Events

Below appears a list of some upcoming and past events with Mark Hathaway. If you would like Mark to come to your area to give a course, retreat, or workshop, contact him at events[at]taoofliberation.com (replacing "[at]" with "@" to create a valid e-mail). Or, talk to your local retreat or conference centre, suggesting they invite Mark to your area. A flyer of his facilitation services is available here.

Past Events

Date: Monday, March 26, 2012

Time: 7 – 9:30 PM

Place: Five Oaks, Paris, ON

Workshop Title: Practicing Gratitude & Reconnection

Workshop Description:

Today, we live in a time marked by a deep ecological, social, and spiritual crisis. Yet, this time can also be seen as a moment of grace that presents unique opportunities for transforming the way we live with other humans and the wider Earth community. Drawing on the Aramaic versions of Jesus’ Beatitudes and Joanna Macy’s “Work that Reconnects,” this workshop will explore a spirituality of gratitude that reconnects us with the cosmos, our ancestors, and future generations to come. In so doing, we discover ways to overcome the denial, addictions, and despair that can disempower us. At the same time, we awaken to new possibilities to engage in creative transformative action.

Leadership: Mark Hathaway

Mark Hathaway is an author and adult educator who researches, writes, and speaks about the interconnections between ecology, economics, psychology, social justice, spirituality, and cosmology. Together with Leonardo Boff, he is the author of the award-winning book The Tao of Liberation: Exploring the Ecology of Transformation published by Orbis in 2009. Mark worked for many years in Latin America and also served as national staff for the United Church for ten years. He is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto where he researches, writes, and teaches about cosmologies, worldviews, transformative adult learning, and the cultivation of ecological wisdom.

Information and Registration information

An Ecospirituality of the "Kindom" of God

A Retreat with Mark Hathaway
Thursday, 23 June to Sunday, 26 June
Queen's House, Saskatoon, SK

We live in a time of deep crisis, a time when the complex web that sustains all life is increasingly under threat. Yet, this crisis is also an opportunity for awakening to a deeper spirituality that empowers us to act more fruitfully and joyfully for meaningful change. Drawing on the teachings of Jesus – particularly the Aramaic versions of the Beatitudes and the prayer we commonly call the “Our Father” – as well as insights from psychology, science, and other spiritual traditions, participants will be invited to explore a transformative spirituality rooted in the life-giving power of God as experienced in the unfolding story of creation.

Key Themes to be Explored

• Seeking wisdom in a time of crisis: The ethical challenges posed by the threat of ecocide.
• Understanding the idea of the hidden potentiality for change at the heart of creation: The meaning and significance of the ‘reign” or “kindom” (Aramaic: malkuta) of God.
• New ways of understanding liberation from an ecological and cosmological perspective.
• The four “paths to liberation” revealed in the prayer of Jesus and how these can inspire and sustain a transformative, engaged, and ecological spirituality.
• The Beatitudes as a spiritual path for overcoming denial, despair, and paralysis; relationship to  Joanna Macy’s “work that reconnects.”
• Interconnections between the path of Jesus and those of Buddhism, Taoism, and traditional Middle Eastern spirituality, as well as insights from modern science.

Download a Poster here (pdf)

For more information, see the Queen's House website.

The Tao of Liberation: Exploring the Ecology of Transformation

Friday, 17 June to Sunday, 19 June, Toronto
Transformative Learning Centre's Summer Institute

Today we may stand at the most important crossroads in the history of humanity, and perhaps the Earth itself. Deepening inequality and accelerating ecological degradation challenge us to act with insight and maturity: How can we move toward a future where meaning, hope, and beauty can truly flourish?

 
Using holistic, experiential approaches, this workshop seeks out the wisdom needed to effect profound transformations in our world. We can understand this wisdom in terms of the ancient Chinese word Tao: A “way” leading to harmony, peace, and right relationship. The Tao lies at the very heart of the unfolding universe, encapsulating the essence of its purpose.
 
The workshop will begin by exploring the pathology at the root of our current crisis: We all hold basic  - though often unconscious  - assumptions about the very nature of reality. These assumptions both influence our ability to perceive the problems we face and limit our imagination's capacity to conceive paths toward wholeness and liberation.
 
Drawing on insights from ecology, psychology, systems theory, quantum physics, the emerging story of the universe, and diverse spiritual traditions, we will then seek a new understanding of our place in the cosmos and explore four intertwining paths leading towards liberation.

Loving Earth Back to Health - A Festival of Cosmic Creation

Saturday, 28 May 2011 with Mark Hathaway, Alanna Mitchell, and Bruce Sanguin

A one-day conference organised by the Hamilton Conference of The United Church of Canada but open to all. See the attached posted for more information (PDF).

Walking the Way of Blessing: An Ecospirituality of Earth Healing

The Elderberry Connection Conference with Mark Hathaway
Friday, 29 April - Sunday, 1 May 2011, Guelph, ON

When faced with the reality of deepening injustice and ecological crisis, we may feel overwhelmed and powerless to act fruitfully for change. Yet, this crisis is also an opportunity to awaken to a deeper power at work around and within us – the sense of the “I can” of the cosmos, the hidden potentiality of the kindom of God.

Drawing on the Aramaic version of Matthew’s Beatitudes, the 2011 Elderberry Conference will explore new insights for healing our souls and healing the Earth. Weaving these insights together with those of modern science and a diversity of spiritual traditions, we will discover ways of connecting with the deep, creative power present in the greater community of life.

In so doing, we will discover new ways of understanding the process of transformation itself, framing liberation in a cosmological context. Using experiential methods drawn from Middle Eastern spirituality and Joanna Macy’s “work that reconnects”, we will endeavour to assimilate these teachings into our hearts, bodies, and souls.

Note: The conference will begin on Friday, April 29 at 5:30 PM with supper. Participants may arrive any time after 5 PM to complete their registration.

For more information and registration, see the website of the Elderberry Connection.