February 4, 2019
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A Sense of Oneness

One of the stronger spirits here at the Christine Center is the sense of oneness. There is a feeling of shared identity with fellow seekers, yes, but also with the Earth and with the divine.

When I speak of this, some reply that it sounds like paganism, animism, or druidism, not realizing how deeply the connection of the Earth and the divine is woven into Judeo-Christian tradition. The second creation story in Genesis, for instance, unfolds in a garden, an ancient metaphor for Earth. In the Jewish Genesis the characters are not Adam and Eve, but “adamah” (red dirt) and “havah” (meaning “to be” or “to become”). In short, soil and life. We are animated dirt. Humans are born of humus. Soil and life joined:  “…all come from dust, and to dust all return.” Ecclesiastes 3:20

That poetic dirt of our birth echoes the actual dust of our origin. The Genesis origin poetry is now echoed by a biological theory that postulates clay might have been the birthplace of life on Earth. Ancient clay provided a space for the chemical reactions that could have created the “stuff” and processes that make living cells work. Even that “stuff” originated in a kind of unifying dirt: star dust. We, the Earth, and the universe are made of the remnants of stars exploding as they died. That dust unifies us. We have daily reminders of our origin and unity as another star—the Sun—spills the byproduct of its nuclear fusion into space, and the Earth’s plants receive it through photosynthesis and begin the food chain that sustains all living things.

While thinking about unity fills me with awe, feeling the unity that fills me with peace. The Christine Center, set in a natural woodland sanctuary, is a perfect place to experience that feeling. Please join us. Come for the peace.

Russell King, Executive Director 
Yoga Nidra 24
with Ann Swanson , E-RYT 200, RYT 500
February 7-8 (Thursday 2 pm–Friday 2 pm)
Tuition $95, plus meals and lodging

“The mid-week, once-a-month yoga retreat is a wonderful idea! It’s a great break from everyday life. Everything is excellent. The Christine Center never disappoints.”–November 2018 retreat participant

Enjoy 24 hours of restoration and rejuvenation through the easiest yoga practice of all – simple, deep, natural rest. The Christine Center welcomes you to a monthly day designated for health, well-being, and ease. Each month, one of our featured instructors will offer a mid-week Yoga Nidra based program designed to help you experience quiet clarity and calm from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. Join us as we take a 24 hour “time out” from our busy lives to unwind one serene breath at a time. You may even choose to extend your stay and create your own customized personal retreat. Our woodland sanctuary awaits you.  Learn more.  
Beginners Eye; Contemplative Photography
February 8 – 10 (Friday-Sunday)
with Thomas Roberts
Tuition: $150, plus meals and lodging

“Beginners Eye: A refreshing way to cultivate clear seeing.” This is a delightful blend of mindfulness/contemplation, photography, and haiku.
Beginners Eye is based on the Zen notion of “beginners mind.” That open and spacious place when you are completely receptive, fearless, totally available to the moment. A pure clear seeing awareness where everything is fresh and new.
No photographic experience is necessary, nor is fancy camera equipment–cell phone cameras are completely acceptable. Really! This is not a competition but a way of using the photographic medium as a way to deepen your spiritual journey by opening your senses to the way you relate to the world. It is not about what you see, rather how you see.  Learn More.  
Midwest Diamond Approach Weekend
The Lataif: Gateways to Essence
February 8 – 10 (Friday-Sunday)
with Jim Lockridge, PhD
and Sister Johanna Seubert, FSPA
All-inclusive cost: $315 (includes tuition, two nights lodging and four meals)

Do you sometimes lack confidence? Do you feel ungrounded or a lack of support? Do you feel like you put great effort into your life and yet the results are unsatisfying? All of these experiences are related to the White Lataif; the will aspect of our true nature. In this retreat, we will explore how we have lost touch with the will aspect, how we have replaced it with false will and false supports. By exploring these substitutions we invite an opening to this indestructible aspect of our essential nature. Come learn about this important expression of subtle consciousness and what it means to a spiritual life.
“The only holy ground is the ground upon which you stand.” 
--Carlos Nakai

Compassionate Presence
February 15-17, 2019
with Susan Mickel and Pam Eyden
Tuition: $175, plus meals and lodging

Compassionate presence is about practicing opening into our actual experience of the body and the mind in this moment. Susan’s meditation instructions will emphasize settling the mind with concentration as a way to be able to stay present. She will teach the four bases of mindfulness, four ways of paying attention to our mind and body experience that open us into our basic experience. Lovingkindness meditation will also help us to settle the mind and cultivate kindness towards ourselves and others. Through yogic postures, asanas, both energetic and restorative, Pam will emphasize awareness of the body in movement and at rest, from the inside out. Through stretching, strengthening and relaxing, we will cultivate compassionate presence, joy and a sense of play. This retreat is about being with what Is, and learning to accommodate everything in life. It is appropriate for both beginning and experienced practitioners of meditation and yoga.   Learn more. 
The Life of St Francis in Fresco: The Art of the “Divine Alive!”
February 15-17
with Gabe Uhlein, OSF, PhD
Tuition: $175, plus meals and lodging

Calling all spiritual seekers and lovers of beauty! Discover the Giotto’s 28 frescoes in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. Just as St. Francis offered a revolutionary new spirituality, Giotto’s paintings of the Life of St. Francis forever changed the nature of Christian art. Using visually stunning and evocative images of Assisi and of the frescoes, S. Gabriele offers an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the “divine, alive.” in St. Francis and in us. We will contemplate the frescoes like treasured photos, looking for clues to our own contemporary spiritual experience – filled with wonder, deep feeling and God’s Love. Let these transformational frescoes refresh and reinvigorate your own spiritual practice. Come, awaken to the “divine, alive” in you.   Register here.
Register Now for Our Annual Woman's Event!

By Women for Women; One Voice
March 1-3 (Friday – Sunday)  
 with Featured facilitators;
Kris Rued Clark, Marjorie Huebner, Dawn Morningstar, Joanne Pelinka, Liz Rog, and Barbara Wulf
Tuition: Sliding scale $50 – $150 , plus meals and lodging

Our annual Christine Center event is calling for all Women! Bring your moms, daughters, aunts, sisters and friends. We will be gathering together for a weekend of community singing, soul collage, mindfulness practice, authentic movement and inspiring group discussions that cultivate deep awareness and awaken our collective voice. Participate in breakout sessions facilitated by expert facilitators, sign up for a massage by a licensed therapist, hike along our boardwalk trail, take a nap, or enjoy our sauna. It is your weekend to connect, to contemplate, to enjoy as you choose! We welcome your presence and invite you to make this your sacred space for the weekend.  Learn more.   

“My deep gratitude for such a caring and nurturing environment. The By Women For Women program was excellent. I will be back for this program and for personal time here.”–A March 2018 participant

“I thank the Christine Center for the By Women For Women weekend! I wait for it every year. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” –A March 2018 participant
Your help is needed and appreciated

The Christine Center has, over the past year, made great strides forward toward its goal of sustainability, but we still need your help. Lives have been transformed here, lives are being transformed as you read this, and with your financial support lives will continue to be transformed for years go come. Please, let the spirit move you here.
We are eternally grateful for your donations !
Or mail your gift to
The Christine Center W8303 Mann Road Willard, WI 54493
Thank you for your support!
Visit our website to see all our programs and more information about the Christine Center!