2012 Pre-Gathering Activities

Pre- and Post- Gathering activities offer option ways to extend the Gathering.  Below is what was offered in 2012. Watch for 2013 information to be posted here in early 2013.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11TH ACTIVITIES

Capital City Circuits
Thursday All Day Bus Tour 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Join us on a day-long bus  tour of several of the dozens of permanent public labyrinths in the St. Paul, MN area, including: indoor and outdoor labyrinths in church, park, and school settings. Box lunch is included. Pre-registration is required.



Sand Casting Garden Art
Thursday Morning 10:00 am - 12:00 noon

Take a piece of the Gathering home. Learn to make a sand casting of a garden leaf.  Sand and cement will be the base to form a garden leaf sculpture that can be used in the garden as decoration, bird seed holder, or (by adding a little water and a stone) butterfly resting place.  They make a wonderful gifts for your garden or decorations to set near your labyrinth.
Materials fee payable to the instructor: $8.00


Martha Erickson, Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator, retreat leader, Lay Minister, Healing Touch Practitioner, and avid gardener, uses sand casting as one of her retreat experiences. Martha was instrumental in the installation of the first labyrinth in a Minnesota hospital healing garden.  She offers workshops and retreats at her home and other locations and is an active member of the Minnesota Labyrinth Network.  Pre-registration is required.


PRAYER BEAD CLASSES - ATTEND ONE, TWO OR ALL THREE
The word "bead" comes from the Middle English word bede, which means to pray. Participants will learn to use beads as an art medium as well as a meditation tool. 

Circle of Love
Thursday Afternoon 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

This is the introduction to using beads to deepen our prayer experience. The group will begin with a prayer service using pre-made Circle of Love Meditation Bracelets. I will give an overview of the history and use of prayer beads. Then, each person will have the opportunity to make a  circle of love bracelet using a wide selection of Czech glass and semi-precious stones. We will discuss the design that each person chose and how he or she plans to use their bracelet. There will be a closing ritual to bless the bracelets. Workshop is limited to 30 participants, pre-registration is required.
Materials fee payable to the instructor: $10.00

Gratitude Beads
Thursday Afternoon 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

In this class we will make set of gratitude beads. They are used for counting blessings, affirmations, hopes and dreams. Two questions are used: What am I most grateful for? This allows us to focus on what brings light and love into our lives. We also ask: What am I least grateful for? This allows us to forgive, release and let go. The beads are strung so that when you pull a bead it leaves a space to mark your place.Workshop is limited to 30 participants, pre-registration is required.
Materials fee payable to the instructor: $10.00

Personal Journey Beads
Thursday Evening 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

We will trace the steps of our personal spiritual journey on a spiral pattern. Then we will choose a bead that describes that step either by the mineral, color, size, shape, etc. We will string the beads together to make a necklace.Workshop is limited to 30 participants, pre-registration is required.
Materials fee payable to the instructor: $20.00

Sue Swanson, MDiv, is a Spiritual Director who helps people find Sabbath time in their busy lives by teaching them how to practice spiritual patterns together. She calls her work Prayercraft, which uses art as a gateway to meditation. Sue teaches classes and retreats exploring spiritual concepts such as: prayer, breath, simplicity, creativity, and Sabbath. Her beadwork has been published by Beadwork Magazine and Bead and Button Magazine. Her company, Purple Apple Arts, provides opportunities to explore traditional crafts including beadwork, collage, knitting, and labyrinth walking. Sue lives in Woodbury, Minnesota, with her husband Roger.  She is the mother of two sons, Jeremy and Matthew, and Nana of Victoria and Robert. Sue is a certified Veridatas Labyrinth facilitator. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and is a member of Episcopal Spiritual Direction Minnesota and Spiritual Directors International.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12TH ACTIVITIES

Creating Needle Felted Labyrinths with Mary De Laquil
Friday Morning - 9:00 am to noon

Discover the joy and ease of creating a finger labyrinth with wool using simple needle felting techniques.  Equipped with a labyrinth pattern of your choosing, you will employ small barbed needles to felt wool onto fabric, making a beautiful, durable labyrinth that can fold and fit into a pocket. You will leave the class with the knowledge and supplies necessary to keep working on your labyrinth during the Gathering and beyond. No previous experience needed. Workshop is limited to 25 participants, pre-registration is required.Materials fee $12 payable to the instructor.

Mary De Laquil learned to knit at age nine and earned a degree in Mathematics some time later. Patterns fascinate her. She plays with patterns while designing gardens, knitting scarves, dancing, and making labyrinths. Mary divides her time between Minneapolis and northern Wisconsin with her spouse, two spoiled pets, and lots of space. Her favorite numbers are prime. More information is available at Mary's website.

Western Wisconsin Wander Half-day Bus Tour
Friday Morning 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
(repeated on Sunday afternoon)

Join an escorted bus tour visiting labyrinths in western Wisconsin, including a hospital, an art studio and church, with a stop for lunch on your own in the historic river town of Hudson. Pre-registration is required.

Equanimity - A Labyrinth Journey With Horses
Friday Afternoon - 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm

Experience the synergy of two powerful forces - horses and labyrinths. Both have taken humans on many journeys throughout time and during this session, participants will have the chance to set an intention, place it in the loving care of a horse guide and mentor, and embark on a walking meditation through an outdoor labyrinth.  As you are grounded in each step and have all senses engaged, Equus will also impart lasting wisdom that comes from stillness, deep awareness, and a connection with the natural world.  Workshop is limited to 20 participants, pre-registration is required.

Tanya Bailey, MSW, LICSW, is a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years’ experience providing Animal-Assisted Interactions (AAI) in mental health, wellness, and learning programs for individuals, families, school districts, and human service organizations.  She is a consultant to the U of MN's Center for Spirituality and Healing where she co-facilitates a graduate course in AAI and provides equine-facilitated psychotherapy and learning at the U of MN’s Equine Center.  Tanya focuses on engaging people in the journey towards balance and finds the combination of walking or riding a horse through a labyrinth a transformational experience.  Along with her horse, Viola, and registered therapy dog and chicken, she works with an amazing herd of horses, goats, llamas, and donkeys at program sites in the Twin Cities.