All who identify as women associated with First Parish are invited and encouraged to come to our annual weekend retreat, being held for the 4th year at Wisdom House near Litchfield CT. Registrations are due back to Carolyn L. by April 15 at the latest. Forms are available on the Village Website in the Alliance group or by contacting Carolyn or the Office. About 20 women have signed up, and there is still room for YOU.
For those of you new to this opportunity, a little background info.
For the past 31 years the Alliance has run a weekend retreat. It is a fun and rewarding mix of thoughtful and social, inward and outward, and you are always free to decide your own level of participation. We gather on Friday evening for a getting (re)acquainted time. On Saturday morning, after our breakfast, we have our main program. Saturday afternoon there are options for places to hike, to participate in further program activities, to curl up and read, make music — your choice.
Saturday evening there is usually singing and puzzles and new ideas always welcome.
Wisdom House is just east of Litchfield, high on a hill with gorgeous views. They provide 5 meals (Friday evening is extra/optional — details when you register), all the linens and a wonderful place to be. Most of the rooms are singles with shared bath. For those with allergies or stair issues, rooms in the main building can be a better choice. We work together to carpool, so that those who like to drive do, and those who don’t like to need not.
Our Program for this year is: Caring for Our Inner Beings in Times of Flux: During times of change as well as stability, it can take courage to look deeply within. We gather together, sharing the challenges and joys of living a full and nuanced human life. Finding support in each other’s presence, we invite each other to amplify the important yet possibly unarticulated questions, spoken in the still, small voice within. We will find inner resources that we may have forgotten about, or learn new ideas to adapt from each other. This session will include time for journaling, quiet reflection, honest exchange and guided meditation and Kaeza will offer a set of techniques that could help to bring us back to center if we are in disharmony with our beings or those around us.
Our leader for the program this year is Kaeza Fearn. She tells us that she circulates the worlds of music, dance, sacred ritual and community experiences. Like many, she feels deeply the call to be a global citizen, helping people connect in meaningful ways, both to themselves and to each other. A composer and pianist with a Masters in Music from The Hartt School, she has been Music Director at the Unitarian First Parish Church in Taunton since 2010, where for years she led an alternative worship called “Soulful Sundown.” She serves in Outreach and Development at Colors In Motion™, a company bringing calm to public spaces in the form of audio-visual meditations.
She relishes quiet moments in natural settings, is enlivened by intimate conversation, feels passionate about sustainability and loves to ride her bike with no hands!