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Exploring the Cosmologies of the World

Bowen Lodge by the Sea, Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada
July 11-16, 2010

Registration Fee $195
Does not include lodging and meals for 5 days and 5 nights
(Estimated to be approximately $675-$795 per person - more information soon)

Join Adventure Guides Cheryl Genet and Pauline Le Bel in an exploration of the great cosmologies of the world, an understanding of the people who live them, and their significance in the world of the 21st century. Cosmologies are stories of the origins of the world that shape, and are shaped by, the culture that constructs them and the individuals who are immersed within them. It is through these stories that we learn about our world and our place within it. It is through understanding these many-faceted stories that we expand our own worldview and our capacity for wisdom and compassion.

 

No community of humans has ever existed without a story of origins, and the emerging global community is no exception. Technology and communications have drawn humanity ever closer in this new community. Now science, a remarkable human achievement, has worked its way across all cultural and political borders to  become a universal language. From the discoveries of science a new cosmology has arisen that is now being told as an awe-inspiring story of origins that challenges all other cosmologies, especially those of the Western World. But besides challenges, there are great possibilities for using both traditional wisdom and modern knowledge to move towards a more sustainable path for our species, perhaps one that envisions ultimate flourishing for the Earth and all its inhabitants.

  

Many questions arise:

What have we gained from the new scientific cosmology?

What will we lose if we abandon the traditional cosmologies?

What traditional wisdom can be found in the new cosmology?
What new wisdom can be found in traditional cosmologies?

Can we draw on the wisdom of both our ancient and
       modern cosmologies to guide us as we face the
       challenges of the future?

What can we learn about our primal selves that will guide us
       in embracing the future?


Mornings

Explore the cosmologies of the world to broaden understanding of other worldviews.

  •  Cosmologies can be better understood by categorizing them from many points of view: Historically, metaphysically, as imbedded in time, culture, or geography, or in their relationship to the physical world.

  • Cosmologies to be considered from many points of view: Scientific, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Taoism, Confucianism,  Buddhism, Hinduism, & Indigenous (with emphasis on Hawaii)

Seek answers to our questions.  Participate in lively and constructive discussions.

  • Consider such questions as: What are the philosophical and spiritual implications of the universe as described at the quantum level?  As a "runaway universe?"

  • Are there similar ideas across cosmologies that speak to our common humanity?

Experience the surprising role of art, sound, song, and movement in all cosmologies,
          yes, even the scientific cosmology.

  • Enjoy the musical telling of the scientific Universe Story and participate in making the primordial and contemporary sounds of the universe.

  • Delight in the powerful art, songs, dances, and creation stories of indigenous and traditional cosmologies  

Afternoons

Enjoy the pleasures and treasures of Bowen Island - Swimming, forest walks, kayaking, golf, beach combing, treasure hunting in the Bowen boutiques, art studio tours, curling up with a good book under the pines, or just taking a nap!  Click here for more information on Bowen Island.
 

On Wednesday afternoon take an optional cruise along the beautiful coast of Bowen Island as Bowen resident and expert guide,  Sue Ellen Fast shares the marine history of Bowen Island.
           ($35/per person)

Sue Ellen Fast is an environmental educator and eco-consultant who has been at the forefront of nature education for over 20 years. She was also the host of the popular television show, Nature Walk. 

 

Evenings

View from the
Center of the Universe

Take a spell-binding trip to the “center of the universe” (it will surprise you where it is!) through a highly-acclaimed video production by Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack.

 


Second in the
Humanity Ascending
Series

Visions
of a Universal Humanity

A movie that takes you BEYOND NOW...BEYOND 2010...into a FUTURE of INFINITE POSSIBILITIES

Futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard brings together some of the finest minds of our time including world renowned physicist Freeman Dyson, biologist Bruce Lipton, scholar Jean Houston and others who present cutting edge perspectives on humankind's potential to create a positive future for the Earth.


Barbara Marx Hubbard

 

 


Voices in the Sound
(Video)
Relive the cosmological history of Bowen Island from the
beginning of the universe to the present day in musical and poetic telling
through Pauline Le Bel’s Voices in the Sound a musical production.

"It is the most magnificent wedding of the Universe Story and bioregionalism
that I have ever witnessed."
(Connie Barlow, science writer, www.thegreatstory.org)

 
 

Experience the songs, dances, cosmological stories of the Squamish Nation with Elder William Nahanee as your guide.

William Nahanee (whose Squamish name means The One Who Listens and Does Something) is a masterful storyteller. An elder with the Squamish Nation, he has been with the Hiwus Feast House for the past 14 years, educating student groups about Squamish nation culture. Through his powerful voice and his ancestral drum he brings the legends of his ancestors to life. William will be accompanied by dancer, Ingrid, in the telling of the cosmological stories of his people.

 

The Great Dance

A DVD presentation that take the viewer into the heart of an indigenous cosmology

there is a dream dreaming us
(Bushman hunter)

The Great Dance, documents, for the first time, the rarely practiced “running hunt” of the Kalahari Bushman. In this incredible feat of endurance and paranormal skill, the hunter attempts to run down his prey in the midday heat of the desert, until man or animal drops with exhaustion. Here, spirituality becomes a practical matter as the hunter, running and tracking across difficult terrain, starts crossing the boundary between human and animal. The hunter knows this is also an encounter with the mystery of the world that created us: “Tracking is like dancing…it makes your body happy…you are talking with God when you are doing these things.” From this comes the hunter’s ethic--simple but profound: You must know an animal before you eat it. To know it, you must love it. Love and respect for nature leads to love for humans too. Greed and selfishness are contained. Food is shared. Human individuality is respected.      (From Primal Quest:Concept for a reality-based film - a sequel to The Great Dance)

 

On our last night together
 

Reflect on our discoveries and enjoy the
vibrant voice of Pauling Le Bel in concert
Original songs - from the hilarious to the heartbreaking - celebrate the healing power of music as recently revealed
by neurological research.
 

“Sing Two Songs and Call Me in the Morning!”

 "Pauline has a dramatic voice, alternately rich and full
 or as old and mysterious as the mountains."

   

    www.suncoastarts.com/paulinelebel.html

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