Community Meditation is back!
Saturday, April 13, 10:30 a.m. in Edwards Hall
Join Joti Royster for a monthly community meditation, followed by reflections and sharing (for those who’d like to stay). It is an opportunity to sit in person, with practitioners and friends. There will be guided meditation interspersed with silence for the first forty minutes followed by reflections, questions and insights, sharing, readings, friendship.
Joti Royster, formerly from Sacred Spaces in Southborough, is currently at Temple Forest Monastery in Temple, New Hampshire. She can be reached at jotimetta@gmail.com.
This event is a sharing of truth, freely offered. Donations to support for Open Spirit programming are welcomed.
Passover Seder in an Interfaith Setting
Tuesday, April 23, 6:00 p.m. (Outdoor meditation starts at 5:30)
Edwards Hall
Suggested donation: $18-$36
Enjoy a nature based, environmentally themed Passover seder in an interfaith setting. Experience the rituals and explore the meaning of Passover with its themes of leaving bondage and moving into freedom and how those themes resonate in today’s troubled world. People of all ages and all spiritual traditions are welcome. The seder will be led by Rabbi Suri Krieger and will be preceded at 5:30 p.m. by a guided meditation outdoors in the gardens at Open Spirit, led by Rabbi Katy Allen. You are invited to bring a potluck dish to share and will receive information about Passover dietary guidelines to help you. Ritual foods and additional catered dishes will supplement the meal, with the option for a hekhshered kosher-for-Passover meal.
The suggested donation per person to cover costs is $18-$36 (18 is the numerical equivalent of the word chaî in Hebrew, meaning “life,” and is a traditional amount for donations in the Jewish community). This program is co-sponsored by Ma’yan Tikvah and Open Spirit and is supported in part by the National Center for Encouraging Judaism. RSVP here: https://forms.gle/8eDegygZ7n8wA4Qd8
Multi-Faith Book Signing
April 28 at 4 p.m. in Edwards Hall
Join us for a unique book discussion of Bird on a Wire featuring author Mary LaHaj. Bird on a Wire is a captivating story that delves into the journey of self-discovery, faith and identity. The family epic begins in Lebanon at the turn of the 20th century and incorporates the unique perspectives of three generations on how one becomes an “American.” As each generation attempts to integrate their culture into the majority culture, we become privy to their dreams and decisions about how much to assimilate and how much to preserve as a matter of self-identity.
Mary is descended from Lebanese Muslim immigrants who arrived in the US in the early 1900s. She combines her own rather colorful personal story with her family’s saga, which includes establishing the first mosque in New England (1964).
We are excited to welcome Mary who will be reading from and discussing her book, followed by a Q&A. Light refreshments will be served. Books can be purchased on Amazon.com. For photos and original music, visit www.birdonawirebook.com.
Plant Forward March – for a Healthier, More Compassionate Spring!
Tuesday, April 2, 7:00 – 7:40 p.m. – on Zoom
Sunday, April 7, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. In-person in Edwards Hall
It’s not too late to participate in Plant Forward March by eating more plant foods and less animal foods. Our last support meeting will be Tuesday, April 2 from 7:00 – 7:40 p.m. on Zoom. Come to have your questions answered, suggestions, and sharing of challenges & successes.
Our challenge will culminate in a plant based (vegan) potluck on April 7.
from 3:00-4:30 p.m. in person at Open Spirit to share food and our experience with the challenge. For more details, email Laura Beck (ljbVeganMentor@gmail.com) or visit the events tab of the Open Spirit website.