Events
Animals, the Planet, & Us: Creating Spiritual Connections for Thriving
Full-day Workshop
In partnership with One Spirit Learning Alliance
offered October 3, 2020
Now available by online video replay
We do not journey alone! 68% of US households include an animal family member. Our actions affect them, and they affect us. How can we strengthen the bond? How do we prepare for the joy of a new animal companion, the confusion of messy health decisions, and the devastation of death or loss?
Beyond home, how do we extend compassion to the 8.7 million other species we share this interdependent planet with? As animal lovers, what does our sacred activism look like on behalf of those “without a human voice”?
Join animal chaplain Sarah in a full-day, interactive workshop to:
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Dig into what spiritual traditions teach about animals
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Explore your relationship with non-human beings
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Learn how theoethics impact all beings and our planet
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Try interspecies spiritual practices that can strengthen the human/animal bond and bring healing benefits to both
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Hear about the field of animal chaplaincy
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Receive resources for working with animal adoption, illness, loss, grief, and advocacy
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Discover how to extend your professional practice/volunteer work/sacred activism/ministry “beyond two-leggeds” with insights from a meditation teacher for dogs and horses, canine Ayurvedic teacher, reiki practitioner for animals, shamanic spirit animal guide, animal cemetery professional, compassionate chef, therapy dog companion, and more.
About SARAH BOWEN: Especially interested in the intersection of spiritual values with animal welfare, Sarah Bowen is a fierce advocate for all creatures. As an animal chaplain, she teaches interspecies mindfulness practices, works with humans around grief/loss of companion animals, loves up animals in shelters, and provides wildlife struck by cars a “sacred sendoff.” Her writing on animal/human relationships has been featured in Spirituality & Health Magazine, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, and Elephant Journal, and as well as on a wide range of podcasts from the Doggy Diva Show to Vegan Spirituality. She is a member of the Association for Pet Loss & Bereavement, an ordained interfaith/interspiritual minister, and author of two books on modern spirituality.
"Many valuable moments for me, but most of all a profound astonishment at who Sarah is in her authentic spontaneity. It is rare rare rare that I encounter someone performing their work who in no way triggers my bullshit antennae. She seems fluid and genuine, funny, real, and scaled right into the zone where love happens.” – Peter, event participant
"Part interfaith instigator, part spiritual sister, Sarah Bowen will kindly and impishly guide you to the next step of your journey to your own true heart." – Barbara Becker, blogger at All Beings Everywhere
"Sarah’s experience with her religious heritage and her spiritual path will resonate with so many who, like me, have experienced religious trauma and yet still yearn for a deeper connection with the Divine Spirit." – Karla Kamstra, founder of The Bridge Spiritual Center
