The following are titles and descriptions of some of the programs on Mary Elizabeth’s calendar. These and other seminars and retreats are given in Virginia Beach and in various parts of the United States and Europe. 

As women at this particular moment in time, we hear the clarion call that asks us to open to new awareness and a more enlivened consciousness. We come together during this Woman’s Gathering to bond, to heal, to be refreshed, empowered and renewed. We begin on Friday night with a Native American sweat lodge, a purification ceremony which helps release what no longer serves so we can open to change and the influx of energy from a higher level.

Our ultimate search is for the destiny and higher purpose that is coded into each of us. We will focus on the universal themes and archetypal energies veiled in the myths rising now to be woven into our life stories and our life purpose. Stories, told alongside ceremonies and inner processes will illumine our spirit and stir mysterious chords of memory. That which is stirred and awakened within ourselves also helps shift the balance in our world and time. We add to the critical mass which is needed to bring about full partnership between men and women and between masculine and feminine energies.

Geraldine and Ronnie Link have once again graciously provided their ranch as the perfect setting for spiritual growth, empowerment and healing. Camping in campers or tents is available at the ranch. Hotel arrangements can also be made close to the ranch. Call the EFL office for more details at 888-335-7952.

The Akashic Record is also known as the Book of Life, or the record of the soul. The akasha contains the record of our existence-our past, present and future in the making.  Mystics, sages, and now physicists have long maintained that there is an interconnecting field of consciousness that conserves information, a field known by some as the akashic field. It is the constant and enduring memory of the universe, holding the record of all that has happened and is yet to happen on earth and in the cosmos. Throughout the ages, there have always been gifted persons who could read both the universal akasha as the soul record of any given individual. We can either be dependent on those persons and/or we can develop within ourselves the awareness and discernment needed to tap into the book of life.

In this seminar you will learn how the akashic record is formed, discover ways to heighten your subtler senses, enhance your ability to communicate within, be guided through an experience to begin reading your record and learn guidelines for spiritual discernment.

NOTE: An ongoing study group is available for those who have completed the akashic record seminar and wish to continue to work with the akashic records.

Boundaries are limits which enhance a person's ability to have a sense of self and control the impact of reality on themselves and others. Our ability to set boundaries is learned in childhood. Without proper modeling, many of us learn to function with impaired boundaries. We may have no boundaries, thus no protection, or have damaged boundaries, thus only partial protection. We may even totally block ourselves off in an effort to self-protect or we may vacillate between extremes of no boundaries and walled boundaries. This often leads to victim/offender issues and failed relationships. When we learn how to set healthy boundaries, we reclaim our power, maximize our self-expression, and enhance our ability to enjoy healthy relationships in all areas of our life.

In this seminar you will learn to recognize the five major areas of personal boundaries, identify the telltale signs of unhealthy boundaries, understand the impact of boundary crossing, establish criteria for recognizing and establishing healthy boundaries, and learn effective communication skills which will help you create and maintain healthy boundaries.

Sculpting and Re-sculpting your current life in clay

Many times in our lives we arrive at points when we lack the creativity and vision to generate new options. The archetypes within us and outer circumstances act upon us in such a way that we become stuck in forms that limit possibilities.

During this hands-on seminar you will sculpt in clay your present situation (no art ability required). This process enables you to gain new insights about your story and the interplay of archetypes, challenges and possibilities.

As we explore these deeper aspects of personal myths, you will become more aware of the themes and dynamics being played out in your current story and more conscious of the choices which shape what happens next. After reviewing and reassessing your situation, you will use new insights to "think out of the box" and reshape your original model into a form which reflects a creative and inspired future in the making.

     Transitions are those in-between places when we pass from one condition, form, stage, activity to another. It is a liminal space, a neither here nor there place . We are not who we were and we have not yet crossed over the threshold to where we will be settled next.

     Basically, we are all in some sort of transition, if not a major crossroads: beginning or ending a relationship or letting go of children, entering a new career, moving to another life stage or dealing with an old wound that never healed.

     Sometimes those transitions are short; at other times they are prolonged and we wait endlessly for what feels like the dark night of the soul. We may be confused, frightened, unsure, and overwhelmed. What do we turn to? How can we stay centered and re-kindle our innate psychic and intuitive ability so our new story can break through?

     During this seminar we will explore:
          The nature of change,
          Three parts of any transition
           Impact of family and generational patterns
          Our personal transitional pattern
          Use ceremonies and processes to let go of that which no longer serves
          Gather the energy so our new story can break through

The late Edgar Cayce, renowned psychic and seer, called dreams “the safest path to spiritual growth”. Approximately one-third of our life is spent sleeping. And when we sleep we dream, six to eight dreams a night, whether we remember them or not. The question is do we want to waste a third of our life?

When we take refuge in sleep, we go home. We touch the Infinite Source of soul knowledge and are given dreams which speak to us the way wise teachers have always spoken, in story, parable and metaphor. This seminar dispels the confusion and misunderstanding about dreams. It is an opportunity to learn a seven step process of dream interpretation. This concise method for working with dreams enables you to trust and understand your dreams, so that in time dreams become your best friend.

DREAM SHAMAN CIRCLES are an experience in sharing and exploring dreams with others in a safe and supportive environment. The focus of the circle is to become a dream shaman, a man or a woman who can travel in other realities and perceive, understand, and apply the soul wisdom of their dreams.   

Our Dream Shaman Circle is an on-going group of no more than ten persons who share dreams weekly. Members commit to a six week session. (New members are added as space is available.)

Each dream circle begins with a prayer or meditation. Every member of the circle has an opportunity to touch-in with a brief summary about anything relevant in their current life.  Those who shared dreams the week before are asked to comment on any new insights about their dream. They also report back as to how they were able to apply the wisdom of their dream. Usually, one or two new dreams are shared during an evening. The Circle ends with a closing prayer or meditation.

 The terms fate and destiny are often used interchangeably; yet, they are distinctly different. How do fate and destiny interplay with one another? What do different traditions tell us about the role of each?  And in what way do they impact the search for the higher purpose that is coded into each one of us?

This woman’s retreat, which takes place at the beautiful pastoral setting of Bear Creek Tree Farm new Houston, Texas, is the perfect setting to explore a challenging topic.  We will renew our life stories as we explore inevitabilities, re-visit two key juncture points in our lives, ponder the meaning of so-called chance events and acts of choice, and heighten our ability to pay attention to omens. We will draw wisdom from the mythic realm and use ceremony and ritual to help us become more aligned with our higher purpose.  As we do out inner work, we also shift the balance of our world and time.              

Defining moments such as our first memory are outlines of our lives. Alfred Adler, a renowned psychologist often asked his patients what their earliest recollection was. His comment to the description was “ and so life goes” . First memories, though not the only defining moment in ones life, are extremely important. If we do not have even some awareness of it, we are blind to ourselves. The images and feelings of that moment continue to replay. Life can become unpredictable, irrational, needlessly confusing. Likewise, when we are not aware of what inspired us with awareness of our authentic selves, we may not be able to fully integrate that early experience in our current life.

This seminar is an opportunity to explore an early imprint, the challenges and gifts it brought, and to discover what we can learn and gain from those first memories.

Art by Karen Vermillion

An initiation is a new beginning, a graduation from a particular level of understanding and the embarkation on a new level.  Initiations are milestones, points along the way, which mark growth, inner changes, and shifts in perception in a specific aspect of our lives. As we become more aware of the challenges, opportunities and gifts presented along the way, we become the conscious participant in the fascinating journey of our soul.

During this seminar we will: Understand the difference between major and minor initiations,  Learn to identify initiations and explore their catalysts, Define what is an initiate and what are their tools? Discover how ancient schools of wisdom used initiation to assist the growth of their students and understand the 3 aspects of the initiation process.    

                Since ancient times, people have drummed and people have danced.

                We dance for the collective and we dance for ourselves.

                We release blocks, we surrender, we transcend limitation as we are lifted up.

                And the prayers of the heart are sent skyward.

The Long Dance, an all night ceremonial drum dance, begins around 9:00pm and ends at daybreak. (At any time during the dance you can rest quietly on your sleeping bag or blanket placed outside the dance circle)  When the Dance is over, a light breakfast will be provided. You can then sit quietly and prepare your medicine shield, a metaphorical representation of your Dance. Be creative and expressive with whatever art materials best depict your dance experience.

Afterwards, the medicine shields will be hung around the dance circle. Once the shields have been placed around the dance area, the ceremony is complete and you can take your shields home with you.  It is best to wait a month or so before sharing your dance experience. That allows time for the dance to continue to reveal itself to you.     

Lakota Hasie, a Native American medicine woman, is a student of Beautiful Painted Arrow (Joseph Rael) and is one of his Spiritual Dance leaders; Mary Elizabeth co-taught with Beautiful Painted Arrow for ten years. These two women join together in leading this Long Dance in the tradition of Beautiful Painted Arrow. 

Mandala is a Sanskrit word for “magic circle”.  Thus, any circle drawing, whether it is done for meditative and/or therapeutic or artistic reasons is a mandala.   These circle drawings by-pass the linear mind and serve as cryptograms from the inner self.  Each and every mandala is a product of a specific person in a specific setting at a specific time. 

In this seminar, Mary Elizabeth will guide you in a ritual to create your own individual mandala.  She will give interpretive comments on as many drawings as time permits.  You will be introduced to the developmental stages that we collectively experience.  The patterns, symbols, colors and images in any given mandala are keys to understanding which of the twelve stages you are dealing with at the present time. 

A slide show of mandalas gathered over the years will demonstrate the uniqueness and diversity in circle drawings and reinforce the idea that indeed mandalas are holograms, a representative picture of the psyche.

Emotions are not something that happens to us. They are something we do, something we choose.  They are goal-oriented reactions based on unconscious beliefs.  When left unchecked, negative emotions consume endless amounts of time and energy.  They bring toxins to body, mind and spirit and keep us from living an authentic and purposeful life; they are destructive habits we can discover and change. 

Dealing effectively with emotions requires awareness, knowledge and practice.  This seminar will explore the difference between feelings and emotions, ask you to take inventory of your emotional life, redefine the twenty most often-used emotions, give guidelines for processing negative emotions, and offer an experience in learning how to work through and master a challenging emotional situation.  

Metaphors are the language of the soul.  Meta-phor in Greek means “carrying across”.  It is that which bridges the gap between matter and spirit, that which links two worlds together. Transformation takes place through metaphor.  Without metaphors, energy is locked in repetitive patterns.  Myth reminds us that Medussa traps energy into stone.  On the other hand, when we are in the creative matrix, metaphors flow between spirit and matter, and our internal split is healed.  

Metaphoric Mind ( Level One) will explore the questions:   How can we open to the metaphors in our lives?  How can we allow their truth, though sometimes painful, to resonate through body, mind, and soul and stir a realization that leads toward freedom?  How can we enhance our ability to experience all life as a metaphor in the Mind of God? During this seminar we will also explore 3 levels of awareness, metaphors from the Native American tradition, and metaphors of 7 major archetypes. Each person will also have the opportunity to revisit and draw a personal experience and see that moment with new eyes. For those who wish, I will add insights to their discoveries.

Metaphoric Mind ( Level Two) is a continuation of Level One. It is open to all, whether you have taken Level One or not.  Level Two will explore the questions: How can we deepen our understanding of metaphor in ceremony and ritual?   How can we enhance our ability to read metaphors in nature, in events which foreshadow, in beginnings and endings, in cycles, catalysts and transition?  Each person will have the opportunity to revisit and draw a personal experience and see that moment with new eyes. For those who wish, I will add insights to their discoveries.

The mystery teachings are the esoteric teachings, the hidden veiled wisdom of any spiritual tradition, as opposed to the exoteric teachings, that which is more readily available. In times of old, the mystery schools were hidden away in secluded spots so that only the fortunate few were able to enter. The teachings were designed to develop character, awaken consciousness, and train the subtler senses. Students were taught in a variety of modalities: ritual, drama, myths, legends, stories, music, art, architecture, metaphors, and symbols. They also learned various spiritual disciplines such as meditation, prayer, chanting, yoga, tai chi, astrology, shamanism, numerology and kaballah.

During this mystery teachings series, we will, over time, include mystery teachings from Egypt, Israel, Native America, the Bible, Christian mysteries and feminine mysteries. We will also explore the esoteric meaning of initiation, the journey of the soul, paradox, fate and destiny. As we explore the ancient mysteries, we will also focus on understanding the deeper mysteries of our own lives. The mystery teachings will be offered in a series of one-day programs, six times a year, for several years. Individuals may choose to attend any or all of the programs. The subject for each session will be posted on my web schedule.

Long before modern man invented any of the “ologies” (sociology, theology, psychology, anthropology, etc.) the essence of human experience was expressed in dance, paintings, ritual, and story.  Myths remain relevant because they tell our story, individually and collectively; most importantly, they speak to the soul.  They guide, protect, help, comfort, enliven, challenge and encourage us. They awaken us to who we are, to what matters, to what is authentic and real.

During this seminar, we will explore the elements of the mythic journey and understand the difference between the hero’s journey and the heroine’s journey.  Together, we will explore a myth where unexpected things happen, where opposing forces meet, where the known encounters the unknown.  In so doing, we will touch the edge of what our souls came here to learn.

PERSONAL PROCESS is a three day transformational program designed to gently guide a small group of participants through an exploration of their major life issues. During this seminar, we ask the essential life questions:

What Am I Here To Learn?  Of all the patterns which exist in my life, what is the major soul pattern (s) for me to resolve?  How did that pattern become established? How does it continue to replay in my life?  What are the family and generational patterns that impact my current story?   

What Am I Here To Do?  What is that which my soul cries out to express?  What is my passion?  What are my unique talents? What are my soul qualities and soul attributes?

Using the medium of spontaneous drawings participants will have an opportunity to draw several drawings (no prior art experience or art ability is necessary). Each participant will be given input on his or her patterns, issues, abilities, creative options and possibilities. They will also be gently guided through a personal process tailored to their needs.

NOTE: Personal Process Level Two and Level Three are a continuation of Level One. With each sequential program, new drawings are introduced and new insights are revealed.         

Hydra, Greece, a picturesque island in the Aegean provides the ideal setting for you to enter another reality and allow your “phoenix” to rise. The island’s old world village charm has been preserved by prohibiting vehicles and limiting construction.  Our group sessions take place in Hotel Nefelli, a beautifully appointed whitewashed structure nestled on the hillside accessible by donkey back or by climbing age-old stone steps.  From the veranda one has a breathtaking view of clear blue skies, coral tile rooftops, the picturesque village below, and the clear azure blue Aegean Sea.

We will create a sacred space to touch the eternal and sense the mysteries in the great stories…. and translate their message in personal terms, to listen within….to dreams, meditation,  rituals,  and inner processing, to shift perspective …to let your spirit soar, to see all life as a metaphor of the mind of God, to share deeply, to have time to reflect, to be inspired by and through others, to have memorable moments, laughter and deep joy…..to be nourished by what you feel and know and dream.  

Mary Elizabeth has been teaching retreat programs in Greece for some eighteen years. Some years ago she and Carien Rietberg, a much beloved Dutch astrologer and kabbalist, began to create and co-teach a program called Phoenix Rising.  Over the years, this program has been well received.  In fact, it is not unusual for persons to return to Hydra after several years and take the seminar again.  Though the theme is the same, the program varies from year to year. The consistent feed-back is that Phoenix Rising is provocative, inspiring, and often life-changing.

Recording the Journey of One's Soul, or Spiritual Journaling, has long been used by students of the deeper mysteries as a way to refine the art of reflection and inner dialogue. Spiritual Journaling starts with the premise that the outer reflects the inner. This system of "spiritual bookkeeping" brings new awareness to the lessons, cycles, turning points and initiation in one's life.  It makes spirituality real, practical and applicable to one's life.

By using the journal format, insights are brought to the surface from the subconscious and superconscious mind that otherwise might elude the conscious self. The journal trains the psyche in the art of reflection and inner dialogue. One learns to see the correlation between inner and outer worlds, to read the metaphors of both worlds, and to dance gracefully between ordinary reality and ultimate reality.

 When all is said and done, perhaps there are only three important questions we must ask ourselves:

                        How can I love more fully?

                        What am I here to give?

                        What am I here to heal?

We have chosen Bear Creek Farm Tree (an hour from Houston) as the location for our Woman’s Retreat.  

This pastoral setting is a sacred space which allows reflection on life’s most important questions.  It also invites learning, truth, laughter, kindness and wisdom.  Through stories from the mythic realm, ritual, spontaneous drawings and inner journeys, we will discover what has been forgotten or suppressed in our depths….and return transformed or with something of value.  With a shift in consciousness, we become aware of synchronicities and come into communion with the larger life around us.    

The ART OF INTERPRETING SPONTANEOUS DRAWINGS is an original model created by Mary Elizabeth with both therapeutic and diagnostic benefits. It is the culmination of some twenty five years of exploring the creative possibilities of using drawings with individuals, families and groups. Spontaneous drawings are a window into the soul.  They by-pass the linear mind and reveal deeper levels of the psyche, which otherwise could take months, or even years, to discover.  In a very real sense they are cryptograms, coded messages from the inner self. These drawings reveal the soul's code- the unique imprint of an individual - with both his/her challenges and possibilities. Indeed, they are a pathway to the akashic record (the record of the soul) and enable one to view life from the place of soul knowledge. 

Mary Elizabeth first became interested in drawings some thirty years ago when she trained with Drs. Carl and Stephanie Simonton, oncologist and psychologist, best known for their pioneer work in using visualization as an adjunct to traditional cancer treatment.  As a Simonton cancer therapist, she became keenly aware of the valuable insights that could be gleaned from having the cancer patient draw both their illness and their treatment. Thus began a journey to explore some twenty-five additional drawings. Though the themes of the drawings vary, every drawing offers a unique glimpse into the soul and insights about the essential soul questions:

What am I here to Learn? What is the major pattern(s) I am here to resolve? What are my underlying beliefs, patterns, paradoxes? How do family and generational patterns continue to replay in my life? In what way did my early life serve as a training ground for my greater purpose?  What is my current challenge?

What am I here to Do? What is my soul calling? What is my passion? What are my unique talents, hidden gifts, soul attributes, and soul qualities? How can I more fully embrace my unique soul expression?  

This Level One training is for those persons who both wish to learn the techniques and develop the intuition necessary to learn the art of interpreting spontaneous drawings. (Level Two includes the study of additional drawings) Spontaneous Drawings can be used as an adjunct for people who work in human service capacities, such as:  therapists, counselors, teachers, practitioners, etc. 

Changing Woman is an ancient story from the Native American culture and is the theme of this year’s Woman’s Wisdom Retreat. Our setting is the enchanted land of New Mexico.  The expansiveness of the desert terrain allows us to see with greater clarity and be refreshed and restored with a new sense of self. The location of our retreat program is a charming adobe structure approximately five miles from Santa Fe. (Cost includes program only. Participants make their own lodging arrangements.)   As is customary during our Southwest retreat, we leave one afternoon and evening free to appreciate some aspect of native American culture, such as visiting a sacred site or going to the ceremonial dances at one of the nearby pueblos. This year, we visit Picuris Pueblo, childhood home of Joseph Rael, on August 10^th for their annual feast day celebrations. We will have an opportunity to experience first-hand aspects of the life, culture and customs of the Picuris people. In particular, we will attune to the natural wisdom inherent in pueblo women and the ways in which they embody the essence of Changing Woman.       

During this seminar, each participant sculpts in clay their current life (no art ability required). This process enables you to gain new insights about your story and the interplay of archetypes, metaphors, challenges and possibilities. After reviewing and reassessing your current story, you then reshape your original model to reflect a more authentic and inspired future in the making.  As we integrate more fully our inner and outer world, we become Changing Woman, a wise woman who knows what to release and what to preserve.

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