The Haven Comes To Calgary!
During New Horizons last fall our industrious friend Lynn Nixon decided that bringing The Haven to Calgary for an evening of conversation, communication and information would be a good idea.  Now, if you know Lynn at all, you likely share our experience that she rarely fails to make her ideas a reality...and if you don’t know Lynn, you likely have someone in your life like her; boundless can-do energy with a heart to match!

So true to her initial idea, Lynn has assembled a team of hard-working Calgarians, and with the gracious generosity of Alnoor Kassam they have made it happen!

Thursday, March 2, Cathy and Ernie McNally will be at the 5 Calgary Downtown Suites, 618 5^th Avenue SW, Calgary, for an informal and interactive evening presentation beginning at 6:30pm.  Alnoor, owner of the 5 Downtown Suites, is providing the meeting room as well as snacks and refreshments for the event.  The evening is open to all; for friends to reconnect with each other; people who have not been here to get a “taste” of The Haven, and for everyone to connect on our common ground­relationships!

Cathy and Ernie will begin the evening with a look at the dynamics of relationship, and how the skills offered at The Haven can contribute to the quality of all our relationships.   Intended to be an informal and interactive session, Cathy and Ernie will use their own experiences - with each other, friends, family and colleagues, as an opening to discuss the challenges and possibilities of being in relationship at home, at work and in the community.

After a brief break there will be an opportunity to ask questions about absolutely anything to do with The Haven.  What’s new, what’s the same, what the Haven Foundation is all about, fundraising, bursaries, volunteering, coming events, how to be involved in the ever-growing ‘ensemble’ of The Haven, excitements, concerns...whatever is there to ask!

There is no charge for the evening, and Lynn and the team of organizers ask that you let them know if you plan to attend so they can plan for seats and refreshments.  And you are certainly welcome to attend if it is a last-minute decision!  For more information and registration, please email Lynn at lynncalgary@shaw.ca  See you there!

Symposium ‘06 - with the Remarkable Meg Wheatley
We are very excited to have someone the calibre of Margaret ‘Meg’ Wheatley as our keynote speaker for this year’s Symposium in Vancouver.  We first learned of Dr Wheatley through Jennifer Hilton.  Jennifer, who recently moved with her partner and son to Gabriola Island from Toronto, is pursuing her career as an Executive/Life Coach and Facilitator.  She is also on the Interning path at The Haven and working towards her Diploma.  When she told us of her experience with Meg at a Leadership Conference in 2004, we were instantly intrigued.  After reading her books and articles we were downright enthused!

In wanting to tell you about this remarkable woman, and invite you to be part of this year’s Symposium, what better place to go than Jennifer!  This is what she responded with when we asked, “tell us about your time with Margaret Wheatley”...

“It’s better to learn than to be dead.”…This is one of Meg Wheatley’s core values that she presented to a group of us at a Leadership Inquiry a few years ago.  I would like to add to this based on my own experience by saying…It’s better to learn in relationship than to be dead!

I have been participating in The Haven programs since 1999 and never cease to amaze myself with the awareness and learning I take away about myself and how “I do relationship”. I have always been curious about people, what makes each of us tick, how we manage to relate (or not) to one another and the ultimate impact this has on our mutual well-being and success in life.  After traveling along many paths and as I continue to encounter numerous bumps on the road, I now believe that my leadership journey is about expanding my own relational potential.

During that brief and exciting time with Meg, I was reminded so often of the type of relational learning I have encountered at The Haven.  We were invited into a fascinating, highly experiential and relational workshop, where a group of us reflected on and shared with each other our own unique experiences and knowledge of Leadership.  In her shining presence, she elegantly communicated her wisdom and experience and connected readily with the human spirit in the room.  I was astounded by the interactions that unfolded in the group and my own engagement process.  I learned that when my heart is racing and my palms get sweaty, it is a signal for me to speak up and share what I am thinking!  I also marveled at how we journeyed through the chaos of not knowing each other, a group of strangers, gathered together for a purpose, and how we ended up transforming that unknowing into a rich tapestry of learning for each person.  This was such a familiar Haven-type process that I felt quite at home.

I look forward to hearing and seeing Meg speak at The Haven’s Symposium in Vancouver April 7 and 8.  My participation in that unique experience years ago, left me with an understanding and appreciation of Meg’s relational approaches to leadership and how they undeniably mirror my own personal and professional learning at The Haven.

Anyone who is interested in relational learning and leading (in other words, anyone who isn’t dead!) will very likely find value in Meg’s message.  Here’s to being alive and in relationship…see you at the Symposium!  Jennifer Hilton.

Next month we’ll tell you more about The Haven Symposium 2006, C-ing The Future: Caring, Chaos, Connection.  Until then, visit www.haven.ca/institute/VanSymp2006.html where you can learn all about the Symposium, with details on our faculty presenters (David Raithby & Sandey McCartney, Carole Ames, Joann Peterson & Judy Lemon, Marlyn Farrell, Rick Jackson & Paul Robillard, Jane Olynyk) and their presentations.  And while you’re there, be sure to register for a Symposium filled with thoughtful and spirited questions, discoveries and possibilities in action.  We believe you will talk about, and benefit from, this event for years to come!

Faculty Faces, Coming Courses

Ellery Littleton, B.Ed., is a teacher and counsellor with 28 years of experience as a professional writer.  He is the creator of Tarograms, a unique photographic version of the Tarot, the author of Old Rocks, New Streams – 64 Poems from the I Ching and Time Crimes, a science fiction thriller.  Ellery lives with his partner of many years, Mary Helen, in an idyllic, garden-filled home in Victoria. Ellery has been associated with The Haven and the Cold Mountain Institute for over 30 years, and has long experience in the intensive journal-writing method.  He is a regular contributor to Shen, and his articles are regularly singled out by readers for their experience of Ellery’s thoughtful intensity and literary eloquence.  Over the last decade, his journaling workshops have established an enviable reputation for their integrity and effectiveness.

Derek LaCroix Q.C. is an experienced personal and professional development counsellor and course leader.  Derek practiced law for many years and has been an entrepreneur and a corporate executive.  He is particularly interested in change and creativity and in helping others deal with change and explore their creativity.  Derek believes in the strength of curiosity and encourages an experimental, exploratory approach to personal development. Derek received a Dip.C. in 1996 and a PhD in Therapeutic Counselling in 2003.  Since 1987, Derek has made personal development, spiritual growth, and working with others his avocation, and since 1996 his vocation as well.  Derek has been the driving force behind the establishment of the British Columbia Lawyer Assistance Program as one of the finest organizations of its kind; now being modeled by other similar groups throughout North America.

• Shadow Play (Feb.20-Feb.23) with Linda Nicholls
• Phase I, Part B (Feb.26-Mar.10) with Joann Peterson, Susa Holt
• Boundaries in the Workplace (Mar.3-Mar.5) with Rick Jackson, Paul Robillard
• Writing for Life (Mar.3-Mar.5) with Ellery Littleton
• Body, Breath, and Energy Training (Mar.3-Mar.8) with David Raithby, Linda Nicholls
• Couples in Conflict (Mar.10-Mar. 12) with Judy Sellner
• Dancing the Body's Wisdom (Mar.10-Mar.13) with Catherine Fallis
• Sensational Contact (Mar.10-Mar.13) with Gillian Enright, Jane Olynyk
• Come Alive (Mar.12-Mar.17) with Derek LaCroix, Carole Ames
• Tools for the Soul® (Mar.12-Mar.17) with Phil Winkelmans
• The Biology of Empowerment: How to Re-educate and Re-program your Subconscious for Success (Mar.17-Mar.19) with Lee Pulos
• The Quantum Laugh (Mar.17-Mar.20) with Carole Ames
• Disengaging Depression (Mar.19-Mar.24) with Joann Peterson, Judy Lemon
• Relationships (Mar.30-Apr.2) with Cathy McNally, Ernie McNally
• Come Alive (Mar.31-Apr.5) with Linda Nicholls, David Raithby
• Basic Ericksonian Hypnotherapy (Apr.6-Apr.9) with Harvey Plouffe
• Heart Ways of Knowing and Being: Level II (Apr.6-Apr.9) with Joseph Martin, John Ryan, Miriam Sanua
• The Haven Symposium 2006­C-ing The Future: Caring, Chaos, Connection (Apr.7-Apr.8) with Dr Margaret Wheatley, The Haven Faculty
• Creativity: Phase IV (Apr.13-Apr.23) with Cathy & Ernie McNally, Guest Faculty

A Wellness-Earned Thank You!
Thank you to all of the volunteers who contributed time, heart and generous spirit to this year’s Vancouver Wellness Show.  Your efforts helped to make this our most successful show ever!  Over the three days we had a steady stream of newly-interested people and old friends dropping by, coupled with full and almost-full houses for each of our Faculty Presentations at The Haven-sponsored Workshop Series.

And what made it special was the warmth and personal connection that seemed to be in the midst of every conversation...and what makes that special is that, for us, it is what we have learned turned into action!

Just Quickly...
Our congratulations to Tom Woodward and Betty Gene McCallum, each of whom received their Diplomas in Counselling on January 1.  Tom and Betty Gene were honoured with the traditional walk of the circle on the final morning of Reflections.  This is the first time in the 24 years of the Diploma program that the recipients have been recognized during Reflections...which makes the event just as rare and unique as Tom and Betty Gene!

And while we are congratulating folks, we include David Raithby and Sandey McCartney!  This ‘passionate’ couple filled the Alma VanDusen and Peter Kaye Meeting Rooms at the Vancouver Library on February 6 for their Bookabout Living With Passion launch, co-sponsored by Banyen Books and the Vancouver Library.  We believe this is very deserving recognition, and is an accurate reflection of the extraordinary response to David and Sandey’s first book.  If you are in the Nanaimo area right now you can head down to the Katz Martini Lounge, 121 Bastion Street, on February 16 and join in the festivities for their second launch!

There is always something up at The Haven, to stay informed visit our website http://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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