A book that has helped some of our sisters for the inner work in the journey to being Croned was Crones Don't Whine, Concentrated Wisdom for Juicy Women by Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D.
UU W&R Spring Retreat, June 11-13, 2010
Registration DEADLINE: May 14, 2010 for June 11-13 weekend.
Registration is on a first come, first served basis. UU women will get first preference.
Cancellations before May 14th will be assessed a $50 fee. There will be NO refunds after May 14th.
COST per person: Includes 2 nights and 6 meals (Friday dinner –Sunday lunch) and all retreat activities. INN beds include blanket, comforter, and pillow. Linens $10 extra-include sheets, bath, face, and wash towels; or you can supply your own.
Wood stove in first floor lobby supplies building’s only heat. Shared toilet/shower rooms. Retreat gathering area will be 1st floor Inn lobby. Also use of 2 lower level rooms and porch for retreat activities. Dining in nearby building.
Check payable to: NED Women and Religion
Send this form and check to: Barbara Jabaut, Registrar 23 Stackpole Rd. Durham ME 04222
Contact:
W&R strives to make our retreats available to all women who wish to attend, regardless of
ability to pay. Preference is given to UU women. For more info, contact Barbara Jabaut (info, above)
We welcome your tax deductible donations to our Scholarship Fund.
June 11-13
Geneva Point Conference Center
Download registration form
Informational Poster
Attention Women! Especially those who may be interested in being croned this year.
We have two very special UU Women & Religion retreats planned in 2010 for the women of the Northern New England District. The spring retreat will be June 11-13; during which we will explore the role of rituals in our lives. Our daily rituals like morning coffee or meditation practice and the rituals that mark important transitions like entering the “wise woman” phase of our lives. Some of the workshops will include Sacred Circle Dancing, Shamanic Journey to the Upper World, and discussions on bringing rituals into our families and daily lives. Current Crones will meet with the women who intend on participating in the fall Croning ceremony to help them decide what elements they want in the ceremony and to assist in setting intentions. It is not mandatory to attend the spring retreat if you are planning on being Croned in the fall but it is highly recommended.
You may wish to save the dates for the fall retreat as well—September 24-26, as it is the Croning retreat which is held only every 5 years. This weekend is about preparing and celebrating the transition of women from the Mother aspect of the Goddess to the Crone aspect of the Goddess. The Croning retreat offers a unique opportunity for all women to learn and grow by its focus on womanhood in its entirety and feel rejuvenated by immersing in the connection with the feminine divine.
To be eligible to be Croned you should be at least 56 years old and past menses. There are many resources available on the web and we hope to have a resource section for that soon on this site. In the meantime, a favorite book of many of our women is "Crones Don't Whine" by Jean Shinoda Bolen .
Both retreats will take place at the Geneva Point Conference Center on Lake Winnipesaukee in central New Hampshire.
http://www.genevapoint.org
Download a Registration Form
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
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.
