Home Page
ABOUT US PROGRAMS BRINGING A GROUP GET INVOLVED PEACE WORKS QUICK LINKS

2007 Peace Programs
August 6 - 11, 2007 Spiritual Practices for Peacemaking
October 5 - 7, 2007 Compassionate Communication
Decmber 14 - 16, 2007 Mindful Living — with Claude AnShin Thomas

Peace Programs in 200520062008Return to Main Peace Page

 
Monday, August 6 – Saturday, August 11, 2007  

Spiritual practices provide peacemakers respite, insight and time for introspection. Whether you wish to foster peace on a global, local or personal basis, and whether your daily routines include spiritual practices or rituals, this program will offer time for gaining new perspectives.

The Mountain provides a delightful environment – a safe and nurturing space where people of diverse faiths can gather to share stories, experiences and new visioins toward fostering peace. This opportunity to create a beloved community together through music, worship and heartfelt conversations is both fun and uplifting.

Dr. Kenneth NafzigerFor Rev. Rosemary Bray McNattthe third year in a row, Dr. Kenneth Nafziger and Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt have graciously (and enthusiastically!) agreed to return as guest facilitators for Spiritual Practices for Peacemaking. Ken and Rosemary’s vast knowledge, deep spiritual centers, collaborative and celebrative styles all combine to create a magical experience for participants. They will bring us all to laughter through their unexpected bursts of humor; and they will bring us to new awareness with their depth, compassion - and of course, with the music that Ken draws out of us all.

This year for the first time there is a special incentive for participants to bring others from their local community – folks who are of the same faith or from other religious backgrounds. If three participants come at your invitation, you may attend for no fee – or offer your friends a reduced rate by registering together – four for the price of three. This is The Mountain’s way of supporting people working together from a common experience. Please be sure to note your companions on your registration form.


“I cannot find the words to express how meaningful this experience has been for me. I feel both uplifted and motivated to truly try to 'be the peace I wish to see.' Ken and Rosemary are remarkable – their depth of spiritual awareness combined with their bursts of humor and fun create a safe and welcoming space for people of all faiths and backgrounds.”
~ Participant, 2006

Return to Top of Page

Mary Mackenzie
Friday, October 5 – Sunday, October 7, 2007

The Mountain welcomes back Mary Mackenzie who will facilitate a seminar on Compassionate Communication. Mary’s gentle leadership and peaceful presence were such inspiration to our 2006 participants, that many immediately asked us to have her return this year! This program is designed to help us understand how to obtain more peace in our lives and relationships, and to communicate with compassion and understanding.

Mary is the author of Peaceful Living: Daily Meditations for Living with Love, Healing and Compassion. She is a certified trainer for the Center for Nonviolent Communication and the Executive Director of the Flagstaff Center for Compassionate Communication, a nonprofit peacemaking organization. She teaches transformational thinking, speaking, and listening skills to individuals, couples, families and children to empower them in their relationships. Mary also assists corporations and organizations with the restructuring or enhancment of their current programs for optimal success. She holds a Masters degree in Human Relations from Northern Arizona University and is a member of the Arizona Dispute Resolution Association.

“Peace is an attitude of acceptance and trust that all is fundamentally okay in the world even if it doesn’t look like what we wanted,” says Mackenzie. “In any moment we can choose to wage war against what is. Our state of being and behaviors stem from the choice we make moment to moment. The best way to maintain peace is to maintain your connection to yourself.” This exciting Mountain program helps participants focus on their own needs first, in order to help all of their relationships transform and thrive.
Return to Top of Page


As part of our Peace Works Programs, The Mountain is honored to welcome Claude AnShin Thomas, renowned Mendicant Monk, for a powerfully moving program. Claude AnShin is the author of the book At Hell's Gate: A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace, and founder of the Zaltho Foundation. As a former soldier who has committed his life to the teaching and practice of nonviolence, he says, "What is startling in these days of the 'war on terrorism' is that we rarely hear from the soldiers themselves." Claude AnShin speaks personally and powerfully from his own transformation, which can serve as a roadmap for others seeking viable alternatives to war and violence. "Everyone has their Vietnam; everyone has experienced trauma and everyone, if they want, can find healing and peace through looking deeply at the nature of their suffering." More than ever, his voice is one that Americans need and want to hear, a voice that can bring us the insight we need for healing and transformation.

Joining Claude AnShin in facilitating the program will be Wiebke KenShin Andersen. To learn more about Claude AnShin Thomas and the Zaltho Foundation, visit their website.



"Written with relentless courage and utter compassion, this account of violence and transformation is one of the most amazing and wonderful stories I've ever read." ~ Michael Herr, author of Dispatches, coauthor of the screenplays for "Apocalypse Now" and "Full Metal Jacket"

"Claude AnShin Thomas has been an inspiration to me. Our world urgently needs to listen to him tell of his life in war and then in peace." ~ Maxine Hong Kingston, author of Woman Warrior

Return to Top of Page
Site Map About Us | Programs | Bringing a Group | Calendar | Volunteers | Donate | Contact Us | Site Map | Privacy Policy

The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center, Inc. • 3872 Dillard Road • P.O. Box 1299 • Highlands, NC 28741
Phone: 828-526-5838 • Fax: 781-846-1295 • Email

© Copyright 2004 The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center, Inc.