Compassion, healing, and wholeness begin with the inner life we cultivate and the spaciousness we create for others. Through cultivation, compassion takes root within each of us, becoming visible through the service and spiritual care we offer  to our families and community. Cultivating compassion has the power to transform the world.

Keynotes from John Philip Newell will develop our 2012 theme, Cultivating Compassion. Our conference spiritual director, Rabbi Amy Eilberg, will skillfully facilitate and lead our processing and integration.

Friday through Sunday, April 20–22, 2012
Three Cultivating Compassion plenary sessions, 9:00 a.m.–noon, daily

Keynoter

John Philip Newell is a poet, scholar, and teacher with a passion for peace in the world. Formerly Warden of Iona Abbey in the Western Isles of Scotland, he is currently Writer Theologian for the Scottish Cathedral of the Isles and Companion Theologian for the American Spirituality Centre of Casa del Sol in New Mexico, USA. He is internationally acclaimed for his work in the field of Celtic spirituality, including his best known titles Listening for the Heartbeat of God, Christ of the Celts,  and his poetic book of prayer Sounds of the Eternal. He is a Church of Scotland minister  with a fresh vision for harmony among the great spiritual traditions of humanity.

Spiritual Director

Rabbi Amy Eilberg is the first female rabbi ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. She co-founded the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center in San Francisco, California, USA and devoted her energy to understanding Jewish ways of healing and helping the sick. She currently lives in Minnesota, USA where she works for the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning and is involved in peace work. She also regularly teaches about Jewish healing, spirituality, and peace.

Thursday Evening, April 19, 2012, 7:00-10:00 p.m.
Welcome to Spiritual Directors International Cultivating Compassion (FREE and open to the public)

 
Howard Thurman: Cultivator of Compassion by Kirk Byron Jones

Saturday Evening, April 20, 7:30–9:00 p.m.
Music of Compassion: A Celtic Harp Reflection by Cath Connelly

Cath Connelly has been playing the Celtic harp professionally since 1998. She is now considered one of Australia's leading Celtic harpers. She is well known for performances that invite audiences to engage in quiet reflection and a deeper sense of being. In true Celtic fashion, Cath also incorporates storytelling into her engaging concerts that span Irish folklore, Celtic tradition, music, and spirituality. Her music is deeply grounded in the Celtic tradition, with potential to dwell in that liminal space between the known and the unknown. It is here that Cath’s music melds contemporary spirituality with the ancient Celtic harp tradition.

More Details: Cultivating Compassion conference, April 20-22, 2012
Throughout the Cultivating Compassion educational events, you will have the opportunity to engage and gather with other participants during plenary sessions, and in smaller groups, during selected workshops and additional educational opportunities.

Speaker Index
Friday workshops
Friday evening workshops
Saturday workshops
FREE Spiritual Directors International Educational Events Open to the Public
Schedule

Cultivating Compassion educational opportunities
April 19:         Leadership Institute
April 19:         Spirituality and Health Care Institute
April 19:         FREE Public Evening
April 20-22:   Cultivating Compassion conference
April 23:         Pilgrimage
April 24-27:   Contemplative Retreats

Exhibitors and Conference Bookstore
Spiritual Directors International provides excellent resources to cultivate compassion and contemplative practices. Please visit the exhibitors and comprehensive onsite bookstore.

Exhibitor List