Philosophy Workshop: “Beyond Mindfulness – Western Meditation Techniques in Theory & Practice”

In this workshop led by David Nowakowski, we explored three techniques of meditation with deep roots in Western spiritual, religious, and philosophical life and practice. We began with two simple exercises, popular among the ancient Pythagoreans and Stoics, for developing the power of recollection and preparing ourselves for challenging circumstances. Then we turned to a practice known as “discursive meditation.” Learn more & access resources here!

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Community Workshop: “Thinking About Place”

Gertrude Stein’s “there is no there there” has been used as a description for placeless spaces. But what exactly is “place”? There are lots of ways to think about it. In this workshop led by Dennis McCahon we’ll be thinking about “place” in terms of our urban outdoors. When we get that Helena “sense of place” out there, what’s going on? What are we sensing? Is it urban design — deliberate “place-making” on somebody’s part? Is it a lucky accident? Something else? If it’s a mix of those, what’s the ratio? When can urban design be called “place-making” at all? This is an unruly bunch of questions. Unruly questions, though, can be fun, and even if they don’t lead to a hard-set definition, they can, in the case of Helena’s urban outdoors, lead to something useful — a shared, or at least better clarified and articulated vision and use of a Helena-specific, vocabulary and frame of reference — a basis, maybe, for practical understanding. Learn more, download the preparatory material & RSVP here!

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Philosophy Workshop: “Justice as Fairness – An Introduction to Rawls”

In this outdoor workshop we explored the idea of justice through the lens of equity and fairness as advanced by philosopher John Rawls. The workshop was introductory in nature explored the dynamics of Rawls’ arguments and their implications, as well as the intellectual climate within which his philosophical contributions arose. Competing perspectives and modern day comparisons on justice were also be touched upon. Access resources, watch the intro video, and view pictures here!

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Philosophy Workshop: “Beyond Mindfulness – Western Meditation Techniques in Theory & Practice”

In this workshop, we’ll explore three techniques of meditation with deep roots in Western spiritual, religious, and philosophical life and practice. We’ll begin with two simple exercises, popular among the ancient Pythagoreans and Stoics, for developing the power of recollection and preparing ourselves for challenging circumstances. Then we’ll turn to a practice known as “discursive meditation,” where a particular sort of focused inner dialogue is used to unlock layers of meaning within a text, an image, or a conceptual system. Learn more & RSVP here!

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