Spiritual and Religious Life

Grief Group – Tuesdays at 11:30 – meets as a hybrid weeks 4-6. A weekly student grief group meets with Center staff each term. Reservations are not required, but as we may use Zoom, you are encouraged to contact the office so that we will be prepared to welcome you and can share the password. The group is led by Associate Dean Terra Winston. 

Winter Sensory Walk – Get out and take in the beauty. Wherever you are, you can enjoy the crunch of the earth outside, smell the air, feel the weather (temperate or otherwise), and deeply listen to the sounds of your surroundings. Allow the harmony, or even disharmony, to fill your senses.

Continue your practice and be guided by your breathing. Calm your inner voice as you develop your meditation practice either in person or via Zoom.

Mondays at 4:30 via Zoom
Beginning January 11-March 8
Virtual Guided Meditation with Amy Gruen

Thursdays at 4:30 in Warch 224
Beginning January 21 – March 11
In-Person Guided Meditation with Isaac Wippich

For the virtual meditation Zoom link and passcode,
Connect with the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life

For health and safety reasons, the in-person meditation is open to Lawrentians only.

In-person events such as meditation and one on one meetings will resume in week three, but (Sabin House) Center for Spiritual and Religious Life will be closed to the campus users for weeks one and two. The closure will include the Food Pantry.

We will remain open throughout break on weekdays, and we encourage campus users to visit our space to reflect on the season, read a good book, enjoy a sunny alcove, or take in the tranquility of the Meditation Room for self-directed yoga or mindful contemplation.

HOURS OVER BREAK – WEEKDAYS ONLY
November 26 – January 1
9a-6p
*Open January 2-3
9a-6p

Closed January 4-17
Reopen January 18
The building will be closed, including the food pantry, for the first two weeks of term. It will re-open on Monday, January 18.

REGULAR HOURS UPON REOPENING – Beginning January 18
Monday – Friday     9a-11:59p
Saturday      12p-11:59p

Since we house the food pantry and act as a public campus space for students and staff, Sabin House and the Center for Spiritual and Religious Life want to share with the campus community the hours of our space over the coming weeks.

HOURS OVER BREAK
Nov. 26 – Jan. 3
Weekdays only
9am-6pm

Closed January 4-17
Reopen January 18
The building will be closed, including the food pantry, for the first two weeks of term. It will re-open on Monday, January 18.

REGULAR HOURS UPON REOPENING:
Monday-Friday     9a-11:59p
Saturday     12p-11:59p

Wishing everyone a safe and pleasant break.

Expand your uses for flags, walls and walking with intention.

Community Gratitude Flags – Borrowing from Tibetan Buddhism, you are invited to contribute a flag to a living breathing kinetic journal of your thanks and appreciation in the new garden space east of the Center for Spiritual and Religious Life. Virtual submissions welcome through the office of Spiritual and Religious Life.

Prayer Wall – You are invited to place your intentions, wishes, hopes, thanksgiving, fears, confessions, questions, or prayers into the ‘wall’ regardless of background or beliefs. In Warch center until Sunday, November 15 and then look for it in the Conservatory until November 20th. On Saturday, November 21st we will dismantle the wall, collect the prayers. They will be released, unopened, to the universe through burning.

‘Take a Hike’ continues to be offered with Amber Latimer on Tuesdays at 4. Open to all students.

‘Fall Sensory Walk’ – Locate an area to explore, distance with a friend, engage your senses, share with others

Go.Lawrence.Edu/Spirit-Space

Please join the Lawrence Community as we gather to celebrate Stephen McCardell’s life and legacy among us.  We will gather virtually on Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 2:00p.m. for a time of music and memories. To protect the gathering from disruption, we are asking for RSVP’s so that we can send you the Zoom link. 

Please RSVP to Spiritual.Religious.Life@Lawrence.edu before noon on Friday, November 6^th and we will send you a link.

If you have questions, please email Brian Pertl at Brian.G.Pertl@Lawrence.edu or Linda Morgan-Clement at Linda.Morgan-Clement@Lawrence.edu. 

Spiritual and Religious Life understands prayer to be many different things for the members of our community. In all times and traditions, it is a way of being in the moment, being present, and opening your heart, soul, and mind to connection.

A temporary “prayer wall” will be placed in Warch campus center the week of November 2nd. You are invited to place your intentions, wishes, hopes, thanksgiving, fears, confessions, questions, or prayers into the “wall” regardless of background or beliefs.

In times of anxiety, stress, or fear – a natural response is to close; close our hearts, our emotions, and our relationships. Without a doubt this season is stressful, anxiety producing and frightening regardless of your religious tradition or political persuasion. 

On Saturday, November 15^th we will dismantle the wall and collect the prayers. They will be released, unopened, to the universe through burning.  Watch for more information.   

Borrowing from Tibetan prayer flags, the Center for Spiritual and Religious Life invites you to express what you are grateful for by creating and contributing a flag to a living, breathing kinetic journal of our thanks, appreciations and hopes. 

Tibetan prayer flags typically carry mantras (sacred words) for peace, compassion, good fortune, strength or wisdom. They are an essential part of Tibetan  Buddhism and can be found over mountain passes and along mountain ridges.

We hope each flag will be created in the artists own style, then hung outside in our new garden space, its words and sentiment dissolving into the wind and being spread to all whom the wind touches.  

On campus students, faculty and staff – Materials and instructions to create and hang your flag will be provided in the Sabin House Kitchen/Community Room. Your ID will grant you access to the building 9-9 M-F & 9-12 on weekends.  

Remote students, faculty and staff – Feel free to share what you are grateful for through this form (written words, poetry, lyrics, images, drawings), and a staff member will transfer to a flag to hang in community with the collaborative piece.

Reminder that the Center is open with safety measurements in place so we can all honor the pledge. Masks are required and capacity limits posted in each room.

?Listen to the sound of leaves scrunching under your feet. Listen to the sounds of the city. Listen to the sounds of the water. Listen to your own footsteps. ? Feel what’s under your feet. Feel the temperature around you. Feel the texture of trees or buildings. Feel the water or ground. ? Look at the different colors around you. Look for what changed this season. Look at neighborhood murals or light on the water. ? Smell the air around you. Smell pine trees. Smell the water. Smell fires in the area.? Taste the air as you breathe in and out. Taste a beverage when you return home.

1) Locate an area to explore. This can be a path, a park, a place near a river, lake or ocean, or just around the neighborhood.
2) Distance with a friend. For both community and safety you might want to bring a friend on this adventure, or at least tell someone what you’re doing and where you’re headed.
3) Engage your senses. See examples of ways to engage your senses.
4) Share with others. Post on the LU Spirit Space Facebook or Instagram page about how you engaged in the sensory walk.