Saturday-Sunday, March 27-28, 2010
Location: 87 Toronto Street, Barrie

Towards a Culture of Peace: 
with Michael Lipson, PhD

Our world is governed by inner and outer hostilities.  Today, the world's precious resources of water, oil, air and arable land are only growing scarcer -- giving more cause for conflict.
Unless…Unless we develop a consciousness of peace and mutual gift-giving. Peace, however, depends not only on concord between humans, or between humans and the kingdoms of nature.  It requires concord between human beings and the heavens.  

Let us spend a weekend discovering the deep well-spring of generosity we can access within. Let us go beyond resources-to the very Source itself. The way is through group discussion and group meditation.  Using words, we can access the place before words, where we are truly at one.

Saturday, March 27 from 9:3am - 5:30 pm
Sunday, March 28 from 9:30am - 3:00pm

Michael Lipson, PhD, is the author of The Stairway of Surprise, and the translator of many works by Rudolf Steiner and Georg Kuehlewind. A Clinical Psychologist in independent practice in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, he teaches meditation internationally.

Cost: Complete Event $150
(including Saturday dinner, Sunday lunch and snacks)

Please register before March 10th by calling 1-705-722-5408
or email treasaodriscoll@sympatico.ca

Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 3:00pm
Location: Novalis Hall, 7841 4th line, Angus, Ontario

Agri-Cultural Rite of Spring 
A concert featuring virtuoso violinist, Emmanuel Vukovich, pianist/composer, John McDowell and celebrated cellist, Julia MacLaine

Emmanuel and John, who practice music and farming side by side, have formed an international initiative, Music for Farms, which works to revive and sustain local organic agriculture and farming communities through the arts. Julia MacLaine joins them for this special concert at Novalis Hall. The programme includes the music of Bach and several original works in contemporary and classical idioms, such as their own acclaimed composition based on the Parcival legend. African drum rhythms are also employed to great effect by this exciting Trio whose creative arrangements reflect a weaving of eastern and western traditions.

Juilliard and McGill trained Emmanuel Vukovich is the recipient of Canada's first Golden Violin Award, as well as the Canada Council for the Arts Orford String Quartet scholarship. His twin passions of farming and music are brought to expression in this artistic Rite of Spring. John McDowell is best known as composer of the score to Oscar winning Born into Brothels. He has toured with platinum selling rock/world music band Rusted Root and his internationally acclaimed band Mamma Tongue. Julia MacLaine has been consistently singled out by critics for her rich tone, sweet throbbing vibrato and superb musicianship. Her performances at Carnegie Hall, in Europe, North and South America and Iceland have established her as one of today's prominent cellists. 

This concert was sponsored by Mrs. Christina Peterson

Tickets:$20

For Reservations please call 1-705-722-5408,
or e-mail rsvp@novalisproject.com

Upcoming Events at Novalis Hall

May 23, 3pm:
Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company

June 6, 3pm:
John and Kathleen Rudolph in concert
with percussion and flute

Tuesday Afternoons, April 13 - May 18, 2010
from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Location: 87 Toronto Street in downtown Barrie,

Entering the Colour Stream
An introductory Watercolour Painting Course with Lori Cockburn

(No previous painting experience necessary)

Awaken your imagination and renew your spirit in a warm community setting as Lori leads you into the wonder of colour that comes to light in the flowering of Spring and Summer gardens.

Lori Cockburn has a diploma in Dance and Art from Ryerson University. Her interest in exploring the expressive, creative and healing potential of movement and other art forms gradually became a driving force in her life. A desire for further study led her to enroll in the Arscura School for Living Art. Now at the point of graduating from Arscura, Lori is devoted to applying all she has learned for the purpose of awakening the imagination and healing the soul. Painting and movement are a daily meditative practice for her and the source of her infectious joy in living. Every participant in this painting course, presented by the Novalis Project, will delight in Lori’s practical approach to learning, her deep insight, awakened imagination and loving service to the spirit of Art.

Cost for 6 session and all materials: $70

For Reservations please call 1-705-722-5408,
or e-mail rsvp@novalisproject.com

Sunday, March 22, 3:00pm
Novalis Hall, Nottawasaga Village, 7481 4th line, Angus

The Prater Duo in "Dance of Spring"
a performance of works by Russian, Hungarian, Czech and Spanish composers

Sister and brother duo, Rena (Piano) and Rufat (Violin), were born into an acclaimed musical family in Baku, Azerbaijan. Seasoned performers by the age of ten, they garnered academic accolades and won prestigious prizes in Russia and Europe before emigrating to Canada almost twenty years ago. These accomplished artists have delighted audiences at recent summer festivals in Ontario with their “polished and astonishingly brilliant playing.”The programme for this concert is reflective of the changes in nature. The duo's inspired performance is guaranteed to awaken hearts to the creative and life giving forces of Spring as we celebrate the first event of the Novalis Project 2009 seson. Please encourage family and friends to join you for this special concert!

Cost: $20

To reserve: call 1-705-722-5408 or email rsvp@novalisproject.com

		Treasa has released her new book titled "Celtic Woman, a memoir of life's poetic journey" and is now available in bookstores across the country. Launch Invitation [PDF] For more information visit: www.bluebutterflybooks.ca

The Novalis Project presents a workshop with Michael Lipson, Ph.D

Sat.-Sun., March 1st-2nd
Location: at Novalis Hall, 7841 4th Line, Angus, Ont.
Sat. March 1st: 2.30 pm-8.30 pm,
Sun. March 2nd: 9.30am-3.00pm
COST: $150 (including 1 dinner, 1 lunch and snacks)

Within You
And Among You
Inner work and the elements of human encounter

When spiritual work becomes sufficiently intense, inner life is communal life. This sense is captured in Luke 17:21, which is ambiguous in the original Greek:

Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within/among you.

The path of meditation is above all a path of interpersonal encounter, for it involves meeting the chosen theme and, ultimately, the Will from which the theme arose. Meditation worthy of the name does not take us away from each other, but leads us into play and collaboration that derives from a common creative source. Our themes for this weekend will be taken from the Gospel of John. John asks us to dissolve the husk of habit that separates us from one another and from the spirit. We will consider whether we live in a world of things or of beings, what it means to speak of the Light of the world, and whether we truly want to be whole.

This weekend workshop will invite participants to become increasingly present both to meditative themes and to each other. It will include exercises in which we encounter 'the other' as a source of meaning and love and that help us to see how we hide ourselves from divinity in all its aspects.

Michael Lipson, PhD, is the author of The Stairway of Surprise, a re-working of Rudolf Steiner's Six "Supplementary" Exercises, as well as the translator of many works by R. Steiner and by Georg Kuehlewind. A Clinical Psychologist in independent practice in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, he teaches meditation internationally.

TO REGISTER: CALL 1-705-722-5408 OR EMAIL treasa@novalisproject.com

Presenting an Earth Day Concert with Mary Anderson and friends

The Haunting Magic
of the Celtic Harp

Sunday April 22 at 3pm
Location: Novalis Hall, 7841 4th Line, Angus, Ontario
Admission: $20 including refreshments

"One of Canada's finest harpists."
- Ottawa Folklore Center

"Simply a superb musician with a growing
reputation for excellence"
- Kitchener Waterloo Record

"Enough exuberance to set your feet to
dance and your heart to dream .."
- Folkharp Journal

Mary Anderson began her career as a harpist studying at the Royal Conservatory of music. Mary has evolved a style that encompasses traditional, jazz, classical, contemporary and popular sounds. Her playing has been called "aggressive", "refreshing", and "spirited", and she has been dubbed one of Canada's finest folk harpers.

Special Guest Rev. Bonnie Kelly will present
Maude’s Newfoundland Memories
The character of Maude is a composite of the many wonderful Newfoundland women that Rev. Kelly lived and worked with in her native Newfoundland when she served a United Church parish there. Maude has been shaped by a vibrant, happy community life and by the wild waves of the sea. Come and listen to her tales... She's sure to give you a laugh!

Please reserve by calling 1-705-722-5408
rsvp@novalisproject.com
Mailing address: Novalis Project, 92 Mary Street, Barrie, ONL4N ITI

A Watercolour Painting Course with Donald Hall,
art professor and water colour artist from Bolzano, Italy

The Mystic Mastery of Raphael

Saturday-Sunday, March 24-25, 2007

Raphael exalted the art of painting to an expression of the divine and revealed the spiritual dimensions of colour and form. We can discover the true purpose of art in the study of his work, which has endured the test of time as a source of beauty and transformation in human hearts. Drawing on Goethe’s classic theory, participants will create colour combinations that give entry to the secret world of Raphael’s creations. The hidden power of the good, the beautiful and the true to which the work of this painter attests will reveal themselves in these exercises. The course will also include short talks on the history of art as it relates to Raphael. As a painter working in Italy, Donald presents an informed perspective on the classical tradition and its relevance to modern art.

Mornings: 9.30-12.00am:
Learn to see colour and find the right technique. Explore a living process to raise consciousness and feeling with the guidance of a superb teacher.

Afternoons: 2.00-4.30pm:
Make colour sketches and light/dark charcoal drawings to express the formal nature of objects and their relationship to one another.
Please bring dry watercolours or a set of Pelikan watercolour cakes and brushes-suggested sizes small, three quarters and one inch. An easel can be provided if you do not have your own. Course suited to beginners and practiced painters alike.

Course fee including paper, lunches and snacks: $225
(a non refundable deposit of $35 is due before March 10)

Location: Novalis Hall, 7841 4th line, Angus.

Please reserve by calling 1-705-722-5408
rsvp@novalisproject.com
Mailing address: Novalis Project, 92 Mary Street, Barrie, ONL4N ITI

“A mood of contentment prevailed during Donald Hall's opening talk and seemed to increase as participants applied themselves to his clearly articulated exercises and discourses on the history, meaning and purpose of art, delivered between painting sessions when we clustered in rapt attention around him.”
- Lilipoh Magazine, Fall 2006

Spring 2006 | HOME

Friday-Sunday, March 17-19, 2006

Watercolour Painting Workshop & Lecture
From Michelangelo's David
to Picasso's Minotaur
with Donald Hall, Art Professor and water colour artist from Bolzano, Italy

“In painting with Donald Hall and hearing his unique insights on the great masterpieces I have discovered anew my own connection with painting. I recommend the following to workshop participants regardless of the level of their expertise: Be open to your own creativity and to the lawfulness of colour… Avoid getting trapped in a style or in the pursuit of a perfect image…
In the joy of the effort you may discover that something new will begin to live in you.” - Denis Schneider, art teacher

Location: MacLaren Art Centre, 37 Mulcaster Street, Barrie.
Cost: $215 (includes Saturday lunch at the Radio Café)

Saturday - Sunday, May 6-7, 2006

Right Speech: the art of shared humanity,
with Dr. Michael Lipson, clinical psychologist.

Location: Cornerstone, 78 Toronto St., Barrie

Evening Lecture: Sat, May 6, 7:30-9:00pm
In this evening's lecture, we will consider the practice of Right Speech. This is our most fundamental practice as humans in community and central to the eightfold path of the Buddha. The lecture stands by itself, but serves also as the introduction to Saturday's workshop. It is appropriate for teachers, counselors, and in fact everyone who speaks!

Workshop: Sunday, May 7, 9:30-4:30pm
This workshop will actively involve participants in exercises of Right Speech as discussed in Friday's lecture. The emphasis is on the power of meaning that precedes speech, or what Steiner called "the undifferentiated word-power". We will practice, in pairs and as a group, finding the kairos or right time to speak, and so bring focus and intuition to our interactions. Participants are asked to ponder, in advance, the first 14 verses of the Gospel of John.

Cost: Complete Event $100 (including snacks only)
Lecture only: $20

Sunday, June 4, 3:00pm

Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company
presents
A Passion for Life

Esmeralda Enrique grew up in the Flamenco tradition which has its roots in Northern India, a dance form adapted by traveling gypsies which gradually became a popular feature of Spanish culture. Since emigrating to Canada in 1982, Ms. Enrique has created a dance company renowned for its innovation, versatility and excellence. Esmeralda herself is a much loved, warm and charismatic member of the Toronto dance community, named most fascinating choreographer in 1995 and most popular teacher in 1997. She drew a full audience to Novalis Hall in a 2004 concert. Early booking is advised for the return of this exciting ensemble on June 4, 2006.

Location: Novalis Hall, 7841 line 4, Angus Ontario
Tickets: $25

Saturday, June 17, 3:00pm , 2006

The Scott Marshall Jazz Trio

Enjoy a state of the art jazz performance on saxophone, grand piano and acoustic bass. This concert is a feature of the Barrie Jazz and Blues Festival.

Location: Novalis Hall, 7841 line 4, Angus Ontario
Tickets: $10

"When I stood in front of the audience after the last note had sounded into the silence I saw a sea of happy faces. People had become more themselves. A threefoldness had worked its magic integration… Dr. Fabian summed it up well: "The nerve system (sax), rhythmic system (bass) and metabolic system (piano) were working perfectly together!" - The Seasonal