Fellow and visiting professor in Religious Studies at Rice University, he has taught and lectured widely on Buddhism, meditation, and Western psychology for more than 25 years. He is coeditor of Tibetan Buddhism: Reason and Revelation.