Tag: circle

We have several circle dance gatherings every month

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If you’d like to get some gentle exercise, move to music from a wide selection of tunes from folk to contemporary and classical, we have several opportunities every month to try out sacred circle dance.

There has been a circle dance group at UCV for well over a decade and the opportunities keep increasing.

Usually it’s a small group of 5 to 15. We always teach the steps and welcome newcomers. You are encouraged to adjust the movements to your own needs. For instance, some people get dizzy when they spin, or find “cross-over” steps difficult on their body. Our mantra is: There are no wrong steps, only variations!

Evenings

On the 1st Tuesday and 2nd Monday we meet in the hall from 7 to 9pm. We usually dance about 12-15 different dances with a short refreshment break in the middle.

GLAD – Gathering for Labyrinth Art and Dance

GLAD is now in its third year. Mairy, Mary and Darlene coordinate a mid-day creative retreat on the 3rd Thursday 11-1pm. We create art for a centerpiece to dance around; circle dance and then walk the labyrinth (time and weather permitting.

Circle Dance with Ease

On the 1st Sunday of each month from 2-3:30pm, we offer a “gentle” approach to circle dance, great for beginners or those who want to just relax into dancing. We select 4 dances and dance each one three times, the third time, with all four in sequence.

Pagan Ritual through Circle Dance

In summer 2019, we experimented with a new offering coordinated by Mairy Beam and Mary Bennett
We are not doing these as a regular monthly event now but may on occasion plan one to honour the turning of the seasons.
We will combine some earth spirit components with about 8 or so circle dances.  We start out with casting a circle, calling in the four directions and honouring the divine masculine and feminine. We use a combination of readings, lighting candles and dances that correspond to this sequence. In the middle we will do more circle dancing related to the season and some earth-centred activity (planting, harvesting, making) and then end the evening with opening the circle with devocations and a closing dance/chant.
We dance to some or all of these pagan chants in each session.

Casting the circle

Calling the 4 directions/elements

Invoking Divine Masculine/Feminine

Opening/ending the circle

For more details contact Mary Bennett at earthspiritucv@gmail.com
Or check out all earth spirit listings at vancouverunitarians.ca/earth-spirit

RSVP appreciated but not required.

Our Unitarian sixth source that acknowledges earth-centered traditions means we often dance to songs related to the turning of the seasons, for instance:

New UCV Compassionate Communication Circles start in June for 2019 – 2020

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Do you want to deepen the practice of compassion in your life and in your world?

Consider the following upcoming opportunities: UCV’s Compassionate Communication Circles. Due to popular demand, there will be two UCV Compassionate Communication Circles in the Family Room starting in June.  Those who participated in the 2018 group found it to be very insightful. *See what some participants said about it (below).

The UCV Compassionate Communication Circle sessions will provide you with an opportunity to connect with each other and to support one another in practising compassionate communication.  We will follow the curriculum of the Compassion Course Online.

How do I join the UCV Compassionate Communication Circles?

First, you must register for the Compassion Course Online (which originates in New York).  It begins June 19th, 2019 and continues to June 2020.  Register here or get more information at  Compassion Course Online.  Note that registration closes June 2019. The cost is minimal.

The Compassion Course Online –  several UCVers have participated in the last few years, and many are signing up again. You will receive weekly emails covering concepts, anecdotes, and practices of compassionate communication. It is generously offered by New York City Nonviolent Communication’s Thom Bond and it has a huge international following. 

Second, you then register for one of our two UCV Compassionate Communication Circles by contacting either Sheila Resels at sresels@gmail.com or Cindy Cashin at cindy_returns@yahoo.com by June 14th.  Please do so as soon as possible as space is limited.  Note that our first session is on Sunday, June 23rd, in the Fireside Room from 9:30-10:55 am (all future sessions will be held 9:30 – 11:55am and 12:30-2pm).
 
When/where do the two Circles meet?
There will be two groups who will meet monthly on the 4th Sunday of the month in the Family Room (in the Administration Building).
One group will meet from 9:30 – 10:55 am.  The other group will meet from 12:30-2:00 pm.  
Registration is required.  You must select only one group. 
Note: The first session ONLY (for both groups) will meet on June 23rd at 9:30-10:55 in the Fireside Room. There will be no 12:30-2pm group meeting for the first session.
 
What Participants In This Year’s UCV Compassion Circle Are Saying:
 
“UCV’s Compassion Circle was born in 2017 in response to enthusiasm of several UCVers taking the online course. Lynn Armstrong coordinated the Circle’s creation and came up with the name. The Compassion Circle is an intimate space for learning together, shifting how we listen and respond to others, and how we communicate with ourselves. It’s a special gathering! “
“The Compassion Course and Nonviolent Communication has had a profound impact on me. It is so subtle, yet such a powerful paradigm shift that it changes everything. It has taught me to look deeper in all those difficult communication situations to find the gold that transforms “us and them”  to “we”,  and in so doing it brings such powerful lessons of love and peace.”
“I could never have imagined this online course and the practice sessions provided at UCV could have had such a profound impact on my worldview.  It has brought me clarity and a greater understanding of my (and others’) needs.  I’m signing up again and look forward to another year of self-discovery.”
“This year has been my introduction to the concepts & practice of compassionate communication. Already I have seen a positive difference in the way I interpret & respond to events and people. I’m signing up again for next year, so that I can go deeper.”