Spirituality Conference

The Healing Relationship between
Humans and Otherkind:
The Spirituality of Connection
June 20-25

Summary

Humanity is re-learning, and there is profound new learning about great blessings we receive in spiritual, physical, and emotional health from the other creatures with whom we share the world that God has made. Workshops by those who work in therapeutic riding, with seeing-eye/assisting dogs and the otherkind in therapeutic assisting communities. Keynoter Rupert Sheldrake, Ph.D., is a British biologist whose concerns include the opening up of science, new kinds of science, and exploring the connection between science and spirituality. He is the author of Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home, and Other Unexplained Powers of Animals; and The Sense of Being Stared At, and Other Aspects of the Extended Mind. Coordinator: The Rt. Rev. Mark Andrus, Bishop Suffragan, Diocese of Alabama. Chaplain: The Rev. Gail Epes, chaplain and theology faculty member, Episcopal High School, Alexandria, Virginia and a dedicated equestrian. Music coordinator: Sr. HelÈna Marie, Community of the Holy Spirit, New York, with degrees from Eastman School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory.

More details to follow, most likely on Kanuga’s site.

KANUGA CONFERENCE CENTER, Hendersonville, NC

828.692.9136 ï info@kanuga.org ï www.kanuga.org

The following is an excerpt from a flier I was sent:

The Healing Relationship Between Humans and Animals

Faces light up, tears well up in our eyes, and stories come pouring out
eagerly when the healing relationship between humans and animals is
mentioned. These accounts are innumerable, and they point to some
spiritual truths, some reality. It is the imprint of the creation, its origin
in all its diversity in one loving creator God.

This conference is for anyone who has known the companionship of an
animal. Your experience may be in the realm of therapeutic support for
persons injured, grieving and dying that involves animals, or you may be
a person who has simply, and wonderfully, known the love of an animal.
Either way, this conference is designed for you.

See ‘An opportunity for the churches in the Diocese of Chicago’ to the right, for a background of what this is about.

Just thought I’d like to relay the tallied results of a survey I received from someone who did a screening of Peaceable Kingdom for a large group of people. I’ll just give the questions and the tallies of the checked boxes without the comments, from the 30 responses she received. (The “no” and the N/A answers for questions 1 & 2 indicate that there was no change in the viewers’ opinions, etc. The “Maybe” answer for question 4 was more like a possible “no”.) This was useful to me, to see how others felt about watching it. I thought it might be useful to you, too, to know how people “survived”. In my opinion, this film fits in very well with Resolution I, which our diocese adopted last November.

Survey results (without the personal comments):

1. Has this video changed your opinion about the way animals are treated in our society?
18 YES; 11 NO [1 N/A]
If yes, please tell us how. If no, please tell us why.

2. Has this video changed your opinion of people who are working to change the way animals are
viewed in our society?
20 YES; 7 NO [3 N/A]
If yes, please tell us how. If no, please tell us why.

3. Did you find viewing this video a worthwhile experience?
30 YES; 0 NO
Why or why not?

4. Would you encourage others to see this video?
27 YES; 0 NO [2 N/A and 1 MAYBE]
Why or why not?

5. Your age:
14, 25, 27, 28, 28, 29, 32, 33, 34, 34, 35, 35, 38, 38, 40, 40, 40, 41, 41, 44, 47, 48, 50, 54, 55, 56, 56, 57, ?, ?
Your Gender
10 M; 20 F