Calendar of Events
ARBORVITAE OFFERINGS – Archived Events
Body, Mind, Spirit: A Retreat for Women
Come and spend time being creative and nurturing your body, mind, and soul in a sacred, safe and peaceful environment. This four-day retreat will tap into your creativity to help you cultivate a closer relationship with God and a deeper connection to Creation. Rejuvenate yourself with yoga body prayer, experiences of nurturing prayer and meditation in nature, and creative forms of self-expression aimed at balancing your whole self. You do not have to be an artist or have any yoga experience to take part.
About the Facilitator
Marianne Karsh, B.Sc.F., M.Sc.F. delivers programs in ecology and spirituality and gives retreats throughout Canada and internationally. She also does research in biodiversity and climate change.
With many years of study in science and theology, Marianne brings a wealth of experience to retreat work, group facilitation, writing and speaking. She is especially gifted in leading people through spiritual practices that will help them foster a deeper connection to God through experiencing the beauty of creation.
Nature Journaling Retreat – Putting Your Spirituality to Paper
The Nature Journaling Retreat will draw upon your spirit and soul, as the Ignatius Jesuit Centre environs and atmosphere inspire you to write and contemplate like never before.
Keeping a nature journal is a wonderful way for writers, novice or experienced, to become spiritually centered.
Our facilitator, Marianne Karsh, will teach you various techniques of journaling, though what you choose to put in your journal is up to you. Nature journals run the gamut from field notes, which limit themselves to objective descriptions of what the writer has observed, to fully developed poems, stories, or essays in which the landscape is a major character. You may even decide to draw or paint in your journal.
Inspiration will come from nature walks and guided outdoor meditations in this unique and inspiring landscape, as well as from sharing insights with other retreatants. Optional yoga sessions, specifically designed for writers, will also be available daily to stimulate the creative flow.
About the Facilitator
Marianne Karsh, B.Sc.F., M.Sc.F. delivers programs in ecology and spirituality and gives retreats throughout Canada and internationally. She also is a research scientist specializing in biodiversity and climate change.
With many years of study in science and theology, Marianne brings a wealth of experience to retreat work, group facilitation, writing and speaking. She is especially gifted in leading people through spiritual practices that will help them foster a deeper connection to God through experiencing the beauty of creation.
Marianne first came to value journaling through taking a course in the Progoff Intensive Journal Process in Newfoundland. Since then, she has discovered that being in nature and leading retreatants through outdoor experiential processes generated poems, stories, and art in herself and others, including some people who had not written in more than 20 years.
Mysticism of Earth: An Ignatian Ecology Retreat
When we experience Earth’s beauty we enter into Mystery and are filled with awe and wonder. In Earth’s exuberant diversity we sense the unity of the Divine.
Come and be nourished by God through the beauty of our farmland and its natural surroundings. Reflecting and praying on your relationship with the Earth, you will be encouraged to experience God’s goodness and beauty. These days will offer inspiration and nurture hope-filled living expressing the healing power of the Earth.
Reading Course in Ecology, Theology, and Spirituality
Join us once a month as we read and discuss important books in Ecology, Theology, and Spirituality.
The monthly discussion sessions will be facilitated by Marianne Karsh. Guest authors and speakers will animate many of our sessions. We will be exploring the writings of Norman Wirzba, Terence Fretheim, Thomas Berry, Stephen Bede Scharper, Jurgen Moltmann, Leonardo Boff, Ched Myers, Paul Santmire, Brian Walsh, Steven Bouma-Prediger, Diarmurd O’Murchu, Vandana Shiva, Wendell Berry, Hildegard of Bingen and St Francis of Assisi. We will read one book per month and come prepared to discuss them with the group. Shorter books will be accompanied by related chapters or articles.
This Eco-theology reading course will give you a diverse exposure to key texts and provide you with a foundation that is sensitive and responsive to sustainable living. Each session will include a discussion around each week’s reading, focusing on several questions, plus a communal group sharing process that will help build community and relationships among participants.
Family Retreat
Looking for a family outing that’s both fun and fulfilling? Arborvitae invites you to spend a special Sunday with the children. You’ll go home with lasting memories to share and treasure as a family.
Nature and Spirituality Spring Course
In this informative and provocative course, you will learn what different faith traditions say about nature, how the latest scientific findings can help to inform our spirituality, and why our natural environment remains one of the richest and most potent sources of spiritual nourishment for people of faith.
The course is taught by Marianne Karsh, director of Arborvitae, and is held on eight Thursday evenings with a field trip scheduled.
Community Shared Cosmic Camp For Kids
Cosmic Camp for Kids is a unique ecological camp for children that have earned rave reviews from kids, parents, and educators alike. This is our second year to offer a home-school-style cosmic camp where parents will participate with the children.
We tell each other stories, sing songs, perform cool science experiments, go on hikes, create arts and crafts, swim – and much, much more. Each day is filled with lots of fun outdoor activities that foster reverence and awe for the wonderful world in which we live.
Children (ages 4 – 12) and their parents.
Earth, Air, Fire & Water: Living With Respect in Creation
Don’t miss this innovative series organized and sponsored by Lawrence Park Community Church, A congregation of The United Church of Canada. This series features five passionate speakers and five great films.
Speakers
Living with Respect in Creation – Stephen Bede Scharper, Assistant Professor with the Centre for the Study of Religion and Centre for Environment at the University of Toronto.
Earth – Leaving a Smaller Footprint– Marianne Karsh, Director of Arborvitae.
Air: Helping Our Planet Catch its Breath– Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada.
Fire: Exploring the Viability of Renewable Resources – Ted Mills, President of Groudswell Geothermal Inc.
Water: Protecting a Basic Human Right – Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of The Council of Canadians.
Films
- An Inconvenient Truth
- A Civil Action
- Radio Bikini
- Who Killed the Electric Car
- Deep Blue
Winter Nature and Spirituality Retreat
Guelph, Ontario
Like the Sabbath, winter is a sacred time set aside for all Creation to rest and regroup in preparation for spring. Arborvitae and The Ecology Project invite you to one day and evening exploring the true meaning of winter and dormancy for the life of the spirit. Reconnect with Earth through experiencing winter on the beautiful property of Ignatius Jesuit Centre in Guelph.
Seeds of Hope – Justice for the Earth
Tatamagouch, Nova Scotia
This eco-spirituality retreat will use hands-on experiences of nature to build (and rebuild) our connections to creation, providing opportunities to practice and share with each other. Together we will explore prayer and meditation techniques that energize hope, enthusiasm, and non-violence in our lives and in our world. A special feature of this retreat is the facilitator’s use of the nature photography of her father, the highly regarded artist, Malak Karsh.
Facilitation: Marianne Karsh is a forester, author, researcher, and retreat leader. She is Director of Arborvitae, an organization that focuses on improving human-earth relations.
Marianne has been giving seminars and leading nature and spirituality field trips since the early 1980s. Among her writings in this area is Trees, Forestry and the Responsiveness of Creation, published in This Sacred Earth: Religion, Nature and the Environment (1996).
Nature and Spirituality Retreat
Pembroke, Ontario
In this informative, inspiring retreat, you will learn what different faith traditions say about nature, how the latest scientific findings can help to inform our spirituality, and why our natural environment remains one of the richest and most potent sources of spiritual nourishment for people of faith.
The retreat is facilitated by Marianne Karsh, Director of Arborvitae, and brings together teachings, meditation, art, and experiences of nature to create a memorable and enriching time together. The retreat involves many outdoor sessions, walking, and reflecting in nature, so please come prepared to spend daily quality time outside on the grounds and trails and by the water.
Fall Nature and Spirituality Retreat
Beyond its sheer beauty, the autumn season has many profound things to tell us about life. Explore the deepest of spiritual questions with the Marianne Karsh while taking in the images of late autumn. The retreat will be held at Orchard Park in Guelph, and is a commuter retreat, meaning that it does not include meals and overnight accommodations. Click on fall.pdf for more information.
The Mysteries of the Universe
Special Retreat with James Conlon, Director of Sophia Center, Holy Names College, and Marianne Karsh, Director of Arborvitae
Cedar Glen Conference Centre, Bolton, Ontario
- Sponsored by The Elderberry Connection – A Christian Spirituality Group Celebrating the Unfolding of the Universe
