Welcome to the February 2009 edition of the Laconneau Monthly Newsletter.

IN THIS ISSUE
• Book of the Month
• Film of the Month
• Upcoming Retreat
• Upcoming Pilgrimage
• Upcoming Festival
• Regional News
• Regional Calendars
• Contact Laconneau


BOOK OF THE MONTH

    

Lakota Woman
By Mary Crow Dog
Mary Crow Dog is a member of the Sicangu or Brule Tribe, one of the seven tribes of the Western Sioux nation known collectively as the Lakota. The author grew up in a one-room shack without running water or electricity on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where she experienced poverty, racism and brutality from an early age. She was educated at the Saint Francis Mission
boarding school where students were beaten for practicing native customs or speaking their native languages. On the reservation, Mary lived in the midst of a culture of drinking, violence and hopelessness. When Mary was still a teenager, she became active in the American Indian Movement (AIM: http://www.aimovement.org/) which was founded to renew the spirituality of the Indian people and ensure the fulfillment of treaties made with the United States. Mary participated in the American Indian Movement’s occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters in Washington, DC.  She also participated in the siege of Wounded Knee, during which she gave birth to a son.  Mary eventually
married Leonard Crow Dog, a spiritual leader of the American Indian Movement.  Soon after their marriage, Leonard was convicted for his leadership during the siege at Wounded Knee. For two years, Mary Crow Dog campaigned tirelessly for his release. Her campaign was successful. Once her husband was released, Mary and Leonard Crow Dog continued their work for the rights of Native Americans.
This book is the story of not just one woman’s fight, but the fight of all women against injustice.


FILM OF THE MONTH



Amazing Grace
This film recounts the story of the 18th century British abolitionist William Wilberforce’s twenty-year fight to abolish the British slave trade. William Wilberforce’s tireless efforts led to the eventual passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807, which abolished slave trade in the British Empire. His endeavors eventually also led to the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 which abolished slavery altogether, the passage of which was assured just days before his death. It was to be another three decades before slavery was abolished in the United States.  Such renowned leaders as Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela have invoked William Wilberforce’s memory as a tireless champion of liberty. He was an inspiration to the abolitionist movement in the United States of America and the Anti-Apartheid Movement in South Africa. This film demonstrates that one person’s efforts can have far reaching effects and bring about significant change in the world.

UPCOMING RETREAT






The Laconneau
 Sentier de Vermont

March 15-March 21,2009

The Fox Creek Inn
49 Dam Road
Chittenden, Vermont 05737

This spring we are introducing a new retreat to the Laconneau calendar. The Sentier de Vermont
(Vermont means Green Mountain in French) is the first time Laconneau has held a full residential retreat in North America, and in particular, in Vermont. Our retreat will be held at the beautiful Fox Creek Inn at Chittenden in the heart of the Green Mountains from Sunday March 15 to Saturday March 21. The Inn will be closed to all other guests during the period of our stay.

The retreat will focus on meditation, spiritual teaching, and Laconneau’s own traditional form of exercise, voie d’épée that resembles a cross between Yoga and tai chi, along with light hiking in the beautiful surrounding mountains. For those of you unfamiliar with voie d’épée there will be instruction in this form of exercise.

Each day will start with a group meditation followed by breakfast. The group will then meet for teaching until midday. Afternoons will be spent either hiking or visiting some of the interesting local sites. The group will meet again for an evening meditation before dinner. After dinner for those interested there will be group discussions, and traditional music should the mood take us.

Retreat Fee: $1790.00


Accommodation: will be two people sharing. (Single occupancy is available for a small supplement on a first come basis) All rooms are fitted with private bathroom and shower.

Meals: Dinner and breakfast are included in the fee. All food will be in keeping with Tradition dietary rules.

For information or to make a reservation:
Please contact Alex at (770) 235-5447 or Alex@Laconneau.org. As space is limited to ten people a
deposit of $500.00 is required at time of booking. All reservations will be on a first come basis.


UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE



Monday, September 21 – Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Magdalene, Mother of France
A Pilgrimage to Southern France

For centuries, pilgrims have ascended the winding way to the abbey church of the Magdalene crowning the hill at Vezelay, often crawling on their hands and knees in penitence and petition. Construction on the basilica of La Madeleine began in 1096 and it very quickly became the fourth most popular of all sites of Christian pilgrimage, attesting to the enormous sway that the Magdalene still held over the
hearts and minds of the population of that time, a thousand years after her death. Based on the legend that she and her family had fled to Gaul as refugees before the first orthodox gospels were even written, the fascination and hold that Mary Magdalene held over this ancient land was both powerful and mystifying. What was the fascination that has held a whole nation in its thrall for nearly two millennia? Was Mary really the founder of the Celtic Church? Was there a connection between Mary and the Cathars? If so, has her cult survived to this day in the countryside of the Languedoc?

After the death of Yeshua, did Mary really flee from Jerusalem to travel to Southern France with her sister Martha, her brother Lazarus, Joseph of Arimithea, and other disciples, to work and preach among the people of Gaul, and eventually to found the Celtic Church before supposedly retiring from public
life to spend the last thirty years of her life in a hermit’s cave in the mountains of Ste. Baume? Is there any historical evidence to support the popular theories and legends behind the life of this mysterious woman?

What was it about this mysterious woman that led her followers, Cathar and others like them, to die in their thousands during the holocaust of the Albigensian Crusade rather than deny their faith and belief? Join with us as we travel through the magnificent country of Southern France to make a spiritual
journey back in time to explore this fascinating legend, and attempt to separate fact from fiction to find answers to some of these questions. Marvel with us as we seek to understand the wondrous power of this extraordinary yet enigmatic woman who left behind such a rich spiritual heritage, and yet with whom history has dealt so harshly, and with such premeditated injustice. Our pilgrimage starts
upon your arrival in Marseille on the morning of Monday, September 21, 2009, and ends when we deliver you to Toulouse Airport on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 30, 2009. Please note that, should you wish to travel earlier, or remain later than the dates above, you are free to do so. As stated
above, our pilgrimage starts on September 21 and finishes on September 30.

For information or to make a reservation:
Please contact Alex at (770) 235-5447 or Alex@Laconneau.org. All reservations will be on a first come basis.

LACONNEAU SPRING FESTIVAL

 

Laconneau Spring Festival
Friday, May 1 - Sunday, May 3, 2009
Artemis House, Greenville, NC

Spring Festival marks the beginning of summer.  As with the Autumn Festival, this is a time between dark and light, night and day, winter and summer.  We are holding the Spring Festival in full accord with the principles of our Tradition. Come join us at Artemis House in Greenville, North Carolina for this wonderful weekend of council discussion, workshops, feminine spirituality and festivities.
Lend your voice to the power and love of other sisters such as yourself who feel a burning need to see change in this world.

The fee for the festival is $275.00. Please also budget for $20.00 per day to cover lunches and other expenses. Housing is available in the homes of the Greenville sisters and in hotels in the area. Please contact Elaine at carolinas@laconneau.org for more details.

For more Information on the Spring Festival:http://www.laconneau.org/festivalspring.html


REGIONAL NEWS



Laconneau Scholarship Fund
The Laconneau scholarship fund has been established to assist women who are unable to afford the cost of classes. If you are in need of a scholarship, please contact your local Laconneau coordinator.

If you would like to make a donation to the scholarship fund, please make your check out to Alex Guyol and send it to P.O. Box 261 Kingston, NJ 08528. If you have questions, please email Alex at alex@laconneau.org.

News from the Carolinas:
Due to the East Carolina Christmas break, the young women’s group did not meet in January. The group will meet again on Friday, February 13 at 6:30 PM. The topic will be: Being A Feminist.

The Greenville Circle hosted a Level I Beginner’s Course on January 25. The class was well attended and the Greenville Circle continues to grow. On February 22 at 10:30 AM, the circle will continue their discussion of Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries, by Naomi Wolf. The discussion will be followed meditation at noon.

Georgia News:
On January 6, 2009, Lonnie DiCarlo died at home. Lonnie was an active member of the Laconneau community and a longtime student in Laconneau. All of Laconneau join in sending condolences to Lonnie’s daughter, Michelle, and the rest of the family.

Meditations will be held on an ongoing basis in Decatur, Marietta and Gainesville. Women’s Circles will also be held regularly in Gainesville.

A book study of Elaine Pagels’ book, The Gnostic Gospels, will begin after the February 15th meditation in Gainesville.

On Sunday, March 8th, a Level 1 Class will be taught in Gainesville.

Pennsylvania News:
The Philadelphia Circle is changing the format of our classes. Classes will now be held one night per week for several consecutive weeks. In February, a Level I Beginner’s Course will begin on Thursday, February 12, continue on Tuesday, February 17, and end on Tuesday, February 24. We welcome all women to our classes, meditations, dinners, and film screenings as we continue to build a strong foundation for our community of women.

Washington, DC News:
The Washington, DC Circle started the New Year with the largest attendance to date for the Level II Intermediate Course and the Women’s Circle held over the January 10-11 weekend.

The Magdalene Seminar will be held at St. Columba’s Church, 4201 Albemarle Street, Washington, DC 20016 on Friday, February 6th, and Saturday, February 7th. The Level I Beginner’s Course will be held on Sunday, February 8th at 4501 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008.

In keeping with themes from Laconneau teaching, the DC Circle invites all interested women to a meditation and afternoon tea in Washington, DC on Sunday, February 22 to be followed by an open discussion on Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries, by Naomi Wolf.

FRANCE: Upcoming Events



Monday, September 21 – Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Magdalene, Mother of France
A Pilgrimage to Southern France

Wednesday, September 30 – Thursday, October 8, 2009
Sentier des Cathares
Southern France


GEORGIA: February Events



Monday February 2, 2009
Meditation 6:30PM
Marietta, GA

Wednesday February 4, 2009
Meditation 6:30PM
North Decatur, GA

Wednesday February 11, 2009
Women’s Circle 6:30PM
Gainesville, GA
For students who have completed the Level I Course

Sunday February 15, 2009
Meditation & Book Discussion 12:30PM
Gainesville, GA

Sunday February 15, 2009
Meditation 5:30PM
East Decatur, GA

Monday February 16, 2009
Meditation 6:30PM
Marietta, GA

Monday February 23, 2009
Meditation 6:30PM
Marietta, GA

Wednesday February 25, 2009
Women’s Circle 6:30PM
Gainesville, GA
For students who have completed the Level I Course

Atlanta Calendar Online: http://www.laconneau.com/CalendarAtlantaGA.html

Atlanta Region Coordinator: Lynn  - georgia@laconneau.org


NORTH CAROLINA: February Events



ASHEVILLE, NC

Sunday, February 8, 2009
Women’s Circle 7:00PM
Brevard, NC
For students who have completed the Level I Course

Friday, February 27, 2009
Women’s Circle 7:00PM
Brevard, NC
For students who have completed the Level I Course


GREENVILLE, NC:

Saturday, February 7, 2009
Women’s Circle 7:00PM
Artemis House
Greenville, NC
For students who have completed the Level I Course

Friday, February 13, 2009
Young Women’s Dinner & Discussion 6:30 PM
Feminism and the Individual Woman
Greenville, NC

Sunday, February 22, 2009
Reading & Discussion 10:30AM
Give Me Liberty, by Naomi Wolf
Meditation 12:00 Noon
Artemis House
Greenville, NC

Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Women’s Circle 7:00PM
Artemis House
Greenville, NC
For students who have completed the Level I Course

North Carolina Calendar Online:
http://www.laconneau.com/CalendarGreenvilleNC.html