|  Rev. Leslie Heckathorn has been active at the Center since 1998 serving in education classes, our youth program, and praying in Grinton Chapel. She facilitated our first annual Animal Remembrance Service in 2009.
Leslie has a Master’s Degree in Consciousness Studies, which is the foundation for her ministerial training. She also has a Master's Degree in Human Canine Life Sciences. Her final project for this Master's Degree was creating "Animal Ministry." Leslie is passionate about animals. She is also the founder of her own business, leslielovesdogs.com, where she works with people and their dogs. All of Leslie's education, experience, and heartfelt passion is put into practice supporting people and the bonds they share with their animal companions.
|
|
Bridging the Gap: Training Your Pet - An Intuitive Approach
Thursday February 23, 2012
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $20 per person
Purchase tickets in advance, no ticket sales at the door the night of the event. Tickets will go on sale for this workshop on Sundays starting, January 29 in the Social Hall after services at the Animal Ministry table. Tickets can also be purchased during the week at the Stepping Stones Bookstore or online at the Stepping Stones website under the events tab. Tickets purchased online will be held in will call and can be picked up at the door the night of the event. You must present your ticket at the door the evening of the workshop.
There will be a limit of 25 participants.
This is a workshop for humans only - please leave your pets safely at home.
This introductory workshop will reinforce the spiritual truth that all living beings are interrelated. We’ll explore that, through telepathy, we influence our pet’s behaviors. Since animals are intuitive beings who respond to human emotions and thoughts, this workshop will support the natural ability of people to communicate non-verbally with them. It asks that we stay present in our hearts, compassionate of others and ourselves. When we love and appreciate our pets, our connections are emotional, mental and telepathic. We’ll practice sending messages to our animals for the purpose of training, and to elicit their cooperation for compliance.
 This workshop is about deeply tuning into yourself and your pet so that you can transmit thoughts, feelings and mental pictures to your animal for training purposes. The beauty of it is that you’re already doing this! You’re already intuitively connected with your beloved animal so why not use that special bond for training purposes? You’ll come away having built confidence in your ability to reach your pet with your thoughts and expectations. And you’ll have fun.
You’ll learn how to:
*transmit ideas intuitively
*connect with your pet spiritually
*facilitate positive changes in your animal’s behaviors
*feel emotionally closer to your animal
Presenter: Marlane Spillinger, MS
Marlane has studied animal communication for six years with experts Marta Williams, author of such books as “Ask Your Animal”, Carol Gurney, author of “The Language of Animals”, and Cathy Currea. She’s a certified hypnotherapist since 1987 working with individuals and groups, and has trained in massage, Reiki, and Therapeutic Touch. For this workshop, she draws from her studies, her spiritual practice of 24 years, and her life experiences. She volunteers at PALS (Paws as Loving Support) assistance dogs, an agency in Forestville that trains service dogs to work with autistic children, and at BUCS (Bergin University of Canine Studies), an agency in Santa Rosa that trains service dogs to assist people with disabilities. She worked at SRJC for eleven years as a coordinator of the older adults program. Her formal training includes a BA in English and an MS in therapeutic recreation.
Please watch this space for upcoming animal ministry workshops in 2012.
I am working with several people on the topic of Animal Communication, Reiki, Canine Massage and Herbal Essences. If you are interestd in providing a workshop for animal ministry please contact me at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
|
 Services are held twice a year in Grinton Chapel
Spring: Friday, March 9, 2012 - 7 to 8 p.m.
Fall: Friday, October 5, 2012 - 7 to 8 p.m.
This service will be a time to remember and honor the unconditional love we share with our animal companions. If you find your heart is in a tender place from the loss of an animal friend, please join us.
If an animal loved by you, your family or your child's pet has died during the past 12 months, please add your animal’s name(s) to the Animal Remembrance Book. The book will be at the Heart in Hand Table every Sunday in September as well as in the reception area during the week. The names will be read as part of the service. You may bring a photo of your animal companion to display on our Rainbow mural or bring a small memento to be on the community altar table that we will create as part of the service.
If you would like to assist in the preparation and organization of the service, contact Rev. Leslie Heckathorn at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
(321-8479) or Laura Carr, RScP at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
(669-0625).
This event welcomes donations.
|
|
| Spring Workshop:
Thursdays,March 15, 22 ,29 and April 5, 2012
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Fall Workshop:
Sundays,October 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2012
1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Workshop fee is $45 per person, (plus the purchase of the journal)
 This workshop provides a safe and tender space to be with your feelings about the loss of an animal friend. We will be using “The Kingdom of Heart – A Pet Loss Journal” as a guide over the four weeks. Each participant will need to purchase a copy of the journal. Stepping Stones Bookstore keeps the journal in stock for your convenience. Contact Rev. Leslie to add your name and contact information for the next workshop date at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Testimonial:
Dear Leslie,
I want to thank you very much for all the work you are doing in the animal ministry at the Center. When I lost my horse, Lydia, in May of 2009, I was devastated. Being able to go to the Animal Remembrance service was a blessing as it connected me to her spirit once again. I was Lydia's guardian for 23 years, one of the major reasons I moved to Santa Rosa, and the proud co-mother with Lydia of her daughter, Dakota Rose.
When I heard you were offering a workshop on grieving the loss of a pet, I couldn't wait to sign up. The book you assigned for reading and journaling is wonderful and our sessions together each week to share our responses to the readings as well as what we had written in the journal part were a great opportunity for me to work through the remaining grief. Although she remains always in my heart and in her daughter and in her portraits adorning the walls of my home, Lydia's spirit is across that Rainbow Bridge. The workshop was such a healing opportunity that I was able to work through that grief and see her for the wonderful part of my life that she was.
I would recommend this workshop to anyone who is dealing with the grief of losing a beloved pet. Your support of me was so helpful and healing.
With love and gratitude,
Ronni Berg
|
|
 Saturday, October 6, 2012 - Animal Blessing - 9 am to Noon
Practitioners will be available throughout the morning to pray with you and your beloved animals and offer you a blessing. This event welcomes love donations. We will be having a raffle at this event (we will be soliciting for donations for the raffle and discussing this at the July meeting).
|
|
St. Francis is credited with this familiar “Peace Prayer”
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
|
|
| Dear Animal Friends,
We had an amazing event on Thursday, August 4. Spirit is alive and well in Animal Ministry! The room was quite energized. Counting the volunteers, we had 66 people in Rooms 1 and 2 for our first official Animal Ministry workshop. Hats off and thank you to both of our presenters!
Donna Lamke gave a wonderful presentation on Jin Shin Jyutsu. I loved that the participants were so creative in finding a stuffed animal to bring for this part of the workshop. I felt like I was at a slumber party. It was very cute watching everyone arrive with their stuffed animals.
Kim Deremer, you did an amazing job of gently introducing the participants to animal communication. The guided meditation was wonderful. People really made some heartfelt connections. I could feel the love oozing through the amazing photos that participants brought for this portion of the workshop.
You both were absolutely amazing to work with in the planning of this workshop too.
Of course the volunteers were the glue that held it all together. My thanks to all of you who
- worked at the animal ministry table on Sundays after service
- kept us alive on the web site and in the bulletin
- created spreadsheets to keep track of participants
- made reminder phone calls
- set up chairs prior to the workshop and put them away afterwards
- brought snacks and helped clean up
- took photos
- brought an altar and lovingly displayed it
- greeted participants and got them signed in
- distributed handouts and evaluations
- held high watch (Sanna Rose, RScP) throughout the evening
Did I miss anyone?
Mostly the thing I remember is the immense love of the animal world that was vibrating in the room.
Thank you everyone for participating in creating a place to honor our animal friends in Animal Ministry.
Blessings,
Leslie
|
|
| Thank you to Donna Lamke for a wonderful workshop teaching us about the healing energy work of Jin Shin Jyutsu! Participants learned about the wisdom of harmonizing life energy in our bodies. We learned about the "safety energy locks" that promote optimal health and well-being. Donna also taught us how to use this same wisdom with our animal companions. Each participant was asked to bring a stuffed animal to learn the location of the energy locks on our animal friends. The array of stuffed animals was comical - it looked as though we were off to a big slumber party. Thank you again Donna! Thank you to all the wonderful particpants, may you all find optimal health and well being!
Please keep an eye out for a Jun Sin Jyutsu class in 2012 where you can learn even more and have more time to embrace this healing art.
Jin Shin Jyutsu is a gentle healing art which uses hand contact at specific locations on the body to promote energy flow and balance. The first hour of this workshop will introduce the principles of Jin Shin Jyutsu and provide hands on practice of self-help holds and flow patterns which can be used to harmonize our energy, support health, and cope with projects such as fatigue, headaches, back pain, digestive, and breathing issues. During the second half of this workshop participants will learn how to apply these Jin Shin Jyutsu flow patterns with our animal friends to support their health, well being, and comfort. Be sure to bring a stuffed animal for this part of the workshop.
Donna Lamke,RN MSN is the presenter. She has been a Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner for 22 years, and had the opportunity to study with Mary Burmeister, who brought Jin Shin Jyutsu to this country after having studied with master Jiro Murai in Japan for many years. Donna has worked with animals for 10 years. She has taught and coordinated several classes for animal lovers. She has participated in the Center for Spiritual Living, Santa Rosa's annual animal blessing for the last few years, providing hands-on help and individual Jin Shin Jyutsu instruction for pet guardians in our community. Donna is a nurse in a local hospital and also teaches Jin Shin Jyutsu self-help classes to health care providers, patients, and the general public. Donna is a volunteer Jin Shin Jyutsu provider at the Sutter Integrative Women's Clinic. She is dedicated to sharing this gentle hands-on healing art.
For more information, feel free to call Donna at 477-2863.
|
|
|
|
