CSD Spring 2010 Schedule

Live Life Now, Prepare to Die
Led by Jane Ramsey
4th Thursdays, January - May, 7:30-8:30 or 9:00 p.m. Safir Room
Suggested fee : $10 each workshop. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
To register: call Jane Ramsey (510) 236-7781

January 28 Forgiveness - We will explore the need to forgive, what it means to the forgiver and how to go about the process.

February 25 - The Meaning of Life and Fear of Death: What do you think is the meaning of life, or do you believe there is any meaning to our existence? Come, let us journey together and see what we can find out.

March 25 - Gratitude - What is this gratitude stuff about? Is this just too Disney-sweet for your taste? Find out why it is good for you and give it a try.

April 22 -  Life After Death - What do you believe happens, if anything, after death? What do others believe? Why do we care? Let's talk and explore.

May 20 - Prepare to Die - Oh, it's not that bad. Have you been procrastinating? We'll cover practical matters such as advance directives, memorial plans, wills, etc. how we can intentionally live our lives every day.

This series of workshops is intended to enhance our appreciation of life, to help us be in “the present”. By examining end-of-life issues such as forgiveness, the meaning of life, what we believe/feel about the afterlife as well as practical issues (advance directives, wills, memorial planning) we can learn about gratitude and being mindful. We can significantly increase our current quality of life and come to enjoy life now.

Rev. Jane Ramsey is a community minister and hospice chaplain affiliated with UUCB. A graduate of Pacific School of Religion and an ordained UU minister, she is currently working as a chaplain for Napa Valley Hospice. She has taught an online course on Death and Dying through the Church of the Larger Fellowship. She has a Certification in Grief and Loss and volunteers for Circle of Care as a facilitator of a support group for families with children who have suffered a loss. She provides individual grief counseling (charges on a sliding scale). She also facilitates support groups: “Facing Aging and Dying” and “Good Grief”, for a small fee, at UUCB.  More information is available at Jane's web site: www.aspecialtime.info.

Jeremy Taylor - Dreamwork
Two Events led by Jeremy Taylor
Saturday Workshop: February 6, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Meditation Room
Suggested fee: $45
Small group: Six Tuesdays, February 9 - March 16, 7:30 - 9:30 p.m., Fireside Room
Suggested fee: $120; limited enrollment
To register: call Martha Helming (510) 528-3417

The Saturday workshop will offer an introduction to projective dreamwork using the technique “If this were my dream.” It will prepare you to work with your dreams and the dreams of others. No previous experience is required. Jeremy will pick names of people who want to “work” on a dream out of his hat. A good book to familiarize you with dreamwork is Jeremy Taylor’s Where People Fly and Water Runs Uphill.

The small group is for people who have had some experience in projective dreamwork. It will give you a chance to deepen your dreamwork practice. Church members are given priority registration, but others will be accepted, space permitting.

Jeremy Taylor, M.A., D.Min. is an internationally recognized innovator of group process in projective dreamwork. He is also a Unitarian Universalist minister. He has used dreamwork to promote peace among rival factions in Ireland. An author of several books on dreamwork, he teaches at many universities and seminaries, including Starr King School for the Ministry, which awarded him an honorary doctorate in Sacred Theology.

Myth and Midrash
Led by: Richard Stromer
Seven Tuesdays, Feb. 9 , 16, 23; March 9, 16, 23, 30; 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Safir Room
Suggested fee $40
To register, call Martha Helming (510) 682-6302
For more information, contact Richard Stromer

This class will explore Jewish myth and legend through the ancient-yet-modern tradition of “midrash.” According to the midrashic tradition, each generation is expected to re-vision and re-imagine these stories anew, seeking new meanings in these ancient texts. In keeping with this perspective, we will explore seven Judaic stories from a standpoint that is both contemporary and perennial. Five of these stories come from the Hebrew Scriptures (“The Garden of Eden,” “Jacob Wrestling With the Angel,” “The Exodus from Bondage,” “Ruth and Naomi,” and “The Trials of Job”), one from the tales of the Kabbalists (“The Shattering of the Vessel of Light”), and another from the Hassidic tradition (“The Lost Princess”). Archetypal themes expressed in these stories include the journey from innocence to knowledge, the encounter with the holy, the nature and cost of freedom, the meaning of home and family, the search for meaning through suffering, the task of healing the world, and the reclaiming of the Divine Feminine.

Richard Stromer is a mythologist with a Berkeley-based counseling and teaching practice called Soul Mentor. His training includes a doctorate in Mythological Studies with an emphasis in archetypal psychology and world sacred traditions. Dr. Stromer was raised in the Jewish tradition and is currently a member of the newly-formed Live Oak U.U. Fellowship. Visit his web site, www.personalmyths.com, for more information.

Sacred Sexuality Workshop for Couples and Singles Led by Dr. Victoria Lee, Clinical Psychologist
Saturday, March 27, 10:00 a.m. - 4 p.m., Safir Room
Bring something to share at lunch.
Suggested fee: $70.00 for two (friends or partners), $40.00 for one
For information and to register: Victoria Lee (510) 882-2330 or www.drvictorialee.com

In this workshop, Victoria Lee will present powerful tools for creating a deep and spiritually energized sexual life. These tools include ways for couples to develop and enhance passion, unique solutions to common sexual problems, and attitude shifts that make clear that sexual energy should be seen as the life force—a force that can be powerful in every life, including those without partners and those who choose to remain celibate.

Sacred Intimacy for Long-Term Couples
Led by Dr. Victoria Lee, Clinical Psychologist
Four Tuesdays: April 6, 13, 20, 27, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., Meditation Room
Suggested fee: $70.00 per couple
For information and to register: Victoria Lee (510) 882-2330, www.drvictorialee.com

This class will give couples many opportunities to communicate more deeply with each other. Victoria will cover topics such as creating a shared relationship vision, defusing anger, expressing appreciations, enhancing sexual exchange, and making a difference as a couple. There will be ample opportunities for couples to share deeply with each other.

Dr. Victoria Lee is a clinical psychologist who has 21 years of experience doing couples therapy and sex therapy. The approach she will use is based on her book: Ecstatic Lovemaking: An Intimate Guide to Soulful Sex. She has given similar workshops in many American cities and abroad.

Who in the World Do You Think You Are?
A workshop of “Write for Your Life.”
Led by Beth Glick-Rieman
Saturday, March 6, 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Safir Room
Suggested fee: $40.00
Bring a bag lunch
To register: Call Beth Glick-Rieman (510) 524-2858

A wise one once said, “Don’t believe everything you think.”

Modern science says our brains are in a state of neuroplasticity. In this workshop we will explore the relationship between our brains and our behavior. Who in this world do you think you are? Where in the world are you going? Why are you going there? Who is going with you? Are you happy with that? Do you want to make any changes?

Come along and see who you are at the end of the day.

Beth Glick-Rieman is the author of Peace Train to Beijing and Beyond and Opening Your Heart. Two others books, Write for Your Life and Peggy: Grieving the Death of a Child, are in progress. Beth has had thirty years of experience in teaching writing and leading groups in self-healing, personal growth, conflict resolution, and various situations involving human interaction.