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What is our Tribal Brain? How do we use it in today’s world of Fear of “the other,” Alienation from “others,” a world lacking in tribal community? How is this evolutionary part of us basic to our Vision for the future?
In 1925 Carl Jung proposed the usefulness of the concept of intermediate layers—levels of the human unconscious mind that are between the collective unconscious possessed by the human species and the personal unconscious possessed by the individual. This intermediate level can be called the group, cultural, or tribal unconscious. Mardy will explore the importance of this feeling layer of our brain to our lives as members of a community. The sessions will be based on the concept of a Triune Brain.
Mardy Burgess, Ph.D.; mother, educator and writer; developed her doctoral in Brain, Behavior and Education focused on the Triune Brain model. She relates her background in liberal arts, creative drama, human relations, conflict resolution and communication to the courses and workshops she has developed for schools, churches and organizations (including FCNL). Mardy is a member of Bethesda Friends Meeting and a present attender at Annapolis Friends Meeting.
Mardy’s philosophy is “All life is connected and growth is its law. Individual expression can be in harmony with group life. The spirit/energy of light, love, and life connects us all.”
| Group 1 | Dreaming Our Connections | Anne Tongren |
In this year’s dream group, we will lean into the awareness of “our mutual humanness,” letting it rearrange, reconfigure us as we explore the territory into which we are led.
As we near the conference, let your dreams draw you toward this focus. Bring one that intrigues, troubles, or delights you, a notebook and a pen. (Even if no dreams come, the process, as it unfolds, will illuminate issues for us all.) We will use Montague Ullman’s style of group exploration—If this were my dream…—to reveal and awaken us to forgotten tribal dimensions in our lives as they interweave with one another’s here in our extended human family.
Anne Tongren, M.A.is a psychotherapist in private practice in Bethesda and a member of the board of the Jung Society of Washington. Her work with dreams and imagery incorporates Jung’s archetypal approach and active imagination as well as Gestalt, psychodrama, and holistic imagery techniques. She has led small groups at both Wellspring and Annville FCRP, and was the 2003 Wellspring FCRP Plenary Speaker.
| Group 2 | Parsing The Plenary | R. Dixon Bell |
We will focus on our reflections of and reactions to the Plenary sessions. We will choose from a variety of discussion and role-play models to provide opportunities for generating and sharing ideas. You are invited to bring your favorite poetry, CD, or musical instrument.
R. Dixon Bell is a poet and writer. He is currently in his 35th year as a teacher at Powhatan School, a small independent school in the northern part of the Shenandoah Valley, where he teaches history and directs an annual Shakespeare play. He lives in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia in a mid-Nineteenth Century renovated log cabin. Dixon is heavily involved in the (Pennsylvania) FCRP, and is a member of Hopewell Centre Meeting in Clearbrook, VA.
| Group 3 | Mandalas | Carole McNamee |
Mandalas, identified by Carl Jung as spontaneous creations or responses, are now used intentionally to facilitate growth and transformation. We will create and dialogue with our own mandala responses to conference themes using questioning exercises, cluster writing, and free verse.
Carole McNamee is Director of Willowbank Creative Center in Blacksburg, VA, as well as The Arts in Healthcare Project, an outreach effort of Virginia Tech. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a special interest in the therapeutic uses of the creative arts. In her first life she was a professor of computer science.
| Group 4 | Movement | Doris M. Tennyson |
The mind moves the body and the body moves the mind. As we experiment with movement (both spontaneous and controlled), we will explore the mind-body connection, the nonexistent border between movement and dance, and the overlapping of mind and muscle memory. Wear comfortable clothes and bring something to write with and on.
Doris M. Tennyson is training to become a Certified Applied Poetry Facilitator. She was a massage therapist (part-time) for 25 years and was a dance therapy student. She has led groups at the Annville and Wellspring FCRP conferences. She recently celebrated her 38th anniversary at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) where she now serves as senior editor of BuilderBooks, NAHB’s publishing section.
The conference begins at 7:30 pm Friday, February 22, 2008, and ends after lunch Sunday. There are three Plenary and three Small Group sessions, 1 ½ hours each.
Please arrive 5:00–7:30 pm on Friday to receive your conference information. A buffet supper will be available during this period.
We all share in meal-time responsibilities and find it an enjoyable community experience. Please sign up for one or two chores upon arrival.
Fee is for the weekend and includes meals.
Each room sleeps three persons—one single and one bunk bed. We will assign two-to-a-room as far as space permits. If you are registering for overnight, please indicate on the registration form whether you will accept three to a room.
As an option to overnight attendance, there are several motels within a short distance of Wellspring.
Wellspring will provide vegetarian meals. Each cottage has a refrigerator where you may keep your own snacks or special foods if you wish. No liquor or pets permitted.
Bring a cup or mug for drinks, warm clothes, a flashlight, journal writing or note-taking materials, and a percussion instrument (if you have one) for group drumming. The lodge tends to be drafty so you may wish to wear a sweater or jacket at the plenary sessions.
For emergencies only: incoming phone number at Wellspring 301-428-3373.
From Washington: Germantown Road Exit 15A right off I-270 to MD 118. Merge right onto MD 118. Approximately one-half mile on MD 118 to MD 355. Left onto MD 355. First right onto Neelsville Church Road. Approximately one-half mile on Neelsville Church Road to Wellspring entrance on left.
From Baltimore: I-70 West to MD 27. South on MD 27 to MD 355. South on MD 355 to Neelsville Church Road. Left onto Neelsville Church Road.