Sylvia Sims
Sylvia Sims journeyed from our world on Christmas Eve 2008. She was surrounded by family, holding hands, and Mozart's Requiem was playing as she had previously requested. Sylvia was the embodiment of female strength and warmth. An example to all on living a life that integrates mind, body and soul. She will be missed.
Fall Workshop Descriptions
Icebreaker – Kything Workshop led by Susan Gorman
Please bring 10 beads that represent the stage of life you are in now to share with other women in your group.
Writing Workshop for the Less Crafty Inclined led by Sue Buckholz
Every woman carries every stage of her life within her at every point on her journey. Some of us use art and crafts to express ourselves and our woman natures. Some of us use words – intuitively, orally, in writing. Sometimes one mode, sometimes another. This is a workshop focusing on all stages of our lives, using guided meditation, free writing, discussion and, if we are so inclined, production of poems and/or prose in appreciation of – well – US, as in all of us, maiden, mother and crone.
Gift Making led by Debbie Merrick, Anna Myers & Reeva
Bring your creative spirit and talents to this workshop as we move from craft table to craft table making gifts of passage for the Crones-2-Be. Crones-2-Be please bring special ribbons, flowers, mementos and other materials you want your sisters to use when decorating your broom stick and your crown.
Intention Setting for Crones-2-Be led by Susan Gorman
We like to envision our Croning not as a line that separates who we were before and who we become after crossing over, but as a continuation of everything we have been from our first days on earth through to now and beyond! Our spirit is celebrating this becoming time. What do we want our crone years to be about? What do we want to continue learning? What do we want to try that we've never done before? This workshop is about calling forth the deepest parts of us, in preparation for our ceremony and for all the beautiful years to come.
Bookmaking led by Crones
Crones-2-Be bring your intentions, special mementos, poems, pictures, etc. to this workshop to discuss what it means to make the passage into this part of our lives as we work to create a special booklet to celebrate our status as Wise Women. Booklets will be provided
Traditions
Traditions
Singing, dancing, sharing, relaxing, making music, and eating chocolate.
Evening entertainment provided by us!
Water Ceremony.
Sunday Worship Service.
Blanket Bazaar — a place to sell your wares (please donate 10% of proceeds to our scholarship fund).
Trash & Treasures, and clothing exchange—a swap of gently used items.
A licensed massage therapist will be available to give massages (sign up at retreat and pay additional fee).
Northern New England UUW&R
The Women & Religion movement officially began in 1977, with the passage of the Women and Religion Resolution at the UUA’s annual General Assembly. The dual focus of the resolution was to urge the UUA to look at the religious roots of sexism, and to encourage all Unitarian Universalists to examine the extent to which religious beliefs influence sex-role stereotypes in interpersonal behavior within families, friendships and in the workplace.
The Northeast District Women & Religion Committee began in 1982, when 24 women gathered for 24 hours. The NED W&R has occasionally fostered activities and programs within the District and at District meetings directed at raising consciousness of women’s issues and concerns; however, its primary focus has been sponsoring Fall and Spring weekend conferences with a wide variety of programming for women. For over 25 years, women have gathered to learn, rest, play, grow, sing, dance and celebrate life’s passages. In 2008, two districts merged to become the Northern New England District. We became the NNE W&R. Sadly, around 2011 the group disbanded.
