November 2023
Lisa Schumacher ~ Your True Nature ~ In-Person Local Event
A meeting with Lisa is an opportunity to step away from your day to day life and devote time for self-inquiry into the heart of the truth. There will be a few moments of silence to start the meeting and then Lisa will speak and invite the community to share reports about their lives and questions.
Lisa Schumacher: Lisa grew up in Colusa, CA, and attended college at San Luis Obispo in the 1980's. After she moved to Southern Oregon in the early 90s, a friend invited her to a video satsang with Gangaji. Upon hearing Gangaji say "Be your Natural Self", Lisa's heart caught on fire and she fell into a deep bow of surrender. That meeting revealed to her the absolute simplicity of the natural, living truth of Love, inseparable from who one is. Lisa moved to Bolinas in 1999 to be closer to Gangaji and the vibrant community around her. In 2006, Lisa was asked by Gangaji to meet with people and share Satsang. She has held meetings in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and North America. She's also a long-time student of Eli Jaxon-Bear, Gangaji's husband, and a founding teacher of the Eli's "Leela School of Awakening". Lisa is the author of "The Stone I Love", a book of poetry inspired by Gangaji, available on her website and for purchase at the gathering.
In Lisa's meetings, she invites you to sit close and inquire about your awakening, your spiritual questions, and the unfolding truth. The teaching is in the tradition of Gangaji, who is a student of Papaji, who had his awakening at the feet of Ramana Maharshi.
Lisa's website: satsangwithlisa.org
The satsang includes a meditation, comments by the speaker, then Q&A and discussion.
Satsang: 2-4 pm
Refreshments: until 5
Suggested Donation: $10- $20, no one turned away.
No pre-registration. Pay at door when you arrive.
Location: 8476 Sonoma Ave, Sebastopol, CA. Park on Sonoma Ave.
Note: The address sign says 8474/8476. Park on the street, and walk down the short driveway to the house with the carport.
Please arrive 10-15 minutes early.
Please dress warmly, doors & windows will be open!
If you have symptoms of a viral infection, or have had a recent
Covid exposure or positive test, please stay home out of consideration for others.
December 2023
CANCELED – Jeannie Zandi ~ Everyday Mystic ~ In-Person Local Event
Due to illness, Jeannie will be coming out to California later than planned and will not be able to have events until Thursday, December 7th.
Please join her for the public gathering on Thursday, December 7 in Berkeley and the Friday & Saturday (December 8 & 9) intensive in Sausalito if you are able!
February 2024
Susanne Marie ~ Crisis and Integration ~ In-Person Local Event
This is Susanne's first public meeting since her car accident which took place August 12th, 2023, resulting in 9 broken bones & pelvic surgery. Susanne is featured in conversation on 11/15/16 with Adyashanti on Buddha at the Gaspump (https://batgap.com/adyashanti-susanne-marie-falling-away-self/), as well as on ConsciousTV (http://conscious.tv/single.php?vid=2860077502001 and https://conscious.tv/single.php?vid=5847718840001). Susanne offers teachings in support of freedom and the celebration of our common essence of love and unity with all life. She is the parent of two young adults, and offers spiritual mentoring, online and in-person group facilitation, as well as retreats.
Join Susanne and friends as we explore how the impact of crisis can be met within the realm of awakening. An unexpected event can reveal undiscovered territory within one's conditioning, that jump at the opportunity to come to the light and be transformed. Perhaps the first blessing of a major life altering event is being stopped so fully that there is no option other than being fully present to the moment. Encountering the beautiful human spirit of generosity and kindness that can help redeem one and in turn open one's heart.
Similarly, pain and crisis can invite vast reservoirs of capacity to open in surrender to the moment, helping us to see how much we have benefited from realizations and personal work. Grace comes out of deep spiritual work. It is like having a spiritual piggy bank that comes in handy when faced with challenging times.
Deep change and transformation can take place when we allow for the breaking free of lifelong patterns. Living awakening in each moment is the opportunity given during difficult times. Using inquiry such as asking ourselves: "Can I meet this moment as intimately as possible without resistance?" is an avenue into becoming present.
Bio: Featured in conversation with Adyashanti on Buddha at the Gas Pump as well on ConsciousTV, Susanne Marie offers teachings in support of freedom and the celebration of our common essence and unity with all life. Susanne, the parent of two young adults, offers spiritual mentoring, online an in-person group facilitation, as well as retreats.
Susanne's website: susannemarie.org
The satsang includes a meditation, comments by the speaker, then Q&A and discussion
Satsang: 2-4 pm
Refreshments: until 5
Suggested Donation: $10- $20, no one turned away.
No pre-registration. Pay at door when you arrive.
Location: 8476 Sonoma Ave, Sebastopol, CA. Park on Sonoma Ave.
Note: The address sign says 8474/8476. Park on the street, and walk down the short driveway to the house with the carport.
Please arrive 10-15 minutes early.
Please dress warmly, doors & windows will be open!
If you have symptoms of a viral infection, or have had a recent Covid exposure or positive test, please stay home out of consideration for others.
April 2024
Stephen Capper ~ The Untouched Within ~ In-Person in Sebastopol
Discover within yourself, what is untouched by conflict. Our days and minds often dwell in conflict: conflict with other people, with various voices and personalities within ourselves, with institutions and authorities, and the political conflicts at home, and in Gaza and the Ukraine. What is untouched by conflict has been called true nature, presence, essence, being, divine, soul... etc. It's through awareness to what we're telling ourselves, and dropping in and embodying our emotions that are arising... that we can open to a deeper truth.
Stephen came to the US from the UK is 1983 to be close to Osho. After Osho left his body he felt the need for a Living Awakened teacher and was introduced to Gangaji and through her the teachings of Papaji, (her teacher) and Ramana, (Papaji’s teacher.) For the last 20+ years he has opened to Gangaji’s message and gone to retreats, weekends, open meetings and has been a volunteer with the Gangaji Foundation. He also went through the one year immersion program at the Leela School of Awakening and the Enneagram mastery program run by Gangaji’s husband Eli Jaxon Bear. Stephen lives with his wife and two cats in Oakland. He is a musician, loves to garden and teaches piano.
Satsang: 2-4 pm
Refreshments: until 5
Suggested Donation: $10- $20, no one turned away.
No pre-registration. Pay at door when you arrive.
Location: 8476 Sonoma Ave, Sebastopol, CA. Park on Sonoma Ave.
Note: The address sign says 8474/8476. Park on the street, and walk down the short driveway to the house with the carport.
Please arrive 10-15 minutes early.
Please dress warmly, doors & windows will be open!
If you have symptoms of a viral infection, or have had a recent Covid exposure or positive test, please stay home out of consideration for others.
July 2024
John Prendergast ~ Opening to the Ground: The Path of Immanence ~ In-Person
Opening to the Ground: The Path of Immanence - while the first step in awakening involves transcending our personal narrative and waking "up" to our true nature as unbounded awareness, we must also wake 'down" into the heart and ground in order to embody this understanding in our ordinary life - the path of immanence. This requires that emotional and instinctual levels of our conditioning are increasingly infused with the light of Awareness.
John Prendergast, Ph.D is a spiritual teacher and retired psychotherapist and adjunct professor of psychology at CIIS, well known for his pioneering work in integrating non-dual wisdom and psychotherapy. He studied with the European sage Jean Klein for many years, as well as with Adyashanti, who gave him dharma transmission in August, 2023. He is the author of The Deep Heart (2019) and In Touch (2015) and is working on a new book for Sounds True about the Ground.
John's website: listeningfromsilence.com
Satsang: 2-4 pm
Refreshments: until 5
Suggested Donation: $10- $20, no one turned away.
No pre-registration. Pay at door when you arrive.
All proceeds will be donated to Open Circle/Rob Schwartz property in Fairfax.
Location: 8476 Sonoma Ave, Sebastopol, CA. Park on Sonoma Ave.
Note: The address sign says 8474/8476. Park on the street, and walk down the short driveway to the house with the carport.
Please arrive 10-15 minutes early.
Please dress warmly, doors & windows will be open!
If you have symptoms of a viral infection, or have had a recent Covid exposure or positive test, please stay home out of consideration for others.
August 2024
Gail Brenner ~ Melting into Being (In-Person Event)
Melting into Being - Come and enjoy an afternoon of melting into being with your fellow truth lovers. All are welcome!
In our time together, we’ll relax into effortless being, marinating in the luminescent knowing of our true nature. We’ll leave the limitations of our personal stories and attachments to discover liberation—already here—timeless, boundless, and free. This is you…who you’ve always been despite any beliefs that tell you otherwise.At the same time, we bow to our humanness—meeting our conditioned and fear-based patterns with understanding and compassion. And we know that who we are is unlimited, overflowing with love, and infinitely peaceful. You are welcome just as you are with your fears, doubts, shame, and questions—or simply to share sacred space. With guided meditation, quotes from our beloved masters, and open conversation, we’ll celebrate together, discovering peace and happiness right at the heart of our everyday human lives. I look forward to being with you!
Gail Brenner, Ph.D. is your guide. As a psychologist, author, and teacher, she transmits a love of truth with a fire that burns brightly. Gail is an expert in healing from early trauma and brings to this work years of experience with individuals and groups. She is known for creating the safe space needed for deep inner exploration. Gail is the author of the award-winning The End of Self-Help and Suffering Is Optional.
Gail's website: gailbrenner.com
Satsang: 2-4 pm
Refreshments: until 5
Suggested Donation: $10- $20, no one turned away.
No pre-registration. Pay at door when you arrive.
Location: 8476 Sonoma Ave, Sebastopol, CA. Park on Sonoma Ave.
Note: The address sign says 8474/8476. Park on the street, and walk down the short driveway to the house with the carport.
Please dress mindfully, doors & windows will be open!
If you have covid-like symptoms, or have had a recent Covid exposure or positive test, please stay home out of consideration for others.
September 2024
Louise Kay ~ Embodied Awareness (In-Person & Livestream)
Open Circle is hosting a series of events with Louise Kay in various locations ~
In-Person attendance & Livestream available:
Sebastopol, CA satsang: Sept. 22nd (2-4 pm)
Berkeley, CA satsangs Sept. 24th (7-9 pm)
San Rafael, CA satsang: Sept. 26th (7-9 pm)
Berkeley, CA satsangs Sept. 27th (7-9 pm)
DAYLONG...
Sept. 28th, Location TBA (10:30am-4:30pm)
Click here to access details & registration for ALL events.
Sept. 22nd in Sebastopol....
You're invited to join Louise Kay for a 2 hour meeting in Truth. During this event Louise will share her Embodied Awareness practice with you; a practice which supports the direct recognition of one's true nature through self-inquiry, as well as the integration of unprocessed energies and emotions held in the body. When employed with consistency this practice allows one to live in presence in an integrated way and to become a vessel through which higher consciousness can flow more freely, bringing joy to every aspect of life.
Alongside like-minded community you will be supported to surrender fully into the now, dis-identify from the conceptual self and open up to your true nature, pure consciousness, to discover an ever-present dimension of peace.
Whatever emotions or sensations arise in the body will be met with unconditional love under Louise's gentle guidance, allowing for deep healing and transformation to take place on the level of form.
Louise Kay was born in the UK. After graduating from university she worked as an English teacher for 15 years, and during this time began to question the deeper meaning of life. This led her to the path of spirituality, where she found a strong resonance with the teachings of non-duality.
In her early thirties Louise felt a strong call to visit India, where she experienced a profound spiritual awakening. In the years that followed she experienced a deepening and integration of her initial spiritual awakening and as she opened more to this dimension of being a new form of expression revealed itself from deep within her heart.
Louise is passionate about supporting people to live a life of presence and unconditional love. Her greatest joy is to sit together in presence and gently hold space for all emotions, all sensations and all experiences which arise in the moment in order to support the integration of unresolved energies and allow the unfolding of the divine in all who feel the call.
Explorations are usually focused around self-inquiry, the release of limiting beliefs and the integration of unprocessed emotions and energies.
More about Louise: www.louisekay.net
Satsang: 2-4 pm
Refreshments: until 5
Suggested Donation: $10 - $20
No one turned away for lack of funds.
No pre-registration for In-Person Attendance. Pay at door when you arrive.
In-person attendees will be able to sign up for the recording at the event.
For inquiries contact web@opencirclecenter.org
Location:
8476 Sonoma Ave, Sebastopol, CA. Park on Sonoma Ave.
Note: The address sign says 8474/8476. Park on the street, and walk down the short driveway to the house with the carport.
Please dress mindfully, doors & windows will be open!
If you have covid-like symptoms, or have had a recent Covid exposure or positive test, please stay home out of consideration for others.
Louise Kay ~ Embodied Awareness (In-Person & Livestream)
You're invited to join Louise Kay, who is from the UK, for a meeting in Truth in Sebastopol, the first of several events Open Circle will be hosting with her in the Bay Area over the next week. During this event Louise will share her Embodied Awareness practice with you; a practice which supports the direct recognition of one's true nature through self-inquiry, as well as the integration of unprocessed energies and emotions held in the body. When employed with consistency, this practice allows one to live in presence in an integrated way and to become a vessel through which higher consciousness can flow more freely, bringing joy to every aspect of life.
In her early thirties Louise felt a strong call to visit India, where she experienced a profound spiritual awakening. In the years that followed she experienced a deepening and integration of her initial spiritual awakening, and, as she opened more to this dimension of being, a new form of expression revealed itself from deep within her heart.
Louise is passionate about supporting people to live a life of presence and unconditional love.
Find out more »October 2024
Richard Miller ~ This Which We are Above All Else (In-Person Event)
This Which We are Above All Else
The belief that we are a separate “me-I-self” who is in control is simply that, an illusory captivating narrative where we're the main character in a movie constructed by our thoughts, feelings, actions, and experiences. A first step toward awakening entails recognizing that the separate self has never existed and that its dissolutions isn't a death or a loss. It's a freeing of an illusion that we had to constantly defend and maintain. An important step in releasing this illusion entails realigning with and embodying our intrinsic Essential Essence.
Join Richard as he introduces you to five simple inquiries designed to offer you a glimpse of your Essential Essence, and practical approaches for helping your mind break free of its preoccupation with the illusion of separation and control.
Richard C. Miller, PhD After decades of searching Richard met his spiritual mentor, Jean Klein in 1983, who guided him through the non-path, non-method, and nondual realization of Essential Nature. Founder of iRest Institute, and a co-founder of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology, Richard teaches nondual inquiry and the realization of Essential Nature internationally, as well as serves as a consultant researching and teaching the meditation protocol he’s developed, Integrative Restoration ~ iRest, a modern-day secular adaptation of an ancient nondual practice of self-inquiry and awakening.
Richard's website: shop.irest.org
Satsang: 2-4 pm
Refreshments: until 5
Suggested Donation: $10- $20, no one turned away.
No pre-registration. Pay at door when you arrive.
Location: 8476 Sonoma Ave, Sebastopol, CA. Park on Sonoma Ave.
Note: The address sign says 8474/8476. Park on the street, and walk down the short driveway to the house with the carport.
Please dress mindfully, doors & windows will be open!
If you have covid-like symptoms, or have had a recent Covid exposure or positive test, please stay home out of consideration for others.
November 2024
Susanne Marie ~ The Impact of Awakening on Relationships (In-Person Event)
Undivided truth, when sincerely opened to, reorganizes our entire life, revealing what is not in alignment, including how we connect with others. During the awakening journey, the way we relate to ourselves, as well as others, will be honestly examined. This arises organically whereby what is not in inner harmony will reorganize both during the emptying out phase (seeing through the separate self sense), and during the unity phase (when the heart opens). As allegiance to inner integrity grows, the changes which take place on the inside are naturally reflected in the way we communicate. Vulnerability of the heart wishes to be exercised as it is increasingly seen that there is strength in transparency. Self compassion leads to learning how to maintain healthy boundaries. These inner transformations often change the landscape to even the closest of relationships.
Once you are reharmonized internally, a more true and natural relating will emerge with others, but this takes practice out in the 'marketplace' of life. As we all know, maintaining healthy relationships is an art, and not always easy to navigate. Having Truth as one's guide, the aim is to live more authentic and heart centered connections, as this enriches all of our lives.
About Susanne Marie
Featured in conversation with Adyashanti on Buddha at the Gas Pump as well as on Conscious TV, Susanne Marie offers teachings in support of freedom and the celebration of our common essence of love and unity with all life. Susanne, who lives in Northern California, is the parent of two young adults. She offers spiritual mentoring, online and in-person group facilitation, as well as retreats.
Video: Disconnection During Awakening | False Self Dries Up
More about Susanne Marie: susannemarie.org
Satsang: 2-4 pm
Refreshments: until 5
Suggested Donation: $10- $20, no one turned away.
No pre-registration. Pay at door when you arrive.
Location: 8476 Sonoma Ave, Sebastopol, CA. Park on Sonoma Ave.
Note: The address sign says 8474/8476. Park on the street, and walk down the short driveway to the house with the carport.
Please dress mindfully, doors & windows will be open!
If you have covid-like symptoms, or have had a recent Covid exposure or positive test, please stay home out of consideration for others.