Vol 4, Issue 5

Connection...
We often hear from people wondering about ways to stay in touch with others in their communities who have been to The Haven.  There are several possibilities, and you may know of many of them.  For example, some participant email groups have become legendary, staying in regular contact and arranging reunions in their homes and at The Haven for several years after their courses have ended!

There are Staying Alive groups in the Vancouver area, Gabriola and Vancouver Islands, Seattle area, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Ottawa and Yellowknife.  These groups are facilitated by our Diploma in Counselling grads and can be an excellent way to continue integrating learnings and awarenesses into our daily lives.  For contact information, visit http://haven.ca/institute/havenaway.html

From Taiwan to the UK, and the Yukon to Texas there are informal Support Groups of people who meet weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly to connect, share ideas, feelings and experiences.  Often sharing host duties and usually group facilitated, many of these groups have been meeting for years and formed deep and enduring friendships.  Email us if you are interested in joining a similar group in your area, or beginning one, and we will be happy to pass along any information we have and/or help you get one started.

In addition to regular Staying Alive and Support Group meetings, several groups are springing up with the intention of connecting for social events.  One such group in the Nanaimo/Central Vancouver Island area is “Staying Connected”.  They have composed an inviting expression of their intentions:

Staying Connected is...

• a list of people who wish to get together for social events once a month
• a way to stay connected and spend time with Haven and Haven-like friends
• low cost, informal activities planned that, on the whole, are ‘come if you can and bring along a playmate’
• a database of people to pass along movie reviews, music recommendations, information  about dances, art shows, classes and other cool stuff
• planning to walk, talk, juggle, eat, drink and be merry
• open to new ideas and suggestions
• eager to have you organize an event if you choose
• an opportunity to create an informal Nanaimo Haven support group
• what we make it!
• nothing to join, nothing to pay, nothing to do but show up and have fun!

We believe the greatest value offered by your personal experiences and discoveries gained during courses at The Haven is that they be “take home”.  Staying in touch with each other is one of the easiest ways to strengthen this process and continue integrating your “ah-hah’s”.  We see this over and over in the spirit so many of you contribute to these ongoing connections.

Hands, And Hearts, Across The Water
In February 2004 a group from Beijing, Shanghai and other areas of Southeast Aisia came to The Haven for an enormously successful Mandarin-translated Come Alive.  In the afterglow of this remarkable event we began working closely with Sean Feng in China, and David Raithby and Linda Nicholls to lay the ground work for the first Come Alive courses to be offered in Mainland China.

On April 24 David and Linda left for Shenzhen China accompanied by small group leaders Susa Holt, Gillian Enright, Elfi Dillon-Shaw and Tom Woodward.  They returned May 2 with stories of a remarkable week of warmth, courage, and heartfelt connection perhaps best summed up in four words from Sean—“history has been made!”  Close to 50 participants took part in this ground-breaking Come Alive, many involved in influential positions throughout their homeland.  We are thrilled to share with you that plans are already in place for the second Come Alive in September, and a third in November, each to be held in other Chinese provinces.

We continue to be heartened and encouraged how quickly language, history, and politics all fade background in the face of care and heartfelt interest in one another.  Consider...in early April Aboriginal community leaders from Manitoba came for the fourth year in a row to spend a week at The Haven exploring individually and collectively in a focused Come Alive-based course...his summer we will be visited by another group of mandarin speaking participants here for the Mandarin Mini-Phase, a course that began over 15 years ago and has been a source of loving inspiration for everyone involved.

For us, all of these gatherings serve as the growing evidence of the common ground we all share when our desire is to see, be seen, learn, discover, share, ask, and listen.
 

Blossom Time
Late spring at The Haven is all about blossoming...whether it is flowers or people.  And whether it is people or flowers, both need the opportunity to pause, drink it all in, and grow.  While you take in the beauty of our summer gardens, see what’s coming on our course schedule the next few weeks...each an opportunity to pause, drink it all in, and grow...

• Healing Stitches(May 23-28) with Mary Holdgrafer, Wendy Huntington
• Dealing with the DSM IV (May 27-29) with Randy Wong
• Couples in Conflict(May 27-29) with Judy Sellner
• Come Alive (May 29-June 3)
• Phase II: Self & Other (May 29-June 23)
• Phase II: Part A(May 29-June 10)
• Worth Your Weight(June 3-5) with Cathy Wilder, Leslie Whyte, Dianne Anderson
• Sex & Identity(June 4-10)
• Simply Touching (June 10-12) with Elfi Dillon-Shaw
• Transforming Fear and Anxiety (June 10-13) with David Raithby, Sandey McCartney
• The Friendly 'eye': Greeting the Stranger Within (formerly Come Alive Thru Video) (June 11-16)
• Phase II, Part B (June 11-23)
• Separation and Loss (June 17-19) with Joann Peterson, Linda Nicholls
• Relationships (June 17-20)
• Women and Sexuality (June 23-26) with Joann Peterson, Peggy Merlin
• Journey to Self: Level I (June 25-July 1) with Maria Gomori
• Come Alive (June 26-July 1)
• A Good Beginning (July 1-3) with Judy Sellner
• Cosmic Dance (July 1-3) with Catherine Fallis
• Dance and Games for Kids (July 3-8) with Denise Goldbeck
• Phase I, Part A (July 3-15)
• Phase I Self-Awareness (July 3-28)
• Spirit Communication (July 8-10) with Marilyn Rossner
• Dance and Games for Kids (July 8-13) with Denise Goldbeck
• Shadow Play (July 10-13) with Linda Nicholls

The Spirit of Marilyn Rossner
"We are all on a journey to the other side.  Let us find out where we’re going and what it’s going to be like when we get there.  No passports required...our place is reserved.  Enjoy knowing LIFE is Eternal." Marilyn Rossner

We are pleased to let you know that after a two year absence the energizing sight of seeing the diminutive powerhouse that is Marilyn Rossner is returning to The Haven!  And not only has she found time in her fast-paced schedule to offer her very popular Spirit Communication course here July 8 to 10, she will also be here in advance to offer private psychic readings!

Marilyn designed Spirit Communication to offer participants an opportunity to explore the essence of our human experience, and to consider the idea that we all have psychic abilities.  In her unique and engaging manner she will offer ways to learn to recognize, cultivate and utilize these abilities and discover how this may contribute to our sense of emotional and spiritual well-being.

Call Morag and Renée or go online to register, and call our Reception staff to make your appointment for a private reading you will be remembering—and talking about—for years!

Just Quickly...
If you have ever had the opportunity to spend time with Mary Holdgrafer, you will likely have some idea of the depth of her passion for the creative spirit.  Just before heading to The Haven with Wendy Huntington for their Healing Stitches course May 23-28, Mary took part in the opening of a very unique exhibit at McMullen Gallery in Edmonton.  She is one of nine women artists who are part of the ‘Inside the Dress’ exhibit at the gallery May 7 to July 10.  The show documents their experiences while engaging in a year-long reflective process. The project was designed to guide each artist through a meaningful personal exploration leading to a three dimensional visual expression of what she perceives to be her essence. Shown here is Mary's creation. For more information call the gallery at 780 232 1886.

There is always something up at The Haven, to stay informed visit our website www.haven.ca, email us at info@haven.ca or call us at 250 247-9211 and toll-free 1-877 247-9238. Take care, enjoy yourself, and each other, and be in touch soon.
                

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