January 21, 2019
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Cultivating Hope

Hope—the looking forward to spring--carries me through this part of the year, when the joyful winter holidays are done and my imagination turns toward the coming thaw. 

Hope is an essential part of my spiritual life, too.  I’m ever looking forward to the next inner transformation, just as I look forward to spring. This looking forward, this hope, is one of the greater gifts offered by the Christine Center.

I recently asked members of our spiritual deepening groups to share their stories of transformation, and one responded with this: 

When I first came to the Christine Center, I knew immediately that it had several things my own church growing up was lacking: compassion, empathy, a desire for social justice, and a non-judgmental welcoming of anyone who walked through its doors. I have yet to find a community so open and loving as the Christine Center…. I am still a seeker. I still don't know where I belong, but when I am at the Christine Center, my heart is full and I feel such love for those who do the good work, despite the cynics of our times…. I cannot wait to get there … and to bask in its holiness. For when I go to the Christine Center, I can see the Holy Spirit and the hand of God at work in a way that I don't see often enough. My faith always gets strengthened when I come there and I look forward to the blessings that will come.

In those words, I hear the harmony of hope and see a spiritual horizon toward which we look for the coming wonders. I feel the warmth that melts the inner ice. This is the purpose, the work, the gift of the Christine Center: the heat of hope in a frigid era. 

--Russell King, executive director
In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.
~ Albert Camus
Yoga and Sound Healing for Chakra Balancing
January 31 – February 3 (Thursday-Sunday)
with Kristin Manjula
Tuition: $225–$300 (sliding scale based on ability to pay), plus meals and lodging

Imagine taking time away from the responsibilities of daily life to nourish your body, focus on your well being, and gain greater insight into what it means to be at your happiest and healthiest.

This 3-day retreat will emphasize finding personal fulfillment by exploring each of the seven main chakras through philosophy, breath work, movement, chanting, and sound healing. Kristin, of Breathe Yoga and Wellness Center in Janesville, WI, will lead you through yoga practices, philosophy discussions and sound healing sessions. There will be opportunities for discussion, questions, and personal inquiry. Most importantly, there will be time and space to settle into an immersive practice of yoga in a serene environment with supportive community.

This retreat does not require any experience and is open to all.  Learn More.  
The Heart of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
February 1 – 3 (Friday-Sunday)
with Barbara Wulf
Tuition $150 plus meals and lodging

“Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives. It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment.”– Jon Kabat-Zinn

Two thirds of Americans say they have a difficult time coping with stress. But stress itself is not the problem. It’s how we respond to stress.

Based on the principals and practices of the 8-week MBSR program started by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979, this workshop offers a “taste” of the program. Through the use of MBSR mind/body techniques one can feel more alive and joyful, and gain immediate access to powerful inner resources for improving health and healing. The heart of MBSR includes: the seven foundational attitudes in establishing mindfulness, guided instruction in mindfulness practices (body scan, sitting with breath, loving kindness meditation, and walking meditation), gentle mindful yoga, group dialogue, and tools for practicing mindfulness in daily life. Learn more.    
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)Learn More
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.
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.
SAVE THE DATE! Register Now for Our Annual Woman's Event!

By Women for Women; One Voice
March 1-3 (Friday – Sunday) 
Hosted by:Annie Lea 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!