Cell 2 Soul: The Humane Health Care Blog

Conference About Spirituality of Death and Dying

Conference Announcement
Spiritual Views of Death and the Afterlife

Sponsored by: 

Where? Berkshire South Regional Community Center, 15 Crissey Street, Great Barrington
When? Sunday, February 3, 2013 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
How Much? A $10 contribution to cover basic costs.
For more information contact: Rabbi Stern-Kaufman or Deborah Alecson

The Rimon (Resource Center for Jewish Spirituality) is presenting an interfaith forum on the spiritual beliefs and rituals related to the process of dying, death, and the afterlife as understood by many of our world religions.

The Forum will take place at Berkshire South Regional Community Center in Great Barrington on Sunday, February 3, 2013, 1:30 – 4 pm. Topics to be explored will include: customs surrounding care for the deceased; the journey of the soul after death; the relationship between the living and the dead; and what these traditions teach regarding preparation for this ultimate transition.

The presenters and their respective traditions or congregations are as follows:
The Rev. Mr. Charles Van Ausdall (Congregational Church)
Ann-Elizabeth Barnes (Sacred Undertaking)
Iman Salim Chishti (Islam)
Sharon Coleman, Ph.D. (Buddhism)
Sister Colette Hanlon (Catholicism
The Rev. Liza Marcato (Christian Community Church, Movement for Religious Renewal)
Rabbi Kaya Stern-Kaufman (Judaism).

The moderator for the forum is Deborah Golden Alecson, M.S., adjunct faculty for the School of Health Sciences, Excelsior College, where she teaches, among other courses, “Death, Dying and Bereavement” and “Spirituality in Life Transitions.”

This conference is an opportunity to address one of the greatest existential concerns for each of us; and to learn more about our own faith tradition and those of others to help us find meaning in our mortality.  Our distinguished panel of presenters will first talk about their spiritual views and rituals as understood by their specific faith tradition, to then be followed by questions from the audience. 

This event is co-sponsored by First Congregational UCC, Great Barrington, Hevreh of Southern Berkshires, HospiceCare in the Berkshires, Sacred Undertaking, Women’s Interfaith Institute, and the Christian Community Church Movement for Religious Renewal.  The fee for this program is $10.

Please contact either Rabbi Kaya Stern-Kaufman, (413) 274-1034, [email protected] or Deborah Golden Alecson, (413) 881-4065, [email protected]. 

Reservations are not necessary. We look forward to what we will learn from our presenters and from the attendees.

C2S Annual Retreat

Where?  Sheep Hill, Williamstown
When? Weekend, October 1 to October 2, 2011
And Gladly Wolde We Lerne and Gladly Teche

Please join us for relaxed talks and conversation in an unparalled setting of peace and beauty.  We will share things we are passionate about with like-minded souls.  For syllabus see:  Download Syllabus 2011

Sheep Hill Reservation, July 4, 2011

All participants are invited to give a twenty minute presentation.  This is not mandatory, but will assure that those who wish to share in this can. Syllabus & Presenters: Download Syllabus 2011

For more information contact Dave Elpern.

2011 Fall Conference

See Program Web Site

Cell 2 Soul 2011 Retreat

Annual Cell 2 Soul Fall Retreat
Walk, Work, Eat, Play, Speak
(Weekend) October 1 - 2, 2011

Please consider joining us at Sheep Hill, Williamstown, MA for our annual C2S retreat.  We have held these gatherings for the past five years and they are an opportunity for some of us to meet face to face and “talk-story” as we say in Hawaii. 

The format will be:

Friday Eve, 9/30 - Informal Reception
Saturday Morn, 10/1 - Talks and Discssion
Saturday PM, 10/1 - Picnic, Clark or Walk
Sunday Morn, 10/2   -  Talks, light lunch

To register, contact Dave Elpern

The syllabus will develop based on who attends.  It will deal with themes that those who register are passionate and knowledgeable about.  Talks will be limited to 20 minutes to allow maximum time for discussion.
 
The reasonable registration fee will cover food and beverage, equipment rental, facility use.  Scholarships are available for students.

All participants will contribute equally. No "Taling Heads."

If we build it, they will come.

*******

“We will walk on our own feet;
we will work with our own hands;
we will speak our own minds.”
Emerson, The American Scholar

Rest Your Frontal Lobe

It's summertime in New England -- and all here are struggling to cram the days with activity.  REST YOUR FRONTAL LOBE, attributed to Dainin Katagiri, is a koan to mull over.  

Administrivia: We have a good group interested in the Nantucket gathering.  It's called a "Gam" in homage to Melville who used this arcane word for a "gathering of whalemen" when discussing Nantucket sailors.  To whet your nautical soul see: 36 Hours on Nantucket.  Think about resting your gray matter on this island in the sea with us in October.

There's a program on our local public radio station called, "The Academic Minute."  Sounds deadly.  Not always.  Yesterday, Amit Kumar, a professor of English from Vassar College spoke about V.S. Naipaul's rules for writers.  Just as we are readers, we are also writers.  I thought you might enjoy this simple list:

V.S. Naipaul's Rules for Beginners

(It is said that Naipaul's father, a journalist gave these rules to his son, an aspiring writer)

    1. Do not write long sentences. A sentence should not have more than ten or twelve words.

    2. Each sentence should make a clear statement. It should add to the statement that went before. A good paragraph is a series of clear, linked statements.

    3. Do not use big words. If your computer tells you that your average word is more than five letters long, there is something wrong. The use of small words compels you to think about what you are writing. Even difficult ideas can be broken down into small words.

    4. Never use words whose meaning you are not sure of. If you break this rule you should look for other work.

    5. The beginner should avoid using adjectives, except those of colour, size and number. Use as few adverbs as possible.

    6. Avoid the abstract. Always go for the concrete.

    7. Every day, for six months at least, practice writing in this way. Small words; short, clear, concrete sentences. It may be awkward, but it's training you in the use of language. It may even be getting rid of the bad language habits you picked up at the university. You may go beyond these rules after you have thoroughly understood and mastered them.

Nantucket Weekend

If you plan (or think you may) join us on Nantucket for the Cell 2 Soul Gam (October 8 - 10, 2010) you may enjoy 36 Hours on Nantucket which appeared in the NY Times on Friday, July 18, 2010. It begins, "Near the start of 'Moby-Dick,' Ishmael explains why he decided to set sail from Nantucket: 'There was a fine, boisterous something about everything connected with that famous old island.' Today, nearly 160 years after being written, that characterization still rings true."

Our rates at the Nantucket Inn ($140 per night) are much better than the $300 - 700 nightly rates for the hotels mentioned in the Times.  The article also has a nice multimedia section.

We have a great educational and social program, so please consider joining us.  You can see the details of our Gam by going to the Conferences section of C2S Blog.

Cell 2 Soul Fall Retreat

For more information:  C2S 2010 Fall Retreat

2010 C2S Retreat: Nantucket

This is to announce the fifth annual Cell 2 Soul Retreat to will be held on the island of Nantucket. 

When? Friday October 8 - Sunday, October 10 (Columbus Day Weekend).

Where? Nantucket Inn  .

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Please join us on this beautiful island for a stimulating and relaxing long weekend.  We will gather to celebrate the harvest season and the amazing autumnal color show with walks on beaches and dunes, great local food (hopefully, a clambake) and a stimulating, varied educational program.  The participants will exemplify Chaucer's  mot: "And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche." 

The syllabus is taking shape nicely.  Among other topics we will cover medicine and the arts, music and healing, Caring for the Caregiver, the power of stories and possibly a writing workshop..

Registration is limited so please reserve a place early.  Room rates at the Nantucket Inn are affordable.  This will be a great opportunity for personal and professional enrichment in a magical setting.  Contact Dave Elpern for more information.

You can fly to Nantucket or take the ferry.  If the latter, we recommend the Steamship Authority since the Nantucket Inn shuttle will pick you up directly at their dock.  Please note that there is a slow ferry (for those taking cars) and a high speed ferry. The latter is preferable.  There is also the Hy-Line High-Speed Ferry which docks a 5-10 minute walk from the Steamship Line terminus.  Either way,  it is important to make your reservation well in advance.

UPDATE: Cell 2 Soul Retreat: October 2009

Here is updated information on our Fall Program.  If you plan to come and don't live in the area, please be advised that this is peak foliage season so reserve early (local B&Bs at end of this page)

Dates:  Saturday Oct. 3 - Sunday Oct. 4

Mason Hill

Cheshire, Massachusetts

Walk, Work, Talk, Play

Emerson's words in the American Scholar inspire us:
“We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; we will speak our own minds."



On October 3 - 4, a small select group will gather to celebrate the harvest season and the amazing autumnal color show with walks in the woods, great local food, a campfire and a varied educational program.  The participants will exemplify Chaucer's  mot: "And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche."  John Muir's words also guide us: "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."

The syllabus is taking shape nicely.  Registration is limited as the Mason Hill facility can accommodate only thirty individuals.

For more information and a tentative syllabus and fees, please email Jim Johnson or Dave Elpern.  

Mason Hill Conference Center is situated in the rural town of Cheshire, Massachusetts.  It is a peaceful setting in the ancient rolling Berkshire hills; a site of great beauty that has inspired its denizens for millenia.

  

 

Tentative Schedule

Updated: August 10, 2009

Program PDF: Download C2S 09 edt

Saturday, October 3, 2009: Happenings in Search of Vision
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Jim Johnson:  The Barn is the Cure:               
                         A Prostate Cancer Experience
Scott Herrick:
Susan Kaplan: On Experience and Growth
Brian Maurer:  Walking with Thoreau
Peggy Rambach: Others' Lives and Stories
Reuven Sobel:   Humanistic Education for Physicians
Discussion:      Songs of Innocence and Experience
5:00 pm         Slow Food Autumn Dinner
7:00p.m.        Campfire: Storytelling and Song 

Sunday, October 4   A Consideration of Loss and Grief
8a.m.        Breakfast on the deck
9a.m.        Jim Johnson... Introduction to loss and grief discussion
9:15a.m.    Bill Zeckhausen...
9:30a.m.    Deborah Alecson  (Lost Lullaby)
10:00a.m.   Two of David Elpern's patients
10:30a.m.   Michael Symons... (Social worker and Hospice Volunteer)
10:45a.m.   David Elpern...The poetry of Loss
11:30a.m.   Poetry Picnic at Reynold’s Rock
2:00p.m.    Return from Reynold’s Rock and free time at Mason Hill

To register, contact Jim Johnson: [email protected] 
The fee will cover food and beverage, equipment rental, facility use. 
All participants will contribute equally. 

There are many places to stay in the area.  Two of the closest and nicest are:
Harbour House Inn in Cheshire
Berkshires-Shirakaba, A Japanese-American B&B in close-by Lanesboro

Cell 2 Soul 2008 Conference

Come kindred spirits!
Share Stories of Humane Moments in Medicine
at our Montreal Weekend Gathering

For further information:
contact Dave Elpern or see Program PDF: Download c2s_promo.pdf

This program will appeal to all Cell 2 Soul readers and contributors.  Students are encouraged to join us.  Scholarships are available for those still "in training."