BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Clear Sky Meditation Centre - ECPv6.15.19//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Clear Sky Meditation Centre X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Clear Sky Meditation Centre REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Edmonton BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20230312T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20231105T080000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20240310T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20241103T080000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20250309T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20251102T080000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20260308T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20261101T080000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20270314T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20271107T080000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Chicago BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20240310T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20241103T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20250309T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20251102T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20260308T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20261101T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20270314T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20271107T070000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Denver BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20240310T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20241103T080000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20250309T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20251102T080000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:MDT DTSTART:20260308T090000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:MST DTSTART:20261101T080000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20241018T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20241020T150000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20240122T001318Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260310T102145Z UID:21146-1729270800-1729436400@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Hamster Wheel or Heaven? The Wheel of Dependent Origination (In-Person and Online) DESCRIPTION:Hamster Wheel or Heaven: The Wheel of Dependent Origination \n\nEverything depends on everything else. An Ecosystem is pure and simple\, the way things are. Would you like to look closer at the nature of our mind-body continuum? \nWhat makes you “you”? How does everything “you” perceive arise? Why does this matter? Together we’ll study a powerful map of consciousness: the wheel of dependent origination. This is a foundational philosophical doctrine shared by all schools of Buddhism\, recommended for students of all levels. It directly correlates to suffering\, and how to become free\, wise\, and compassionate. \nOctober 18-20th\, 2024 \nOffered in-person and online. \n \n In-Person Registration\n \n \n Online Registration\n \nOctober 18 – 20th\nDate\nBuddhism\nfocus area\nMeditation\nPractice\nAll\nSkill Level\nIn-Person & Online \nformat\n \n \n(Inter)dependent Origination: Paṭiccasamuppāda\nAsk yourself—what makes up a human? The 12 elements of the wheel of dependent origination teach us to look at the basic building blocks of the human being. The result of this understanding? Suffering goes down. Wisdom and compassion go up. This is the power of what it is to know thyself. \nAll schools of Buddhism share this fundamental teaching of the wheel. It is a highly recommended foundational perspective that has deep repercussions on how you see and experience your life\, the body-mind continuum\, and the world around you. \nThe focus of Buddhadharma is to become free of being subject to suffering. There is necessary suffering (sickness\, old age\, diseases\, joint pain\, babies—that which is part and parcel of living)\, and unnecessary suffering (our personal dramas\, relationship pains\, self-image). If you look at the nature of suffering\, you see how nature pushes itself forward because of suffering. The purpose of the wheel of dependent origination is to help us ask\, “What is necessary\, and what isn’t?” \nIn your life\, what is necessary\, and what isn’t?     \n \n \n \n This course for you if:\n\nYou’d like deeper foundational understanding of core Buddhist philosophy.\nYou want to learn a 2000 year old science of consciousness\nYou’d like to deepen your spiritual understanding in modern language and practical applications\, with a wisdom teacher in the Namgyal lineage.\nYou want greater ability to apply your meditation insights in your daily life.\nYou want inspiration and motivation to change your life according to what is possible through conscious awareness.\n\n “I don’t find meditation easy\, but I do find it worth it. I would not have dreamed that a 3 day online retreat could resolve complicated matters that I have wrestled with for years. Yet it did. Thank you\, Sensei. Thank you each one of you at Clear Sky.”\n Kakoom B. \nCourse Details\nTime and Location\nThis weekend retreat will be led by Catherine Pawasarat Sensei at Clear Sky Meditation Center in Eastern BC. This course is offered online or in-person. \nSchedule / Class Times: lFor onsite retreatants\, please arrive in good time for orientation at 5 pm Mountain Time on the Friday. The first class will be at 7 pm Mountain Time. The retreat will formally end at 3 pm Mountain Time on the Sunday. Classes will be 60-90 mins in duration\, with classes in the morning and evening and possibly the afternoon each day (Mountain Time) – the exact schedule to be confirmed. Please ensure you are available for the whole weekend to focus on the course material and attend classes live. \nOnline participants are expected to attend classes live.  We will arrange class times to be comfortable for most time zones. However we understand that some class times might occur after midnight in some regions\, if this is the case for you\, please let us know when you register.  Then we can provide a recording so you can catch up on that particular class. \nWhat Does the Course Cost?\nIn-Person Participants: 1) dāna to the Teacher plus 2) accomodation and meal costs for your stay Clear Sky Meditation Centre. \nOnline Participants: 1) dāna to the Teacher  2) online administration fee of $150 CAD. \nKeen practitioner pricing: 10% savings on all fees available until September 13th\, 2024. \nImportant: The last day to register is one week prior to the retreat start date. Please register early. \nQuestions?\nIf you have questions about the retreat\, please contact the Clear Sky Retreat Manager at 250-429-3929  (phone) or at bookings@clearskycenter.org (email). \n \n In-Person Registration\n \n \n Online Registration\n \n \n \n \nMeet the Teachers\n \n Catherine Pawasarat (Sensei) \nCatherine Pawasarat was a student of metaphysics\, Western spiritual traditions\, and the ayahuasca sacraments in the 1990s. Living in Kyoto\, Japan for 20 years\, she worked as an advocacy photojournalist specializing in environmental and human rights\, and edited sustainability-related publications for various United Nations bodies. She also studied traditional Japanese arts. \nSince 1998 she has trained daily with Buddhist teacher Achariya Doug Duncan (Qapel) in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that’s rare in the modern West. Transmitted from the remarkable Namgyal Rinpoche\, they are both lineage holders of these teachings. \nWith Qapel\, she is co-founder and resident teacher at Clear Sky Retreat Center in the British Columbia Rockies. There Catherine Sensei has spearheaded an innovative and sustainability-oriented culture and organization\, specializing in conscious community. Together Doug and Catherine also teach through a virtual vehicle\, Planet Dharma. In 2018 they wrote the best-selling book Wasteland to Pureland. \nMore About Sensei | About the Lineage \n \nAbout Clear Sky\nLocated in the BC rocky mountains\, we offer over 300-acres to deepen your practice and reconnect with nature.  \nFounded by Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, we are home to students from around the globe who are dedicated to co-creating a supportive and innovative space for awakening in our modern world. \nIn adherence with our quadruple bottom line\, we source our food as local and organic as possible. \nEVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \n \n \nLocally-grown organic food \n \nSupportive meditation guidance \n \nStunning bedroom views \n \n In-Person Registration\n \n \n Online Registration\n \n “I feel like a whole new world of understanding has opened up for me to explore. The teachings were interesting\, vibrant\, and so very relevant to our lives. Qapel and Catherine Sensei have done a wonderful job at distilling these vast teachings without oversimplying concepts. The teachings were visual\, informative\, and interactive. It was a great and lots of fun!”\n Jenai L. \n \nFAQs\n About Dana \nYou may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart”. Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity”. With dāna\, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \nThe dharma has been built on generosity. No-one is excluded for lack of funds but it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able \nTypically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course.  \nAs we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma\, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure.  Another form of giving dāna is to offer service\, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way\, we invite you to contact us.  \nConversely\, if you are financially secure\, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers\, teachings\, and center. \nLearn more about the practice of dāna here. \n About the Admin Fee \nIn a traditional model of in-person teachings\, a retreat center or urban meditation center invites teachers to visit. In these cases the centers have infrastructure and organization costs to cover\, which might be covered by an admin fee. For the teaching itself\, dāna to the teachers is offered in a bowl. This honors both the sustainability of the teachers\, and of the supporting center. \nWe’ve tried to recreate this approach online. The teachers’ time and the teaching themselves are offered on the basis of dāna\, separate to the admin fee. With our dāna offering we are making a direct gift of generosity to the teachers to support their teachings and livelihood. \nThe admin fee* goes to support the infrastructure and organization necessary to support them to teach. As anyone with an online business will know\, it can be surprising the costs of setting up a good infrastructure to support effective teaching and connection online. The admin fee changes based on date of registration. \n*We also do not wish to exclude anyone from the Teachings\, so if you are not currently in a financial position to afford the admin fee\, please contact the course Registrar via registrar@planetdharma.com so we can support you to attend. \n— \nBelow are a few of the work and benefits that your admin fee payment is supporting: \n\nhigh speed internet (to allow interviews and classes on-line)\nonline class systems (Zoom)\nregistration / admin systems (Eventbrite\, Basecamp)\ncommunication systems to keep everyone informed\, share connection details\, teachings and other resources (Mailchimp)\nonline storage (for example\, Dropbox\, to allow us to let students watch recordings\, and to store and share selected teachings in other forms such as podcasts and video later\, and Amazon cloud)\nquality sound\, video and editing equipment (both for live teachings and to provide good enough quality for later sharing as podcasts and video). We are regularly updating our equipment to improve your user experience.\nonline calendar booking system to allow students to book interviews\nwebsite hosting and maintenance for sharing upcoming courses\, teachings\, blogs and other resources.\n\nWe welcome any questions. May all our efforts be sustainable\, abundant and for the benefit of all beings! \n Daily Schedule \nSpecific times may change – this is a rough guide (MST) \n6:30 – 7:30 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice7:30 – 8:15 AM: Breakfast: Prepare\, eat\, clean up8:15 – 8:45 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice9:00 – 10:00 AM: Class with Teachers10:00 – 10:30 AM: Walk10:30 – 11:30 AM: Group Practice led by Sangha11:30 – 12:30 PM: Personal Practice12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch: Prepare\, eat\, clean up1:30 – 3:00 PM: Personal Practice3:00 – 4:00 PM: Group Practice led by Sangha4:00 – 5:30 PM: Personal Practice5:30 – 7:00 PM: Dinner: prepare\, eat\, clean up7:00 – 7:30 PM: Walk &/or Personal Practice7:30 – 8:30 PM: Group Practice and Q & A with Teachers8:30 – Beyond: Personal Practice & bed \n Food\, Weather\, Accommodation and How to Get Here \nClick here for details on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \n PSYCHEDELICS/MICRODOSING \nWe recognize and respect plant medicine as an important part of some people’s spiritual paths.  \nPlease note\, the meditation practice on this retreat is very powerful. Consuming mind-altering substances will detract from your experience and could cause negative side-effects.  \nWe ask that you refrain from microdosing or consuming mind-altering substances during this retreat and in the days immediately following it.  \n SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION \nWe aim to make our retreats as accessible as possible.  \nAs a centre run entirely by Karma Yoga (selfless service)\, retreat fees only cover food\, accommodation and the equipment required to offer them online. We do not have paid staff.  \nThe teachings themselves are offered on the basis of Dāna (pay-from-the-heart).  \nFor some\, this is still a barrier of entry. \nIf you are seeking financial assistance to attend a retreat\, please complete a Scholarship Application form. \n \n \n \n In-Person Registration\n \n \n Online Registration URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/interdependent-origination-paticcasamuppada/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Group Retreats and Courses,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2025-PD-courses-Square-IG-Post-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20241110T093000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20241201T110000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20240805T174051Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251206T085614Z UID:21973-1731231000-1733050800@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Understanding The Power of Sangha & Group Guru DESCRIPTION:The Power of Sangha & Group Guru\n“If you think your Sangha isn’t your Lama\, you’ve missed the whole understanding of Sangha.” -Qapel \nSangha are the people working alongside you to wake up. Group Guru is the network of the Awakened Mind showing up in teams and conscious community. We can—and must—use each other to pull ourselves out of the mires of suffering. In this modern approach to sangha and group guru\, we will look at the interplay between the collective\, the individual and liberation. \nNovember 10 – December 1st \nSundays at 9:30am MT \nOnline \n\nRegister Now\n \nfocus area\nSangha & \nConscious Community \npractice\nOnline Course & \nWeekend Home Retreat \nDuration\nFour \nWeeks \nSkill Level\nAll \nLevels \nformat\nOnline or \nIn-Person \nThe Power of Sangha & Group Guru\nThe Buddha’s beloved student Ananda asked\, it seems good friends are perhaps half of the path? And the Buddha responded\, No\, Ananda. Good friends are the whole path. \nIs conscious community a preference\, or a necessity? How do we develop powerful spiritual communities that bring us forward in a meaningful way? In this modern course we will explore just this\, looking at the power of sangha and group guru. \nThere is interplay between the collective and the individual when it comes to liberation. Let’s explore it here\, together. \nWe each get trapped in our own bias. Our lineage Teacher the Venerable Namgyal Rinpoche said it is hard for Westerners to awaken because the self\, the great individual\, is such an important part of the game. In the West\, we tend to avoid community\, avoid surrendering to collective needs\, or mistrust that we will be subsumed by ignorant ‘group think’. \nAnd yet\, sangha is something that nature knows intimately. Community is at the root of the great flourishings of humanity. Spiritual communities in the East have worked in community in the monastery setting; community is a hallmark of all time-tested spiritual tradition and practice. Today’s question is\, how do we also honor the role and uniqueness of the individual\, within a collective approach to awakening and healing? \n\nRegister Now\n\n\n\n \nPower of Sangha\nDo you want to be part of thriving\, conscious community that values people above profit? Does living and working with people who also value spiritual growth and awakening sound appealing? We think it’s wonderful\, and beyond that\, what humanity is destined for. \nAnd\, it’s not easy. We need seriously effective tools to help integrate our spiritual ideals with the real world. Everyday life—including people\, and their personalities—are always human. They require grit. \nCourse Learning Goals\nFor what reason was Sangha (Spiritual Community) highlighted as one of the Triple Gems alongside the Buddha (Teachers of Awakening) and Dharma (The Teachings and Practices of Liberation)?\nWhat are our common challenges and fears around collective and community today?\nWhat are ways we can better contribute\, grow and develop effective spiritual communities that we actually want to be a meaningful part of? \nRecommended Reading\nWe Started Our Own Conscious Community 20 Years Ago\, Here’s Our Advice. \n\nRegister Now\n\n“I have yet to encounter another setting where I grow as much as I do while at Clear Sky. The balance of support\, genuine care and challenge is rare and precious.\nWhen it comes to spiritual transformation\, Clear Sky is a place and group of people that is not only talking-the-talk but actively walking-the-walk.”\nRuth L. \nCourse Schedule\nNovember 10th – December 1st\, 2024\nWith a new format: Morning (9:30am Class) Mountain Time\n\nSunday\, November 10 – 9:30-11am Class\nSunday\, November 17 – 9:30-11am Class\nSunday\, November 24 – 9:30-11am Class\nFlash Retreat*: Saturday & Sunday Nov 30-Dec 1 – 9:30am and 2:30pm\n\nThe formal and participatory teachings for this course will occur on Sundays with a Saturday-Sunday flash retreat on the fourth weekend. Class times are estimates and may change slightly. \nWe encourage you to connect with sangha outside of class times to discuss and deepen your learning of the material. \n*Flash Retreat Weekend: Nov 30th-Dec 1st \nTo deepen and integrate your experience\, the final (fourth) weekend during the course will also be a Flash Retreat (Nov 30-Dec 1). This can be done at home\, or with us at Clear Sky Meditation Centre\, in Eastern British Columbia. We highly recommend clearing your schedule over the weekend to focus on the retreat.  Group sessions will be held at 9:30am and 2:30pm on Saturday and Sunday\, with sessions approximately 60-90 mins in duration. \nIf you’d like to join the Flash Retreat from Clear Sky\, please contact ava@clearskycenter.org. \n\n\n\n\nRegister Now\n \nMeet the Teachers\n \nDoug Qapel Duncan \n \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei \nDoug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat are Dharma and meditation teachers who founded Clear Sky Meditation Center\, BC\, Canada. \nAchariya Doug Duncan co-created this course with Sensei prior to his passing on October 5th\, 2024. Since his passing\, we have witnessed the invaluable role that Sangha plays in supporting each other through challenging times. In honour of Qapel\, we are choosing to move ahead with this course so that we may support each other more deeply and feel connecting to his teachings during this time. \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei has trained daily with Acariya Doug Duncan since 1998 in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Catherine also draws on generative living and the arts. With Doug she is co-founder of Clear Sky Retreat Center in the BC Rockies. \nCourse Details\nTime and Location\nEach of the four weekly classes in this online course will be streamed live at 9:30-11am MST.  We ask participants to attend live whenever possible. The recording of each class will be available for one week after each class. We encourage you to connect with sangha outside of class times to discuss and deepen your learning of the material. \nThe course culminates with a Flash Retreat on Nov 30-Dec1\, 2024\, with formal workshop times held at approx. 9:30-10:30am and 2:30-3:30pm Mountain Time on Saturday and Sunday. \nWhat Does the Course Cost?\nThis course is offered based on the unique combination of 1) dāna  and 2) a $80-120 USD administrative fee. Register four + weeks prior: $80 | Register two to four weeks prior: $100 | Register less than two weeks prior: $120. \n\n\n“This retreat centre is the REAL THING. It’s a modern monastery with people grounded in the present and practicing old and new methods of living in a spiritual community. This group walks the talk. I have made the trek from Ontario all the way to this remote corner of BC every year for the last 16 years to study with these teachers\, interact with these fellow seekers\, and bask in the beauty of this gorgeous property.”\nLinda H.\n \nFAQs\nDana and Pricing \nYou may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart”. Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity”. With dāna\, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \nThe dharma has been built on generosity. No-one is excluded for lack of funds but it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able \nTypically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course. \nAs we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma\, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure.  Another form of giving dāna is to offer service\, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way\, we invite you to contact us. \nConversely\, if you are financially secure\, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers\, teachings\, and center. \nLearn more about the practice of dāna here. \nOnline Participants & Admin Fee \nIn a traditional model of in-person teachings\, a retreat center or urban meditation center invites teachers to visit. In these cases the centers have infrastructure and organization costs to cover\, which might be covered by an admin fee. For the teaching itself\, dāna to the teachers is offered in a bowl. This honors both the sustainability of the teachers\, and of the supporting center. \nWe’ve tried to recreate this approach online. The teachers’ time and the teaching themselves are offered on the basis of dāna\, separate to the admin fee. With our dāna offering we are making a direct gift of generosity to the teachers to support their teachings and livelihood. \nThe admin fee* goes to support the infrastructure and organization necessary to support them to teach. As anyone with an online business will know\, it can be surprising the costs of setting up a good infrastructure to support effective teaching and connection online. The admin fee changes based on date of registration. Register four + weeks prior: $80 | Register two to four weeks prior: $100 | Register less than two weeks prior: $120. \n*We also do not wish to exclude anyone from the Teachings\, so if you are not currently in a financial position to afford the admin fee\, please contact the course Registrar via registrar@planetdharma.com so we can support you to attend. \n— \nBelow are a few of the work and benefits that your admin fee payment is supporting: \n\nhigh speed internet (to allow interviews and classes on-line)\nonline class systems (Zoom)\nregistration / admin systems (Eventbrite\, Basecamp)\ncommunication systems to keep everyone informed\, share connection details\, teachings and other resources (Mailchimp)\nonline storage (for example\, Dropbox\, to allow us to let students watch recordings\, and to store and share selected teachings in other forms such as podcasts and video later\, and Amazon cloud)\nquality sound\, video and editing equipment (both for live teachings and to provide good enough quality for later sharing as podcasts and video). We are regularly updating our equipment to improve your user experience.\nonline calendar booking system to allow students to book interviews\nwebsite hosting and maintenance for sharing upcoming courses\, teachings\, blogs and other resources.\n\nWe welcome any questions. May all our efforts be sustainable\, abundant and for the benefit of all beings! \n\n\n\nRegister Now URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/the-power-of-sangha-group-guru/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Online Courses,Special Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Sangha-Group-Guru-Online-Course.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20241208T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20241208T100000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20240908T211533Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260310T101650Z UID:22893-1733648400-1733652000@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Body\, Speech & Mind eBook Launch Celebration (Online) DESCRIPTION:Online Celebration of Body\, Speech & Mind eBook Launch with Sensei\n“All of your search for a special practice is in vain. You are making dead fantasy when the absolutely miraculous life is all around you. You are immersed in the undying body of manifestation\, the Nirmāņakāya. See the glory that is the reality. See the infinity of the complexity of manifestation.”  \nJoin us in celebrating the launch of Namgyal Rinpoche’s seminal work\, Body\, Speech & Mind in eBook format! \nSeasoned meditator and Namgyal Lineage Teacher\, Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, will share about what makes this book a pivotal resource for all contemporary Buddhist practitioners\, guide a brief meditation from the book\, lead a Q&A session\, and share her thoughts on Namgyal’s legacy and the future of Dharma. \nThis online event takes place on Bodhi Day — the day that the historical Buddha\, Siddhartha Gautama\, experienced enlightenment. Join us in celebrating this pivotal work that is not only an essential foundation for 21st century awakening\, but also takes us forward towards the next turning of the wheel. \nSunday\, December 8th at 9am MT \nOnline \n \n Register Now\n \nBody\, Speech & Mind is a collection of profound discourses by Namgyal Rinpoche on several important themes for the development of enlightened body\, speech and mind. \nNamgyal Rinpoche compassionately and skilfully illuminates the precious path of awakening for all who seek liberation from suffering and the attainment of the sacred happiness and peace of transcendence. \nThese include in-depth teaching on the Foundations of Mindfulness (from the Satipatthana Sutta); the practice of purification (Vajrasattva); the transmutation of negative states (Chenresi); Mindfulness of Breathing (Anapanasati); as well as a wide variety of classic and contemporary meditations\, exercises and teachings on\, for example\, the elements\, colour\, bioenergetics\, communication\, relationships\, nutriment\, obstacles on the path\, dream yoga\, awareness in daily life\, mantra\, and much more. \n Join Catherine Sensei as we celebrate the next chapter of these universal and eclectic teachings of awakening. \n \n \n Register Now\n \nNamgyal Rinpoche was born Leslie George Dawson in 1931\, October 11\, and raised in Toronto\, Canada by parents of Irish and Scottish descent. \nLeslie George Dawson awakened through the Western Mysteries while living in London\, where he met the visiting teacher Sayadaw in 1958. Dawson moved to Burma and studied under U Thila Wunta and Mahasi Sayadaw in Bodh Gaya\, Rangoon (where he was ordained as Ananda Bodhi)\, Bangkok and Sri Lanka. \nAnanda Bodhi left the East in 1962\, teaching at the London Buddhist Vihara and founding Johnstone House in Scotland\, which he gave to Chögyam Trungpa who renamed it Samye Ling. \nAnandabodhi returned to Canada and founded the Dharma Centre of Canada outside Toronto. His teaching methods included international travel with students; in 1968 and 1971 he traveled with about a hundred students to India and Sikkim\, where they met the Tibetans. He was recognized by the 16th Karmapa\, Kalu Rinpoche\, Sakya Trizin Rinpoche and others as an embodiment of Namgyal Rinpoche\, and received transmissions of the Karma Kargyu lineage. \nOver the years he included the Western Mysteries\, science\, psychology\, art\, music\, exercise\, travel and other methods in his teaching repertoire\, becoming one of the main voices of Tibetan Buddhism in North America along with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Some of Namgyal’s students started centers in Japan\, Australia\, New Zealand\, Europe and Central America as well as Canada and the US. His modern and eclectic approach is carried on throughout the world\, with Clear Sky embodying this multiversal vision as well. \nHe continued to teach until his death in Switzerland on October 22\, 2003\, having empowered a number of senior students to continue his work. \n \n Register Now\n \n \nListen: The Life of Namgyal Rinpoche\nIn this interview with Wisdom Podcast\, Qapel and Catherine Sensei discuss the life\, pioneering teachings and legacy of Namgyal Rinpoche:  \n \nMeet the Teachers\n \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei has trained daily with Acariya Doug Duncan since 1998 in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Catherine also draws on generative living and the arts. With Doug she is co-founder of Clear Sky Retreat Center in the BC Rockies. \nLocated in the BC rocky mountains\, we offer over 300-acres to deepen your practice and reconnect with nature.  \nFounded by Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, we are home to students from around the globe who are dedicated to co-creating a supportive and innovative space for awakening in our modern world. \n \n Register Now URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/body-speech-mind-ebook-launch/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Online Courses,Special Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Book-Launch.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241222 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250105 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20241107T185825Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241209T173441Z UID:23426-1734825600-1736035199@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Sangha Christmas Retreat DESCRIPTION:“Each one of us is a unique reflection of the universe.” \n-Catherine Pawasarat Sensei \nJoin us this holiday season for two weeks of Teachings with Sensei\, time with Sangha and an eight-day Foundation Work retreat. \nTwo-Week Retreat: December 22nd – January 4th \nOptional Arrival/Departure Day (for a one-week retreat): December 28th \nRegistration Deadline: Sunday\, December 8th \nNote: This retreat is open to existing Sangha only. Prerequisite: In the past two-years\, you have attended at least one in-person retreat with Catherine Sensei. \n \n Registration Closed\n \nFoundation Work & sangha Retreat\nThe best gift that we can give our Teacher is ‘doing the work.’ \nIn light of Qapel’s passing\, Catherine Sensei had the beautiful idea of spending this holiday season working on our Foundation Practice together in community.  \nAlready finished your Foundation work? No problem! You’re welcome to use this time focusing on your current practice. \nThe retreat also includes an End of Life Celebration for Qapel\, a New Year’s Celebration and some days enjoying time in community. \n \n \n \nSchedule\nHere is our schedule (some details may be adjusested slightly). \nSunday\, Dec. 22nd: Main arrival day \nMonday\, Dec. 23rd: Community Sangha Time  \nTuesday\, Dec. 24th: Community Sangha Time \nWednesday\, Dec. 25th – Saturday\, Dec. 28th: Foundation Practice \nSaturday\, Dec 28th: Optional Arrival or Departure Day (everyone staying continues with Foundation Practice) \nSunday\, Dec. 29th- Wednesday\, Jan 1st: Foundation Practice \nThursday\, Jan. 2nd: Community Sangha Time & New Year’s Celebration \nFriday\, Jan. 3rd: Community Sangha Time \nSaturday\, Jan. 4th: Main Departure Day \n \n \n \n \n \n \nMeet our Teacher\n \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei began her spiritual practices in earnest in her early 20s\, when she struggled to make sense of and overcome personal suffering and international environmental and social justice challenges. She became a student of metaphysics\, Western spiritual traditions\, and the ayahuasca sacraments in the 1990s. \nFor 26 years Catherine Sensei trained daily with Qapel Doug Duncan in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. \nWith Qapel she co-founded Clear Sky Retreat Center and Planet Dharma and is a lineage holder for these teachings. She supports the spiritual underpinnings of social entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship for spiritual practitioners. She worked as an advocacy photojournalist and studied traditional Japanese arts (including koto\, shamisen\, kyogen) in Kyoto for 20 years\, culminating in her landmark work GionFestival.org. \nSince the early 2000s Sensei has provided dharma training and taught the path of awakening to hundreds of students\, together with Qapel and on her own. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Sensei also draws on generative living (a.k.a. sustainability) and the arts. \nAbout Clear Sky\nLocated in the BC rocky mountains\, we offer over 300-acres to deepen your practice and reconnect with nature.  \nFounded by Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, we are home to students from around the globe who are dedicated to co-creating a supportive and innovative space for awakening in our modern world. \nIn adherence with our quadruple bottom line\, we source our food as local and organic as possible. \nEVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \n \n \n \n \nFAQs\n About Dāna \nDana: \nRegistration fees cover food\, accommodation and the technology needed to offer the retreat online. The Teachings are freely given on the basis of dāna. \nYou may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart”. Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity”. With dāna\, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \nThe dharma has been built on generosity. No-one is excluded for lack of funds but it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able \nTypically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course.  \nAs we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma\, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure.  Another form of giving dāna is to offer service\, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way\, we invite you to contact us.  \nConversely\, if you are financially secure\, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers\, teachings\, and center. \nLearn more about the practice of dāna here. \n Scholarship Application \nWe aim to make our retreats as accessible as possible.  \nAs a centre run entirely by Karma Yoga (selfless service)\, retreat fees only cover food\, accommodation and the equipment required to offer them online. \nThe teachings themselves are offered on the basis of Dāna (pay-from-the-heart).  \nFor some\, this is still a barrier of entry. \nIf you are seeking financial assistance to attend a retreat\, please complete a Scholarship Application form. \n Detailed Daily Schedule (Long retreats) \nSpecific times may change – this is a rough guide (MST) \n6:30 – 7:30 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice7:30 – 8:15 AM: Breakfast: Prepare\, eat\, clean up8:15 – 8:45 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice9:00 – 10:00 AM: Class with Teachers10:00 – 10:30 AM: Walk10:30 – 11:30 AM: Group Practice led by Sangha11:30 – 12:30 PM: Personal Practice12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch: Prepare\, eat\, clean up1:30 – 3:00 PM: Personal Practice3:00 – 4:00 PM: Group Practice led by Sangha4:00 – 5:30 PM: Personal Practice5:30 – 7:00 PM: Dinner: prepare\, eat\, clean up7:00 – 7:30 PM: Walk &/or Personal Practice7:30 – 8:30 PM: Group Practice and Q & A with Teachers8:30 – Beyond: Personal Practice & bed \n Food\, Weather\, Accommodation and How to Get Here \nClick here for details on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \nNote: In the unlikely scenario that this retreat is cancelled\, we recommend purchasing refundable travel fares.  \n Cannabis\, Psychedelics and Microdosing \nWe recognize and respect plant medicine as an important part of some people’s spiritual paths.  \nPlease note\, the meditation practice on this retreat is very powerful. Consuming mind-altering substances will detract from your experience and could cause negative side-effects.  \nWe ask that you refrain from microdosing or consuming mind-altering substances during this retreat and in the days immediately following it.  \n Registration Deadline \nRegistration Deadline is Sunday\, December 8th.  \nQuestions? Please contact maureen@clearskycenter.org URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/sangha-christmas-retreat-2024/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Group Retreats and Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Sangha-Christmas-Retreat.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20241224T143000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20241224T160000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20241220T190242Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260307T075733Z UID:23593-1735050600-1735056000@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Qapel: Life and Teachings Christmas Celebration DESCRIPTION:Celebrate Qapel’s Life and Teachings – Online Christmas Eve Event\n“Each person is a replica of the entire cosmos.” \n-Catherine Sensei \nJoin us for a special online party on Christmas Eve to celebrate Qapel’s life and teachings\, including sharings of archive photos from early days in Japan and beyond from Catherine Sensei. \nTuesday\, December 24th at 2:30pm MT \nOnline \n \n Register Now\n \n \n \n \nMeet the Teachers\n \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei has trained daily with Acariya Doug Duncan since 1998 in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Catherine also draws on generative living and the arts. With Doug she is co-founder of Clear Sky Retreat Center in the BC Rockies. URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/qapel-celebration/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Online Courses,Special Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2025-PD-courses-Square-IG-Post-7.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20250112T093000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20250202T110000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20240829T175029Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251209T103930Z UID:22571-1736674200-1738494000@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Waking Up & Growing Up: Integral Evolution (Online) DESCRIPTION:Waking Up\, Growing Up: Integral Evolution\n“One of the most significant contributions of Integral Spirituality and Theory is that the difference between states and stages is clarified. As meditators we get skilled with states but have remained ignorant of stages. This is not in our best interest. You can meditate forever and still be at a low stage of human development.” —Qapel Doug Duncan and\nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei \nAlong with the work of waking up—cultivating an enlightened state—we also need to do the work of growing up. This means learning to integrate the clear state into the world through doing our shadow work\, developing our communication\, and diving into critical developmental growth to be a fully integrated human being. In this course we explore the elements of a fit and dynamic vehicle for 21st-century awakening\, and beyond. \nNote: Integral Spirituality by Ken Wilber is a pre-requisite for the course. Please start by reading the Appendix as we have found it is clearer this way. \nJanuary 12 – February 2\, 2025 \nSunday morning online classes 9:30-11:00am MT \n\nRegistration\n \nfocus area\nIntegral \nSpirituality \npractice\nCourse and optional \nweekend home retreat \nDuration\nFour \nWeeks \nDay/Time\nSundays from 9:30-11am MT \nformat\nIn-Person or \nOnline \nWaking Up and Growing Up\nAs we go deeper into the 21st-century we are seeing a new turning of the Wheel of Dharma – a radical evolution of Buddhism and spiritual teachings. The last major evolution in Buddhist Dharma was more than 1000 years ago with Vajrayana. Now with psychology\, integral spirituality and science\, something new is emerging. \nAlong with the work of waking up– cultivating an enlightened state – we also need to do the work of growing up. This means learning to integrate a clear state in the world through doing our shadow work\, developing our communication skills and working through the critical human development stages – individually and collectively. \nJoin us for this exciting four week course\, together we will explore the emerging elements of a fit and dynamic vehicle for 21st-century awakening\, and beyond. \n\nRegister\n\n\n\n\n“In 10 years I have NOT missed a course with master teachers Qapel and Sensei! Every class reflects the light of oneness in prisms of direction and understanding and thus a lighter load to carry in the relative world and a lightness of being. If one aspires to be a bodhisattva and to benefit all beings\, this one recommends the next one.”\nBrendan R. \nIntegral Spirituality\nIntegral Spirituality was coined by Ken Wilber\, an internationally acknowledged leader and the preeminent scholar of the Integral stage of human development.  In his many books\, he writes that traditional Buddhist teachings themselves suggest an ongoing evolution leading toward a more unified\, holistic\, and interconnected spirituality. He describes the ways in which the tradition has been open to the continuing unfolding and expansion of its own teachings\, and he suggests possible paths toward an ever more Integral approach. \nWe agree! In this course\, we are excited to be taking this work forward and translating it practically\, based on our lineage’s working experience of modern spiritual community. \nIntegral Spirituality by Ken Wilber is a pre-requisite for the course. Please start by reading the Appendix as we have found it is clearer this way. \n \nSchedule\nSundays\, January 12 – February 2\, 2025\nClass Times (Mountain Time)\n\nSunday January 12 – 9:30-11am\nSunday January 19 – 9:30-11am\nSunday January 26 – 9:30-11am\nSaturday & Sunday February 1-2 – 9:30am and 2:30pm\n(approx 60-90 minutes)\n\n*Daily schedule is subject to minor changes closer to the course date.\n \nMeet the Teachers\n \nDoug Qapel Duncan \n \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei \nDoug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat are Dharma and meditation teachers who founded Clear Sky Meditation Center\, BC\, Canada. \nAchariya Doug Duncan co-created this course with Sensei prior to his passing on October 5th\, 2024. In his final public teaching before his passing\, Qapel shared that he believed Integral Evolution was the future of Dharma. In honour of his vision\, we are offering this course so that we may continue his legacy. \nCatherine Pawasarat has trained daily with Acariya Doug Duncan since 1998 in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Catherine also draws on generative living and the arts. With Doug she is co-founder of Clear Sky Retreat Center in the BC Rockies. \n\nRegister Now\n\n“The teachers have brought together ancient teachings with scientific findings that prove how and why Dharma teachings radically improve life\, reduce pain and increase global peace. It doesn’t matter what you believe\, you will embody a healthy new way of being. Because of their vast collective wisdom\, you leave their presence radically altered for the betterment of humanity.”\nEvangelos D.\n \nFAQs\nDana and Pricing \nDana: \nYou may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart.” Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity.” With dāna\, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \nThe dharma has been built on generosity. No one is excluded for lack of funds. However\, it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able. \nTypically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course. \nAs we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma\, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure. Another form of giving dāna is to offer service\, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way\, we invite you to contact us. \nIf you are financially secure\, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers\, teachings\, and center. \nLearn more about the practice of dāna here. \nAbout the Online Admin Fee \nIn a traditional model of in-person teachings\, a retreat center or urban meditation center invites teachers to visit. In these cases the centers have infrastructure and organization costs to cover\, which might be covered by an admin fee. For the teaching itself\, dāna to the teachers is offered in a bowl. This honors both the sustainability of the teachers\, and of the supporting center. \nWe’ve tried to recreate this approach online. The teachers’ time and the teaching themselves are offered on the basis of dāna\, separate to the admin fee. With our dāna offering we are making a direct gift of generosity to the teachers to support their teachings and livelihood. \nThe admin fee* goes to support the infrastructure and organization necessary to support them to teach. As anyone with an online business will know\, the costs of setting up good infrastructure to support effective teaching and connection online can be surprising. \nOur admin fee changes based on the date of registration. \nRegister four + weeks prior: $80\nRegister two to four weeks prior: $100\nRegister less than two weeks prior: $120 \n*We also do not wish to exclude anyone from the Teachings\, so if you are not currently in a financial position to afford the admin fee\, please contact the course Registrar via registrar@planetdharma.com so we can support you to attend. \n— \nBelow are a few of the work and benefits that your admin fee payment is supporting: \n\nHigh speed internet (to allow interviews and classes on-line)\nOnline class systems (Zoom)\nRegistration / admin systems (Eventbrite\, Basecamp)\nCommunication systems to keep everyone informed\, share connection details\, teachings and other resources (Mailchimp)\nOnline storage (for example\, Dropbox\, to allow us to let students watch recordings\, and to store and share selected teachings in other forms such as podcasts and video later\, and Amazon cloud)\nQuality sound\, video and editing equipment (both for live teachings and to provide good enough quality for later sharing as podcasts and video). We are regularly updating our equipment to improve your user experience.\nOnline calendar booking system to allow students to book interviews\nWebsite hosting and maintenance for sharing upcoming courses\, teachings\, blogs and other resources.\n\nWe welcome any questions. May all our efforts be sustainable\, abundant and for the benefit of all beings! \n\n\n\nRegister URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/integral-buddhism/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2025-PD-courses-Square-IG-Post-3.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250125T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250125T113000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20241023T164820Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251208T064831Z UID:23198-1737799200-1737804600@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:FREE WEBINAR: Integrating the Money Shadow in your Spiritual Life DESCRIPTION:Saturday\, January 25 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am MT\nStruggling in your relationship with money\, values and spiritual beliefs \nThis class is for spiritually-focused people whose spiritual aspiration is the most important thing in their lives\, yet they struggle with their relationship with money and values. \nMany spiritually-focused people feel that their spiritual life is hindering their ability to earn enough money. Or they know they have money issues but do not know what those issues are. They feel confused\, lost\, and have a very scattered relationship to money—the thought of it leads to fear and dissociation. \n\n\nRegister Now\n \nAre you in a fear-state around money and don’t feel capable of earning\, receiving\, or managing money? Perhaps you feel like you’re in survival mode\, disconnected from money or like you work too much and yet you never feel like you have enough. Perhaps you are living in total overwhelm and fear about addressing your debt issues or feel defeated by money and future prospects. Or perhaps you may defer completely to your partner in financial matters and do not know how to discuss your fears and concerns with them in a productive\, generative manner. \nIn all of these situations\, the view around money is the problem. And this webinar will help you see where your limiting beliefs are. \nImagine having a spiritual life and your income stable\, having success in repaying your debts or having money in your savings for retreats. Imagine valuing yourself more\, making solid business decisions or increasing your rates with ease. Understanding your interior money landscape is the first step. \nThis webinar will help you begin the journey to get to a place where your ability to earn money is actively supporting your spiritual life. It’s an opportunity to transform unhelpful money habits in a supportive\, non-judgmental community. It will help you realize that you are not alone. Money troubles come from past and present conditions and are not related to a personal deficiency. \nThis free webinar will help you see the way that our society has programmed us to feel stressed around money—which is the complete antithesis of living in alignment with the universe. \n\nRegister Now\n\n \nMeet your Teacher\n \nKaren McAllister \nKaren has worked with clients to transform their money issues\, helping them become more effective\, professional\, and satisfied with their financial situation\, and growing a sense of abundance. She brings knowledge and experience of financial issues from the practical\, behavioral\, and emotional perspectives. Her real magic and superpowers come from studying with her spiritual teachers\, Acariya Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, for over 20 years. Her teachers specialize in helping their students transcend their issues around money\, sex\, and power. And she is a beautiful example of the fruits of this work\, known in Buddhist philosophy as the bodhisattva path. \nKaren studied Economics in her degree and has been certified by Deborah Price of the The Money Coaching Institute as a Certified Money Coach\, a Couples Money Coach\, and a Business Archetype Coach. She studied with Lynne Twist from the Soul of Money Institute\, including Mastering your Money and Transforming your Life\, and Lynne’s Fundraising from the Heart program. \nFurther\, Karen has made use of that training through her own role as a founding member at Clear Sky\, which operates with a quadruple bottom line. Karen has been Board Chair since 2014 and is leader of Fund Development. Her passion for this arises out of her deep desire to awaken more fully and make the world a better place. She’s seen many amazing spiritual explorers and transformational change agents who want to make a difference yet don’t have the funds they need to truly fulfill their missions–despite the millions of dollars floating around in the economy. And she has also seen the other side. Many spiritual explorers with money who have tried to help others experience more abundance and feel that their efforts have been rejected; or their efforts to be generous have left them feeling taken advantage of or dismissed. Karen’s work is designed to change this. \nKaren wants you to show up as an integrated and whole human being. She’ll help you direct and attract financial resources in meaningful ways\, steering away from greed and fear and towards love\, generosity\, collaboration\, and reciprocity. \n\nWorking with Karen helped me understand that you need to have a vision and to know your values first\, and then in that lens\, we can start to work for money\, save it\, invest it. We have never had real conversations about our relationship to money! Until we understand and heal our thoughts/feelings/beliefs around money\, we will continue to loop the same patterns\, think the same thoughts\, feel the same feelings and stay in the same financial situation. It is difficult to recognize these things within ourselves. Karen’s coaching helped me spot what to work on quicker\, and more effectively. I haven’t found anything else like what she does.\nThank you Karen.\nSerena\nI had been feeling stress and a lack of safety around money\, in an ongoing state of not feeling enoughness. After working with Karen in Money and Spirituality\, I have vision on how to use my money to benefit the world\, and know I want to work with people who share the same vision. This course is a great stepping stone for me to dive deeper into spirituality\, opening up new chapter in my practice. Karen has helped me to begin unknotting the fears that are extremely intertwined with capitalism. I think everybody who has the motivation to free their unhealthy habits and patterns around money should take the course. You will realize you don’t live for money; you use money as a tool to create the life you desire!\nKaren offered us deep insights on many levels and the generosity of her time\, both inside and outside the sessions. She invested as much in the process as we did. The benefits that it brings are significant – on an interpersonal as well as financial level.\nTrinh\nI couldn’t find my blind spots which block me from seeing the root of my Money and Spirituality problems. This course give me more clarity and insight\, particularly around the need to work internally on my first three chakras. If you want to educate yourself and make more conscious financial decisions\, this course if for you.\nIris\nI knew that I have money issues\, but not what those issues were. I was confused\, lost\, and had a very scattered relationship to money—the thought of it led to fear and dissociation. In this course with Karen\, I learnt that my approach to money is mostly from a victim and innocent archetype position\, and that issues with money\, life\, and my business are connected with my relationship to my mother and father. This was groundbreaking for me. I understand which areas of my life I need to heal and work on\, and I also see how these shadows don’t allow me to grow and transform. Karen has such knowledge and wisdom\, and so generously created a safe container where I felt heard\, seen\, and held throughout the program.\nMarina\nI have been living in a survival mode of circular thinking. For so long\, I have been disconnected from money\, operating with a scarcity mindset. Karen taught me a new language. I am now empowered to take up the responsibility of creating change. The Money and Spirituality course helped me get clear on my intention\, motivation\, and needs\, which I now can practice communicating. And\, the reminder that our beliefs and habitual patterns are shaped from our early years was huge for me; we must have the awareness that they’re not our fault\, but also that we have the responsibility to do something about them. I am practicing becoming my own Great Mother!\nSue\n\nRegister Now URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/free-webinar-integrating-the-money-shadow-in-your-spiritual-life-2025/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Coaching,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-Programming-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Clear Sky Center":MAILTO:contact@clearskycenter.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250215T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250308T120000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20241023T160454Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250801T154706Z UID:22588-1739613600-1741435200@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Money & Spirituality: Integrating Spiritual and Material (Online) DESCRIPTION:A Four-Week Online Course with Karen McAllister \nFebruary 15 & 22\, March 1 & 8  \nSaturdays at 10am MT – 12 pm MT \nClick here to see your timezone   \nThis course is about healing the split between money and spirituality and integrating your vision and calling into your everyday work. Through this course\, you will come to a place of peace\, power\, and care in your heart in your relationship with money. \nIt is about integrating the spiritual with the material\, or the material with the spiritual\, depending on where your journey begins. \nWhat this means for you\nWorking with your relationship with money is more than just seeing your patterns and recurring behaviours around it. \nMoney is a nexus that is the doorway into greater integration. All of us have some sort of knot around money. By going into that knot\, we can attend to all of these bigger things like the shadow\, dreams\, vision\, values\, priorities\, and awakening. \nWe are inviting you to join us to release these complicated and layered knots around money and allow yourself to let go the dam of resistance\, shame\, guilt\, superiority\, privilege\, and fear. To have the courage to look at your projections onto money and be on your way to a place of integration between the material and the spiritual. \nWe want you to be lighter\, brighter and to give and attract the amount of money you need to manifest your purpose.  \n \n \n \n \nDo any of these knots sound like you?\n\n\nStruggling with Authenticity:\n You’re passionate about your work—be it as an artist\, teacher\, or healer—but find it hard to embrace money without feeling inauthentic. Is the notion of the “starving artist” really noble?\n\nElusive Money:\n You might feel that money is always just out of reach\, coming and going without establishing a real relationship with you. Do you find yourself waiting for a “Prince Charming” to rescue you financially\, or believing that your worthy cause should automatically attract support?\n\nGiving Too Much:\n Are you overextending yourself—whether in your organization\, relationships\, or community? You might feel unseen or burnt out\, with health and financial concerns needing attention.\n\nMixed Experiences of Wealth:\n If you come from a background of privilege but still struggle financially\, you may find yourself feeling conflicted about abundance. Your generosity might sometimes feel unrecognized or taken for granted.\n\nFeeling Isolated:\n If you’ve achieved financial success but still feel disconnected from the very people you wish to help\, you might feel like an outsider in both spiritual and transformational spaces.\n\nNavigating New Wealth:\n If you’ve recently come into money without the tools to manage it effectively\, you may feel overwhelmed. Fear of losing what you have could keep you from making heart-aligned decisions.\n\nSense of Not Enoughness:\nYou may feel overwhelmed with fear of losing money\, even though you have enough. Fear of losing what you have could keep you from making decisions that are more in alignment with your heart and awakening.\n\nGuilt and Trust Issues:\nYou might wrestle with feelings of guilt around money and find it difficult to trust yourself and others. The distance money creates can be challenging.\n\nTransactional Mind-states:\nMainstream motivation comes with expectations of a transaction—”I will give you this if you give me that”—rather than embracing a more generous\, open-hearted approach like Dāna practice.\n\nWe can undo these knots\, together!\n \n REGISTER\n \nWhat are some of the main patterns that spiritual types have around money? Dissociation and overgiving are two examples. \nKaren McAllister\, Certified Money Coach and Board Chair of Clear Sky Meditation Centre\, shares some of her insights in the main money patterns experienced by spiritual seekers\, artists and those in the non-profit sector.  \nhttps://youtu.be/BwOnDegzXIw \nWhat Previous Participants Have Said\n \n \n \n \n I wanted to better understand myself with and around money. The benefits of this course? Take a closer look at your relationship with money. When\, why\, what\, who\, with money. Now I understand why I do what I do. The next step is taking action\, and knowing when to take that action. I think everyone would benefit from looking into their money relationship\, especially anyone saying money is evil\, or “I don’t seem to have enough.”\n Fred\n ​​Before Money and Spirituality\, I was unhappy with money in my life but I didn’t know why. After the 4 weeks\, I now know the direction I need to head in to change that. It is now clear how my childhood has been driving my financial decisions as an adult in his 30s. I didn’t realize how much inner healing still needed to be done\, and addressing money brought those issues to light. I am excited to step more into my power. This class is perfect for the “odd balls” who never felt like they fit into society—artists\, spiritual types\, creatives\, and healers—there’s nothing wrong with you or money itself. The view is the problem\, and this class will help you see clearly.\n Mike\n ​​I was living in total overwhelm and fear about addressing my debt issues. I was deferring almost completely to my partner in financial matters and did not know how to discuss my fears and concerns with him in a productive\, generative manner. I did not have much understanding of how my past money trauma may be affecting me today. When I saw the course was being offered this year\, it still scared me but I knew it was an important part of my work to do it. After taking Money and Spirituality\, I am more empowered\, positive\, and hopeful\, and my Warrior archetype is becoming activated. It’s an opportunity to transform unhelpful money habits in a supportive\, non-judgmental community. It will help you realize that you are not alone\, that money troubles come from past and present conditions and are not related to a personal deficiency. There are ways to understand a person’s interior money landscape\, and steps one can take to heal it.\n Jennifer\n I was stuck in a backlog of taxes\, missing day-to-day financial structures and education\, and feeling scarcity around money. Understanding my archetype as well as my beliefs and behaviors around money through this course with Karen were a huge relief. I understand sufficiency and generosity better\, which has made it easier for me to give and to receive. I also brought attention to my own abundance which shifted things and made me see how much I have to offer. I am amazed how big of an impact these seemingly little shifts have. I recommend this to friends; people who spend too much or have shopping addictions\, people who struggle with purpose\, people whose money and work are influenced by others too much\, people who feel they can’t sustain their business. Free yourself from false beliefs about money\, the learned and inherited behavior.\n Maike\n I want to do good in this world. This course has helped me to make business decisions knowing my voice is confident and kind. Learning with Karen gives the gift of a deeper understanding of how you can relate to money and awakening. We can all do it together.\n Kerry\n I have struggled with what vision I wish to have and invest money in\, for my personal growth and for the future of others. I felt ignorant in regard to global economy and the notion of a positive future for me and others. The course with Karen forced me to grow up and see the reality of what I can really afford to have in my life\, to go beyond the scarcity mind into more trusting and loving\, to take care of my body and my mind and therefore be in service to others to do the same. There comes clarity of vision\, understanding creative stress vs. emotional tension\, and knowing the future can be positive if our mindset is right and we learn from leaders like Karen what can be if we do something about our life and take up our responsibility for our Earth. I needed inspiration to move out from a limbo I’ve created for myself. As far as I see\, Karen offers one of the most evolved programs there is on the planet. It brings very conscious humans together to learn and ask really great questions.\n Maya\n I was in a fear state around money. I felt restrictive in my being and that I wasn’t capable of earning\, receiving\, or managing money. As a result of my work in the Money and Spirituality course\, my income has been stable\, I’m repaying my debts and have money in my savings! Karen helped me see the way that our society has programmed us to feel stressed around money—which is the complete antithesis to living in alignment with the universe. I now trust that the universe is supporting me\, and that I have the tools and capabilities to manage my money. Instead of feeling like my spiritual life is hindering my ability to earn enough money\, this course helped me get to a place where my ability to earn money is actively supporting my spiritual life. I’d especially recommend this course to spiritually-focused solopreneurs and anyone whose spiritual aspiration is the most important thing in their life.\n Ava \nWhat to Expect\nThe course structures itself according to Clear Sky’s Five Principles\, which name the qualities of a supportive space for human flourishing. We apply these principles to help you come to a place of peace\, ease and clarity around your relationship with money. This course falls under the Fourth Principle\, which is\, “Cleaning up big areas of your life frees up energy.” The course structure follows each of the other four principles. \nSession #1: Honor your space.Metaphorically speaking\, we open the door and take a look inside your financial room. For many of us\, it is a room full of cobwebs\, things not in their place\, and dust bunnies running amok. The curtains are closed\, and there is a stale\, musty smell in the room. How did this room get this way? By applying principle #1\, we honor your space\, we face the mess and start cleaning it up. We start revisiting the past to see what was not acknowledged and owned around money in the family system and culture.   \nSession #2: Structure and routine are your friends.We look at the money habits that you currently have and write them all down. What do you need to let go of\, and what new habits do you need to take on? How are you going to build them into your structure and routine? We will use the cue\, routine and reward from “The Power of Habit” to help you work new routines around your money life. We will share all the apps\, budget tools\, and a ton of resources for you to guide you in finding the right tool for you around your finances. \nSession #3: Communication shapes the space where we meet. We look at building gratitude and generosity practices to help you overcome the fear and scarcity mentality that takes root in our beings because it is the very water of capitalism that we swim in. A model that promotes a chronic sense of not-enoughness in the being. We will learn to become very mindful of the scarcity we feed ourselves and get really good at cutting these dialogues off skillfully and kindly\, with fierce discernment.  \nSession #4: It’s easier with others. What are your relationships with money like with your spouse\, your colleagues\, and your friends? Do you end up feeling betrayed or tight around money with others\, or do you stick your head in the sand and not take responsibility? We will study money and relationships through the lens of the eight money archetypes. Archetypes are powerful teachers and allies\, since they inform us of where we need to grow. \n \n \n I was suffering from chronic not-enough syndrome\, and it was drowning out my reality. When I saw Karen’s Money and Spirituality course\, my whole body was singing\, “yes!” And\, while the course’s primary focus appears to be money\, it has opened so many other doors to personal healing. I now recognize that my relationship with money is just a reflection of my relationship with other things\, everything being linked\, so clearing up one space has an impact on others. I feel less anxious about money; I feel curious excitement for more openness; and I feel I can shift my relationship with money\, power\, and sex even further. Karen’s teaching on gratitude has become a strong spiritual practice for me\, and in the way it has grounded me\, I feel more ready to commit to generosity. I so enjoy Karen’s deeply rooted personal spirituality—it shines in her teachings and I know she walks her talk. It helps me take her and the material seriously. I trust her as a teacher.Thank you Karen.\n Sally\n I was feeling scared about selling my house\, sad to be giving up the garden\, and frustrated that I couldn’t find other people who would like to explore co-housing. Thanks to Karen and the Money and Spirituality group course\, I am owning my choice\, and trusting that the timing is right and all will unfold as it is meant to. I feel more trust in the opening up of new possibilities.\n Debi\n I was skint\, and also in a passive\, fatalistically desperate state of mind about it—things had reached an absolute nadir\, and I’d thrown the towel in. Following the Money and Spirituality course\, there is a shift in attitude. I’m focused and proactive. I’m holding the space\, including sitting with the not-knowing\, without the previous despair and cynicism. And\, my next steps are setting up a conscious wellness business! I wanted to before\, but I feel affirmed in it now. There is a greater sense of clarity and hope. Thank you.\n Myriam\n I was working too much\, never had enough\, feeling defeated by money and my future prospects; a total scarcity mindset. This class with Karen shone a light into the darkness. Her Money and Spirituality course provides empowerment\, hope\, community\, and healing; things shifted almost immediately for me as a result of doing this work. I have a plan for repayment of debt\, I am valuing myself more\, and I have an understanding of my archetypes and how they impact my views and actions around money. Interestingly enough I have had an influx of requests for services and people are happily paying my raised rates. I think every person on the planet would benefit from taking this course.\n Jenn\n Money has always been a struggle. Now having taken the Money and Spirituality course\, I am able to question my decisions\, thoughts\, and spending patterns through a different lens. If anyone is struggling with their relationship with money and their values and spiritual beliefs\, then they should look at this course. I believe it is much like therapy. The individual has to want to take the course to deepen their understanding around their relationship with money in their spiritual life. There are many blind spots around money\, and taking the course has the power to illuminate them.\n Dana \nMeet your Teacher\n \nKaren McAllister\nKaren has worked with clients to transform their money issues\, helping them become more effective\, professional\, and satisfied with their financial situation\, and growing a sense of abundance. She brings knowledge and experience of financial issues from the practical\, behavioral\, and emotional perspectives. Her real magic and superpowers come from studying with her spiritual teachers\, Acariya Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, for over 20 years. Her teachers specialize in helping their students transcend their issues around money\, sex\, and power. And she is a beautiful example of the fruits of this work\, known in Buddhist philosophy as the bodhisattva path. \nKaren studied Economics in her degree and has been certified by Deborah Price of the The Money Coaching Institute as a Certified Money Coach\, a Couples Money Coach\, and a Business Archetype Coach. She studied with Lynne Twist from the Soul of Money Institute\, including Mastering your Money and Transforming your Life\, and Lynne’s Fundraising from the Heart program. \nFurther\, Karen has made use of that training through her own role as a founding member at Clear Sky\, which operates with a quadruple bottom line. Karen has been Board Chair since 2014 and is leader of Fund Development. Her passion for this arises out of her deep desire to awaken more fully and make the world a better place. She’s seen many amazing spiritual explorers and transformational change agents who want to make a difference yet don’t have the funds they need to truly fulfill their missions–despite the millions of dollars floating around in the economy. And she has also seen the other side. Many spiritual explorers with money who have tried to help others experience more abundance and feel that their efforts have been rejected; or their efforts to be generous have left them feeling taken advantage of or dismissed. Karen’s work is designed to change this.  \nKaren wants you to show up as an integrated and whole human being. She’ll help you direct and attract financial resources in meaningful ways\, steering away from greed and fear and towards love\, generosity\, collaboration\, and reciprocity. \nCourse Details\n\nLocation: Online (Zoom)\nDates: Feb 15 – March 8\, 2025 (Saturdays)\n4 x 2 hour sessions + 2 Individual 30 minute sessions\nTime: 10am – 12 pm MT\nDana: $200CAD – $500CAD recommended range.\nPlease chat with us if you have concerns about the cost. Part of taking the money out of the shadow is stepping forward and having a pricing conversation with us.\n\nThis course is Dana based. We understand that your income might be effected due to COVID either negatively or positively. We do not want to turn away anyone and we are always looking for ways to help you cultivate your generosity practise. Because of this\, we are giving you the opportunity to give the lower rate if you are earning less currently\, or we encourage to give the higher rate if your business is actually more profitable due to COVID. Many people feel guilty because they are doing well. We encourage you to think about paying it forward. \nThere is also an opportunity to give to the scholarship fund\, as another opportunity to practice a heart of openness and giving.\n \n Working with Karen helped me understand that you need to have a vision and to know your values first\, and then in that lens\, we can start to work for money\, save it\, invest it. We have never had real conversations about our relationship to money! Until we understand and heal our thoughts/feelings/beliefs around money\, we will continue to loop the same patterns\, think the same thoughts\, feel the same feelings and stay in the same financial situation. It is difficult to recognize these things within ourselves. Karen’s coaching helped me spot what to work on quicker\, and more effectively. I haven’t found anything else like what she does.\nThank you Karen.\n Serena\n I had been feeling stress and a lack of safety around money\, in an ongoing state of not feeling enoughness. After working with Karen in Money and Spirituality\, I have vision on how to use my money to benefit the world\, and know I want to work with people who share the same vision. This course is a great stepping stone for me to dive deeper into spirituality\, opening up new chapter in my practice. Karen has helped me to begin unknotting the fears that are extremely intertwined with capitalism. I think everybody who has the motivation to free their unhealthy habits and patterns around money should take the course. You will realize you don’t live for money; you use money as a tool to create the life you desire!\nKaren offered us deep insights on many levels and the generosity of her time\, both inside and outside the sessions. She invested as much in the process as we did. The benefits that it brings are significant – on an interpersonal as well as financial level.\n Trinh\n I couldn’t find my blind spots which block me from seeing the root of my Money and Spirituality problems. This course give me more clarity and insight\, particularly around the need to work internally on my first three chakras. If you want to educate yourself and make more conscious financial decisions\, this course if for you.\n Iris\n I knew that I have money issues\, but not what those issues were. I was confused\, lost\, and had a very scattered relationship to money—the thought of it led to fear and dissociation. In this course with Karen\, I learnt that my approach to money is mostly from a victim and innocent archetype position\, and that issues with money\, life\, and my business are connected with my relationship to my mother and father. This was groundbreaking for me. I understand which areas of my life I need to heal and work on\, and I also see how these shadows don’t allow me to grow and transform. Karen has such knowledge and wisdom\, and so generously created a safe container where I felt heard\, seen\, and held throughout the program.\n Marina\n I have been living in a survival mode of circular thinking. For so long\, I have been disconnected from money\, operating with a scarcity mindset. Karen taught me a new language. I am now empowered to take up the responsibility of creating change. The Money and Spirituality course helped me get clear on my intention\, motivation\, and needs\, which I now can practice communicating. And\, the reminder that our beliefs and habitual patterns are shaped from our early years was huge for me; we must have the awareness that they’re not our fault\, but also that we have the responsibility to do something about them. I am practicing becoming my own Great Mother!\n Sue\n \n REGISTER URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/money-spirituality-integrating-spiritual-and-material-online/2025-02-15/ CATEGORIES:Money & Spirituality,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-Programming.png ORGANIZER;CN="Clear Sky Center":MAILTO:contact@clearskycenter.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250313 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250404 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20240225T235112Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251206T092250Z UID:21655-1741824000-1743724799@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Meditation Circle: The Dance of Generosity\, Reciprocity and Collaboration DESCRIPTION:  \n  \nThe Dance of Generosity\, Reciprocity and Collaboration\nwith Karen McAllister\nIn beginning your meditation journey\, your orientation is all-important. \nGenerosity was often the first practice given by the Buddha to beginner practitioners.  \nGenerosity is about opening our hearts to learn.  \nAs we restart our meditation circle series\, we decided to begin with generosity. What could be more fulfilling than living and engaging in life with generosity\, reciprocity and collaboration? \nJoin Karen McAllister and community in this four week Meditation Circle series on joyful interaction and engagement with yourself and others.  \nKaren works with groups and individuals on abundance\, generosity and healthy communication and collaboration. She will share the latest from her personal and professional explorations on the topic.  \nMarch 13th – April 3rd \nOnline or In-Person at Clear SkyThursdays 7:30-8:30 pm MST \n— \nExcited? Before this series starts\, you’re invited to enjoy our online guided meditations.  \n \nAbout these Community Meditation Classes\nThese community classes at Clear Sky Center help you develop a stronger meditation practice both on and off the cushion. \nJoin us for Meditation Circle\, Thursday nights (7:30-8:30pm MST) at Clear Sky Center. \nThese classes run semi-regularly throughout the year\, interspersed with our other retreats and offerings. \nThis series\, the Dance of Generosity\, Reciprocity and Collaboration\, runs from Thursday\, March 13th – April 3rd and is lead by Karen McAllister. \nDrop ins are welcome\, and we also encourage you to attend all classes if possible. \nThere are two ways to attend – in person or online. Just click the appropriate button to register. See you soon!  \n Attend In-Person Attend Online \nQuestions?  \nContact Michelle via email or phone: \nmichelle@clearskycenter.org | (250) 429-3929 \n \n\n“Meditation is like turning on a light in a dark room. The power of awareness lets us see what is there – in our bodies\, emotions\, mind\, workplaces\, homes and relationships. Seeing what is there gives us the freedom and the courage to make deeply impactful changes.” \nDuncan Cryle \n \n\n“I feel like we’re so disembodied today in our technological culture that meditation is my little kindness to myself in saying ‘hello body\, you’re part of my day.” \nKaren McAllister \nMeditation Circle Teachers\n \nKaren McAllister\nAs Clear Sky’s Chair of the Board and Director of Business Development\, I’m passionate about teaching the much-ignored principles of nurturing the factors – like honor your space\, structure\, and communication – that create the conditions we need to wake up more in daily life. I see how I learned and embodied these principles in my different roles at Clear Sky as the center went from self-starter to second-stage growth. This is what I call “the hands-on way of doing an MBA with a spiritual bottom line!” \nIn my free time\, I love travelling\, speaking Portuguese and reading history\, architecture and art books. \nDuncan Cryle\nThrough 30+ years of personal practice and 15+ teaching meditation and mindfulness\, alongside an active career working all over the world\, I’ve learnt a lot about an integrating mindfulness into daily life.  As a founding member of Clear Sky in 2004\, I’m amazed at the power of a beautiful\, natural and dedicated space for supporting people to deepen their meditation and feel more connected.  Alongside. my Clear Sky work\, I hold a director position at a large software company where I also run a volunteer global mindfulness program to 1000s employees.  I was formerly one of the pioneers of IBM’s mindfulness movement.  I’m passionate about how mindfulness-based approaches can transform how we live and work together\, and be of better service in the world. \n \nMaureen Smith\nMaureen Smith (MSW\, RCSW) is a therapist and meditation teacher. Passionate about what she does\, she will guide you to a more alive\, aware and mindful path of living. \nMaureen is a well-respected Cranbrook-based therapist and educator. She works with individuals and couples in the public sector in addictions and mental health. Not only was Maureen the first acting caretaker at Clear Sky Meditation Center in BC\, she has studied numerous meditation practices intensively for over 10 years. She has a Master of Social Work degree and is a Registered Clinical Social Worker in British Columbia. \n Attend In-Person Attend Online \nCourse Cost: Dāna\n \nWe offer this course on the basis of dāna.  If you’re not familiar with dāna\, you may have come across related approaches such as “pay from the heart.” \nDāna is a Sanskrit term that translates as “generosity” in English. The practice of generosity is central to spiritual unfoldment\, whatever path you follow. In our own Buddhist lineage\, teachings have always been given on the basis of dāna\, and we are committed to this practice and its development in the West. \nDāna is a radical and – we believe – viable economic alternative to capitalism. We all know there must be something better than capitalism or its hungry cousin\, consumerism. We maintain that\, together\, we can offer a financial model that is based in life-affirming mutual support. Please join us in co-creating this promising economic alternative. \n \n \nTo help you choose an amount that feels right for you\, we recommend this heart-based exercise from our friends at Planet Dharma.  \nChecking in with your heart\n1) Take a few quiet breaths and center yourself. Spend a few moments to reflect on each of the below: the beauty and integrity of dāna practice; the value of receiving direct teachings from lineage holders in a recognized spiritual tradition; the reality of your financial situation. \n2) Spend another few moments contacting a sense of health\, strength and abundance. You have a healthy mind\, a body\, senses\, the good karma to have heard the teachings\, and conditions to support your practice of Dharma. Celebrate this! \n3) Now check with your heart and mind what amount feels both consistent with your situation\, and expressive of your aspiration. \nIt’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \n Attend In-Person Attend Online URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/meditation-circle-the-dance-of-generosity-reciprocity-and-collaboration/ CATEGORIES:Coaching,Meditation Circle,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2.png ORGANIZER;CN="Clear Sky Center":MAILTO:contact@clearskycenter.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20250321T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20250323T150000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20241128T230819Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251209T102031Z UID:23142-1742576400-1742742000@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Dharma in the Stars: Integrating Saturn DESCRIPTION:Dharma in the Stars: Integrating Saturn\nOnline or In-Person | March 21-23\, 2025 \n“Astrology allows us to identify our unique challenges and strengths as individuals in order to more fully embody and live our spiritual awakening. \n“Dharma empowers us to transcend our challenges\, leverage our strengths and reduce the suffering within ourselves and those around us.” \n-Catherine Pawasarat Sensei \nAs spiritual explorers\, we want breakthroughs. We want liberation\, freedom\, and the ability to manifest our most profound vision for this lifetime. And ironically\, the only way to bring these spiritual aspirations to fruition—and to break away from our timeworn\, “stuck” patterns—is to embrace discipline\, which builds the supporting structures for breakthrough. Astrologically\, this means working with Saturn. Join Catherine Sensei\, a wisdom teacher who has developed AstroDharma as a tool for transformation\, in a weekend ripe for life-altering insights. \n\n\nIn-Person Registration\n\n\nOnline Registration\n \nAs spiritual explorers\, we can lean on the idealized notion of being a “free spirit.” This aspiration can lead to chafing around boundaries and authority\, two of the hallmarks of Saturn. It’s easy to project these qualities onto someone or something else\, as our disowned shadow. Integrating these qualities in ourselves is key to true spiritual growth. Drawing on AstroDharma as a resource can help us get there. \nHistorically\, Saturn was associated with the Grim Reaper or Father Time\, and it’s still known as the Lord of Karma. Wherever we have Saturn in our natal astrological chart\, we are likely to experience restrictions or obstacles. Integrating our Saturn involves learning to dismantle these constraints\, and upcycling the resources thereby acquired as foundations upon which to build the rest of our lives. In this way\, we begin to participate in the conscious shaping of our karma. \nThe planet Saturn is the doorway to working consciously with more transpersonal and universal energies. After all\, it is the gatekeeper from the personal inner planets to the transpersonal or generational outer planets. In AstroDharma\, the outer planets—Uranus\, Neptune\, and Pluto—offer the transformative energy we need for breakthroughs\, through their mighty forces of revolution\, dissolution\, and destruction\, respectively. Accessing and working consciously with these powerful energies requires discipline and self-mastery: in other words\, integration (vs. projection) of Saturn. An untrained\, undisciplined warrior cannot navigate these stormy forces of change. Instead\, karmic tempests repeatedly knock us sideways. Saturn’s authority and responsibility are the keys to breaking through the locks of our conditioned karma to our greater potential—and rising to the challenge of our total transformation. \n\n \n This course for you if:\n\nYou’d like to study an astrological Dharmic framework for spiritual understanding with a wisdom teacher in the Namgyal lineage.\nYou’d like to explore where you fall subject to projections—those aspects of yourself which have been forced into the unconscious\, thus cast onto others—and learn to own them as a more integrated human being.\nYou’d like to transform challenges in your life by leveraging unseen strengths and talents.\nYou’d like greater clues into the particular shapings of gestating in your mother’s womb\, and how your womb experience is impacting your life.\nYou’d like insights into how you can best connect with awakening states of unity.\nYou want to understand the patterns of others\, as well as your own\, to be a more skilled and compassionate being in the world.\n\nIn other words\, we must integrate Saturn to become what we truly want to be.\nIn AstroDharma\, we refer to our North Node as our “Dharma\,” our Dharmic path. Learning to manifest our North Node is the most challenging path we can undertake because it involves swimming upstream against the heavy current of our South Node’s familiar and habitual Karma. However\, we cannot work with our North Node\, our true potential\, unless we work with Saturn. \nMastery requires incredible discipline. An Olympic figure skater lands that quadruple axle on the ice because they’ve invested thousands of training hours towards achieving this potential. \nOver the course\, we will show you how to examine your natal chart\, and look at participants’ charts together\, focusing on Saturn\, its ruler\, Capricorn\, and the associated 10th house. We also encourage you to bring burning questions arising from your life—particularly related to challenges around blocks and authority themes—so we can study how they show up in your chart astrolodharmically. Think about specific questions which will be of particular benefit to you\, and which will help you towards being of benefit to others. \nFor those attending in person\, Catherine Sensei will lead us in somatic AstroDharma mandalas to embody our Saturn together. These mandalas can be a compelling\, visceral experience. \n\n\n“I greatly appreciate the depth of knowledge and level of expertise that is shared by Sensei. Her teachings are always well prepared and transformative in my spiritual growth.”\nMichele C.Astrologer \nWhat You’ll Learn: \n\nA review of AstroDharma and how it is unique.\nHow to examine and map your own astrological natal chart’s placements\, particularly Saturn\, its ruler\, Capricorn\, and the related 10th house.\nWhat happens with Saturn\, Capricorn\, and the 10th house? Why are they considered difficult? How can we access their potential wisdom and mastery?\nTools for recognizing and working with reality as it is\, mapping karma and potential.\nHow to work with obstacles\, authority\, and discipline\, toward the growth of your greater potential.\n\nAbout AstroDharma\n\n“AstroDharma” is what Catherine Pawasarat Sensei calls her unique synthesis of Buddhist teachings on spiritual awakening (Dharma) and transpersonal Western astrology\, based on the teachings of Carl Jung. \nThese two powerful tools help us better understand ourselves and the patterns we manifest in our lives. The more we know about ourselves\, the more choices we have. Then\, we can make better choices so that we may lead healthier\, better-integrated lives. Furthermore\, we can also more deeply understand the patterns of those around us\, and support the potential in others\, which is key to Buddhist practitioners’ bodhisattva vow. \nSaturn relates to what we’d like to manifest in the world\, the areas of life we’d like to master and teach to others. It’s a rare and significant achievement to integrate both external authority and our inner tyrant into self-discipline and skilled judgment. Working with our Saturn\, over time and with conscious effort\, we gradually learn to take responsibility for shaping our own karma. This is easier said than done. \n\n\n \nMeet the Teacher – Catherine Sensei\n \nCatherine Pawasarat \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei is a contemporary Dharma teacher\, attendant\, consort\, co-teacher via Planet Dharma and co-founder of Clear Sky Retreat Center. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Catherine also draws on generative living and universal spiritual tools including transpersonal astrology and Japanese arts. \nAcariya Doug Duncan since 1998 in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. \n \nCourse Details\nTime and Location\nThis weekend retreat will be led by Catherine Pawasarat Sensei at Clear Sky Meditation Center in Eastern BC. This course is offered online or in-person. \nSchedule / Class Times: For onsite retreatants\, please arrive in good time for orientation at 5 pm Mountain Time on the Friday. The first class will be at 7 pm Mountain Time. The retreat will formally end at 3 pm Mountain Time on the Sunday. Classes will be 60-90 mins in duration\, with classes in the morning and evening and possibly the afternoon each day (Mountain Time) – the exact schedule to be confirmed. Please ensure you are available for the whole weekend to focus on the course material and attend classes live. \nOnline participants are expected to attend classes live.  We will arrange class times to be comfortable for most time zones. However we understand that some class times might occur after midnight in some regions\, if this is the case for you\, please let us know when you register.  Then we can provide a recording so you can catch up on that particular class. \nWhat Does the Course Cost?\nIn-Person Participants: 1) dāna to the Teacher plus 2) accomodation and meal costs for your stay Clear Sky Meditation Centre. \nOnline Participants: 1) dāna to the Teacher  2) online administration fee of $170 CAD. \nKeen practitioner pricing: 5% savings on program fees available until February 14\, 2025. \nImportant: The last day to register is one week prior to the retreat start date. Please register early. \nQuestions?\nIf you have questions about the retreat\, please contact the Clear Sky Retreat Manager at 250-429-3929  (phone) or at bookings@clearskycenter.org (email). \n\n\n\nIn-Person Registration\n\n\nOnline Registration\n \nAbout Clear Sky\nLocated in the BC rocky mountains\, we offer over 300-acres to deepen your practice and reconnect with nature. \nFounded by Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, we are home to students from around the globe who are dedicated to co-creating a supportive and innovative space for awakening in our modern world. \nIn adherence with our quadruple bottom line\, we source our food as local and organic as possible. \nEVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \n\n \nLocally-grown organic food \n \nSupportive meditation guidance \n \nStunning bedroom views \nBonus Gift for Course Participants\nOnline AstroDharma Course INCLUDED\nCatherine Sensei also offers an online Intro to AstroDharma course which you will be able to access at the end of this course. This will help you continue your studies. \nAccess to the self-study course is available upon request for participants who complete the retreat. \n\n\nIn-Person Registration\n\n\nOnline Registration\n\n“This retreat centre is the REAL THING. It’s a modern monastery with people grounded in the present and practicing old and new methods of living in a spiritual community. This group walks the talk. I have made the trek from Ontario all the way to this remote corner of BC every year for the last 16 years to study with these teachers\, interact with these fellow seekers\, and bask in the beauty of this gorgeous property.”\nLinda H. \n \nFAQs\nAbout Dana \nYou may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart”. Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity”. With dāna\, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \nThe dharma has been built on generosity. No-one is excluded for lack of funds but it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able \nTypically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course. \nAs we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma\, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure.  Another form of giving dāna is to offer service\, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way\, we invite you to contact us. \nConversely\, if you are financially secure\, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers\, teachings\, and center. \nLearn more about the practice of dāna here. \nAbout the Admin Fee \nIn a traditional model of in-person teachings\, a retreat center or urban meditation center invites teachers to visit. In these cases the centers have infrastructure and organization costs to cover\, which might be covered by an admin fee. For the teaching itself\, dāna to the teachers is offered in a bowl. This honors both the sustainability of the teachers\, and of the supporting center. \nWe’ve tried to recreate this approach online. The teachers’ time and the teaching themselves are offered on the basis of dāna\, separate to the admin fee. With our dāna offering we are making a direct gift of generosity to the teachers to support their teachings and livelihood. \nThe admin fee* goes to support the infrastructure and organization necessary to support them to teach. As anyone with an online business will know\, it can be surprising the costs of setting up a good infrastructure to support effective teaching and connection online. The admin fee changes based on date of registration. \n*We also do not wish to exclude anyone from the Teachings\, so if you are not currently in a financial position to afford the admin fee\, please contact the course Registrar via registrar@planetdharma.com so we can support you to attend. \n— \nBelow are a few of the work and benefits that your admin fee payment is supporting: \n\nhigh speed internet (to allow interviews and classes on-line)\nonline class systems (Zoom)\nregistration / admin systems (Eventbrite\, Basecamp)\ncommunication systems to keep everyone informed\, share connection details\, teachings and other resources (Mailchimp)\nonline storage (for example\, Dropbox\, to allow us to let students watch recordings\, and to store and share selected teachings in other forms such as podcasts and video later\, and Amazon cloud)\nquality sound\, video and editing equipment (both for live teachings and to provide good enough quality for later sharing as podcasts and video). We are regularly updating our equipment to improve your user experience.\nonline calendar booking system to allow students to book interviews\nwebsite hosting and maintenance for sharing upcoming courses\, teachings\, blogs and other resources.\n\nWe welcome any questions. May all our efforts be sustainable\, abundant and for the benefit of all beings! \nDaily Schedule \nSpecific times may change – this is a rough guide (MST) \n6:30 – 7:30 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice\n7:30 – 8:15 AM: Breakfast: Prepare\, eat\, clean up\n8:15 – 8:45 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice\n9:00 – 10:00 AM: Class with Teachers\n10:00 – 10:30 AM: Walk\n10:30 – 11:30 AM: Group Practice led by Sangha\n11:30 – 12:30 PM: Personal Practice\n12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch: Prepare\, eat\, clean up\n1:30 – 3:00 PM: Personal Practice\n3:00 – 4:00 PM: Group Practice led by Sangha\n4:00 – 5:30 PM: Personal Practice\n5:30 – 7:00 PM: Dinner: prepare\, eat\, clean up\n7:00 – 7:30 PM: Walk &/or Personal Practice\n7:30 – 8:30 PM: Group Practice and Q & A with Teachers\n8:30 – Beyond: Personal Practice & bed \nFood\, Weather\, Accommodation and How to Get Here \nClick here for details on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \nPSYCHEDELICS/MICRODOSING \nWe recognize and respect plant medicine as an important part of some people’s spiritual paths. \nPlease note\, the meditation practice on this retreat is very powerful. Consuming mind-altering substances will detract from your experience and could cause negative side-effects. \nWe ask that you refrain from microdosing or consuming mind-altering substances during this retreat and in the days immediately following it. \nSCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION \nWe aim to make our retreats as accessible as possible. \nAs a centre run entirely by Karma Yoga (selfless service)\, retreat fees only cover food\, accommodation and the equipment required to offer them online. We do not have paid staff. \nThe teachings themselves are offered on the basis of Dāna (pay-from-the-heart). \nFor some\, this is still a barrier of entry. \nIf you are seeking financial assistance to attend a retreat\, please complete a Scholarship Application form. \n\n\n\nIn-Person Registration\n\n\nOnline Registration URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/dharma-in-the-stars-integrating-saturn/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Group Retreats and Courses,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Dharma-and-Astrology-Course.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20250413T093000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20250504T110000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20250124T184949Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251209T095630Z UID:23760-1744536600-1746356400@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Joy! Fuel for Awakening (Online) DESCRIPTION:Joy! Fuel for Awakening Four-Week Online Course\n“If you want to live a life of joy\, live as if you are on a roller coaster. Ride the dragon of sheer awe and ongoing question\, rather than the merry-go-round of safety and fixed answers.”  \n—Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Sensei Pawasarat (“The Mystical Life: Right View” webinars) \nThe spiritual path is the hardest—yet most worthwhile—path one can undertake. To walk the path and meet our challenges\, we need serious sustenance. Joy is a vital treasure that can feed us and put the air under our wings. \nIn what can be seen as a dark time for our whole planet\, joy is vital to cultivate for ourselves and for each other\, in our aspiration to benefit all beings. This online course with teacher Catherine Pawasarat Sensei throws open the door to joy\, and revitalizes it as a resource for the journey of awakening. \nApril 13 – May 4\, 2025 \nSunday morning online classes 9:30-11:00am MT \n\nRegistration\n \nfocus area\nBuddhism \nPsychology \npractice\nCourse & Optional \nHome Retreat \nDuration\nFour \nWeeks \nDay/Time\nSundays from 9:30-11am MT \nformat\nIn-Person or \nOnline \nFueling our Awakening\nWhat’s the seeming catch-phrase of our 21st century? “I’m so busy!” Between juggling a million balls\, and everything going on in our world today\, many of us struggle giving ourselves permission to take the time to nurture joy. \nOn top of what seems like a faster and busier pace of life\, it’s a common experience to feel inundated with bad news and strife. It seems most people these days have some experience of chronic anxiety or depression; around the globe\, people are struggling. \nUnfortunately\, what may commonly happen with this struggle is inaction—sitting on the couch\, watching videos\, and diving deeper into despair and fear. But sitting on the couch isn’t going to make anything better. The same old patterns won’t work. True self-care is much deeper. \nThe good news is that joy is ever-present as an antidote to suffering. Joy is a matter of choice. \nSo what is the joy that you can choose\, create\, nourish? How do you choose joy? \nWith utmost delight\, we invite you to embark on this adventure together in a 4-week course on bliss\, and discover how to cultivate joy as that universal antidote to suffering. \n\nRegister\n\n\n\n\n“In 10 years I have NOT missed a course with master teachers Qapel and Sensei! Every class reflects the light of oneness in prisms of direction and understanding and thus a lighter load to carry in the relative world and a lightness of being. If one aspires to be a bodhisattva and to benefit all beings\, this one recommends the next one.”\nBrendan R. \nDive into the Joyful Mystery\nHere at Clear Sky\, we have a lot of fun. Our lineage\, through Namgyal Rinpoche’s empowerment\, offers Buddhist insights on joy and bliss\, which go back centuries and millennia—and our lineage is all about expansion\, exploration\, and the cutting edge. These online classes weave the traditional and the modern together\, for a grounded\, reliable\, kickass take on nourishing your well-being and enlightenment. \nLearning with a master meditation teacher about joy is priceless. So is communing in a community to learn about deepening and expanding our joy\, collaboratively. We don’t necessarily need to be with others for our joy\, but it can be more fun with others—and often\, others have thought of ways of having fun that we would never have thought of. You might even learn to stop being embarrassed about something that gives you joy\, and lean all the way into it. Engaging in the study and practice of joy together will create the space for something totally new in one’s own life. \nIt’s an ode to joy! \n\n \nCourse Schedule\nSundays\, April 13 – May 4\, 2025\nClass Times (Mountain Time)\n\nSunday\, April 13 – 9:30-11am\nSunday\, April 20 – 9:30-11am\nSunday\, April 27 – 9:30-11am\nSaturday & Sunday May 3-4 – 9:30am and 2:30pm\n(approx 60-90 minutes)\n\n*Daily schedule is subject to minor changes closer to the course date. \nThe formal and participatory teachings for this course will occur on Sundays with a Saturday-Sunday flash retreat on the fourth weekend.  Class times are estimates and may change slightly. \nWe encourage you to connect with sangha outside of class times to discuss and deepen your learning of the material. \nFlash Retreat Weekend: May 3-4\nTo deepen and integrate your experience\, the final (fourth) weekend during the course will also be an optional at home Flash Retreat (May 3-4). This can be done at home\, or with us at Clear Sky Meditation Centre\, in Eastern British Columbia. We highly recommend clearing your schedule over the weekend to focus on the retreat. Formal group sessions will be held at these approximate times. \n\nFlash Retreat morning session: 9:30am MT\nFlash Retreat afternoon session: 2:30pm MT\nSessions will be 60-90 mins in length.\n\n\n \nMeet the Teachers\n \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei is a contemporary Dharma teacher\, attendant\, consort\, co-teacher via Planet Dharma and co-founder of Clear Sky Retreat Center. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Catherine also draws on generative living and universal spiritual tools including transpersonal astrology and Japanese arts. \nShe has trained daily with Acariya Doug Duncan since 1998 in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. \nMore About Sensei | About the Lineage \n\nRegister Now\n\n“The teachers have brought together ancient teachings with scientific findings that prove how and why Dharma teachings radically improve life\, reduce pain and increase global peace. It doesn’t matter what you believe\, you will embody a healthy new way of being. Because of their vast collective wisdom\, you leave their presence radically altered for the betterment of humanity.”\nEvangelos D.\n \nFAQs\nDana and Pricing \nDana: \nYou may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart.” Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity.” With dāna\, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \nThe dharma has been built on generosity. No one is excluded for lack of funds. However\, it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able. \nTypically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course. \nAs we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma\, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure. Another form of giving dāna is to offer service\, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way\, we invite you to contact us. \nIf you are financially secure\, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers\, teachings\, and center. \nLearn more about the practice of dāna here. \nAbout the Online Admin Fee \nIn a traditional model of in-person teachings\, a retreat center or urban meditation center invites teachers to visit. In these cases the centers have infrastructure and organization costs to cover\, which might be covered by an admin fee. For the teaching itself\, dāna to the teachers is offered in a bowl. This honors both the sustainability of the teachers\, and of the supporting center. \nWe’ve tried to recreate this approach online. The teachers’ time and the teaching themselves are offered on the basis of dāna\, separate to the admin fee. With our dāna offering we are making a direct gift of generosity to the teachers to support their teachings and livelihood. \nThe admin fee* goes to support the infrastructure and organization necessary to support them to teach. As anyone with an online business will know\, the costs of setting up good infrastructure to support effective teaching and connection online can be surprising. \nOur admin fee changes based on the date of registration. \nRegister four + weeks prior: $80\nRegister two to four weeks prior: $100\nRegister less than two weeks prior: $120 \n*We also do not wish to exclude anyone from the Teachings\, so if you are not currently in a financial position to afford the admin fee\, please contact the course Registrar via registrar@planetdharma.com so we can support you to attend. \n— \nBelow are a few of the work and benefits that your admin fee payment is supporting: \n\nHigh speed internet (to allow interviews and classes on-line)\nOnline class systems (Zoom)\nRegistration / admin systems (Eventbrite\, Basecamp)\nCommunication systems to keep everyone informed\, share connection details\, teachings and other resources (Mailchimp)\nOnline storage (for example\, Dropbox\, to allow us to let students watch recordings\, and to store and share selected teachings in other forms such as podcasts and video later\, and Amazon cloud)\nQuality sound\, video and editing equipment (both for live teachings and to provide good enough quality for later sharing as podcasts and video). We are regularly updating our equipment to improve your user experience.\nOnline calendar booking system to allow students to book interviews\nWebsite hosting and maintenance for sharing upcoming courses\, teachings\, blogs and other resources.\n\nWe welcome any questions. May all our efforts be sustainable\, abundant and for the benefit of all beings! \n\n\n\nRegister URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/joy-online-course/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Joy-Online-Course.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Denver:20250419T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Denver:20250517T170000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20250223T004058Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260310T102712Z UID:24046-1745074800-1747501200@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Integrating Mindfulness Spring 2025: Tools for Holistic Living (In-Person or Online) DESCRIPTION:Integrating Mindfulness: Tools for Holistic Living\, Online or In-Person\nThe Integrating Mindfulness course has been described as one of the most transformative experiences of many people’s lives. \nIt has helped individuals cultivate greater awareness and compassion while providing practical tools for real-world integration of mindfulness into life and work. This is not just another mindfulness course—it is a groundbreaking approach to creating lasting transformation. \nThis course is an invitation to those seeking deeper meaning\, a fuller embrace of life\, and a practice that nourishes both their inner world and their connections to the community around them. \nNOTE: This course can be attended online or in-person at Clear Sky. \n \n Attend Online (Register Here)\n \nfocus area\nMeditation  \n& Daily Life \npractice\nInteractive \nWorkshop \nDuration\nFour \nWeeks \nDay/Time\nApril 19\, 26 and May 10\, 17 \n3-5pm MT; 2-4 pm PST \nformat\nOnline \nWhy integrating mindfulness?\nIn a world that feels increasingly uncertain\, many of us struggle with pressures and distractions that pull us away from our center. Even with a meditation or mindfulness practice\, you may feel disconnected or that your efforts aren’t bridging the gap between your intentions and your daily challenges. \nThis course is your sanctuary—a refuge to breathe deeply\, reflect intentionally\, and reconnect with what truly matters. Together\, we create a supportive space for you to flourish\, offering tools and practices to integrate mindfulness into every facet of your life. \nOur unique approach addresses not only your inner world but also the external environments\, relationships\, and systems that influence your well-being. \nWe see you\, and we walk this path with you. \nA holistic approach\nIntegrating Mindfulness addresses the fullness of life—our habits\, our relationships\, our environments\, and our deepest aspirations. \nUnlike other mindfulness or personal development programs\, we use a threefold approach: cultivating mindfulness\, crafting a supportive container\, and powerfully integrating mindfulness into all aspects of life and work. \nThis synergy ensures that participants experience profound\, tangible transformation. \nThrough this course\, you will: \n\nStrengthen your mindfulness or meditation practice to bring more calm\, clarity\, and presence to your days.\nBuild meaningful connections that inspire and uplift you.\nTransform your environment and routines into a sanctuary of growth and intention.\nCreate lasting change by addressing areas that drain your energy or hold you back.\n\nWe work with heart-centered guides and a community of like-minded individuals\, fostering a circle of belonging that nurtures transformation. \nWhat Previous Students are Saying\n There are big areas of my life I needed to look at… that I didn’t know I needed to. I am more aware of them now\, and have perspective on how to bring daily mindfulness to them. Now I have a technique to structure my life and prioritize the things I actually want to do\, and a dialogue technique that is helping in my relationships. Integrating Mindfulness allows you to think about issues in a different way (such as money!). Insightful and nourishing.\n Daniel\n Participating in the Integrating Mindfulness course has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life. It has helped me cultivate greater awareness and compassion and provided me with practical tools for managing stress and anxiety. I am deeply grateful for the Clear Sky community and support provided by the course.\n Artin\n “I’m so stressed out… I cannot see an end to it”—says everybody. I’m always considering options\, and I had doubts around the authenticity of the Integrating Mindfulness programme\, but I’m glad to report those doubts were completely unfounded. With this course\, you learn to stop and breathe\, and the teachers will show you that it is indeed possible—necessary\, even—to put mindfulness at the very centre of your life. At first it might not seem there have been any changes\, but on reflection the changes have been huge.\n Pat\n I wanted more clarity on which direction to go. In Integrating Mindfulness\, I found fluidity and a variety of approaches to things I need\, like scheduling\, conversation\, clearer speech\, and language. In it\, I also discovered a definite need for clearing and dissolution. The question of work and overall change remains\, but I have moved forward on that journey.\n Zoe\n \n Attend Online (Register Here)\n \nWhat’s inside the course?\nOur four-week journey is rooted in Clear Sky Retreat Center’s Five Principles\, offering a framework to create a mindful container for growth. These principles are: \n\nHonor Your Space: Transform your surroundings into a supportive and nurturing environment.\nStructure and routine: Develop rituals that ground and stabilize you through life’s ebbs and flows.\nCommunication: Deepen your connections by cultivating authentic and compassionate dialogue.\nCleaning Up Big Areas: Reclaim your energy by addressing unresolved challenges in key areas of your life.\nIt’s Easier with Others: Community and transforming our relationships with others.\n\nEach week builds on the last\, inviting you to: \n\nCreate space for growth.\nTransform habits with intention.\nQuiet the monkey mind and invite clarity.\nFree energy by resolving areas where you feel stuck.\nIntegrate mindfulness into lasting\, transformative tools.\nStrengthen your sense of belonging and connection.\n\nThis course is a unique synthesis of practical tools and profound awareness practices\, designed to address the whole of your life. \nWho is this course for?\nThis course is for those ready to step into their wholeness: \n\nTo deepen their mindfulness practice.\nTo navigate life’s challenges with grace and ease.\nTo feel profoundly connected to themselves and others.\nTo embrace awareness as a catalyst for sustainable\, heart-centered change.\n\nWhether you join online or in person\, this course meets you where you are and provides flexibility and tools to support and ignite your personal path and journey. \n \n \n \n \nWhat Previous Students are Saying\n I was hesitant to commit when things are already so busy\, but thankfully I committed and encountered incredible wisdom! Now I have an increased awareness of the healing power of community when trying to heal deep\, sticky\, collective traumas. I’m cleaning up my money relationship\, building better habits\, and learning how to deal with temptation and blind spots. The next plan is to create a meditation room. Integrating Mindfulness provides teachings and practical opportunities for application; anyone wanting to take up the spiritual path would benefit.\n Ben \n Seeing two sides of a story\, being still more often\, and listening are principles I’m taking with me. I have a lot of friends who need to take time to take Integrating Mindfulness and see things differently. You will see things clearer.\n Yvette\n What is really important\, what is not? I’ve been running round in circles and always end up the same: No direction\, but stress! In Integrating Mindfulness\, I realized things that aren’t my highest priorities have been taking up a lot of time and money\, and I was missing a daily\, intentional structure. With these teachers\, you’ll get clarity about what you do\, why you do it\, and how you should do it to feel and think better.\n Jutta\n The key word is integrating—not compartmentalizing\, but establishing a wholeness. I was looking to ground\, focus\, and develop a formal practice\, one in which I could develop commitment to self. I have found that I am deep in shadow\, and am struggling with subtle traumas that need to be nurtured with loving kindness. Going forward\, it’s small steps to reach out to community and allow myself to be vulnerable.\n Jennifer \nmeet the teachers\n \n \nKaren McAllister\n Karen McAllister brings a wealth of wisdom as Clear Sky’s Chair of the Board and Director of Business Development. She founded The Mindful Money Coach and has helped hundreds of people better integrate and align their spiritual path and relationship with money. Her passion lies in nurturing spaces\, structure\, and communication to support awakening in everyday life. With her decades of spiritual leadership\, Karen gently guides participants to uncover their innate wisdom and clarity. \nDuncan Cryle\n Duncan Cryle is a co-founding member of Clear Sky Center\, Dharma teacher\, and certified mindfulness instructor. He blends years of co-creating Clear Sky’s conscious community and dynamic team\, with an international executive career. He has created and run mindfulness programs at major companies\, including one of the creators of the IBM mindfulness community.  Duncan’s compassionate and holistic approach invites participants to weave spiritual growth seamlessly into their lives\, making profound insights accessible and transformative.\n \nWhat Previous Students are Saying\n Before Integrating Mindfulness\, I had been struggling with consistent practice\, conflicts within marriage about my practice\, and finances. Now I have a dedicated space for my practice\, am solidifying my need for sangha\, and am reassessing myself and my blocks and shadows. I would encourage someone interested in this to be open to change\, and know that change is always occurring—it doesn’t need to be a negative.\n Leslie \n Mindfulness is so much more than just truly enjoying my cup of tea! I was struggling to find balance with all the big life issues that are changing in my life; finding Integrating Mindfulness was serendipity. It is what I need in my spiritual toolbox to help me stay open and connected. I am more aware now when I am losing myself in grief\, when I am handling difficult conversations\, and in seeing how human differences are to be enjoyed\, as I enjoy different flowers. There is so much more to discover about life. Integrating Mindfulness is about interactions with fellow travellers! If you want to take mindfulness deeper\, you need this course.\n Kirsty\n I am doing a lot of other courses. They are all good—this one is special. Integrating Mindfulness provides a good foundation to support any other studies. People who express feeling unhappy\, overwhelmed\, lacking connection\, would find an ideal fit here. Now\, I am committed to being aware of my boundaries\, and doing what it takes to maintain them\, including clear communication to others. I’m going to continue working on my spiritual container and structure. I plan to come to Clear Sky for more!\n Kim\n Before Integrating Mindfulness\, I was exploring many directions\, and this was sapping my energy and making me ungrounded. I have been intending to discover a “middle way.” Through this course\, I have been getting clearer on my core\, non-negotiable values. I have gained confidence in asserting and communicating my boundaries and initiating conversations\, whereas in the past I avoided conflict. My sense of self-worth is deepening and I am valuing my time and energy more. I am discovering solutions for meeting my basic needs\, not subscribing to short-term gratification impulses\, and being in communion with conscious community\, all simultaneously.\n Aila\n Since Integrating Mindfulness\, I’m beginning to see how mindfulness is a part of everything\, and how much of my life I have let slip out of my hands by not being mindful. I’m seeing how much power I will regain as I learn to be aware of myself more constantly and expand my ability to actually choose what I want to choose in each moment. Talk about life-changing!\nIntegrating Mindfulness will give you the opportunity to peel back some of the daily veils put up around painful and confusing areas of your life. Doing it with a group\, and with Karen and Duncan as wonderful teachers who really know what they are doing\, will set you up to get closer to the direction and peace that you so deeply crave.\n Erika \nready to transform?\nMindfulness is not just a practice; it’s a way of being that illuminates the path to wholeness and connection. This course offers a nurturing container where you can pause\, reflect\, and embrace the beauty of your journey. \nThis course stands apart because it combines mindfulness with real-world integration\, creating a path for sustainable transformation. \nJoin us for Integrating Mindfulness\, and together\, we will uncover the power of awareness to create a life filled with intention\, compassion\, and deep fulfillment. \n \n Attend Online (Register Here)\n \nLEARN more about clear sky’s five principles\nBased on Clear Sky’s Five Principles\, Integrating Mindfulness helps you build a sustainable meditation practice that permeates your body\, career\, relationships and all other areas of your life.  \nYou can learn more about our Five Principles here and get our free pdf overview by clicking the link below. \n \n FREE PDF – Five Principles of a Mindful Container URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/integrating-mindfulness-spring-2025-tools-for-holistic-living-in-person-or-online/ CATEGORIES:Integrating Mindfulness,Online Courses,Special Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Integrating-Mindfulness-Feature-Image.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250508 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250530 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20250220T225705Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251209T103105Z UID:24008-1746662400-1748563199@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Meditation Circle: Sīla - Bringing Relief and Coolness for the Mind DESCRIPTION:  \n  \nMeditation Circle: Sīla – Bringing Relief and Coolness for the Mind\nwith Maureen Smith\nWhat could be more refreshing than Sīla – the feeling you get when you come across a tall shady Aspen tree on a scorching hot summer day? \nAlong the path of your meditation journey there are moments when we find ourselves as if walking across burning hot sand\, bare foot. As we apply ourselves to our practice- again and again\, we begin to discover moments of coolness and relief. We come to know that we can navigate towards the shade and like a salve\, it brings relief. Come\, get refreshed with us as we explore Sīla\, coolness for the mind! \nMaureen is a senior practitioner in our lineage\, which in light of our topic\, makes her very cool ; ) \nShe is the founder of Alive Mindfully\, certified with MBSR and will share the latest from her personal and professional explorations on the topic. \nMay 8th – May 29th \nOnline or In-Person at Clear SkyThursdays 7:30-8:30 pm MST \n— \nExcited? Before this series starts\, you’re invited to enjoy our online guided meditations.  \n \nAbout these Community Meditation Classes\nThese community classes at Clear Sky Center help you develop a stronger meditation practice both on and off the cushion. \nJoin us for Meditation Circle\, Thursday nights (7:30-8:30pm MST) at Clear Sky Center. \nThese classes run semi-regularly throughout the year\, interspersed with our other retreats and offerings. \nThis series\, Sīla – Bringing Relief and Coolness for the Mind\, runs from Thursday\, May 8th – May 29th and is lead by Maureen Smith. \nDrop ins are welcome\, and we also encourage you to attend all classes if possible. \nThere are two ways to attend – in person or online. Just click the appropriate button to register. See you soon!  \n Attend In-Person Attend Online \nQuestions?  \nContact Michelle via email or phone: \nmichelle@clearskycenter.org | (250) 429-3929 \n \n\n“Meditation is like turning on a light in a dark room. The power of awareness lets us see what is there – in our bodies\, emotions\, mind\, workplaces\, homes and relationships. Seeing what is there gives us the freedom and the courage to make deeply impactful changes.” \nDuncan Cryle \n \n\n“I feel like we’re so disembodied today in our technological culture that meditation is my little kindness to myself in saying ‘hello body\, you’re part of my day.” \nKaren McAllister \nMeditation Circle Teachers\n \nKaren McAllister\nAs Clear Sky’s Chair of the Board and Director of Business Development\, I’m passionate about teaching the much-ignored principles of nurturing the factors – like honor your space\, structure\, and communication – that create the conditions we need to wake up more in daily life. I see how I learned and embodied these principles in my different roles at Clear Sky as the center went from self-starter to second-stage growth. This is what I call “the hands-on way of doing an MBA with a spiritual bottom line!” \nIn my free time\, I love travelling\, speaking Portuguese and reading history\, architecture and art books. \nDuncan Cryle\nThrough 30+ years of personal practice and 15+ teaching meditation and mindfulness\, alongside an active career working all over the world\, I’ve learnt a lot about an integrating mindfulness into daily life.  As a founding member of Clear Sky in 2004\, I’m amazed at the power of a beautiful\, natural and dedicated space for supporting people to deepen their meditation and feel more connected.  Alongside. my Clear Sky work\, I hold a director position at a large software company where I also run a volunteer global mindfulness program to 1000s employees.  I was formerly one of the pioneers of IBM’s mindfulness movement.  I’m passionate about how mindfulness-based approaches can transform how we live and work together\, and be of better service in the world. \n \nMaureen Smith\nMaureen Smith (MSW\, RCSW) is a therapist and meditation teacher. Passionate about what she does\, she will guide you to a more alive\, aware and mindful path of living. \nMaureen is a well-respected Cranbrook-based therapist and educator. She works with individuals and couples in the public sector in addictions and mental health. Not only was Maureen the first acting caretaker at Clear Sky Meditation Center in BC\, she has studied numerous meditation practices intensively for over 10 years. She has a Master of Social Work degree and is a Registered Clinical Social Worker in British Columbia. \n Attend In-Person Attend Online \nCourse Cost: Dāna\n \nWe offer this course on the basis of dāna.  If you’re not familiar with dāna\, you may have come across related approaches such as “pay from the heart.” \nDāna is a Sanskrit term that translates as “generosity” in English. The practice of generosity is central to spiritual unfoldment\, whatever path you follow. In our own Buddhist lineage\, teachings have always been given on the basis of dāna\, and we are committed to this practice and its development in the West. \nDāna is a radical and – we believe – viable economic alternative to capitalism. We all know there must be something better than capitalism or its hungry cousin\, consumerism. We maintain that\, together\, we can offer a financial model that is based in life-affirming mutual support. Please join us in co-creating this promising economic alternative. \n \n \nTo help you choose an amount that feels right for you\, we recommend this heart-based exercise from our friends at Planet Dharma.  \nChecking in with your heart\n1) Take a few quiet breaths and center yourself. Spend a few moments to reflect on each of the below: the beauty and integrity of dāna practice; the value of receiving direct teachings from lineage holders in a recognized spiritual tradition; the reality of your financial situation. \n2) Spend another few moments contacting a sense of health\, strength and abundance. You have a healthy mind\, a body\, senses\, the good karma to have heard the teachings\, and conditions to support your practice of Dharma. Celebrate this! \n3) Now check with your heart and mind what amount feels both consistent with your situation\, and expressive of your aspiration. \nIt’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \n Attend In-Person Attend Online URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/meditation-circle-sila-bringing-relief-and-coolness-for-the-mind/ CATEGORIES:Coaching,Meditation Circle,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2.png ORGANIZER;CN="Clear Sky Center":MAILTO:contact@clearskycenter.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250613 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250623 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20241024T232522Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260307T075323Z UID:22596-1749772800-1750636799@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Vipassana Meditation Retreat in BC Rocky Mountains DESCRIPTION:Eight-Day Vipassana Meditation Retreat for All Skill Levels\n“Our problems are noisy\, but our breakthroughs are quiet. All great mystics are born of solitude and silence.” \n-Catherine Pawasarat Sensei \nMany first-time meditators choose Vipassanā for their first retreat.  \nThis practice is ideal for those new to meditation because it introduces you to the foundations needed to build a strong meditation practice.  \nRegardless of one’s experience level\, this practice is a doorway to profound insight and realization.  \nJoin Catherine Pawasarat Sensei in an eight-day Vipassana meditation retreat\, where we will practice a balanced meditative approach using the foundations of mindfulness from the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta. \nwith Catherine Pawasarat Sensei | June 13-22nd\, 2025 \nRegistration Deadline: May 30th in person\, June 6th online \nEarly Bird Ends: April 13th in person\, April 20th online!  \nWe recommend in-person retreats as the best way to get the most out of your experience. That said\, we recognize that travel is inhibitive for some people and are offering an online option to people living outside of Western Canada.  \n \n Registration (In-Person)\n \n \n Registration (Online)\n \nfocus area\nBuddhist Foundations\npractice\nVipassana\n(Insight)\nDuration\nNine Days\nSkill Level\nAll\nformat\nIn-Person & Online\nA Life Changing Experience\nAt this retreat\, the practice itself is awakening\, life-changing and healing. And most importantly\, you will reap great benefit from the rare in-person guidance of an accomplished meditation teacher and wisdom holder\, Catherine Pawasarat Sensei. Sensei’s teaching is radical\, down to earth\, and one-of-a-kind. \nIf you have a background in Vipassana retreats and are interested in doing something that is similar but a next step\, with a live teacher\, then this retreat may be for you. You will receive more detailed instructions based on the Buddhist satipatthana sutta\, and opportunities for asking questions and receiving feedback on your practice. This is priceless. \nAn online option is also available for those not in Western Canada\, to make participation possible from anywhere in the world. \n \n Register for In-Person\n \n \n Register for Online\n \n \n \n \n “I feel like a whole new world of understanding has opened up for me to explore. The teachings were interesting\, vibrant\, and so very relevant to our lives. Qapel and Catherine Sensei have done a wonderful job at distilling these vast teachings without oversimplying concepts. The teachings were visual\, informative\, and interactive. It was a great and lots of fun!”\n Jenai L. \nEight Day Meditation Retreat\nWhile we believe any undertaking can be a vehicle for awakening\, there’s no substitute for the power of one’s own profound experience of truth\, gained through meditation. This is why meditation is one of the four foundational practices of our teaching. \nAnother of our foundation practices is learning. A guiding text for this retreat is the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta\, or Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness.  It is an incredibly powerful methodology. In it\, the Buddha describes four foundations of mindfulness: body\, feeling\, mind\, and mental objects. It is a guide to liberation. \nThis simple yet powerful framework will extend your meditation experience to everything from subatomic particles to the vastness of space\, and all that’s between. It includes practice in all four postures—sitting\, walking\, standing\, and lying down. Experience will transform. And\, finally\, we will offer support for bridging the gap between retreat and daily life when you get home. \n \n \nSchedule\nFor those traveling short distances\, please arrive by 3pm on June 13th. For those coming from international or longer distance travel\, please plan to arrive 1-2 days early to allow time to rest and acclimatize before the start of retreat.  \nSample brief daily schedule: \n9am Class with Teacher \n11am Group Meditation led by a Senior Student \n12:30pm Lunch \n3pm Group Meditation with Teacher \n6pm Dinner \n7:30 pm Meditation led by a Senior Student \nDeparture: \nDepartures will begin on June 22nd\, however we also recommend adding some extra nights to your stay for a more easeful transition from retreat to daily life. \n*Daily schedule is subject to minor changes closer to the course date.\n \n \n \n \n Register (In-Person)\n \n \n Register (Online)\n \nMeet the Teachers\n \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei began her spiritual practices in earnest in her early 20s\, when she struggled to make sense of and overcome personal suffering and international environmental and social justice challenges. She became a student of metaphysics\, Western spiritual traditions\, and the ayahuasca sacraments in the 1990s. \nFor 26 years Catherine Sensei trained daily with Qapel Doug Duncan in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. \nWith Qapel she co-founded Clear Sky Retreat Center and Planet Dharma and is a lineage holder for these teachings. She supports the spiritual underpinnings of social entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship for spiritual practitioners. She worked as an advocacy photojournalist and studied traditional Japanese arts (including koto\, shamisen\, kyogen) in Kyoto for 20 years\, culminating in her landmark work GionFestival.org. \nSince the early 2000s Sensei has provided dharma training and taught the path of awakening to hundreds of students\, together with Qapel and on her own. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Sensei also draws on generative living (a.k.a. sustainability) and the arts. \nAbout Clear Sky\nLocated in the BC rocky mountains\, we offer over 300-acres to deepen your practice and reconnect with nature.  \nFounded by Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, we are home to students from around the globe who are dedicated to co-creating a supportive and innovative space for awakening in our modern world. \nIn adherence with our quadruple bottom line\, we source our food as local and organic as possible. \nEVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \n \n \n \n \n “Clear Sky is my favourite place to retreat. I am so grateful to find such an amazing place to study various meditation practices\, walk in stunning nature and eat fresh food from the farm. I always enjoy going there for more.”\n Maya L.\n \nFAQs\n About Dāna \nDana: \nRegistration fees cover food\, accommodation and the technology needed to offer the retreat online. The Teachings are freely given on the basis of dāna. \nYou may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart”. Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity”. With dāna\, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \nThe dharma has been built on generosity. No-one is excluded for lack of funds but it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able \nTypically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course.  \nAs we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma\, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure.  Another form of giving dāna is to offer service\, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way\, we invite you to contact us.  \nConversely\, if you are financially secure\, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers\, teachings\, and center. \nLearn more about the practice of dāna here. \n Scholarship Application \nWe aim to make our retreats as accessible as possible.  \nAs a centre run entirely by Karma Yoga (selfless service)\, retreat fees only cover food\, accommodation and the equipment required to offer them online. \nThe teachings themselves are offered on the basis of Dāna (pay-from-the-heart).  \nFor some\, this is still a barrier of entry. \nIf you are seeking financial assistance to attend a retreat\, please complete a Scholarship Application form. \n Detailed Daily Schedule (Long retreats) \nSpecific times may change – this is a rough guide (MST) \n6:30 – 7:30 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice7:30 – 8:15 AM: Breakfast: Prepare\, eat\, clean up8:15 – 8:45 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice9:00 – 10:00 AM: Class with Teachers10:00 – 10:30 AM: Walk10:30 – 11:30 AM: Group Practice led by Sangha11:30 – 12:30 PM: Personal Practice12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch: Prepare\, eat\, clean up1:30 – 3:00 PM: Personal Practice3:00 – 4:00 PM: Group Practice led by Sangha4:00 – 5:30 PM: Personal Practice5:30 – 7:00 PM: Dinner: prepare\, eat\, clean up7:00 – 7:30 PM: Walk &/or Personal Practice7:30 – 8:30 PM: Group Practice and Q & A with Teachers8:30 – Beyond: Personal Practice & bed \n Food\, Weather\, Accommodation and How to Get Here \nClick here for details on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \nNote: In the unlikely scenario that this retreat is cancelled\, we recommend purchasing refundable travel fares.  \n Cannabis\, Psychedelics and Microdosing \nWe recognize and respect plant medicine as an important part of some people’s spiritual paths.  \nPlease note\, the meditation practice on this retreat is very powerful. Consuming mind-altering substances will detract from your experience and could cause negative side-effects.  \nWe ask that you refrain from microdosing or consuming mind-altering substances during this retreat and in the days immediately following it.  \n Early Bird & Registration Deadlines \nIN-PERSON: Please register as early as possible so we can plan for the retreat. Save 10% on fees until April 13\, 2025. Registration deadline for in-person retreatants is May 9th 2025. \nONLINE: We encourage early registration. Save $100 on the online fees until April 20\, 2025. June 6th is the final online registration deadline. \n \n \n \n Register for In-Person\n \n \n Register for Online URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/vipassana-insight-retreat/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Group Retreats and Courses,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2025-PD-courses-Square-IG-Post-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20250711T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20250713T170000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20250124T040517Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260307T075608Z UID:23732-1752253200-1752426000@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:As the Spirit Moves DESCRIPTION:As the Spirit Moves 2025: Eclectic Advanced Dharma Weekend Retreat\n“When the training is for the rest of your life — and all future lifetimes — that’s when it gets really fruitful.” \n-Catherine Sensei \nExpect the unexpected! How will the Spirit move? This weekend is an offering of raw Dharma from the Teacher. You get to show up and experience epic Dharmic teachings\, without a particular predetermined subject. Be ready for anything and everything Dharma. Unforeseen\, undetermined\, unregulated. No seatbelts allowed. \nRetreat Dates: July 11 – 13\, 2025 \nRegistration Closes: July 4th \n \n Attend In-Person (Registration Closed)\n \n \n Attend Online (Registration Closed)\n \nBuddhism\nfocus area\nGuru Yoga\npractice\nWeekend\nDuration\nAdvanced\nSkill Level\nIn-Person & Online \nformat\nAs the Spirit Moves\nIn the past\, people “showed up” for Dharma teachings\, regardless of topic. The teachings given were inspired by the energy of the people there. Qapel\, one of our founding teachers\, used to say that he would go to a class of his Teacher\, Namgyal Rinpoche\, even if he were just reading a phone book! The Spirit of Dharma… it moves! \nSo\, are you ready to join Catherine Pawasarat Sensei for an eclectic weekend of “old school” style Dharma teachings? Wisdom invites you to learn on the path of riding the dragon\, come what may. \nAs you are well aware\, life is a great big journey into the unknown\, a Dharmic odyssey. This weekend is the same! Come to soak in Dharmic teachings from Catherine Sensei\, have fun\, and learn more about how to be the kind of being you want to be. As Bodhisattvas\, we keep on diving into learning how to be of service and help alleviate the suffering of beings. It’s an amazing ride\, and every opportunity to dive into the depth of Dharma is a precious one. How do we know what we need to hear—and when we hear it\, will we listen? There’s only one way to find out. \nTake a leap of faith. Join the Teacher. Join the spirit of integral evolution. We dare you! \n \n Attend In-Person (Registration Closed)\n \n \n Attend Online (Registration Closed)\n \n \n \n \n “I feel like a whole new world of understanding has opened up for me to explore. The teachings were interesting\, vibrant\, and so very relevant to our lives. Qapel and Catherine Sensei have done a wonderful job at distilling these vast teachings without oversimplying concepts. The teachings were visual\, informative\, and interactive. It was a great and lots of fun!”\n Jenai L. \nCourse Details\nTime and Location\nAs the Spirit Moves will be led by Catherine Sensei at Clear Sky Meditation Center in Eastern BC. \nAn online option is also available to make participation possible from anywhere in the world. \nWhat Does the Course Cost?\nIn-Person Participants: 1) dāna to the Teachers and 2) accomodation and meal costs for your stay Clear Sky Meditation Centre. \nOnline Participants: 1) dāna to the Teacher and 2) online administration fee of $150. \n \n \nMeet the Teachers\n \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei began her spiritual practices in earnest in her early 20s\, when she struggled to make sense of and overcome personal suffering and international environmental and social justice challenges. She became a student of metaphysics\, Western spiritual traditions\, and the ayahuasca sacraments in the 1990s. \nFor 26 years Catherine Sensei trained daily with Qapel Doug Duncan in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. \nWith Qapel she co-founded Clear Sky Retreat Center and Planet Dharma and is a lineage holder for these teachings. She supports the spiritual underpinnings of social entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship for spiritual practitioners. She worked as an advocacy photojournalist and studied traditional Japanese arts (including koto\, shamisen\, kyogen) in Kyoto for 20 years\, culminating in her landmark work GionFestival.org. \nSince the early 2000s Sensei has provided dharma training and taught the path of awakening to hundreds of students\, together with Qapel and on her own. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Sensei also draws on generative living (a.k.a. sustainability) and the arts. \nMore About Sensei | About the Lineage \nAbout Clear Sky\nLocated in the BC rocky mountains\, we offer over 300-acres to deepen your practice and reconnect with nature.  \nFounded by Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, we are home to students from around the globe who are dedicated to co-creating a supportive and innovative space for awakening in our modern world. \nIn adherence with our quadruple bottom line\, we source our food as local and organic as possible. \nEVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \n \n \n Attend In-Person (Registration Closed)\n \n \n Attend Online (Registration Closed)\n \n \n \n \n “Clear Sky is my favourite place to retreat. I am so grateful to find such an amazing place to study various meditation practices\, walk in stunning nature and eat fresh food from the farm. I always enjoy going there for more.”\n Maya L.\n \nFAQs\n About Dāna \nDana: \nRegistration fees cover food\, accommodation and the technology needed to offer the retreat online. The Teachings are freely given on the basis of dāna. \nYou may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart”. Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity”. With dāna\, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \nThe dharma has been built on generosity. No-one is excluded for lack of funds but it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able \nTypically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course.  \nAs we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma\, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure.  Another form of giving dāna is to offer service\, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way\, we invite you to contact us.  \nConversely\, if you are financially secure\, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers\, teachings\, and center. \nLearn more about the practice of dāna here. \n Sample Daily Schedule \nSpecific times may change – this is a rough guide (MST) \n6:30 – 7:30 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice7:30 – 8:15 AM: Breakfast: Prepare\, eat\, clean up8:15 – 8:45 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice9:00 – 10:00 AM: Class with Teachers10:00 – 10:30 AM: Walk10:30 – 11:30 AM: Group Practice led by Sangha11:30 – 12:30 PM: Personal Practice12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch: Prepare\, eat\, clean up1:30 – 3:00 PM: Personal Practice3:00 – 4:00 PM: Group Practice led by Sangha4:00 – 5:30 PM: Personal Practice5:30 – 7:00 PM: Dinner: prepare\, eat\, clean up7:00 – 7:30 PM: Walk &/or Personal Practice7:30 – 8:30 PM: Group Practice and Q & A with Teachers8:30 – Beyond: Personal Practice & bed \n Food\, Weather\, Accommodation and How to Get Here \nClick here for details on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \nNote: In the unlikely scenario that this retreat is cancelled\, we recommend purchasing refundable travel fares.  \n Scholarship Application \nWe aim to make our retreats as accessible as possible.  \nAs a centre run entirely by Karma Yoga (selfless service)\, retreat fees only cover food\, accommodation and the equipment required to offer them online. \nThe teachings themselves are offered on the basis of Dāna (pay-from-the-heart).  \nFor some\, this is still a barrier of entry. \nIf you are seeking financial assistance to attend a retreat\, please complete a Scholarship Application form. \n Cannabis\, Psychedelics and Microdosing \nWe recognize and respect plant medicine as an important part of some people’s spiritual paths.  \nPlease note\, the meditation practice on this retreat is very powerful. Consuming mind-altering substances will detract from your experience and could cause negative side-effects.  \nWe ask that you refrain from microdosing or consuming mind-altering substances during this retreat and in the days immediately following it.  URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/as-the-spirit-moves-2025/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Group Retreats and Courses,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/As-the-Spirit-Moves-Weekend-Course.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250717 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250808 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20250511T202234Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251209T104846Z UID:24568-1752710400-1754611199@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Meditation Circle: Kṣānti DESCRIPTION:  \n  \nMeditation Circle: Kṣānti – Building Resilience and Strength for Challenging Times\nwith Duncan Cryle\n  \nIn this series we continue our exploration of the six paramis (perfections) in Mahāyāna\, exploring Kșānti\, or patience.  \nThe path of meditation and spiritual growth is a long one\, with many twists and turns. We can easily get knocked out of our own center by difficult situations.  \nKșānti\, or patience\, is about developing a strong inner balance and resilience in ourselves so that we have the strength to persevere. It’s a vital resource to support us making the journey towards a heart of peace and compassion. \nNote this is a standalone series and you don’t need to have come to the earlier ones. \nDuncan is a senior practitioner in our lineage\, with 35+ years of personal practice and 15+ teaching meditation and mindfulness. He is the Co-Executive Director for Clear Sky. He has also created and led global mindfulness programs at major corporations.  \nJuly 17th – August 7th \nOnline or In-Person at Clear SkyThursdays 7:30-8:30 pm MST \n— \nExcited? Before this series starts\, you’re invited to enjoy our online guided meditations.  \n \nAbout these Community Meditation Classes \nThese community classes at Clear Sky Center help you develop a stronger meditation practice both on and off the cushion. \nJoin us for Meditation Circle\, Thursday nights (7:30-8:30pm MST) at Clear Sky Center. \nThese classes run semi-regularly throughout the year\, interspersed with our other retreats and offerings. \nThis series\, runs from Thursday\, July 17th – August 7th and is lead by Duncan Cryle. \nDrop ins are welcome\, and we also encourage you to attend all classes if possible. \nThere are two ways to attend – in person or online. Just click the appropriate button to register. See you soon!  \n Attend In-Person Attend Online \nQuestions?  \nContact Michelle via email or phone: \nmichelle@clearskycenter.org | (250) 429-3929 \n \n\n“Meditation is like turning on a light in a dark room. The power of awareness lets us see what is there – in our bodies\, emotions\, mind\, workplaces\, homes and relationships. Seeing what is there gives us the freedom and the courage to make deeply impactful changes.” \nDuncan Cryle \n \n\n“I feel like we’re so disembodied today in our technological culture that meditation is my little kindness to myself in saying ‘hello body\, you’re part of my day.” \nKaren McAllister \nMeditation Circle Teachers\n \nKaren McAllister\nAs Clear Sky’s Chair of the Board and Director of Business Development\, I’m passionate about teaching the much-ignored principles of nurturing the factors – like honor your space\, structure\, and communication – that create the conditions we need to wake up more in daily life. I see how I learned and embodied these principles in my different roles at Clear Sky as the center went from self-starter to second-stage growth. This is what I call “the hands-on way of doing an MBA with a spiritual bottom line!” \nIn my free time\, I love travelling\, speaking Portuguese and reading history\, architecture and art books. \nDuncan Cryle\nThrough 30+ years of personal practice and 15+ teaching meditation and mindfulness\, alongside an active career working all over the world\, I’ve learnt a lot about an integrating mindfulness into daily life.  As a founding member of Clear Sky in 2004\, I’m amazed at the power of a beautiful\, natural and dedicated space for supporting people to deepen their meditation and feel more connected.  Alongside. my Clear Sky work\, I hold a director position at a large software company where I also run a volunteer global mindfulness program to 1000s employees.  I was formerly one of the pioneers of IBM’s mindfulness movement.  I’m passionate about how mindfulness-based approaches can transform how we live and work together\, and be of better service in the world. \n \nMaureen Smith\nMaureen Smith (MSW\, RCSW) is a therapist and meditation teacher. Passionate about what she does\, she will guide you to a more alive\, aware and mindful path of living. \nMaureen is a well-respected Cranbrook-based therapist and educator. She works with individuals and couples in the public sector in addictions and mental health. Not only was Maureen the first acting caretaker at Clear Sky Meditation Center in BC\, she has studied numerous meditation practices intensively for over 10 years. She has a Master of Social Work degree and is a Registered Clinical Social Worker in British Columbia. \n Attend In-Person Attend Online \nCourse Cost: Dāna\n \nWe offer this course on the basis of dāna.  If you’re not familiar with dāna\, you may have come across related approaches such as “pay from the heart.” \nDāna is a Sanskrit term that translates as “generosity” in English. The practice of generosity is central to spiritual unfoldment\, whatever path you follow. In our own Buddhist lineage\, teachings have always been given on the basis of dāna\, and we are committed to this practice and its development in the West. \nDāna is a radical and – we believe – viable economic alternative to capitalism. We all know there must be something better than capitalism or its hungry cousin\, consumerism. We maintain that\, together\, we can offer a financial model that is based in life-affirming mutual support. Please join us in co-creating this promising economic alternative. \n \n \nTo help you choose an amount that feels right for you\, we recommend this heart-based exercise from our friends at Planet Dharma.  \nChecking in with your heart\n1) Take a few quiet breaths and center yourself. Spend a few moments to reflect on each of the below: the beauty and integrity of dāna practice; the value of receiving direct teachings from lineage holders in a recognized spiritual tradition; the reality of your financial situation. \n2) Spend another few moments contacting a sense of health\, strength and abundance. You have a healthy mind\, a body\, senses\, the good karma to have heard the teachings\, and conditions to support your practice of Dharma. Celebrate this! \n3) Now check with your heart and mind what amount feels both consistent with your situation\, and expressive of your aspiration. \nIt’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \n Attend In-Person Attend Online URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/meditation-circle-k%e1%b9%a3anti/ CATEGORIES:Coaching,Meditation Circle,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2.png ORGANIZER;CN="Clear Sky Center":MAILTO:contact@clearskycenter.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20251004T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20251005T200000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20250814T133531Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T024844Z UID:25834-1759568400-1759694400@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:One year anniversary of Qapel's passing DESCRIPTION:“What greater act of generosity is there than dedicating one’s life to the welfare of all sentient beings?  The group survives\, not the individual. We know we are all going to die. Life goes on. Amazing.” – Qapel  \nAs the one year anniversary of Qapel’s passing approaches\, it’s a special time to come together with Sensei and the Sangha to celebrate and honor our incredible teacher. \nIt’s also a time to step back and reflect on how the last year has been for us\, what has shifted\, and how we each see ourselves growing and contributing to Dharma. What do we want to co-create together in service of the planet and awakening\, as we step forward? \nWe will mark this occasion with a series of online meditations\, teachings\, Sangha reflections and celebrations over the weekend of October 4th and 5th. \nCatherine Sensei is generously offering a Namgyal Empowerment on October 4th. To attend\, make sure to register for the wongkur with the button below. \nAlong with all of this\, there will be some exciting further unveilings around the temple and a chapter of Psynaut\, Qapel’s autobiographical\, science fiction\, Dharma novel series! \nRegister and come to join with us online\, onsite at Clear Sky\, or gather with your local Sangha. \nParticipation is by dāna (pay from the heart). \n \n Register In Person For Weekend Events\n \n \n Register Online (except Wongkur)\n \n \n Register to attend the Namgyal WongKur Online\n \nHow to attend\nIf you are in the region of Clear Sky\, we warmly invite you to attend in person. \nIf you are based internationally\, we’d love to see you at the online portions of the weekend. We also encourage you to take this opportunity to come together in person with your local Sangha and celebrate this special weekend together with them. \nFor online participants\, while we’d love to see you at all the weekend events\, you are also welcome to solely attend the sessions that you can.  \nPlease note that a separate registration is required to attend the Namgyal Wongkur. \n \n Register to attend the Namgyal WongKur Online\n \n \nSchedule\nBelow is the approximate schedule. This is evolving and is subject to change.  All times are in Mountain Time. Session lesson may vary slightly. \n\n\n\nSat 4th 9 am\nNamgyal Wongkur\n\n\nSat 4th 2.30-3.45 pm\nSangha-led reflection and sharing; including creative ways of working with grief with Kylee Gies\n\n\n\n\nSat 4th 7.30 pm\nQapel Karaoke playlist – onsite at Clear Sky only\, or get together with your local Sangha for your own event!\n\n\nSun 5th 10 – 11.15 am\n\nMessage from Sensei on the year since Qapel died\, and vision stepping into the future \nTemple\, crystal and other exciting new developments \nPsynaut chapter release! \n\n\n\nSun 5th 2.30-3.45 pm\n\nDharma Trips: \nMessage from Sensei on role and importance of Dharma Trips \nCelebrating the Stans Dharma Trip – trailer! \nLivestream of Qapel Dharma trip video clips \nFuture Dharma Trips \nClosing Message \n\n\n\nSun 5th 7.30 – 8.15 pm\nNamgyal Meditation\n\n\n\n \nWays To Celebrate Qapel\nThis is an important and poignant time for us all to take a step back\, and reflect on the many lessons and gifts we’ve received from our dear teacher Qapel. There are lots of ways to do this and to share your reflections with others. Here are just a few: \n\nPost to Qapel’s Facebook tribute page here: https://www.facebook.com/doug.duncan.587. This can be anything from words from your heart\, stories of teachings you received\, precious photos with Qapel\, a video\, a poem\, a song! Or just tag Qapel in any regular FB post.\nNow that we’re a year since Qapel passed\, what’s landed for you?  How are you applying and living teachings and trainings that Qapel gave you? Take time to reflect and share with Sangha. \nReflect and share on this question: What do you imagine is your role in the Dharma of the future\nCome up with your own ideas and ways to honor what you received from Qapel!\n\n \n \n \n \n Register In Person\n \n \n Register Online (except wongkur)\n \n \n Register to attend the Namgyal WongKur Online URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/one-year-anniversary-of-qapels-passing/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Group Retreats and Courses,Online Courses,Special Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Qapel-Doug-Duncan.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20251011T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20251011T113000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20240121T232558Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260310T102020Z UID:21133-1760176800-1760182200@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:From Resentment to Resilience: Honest Communication for Spiritual People (Free Webinar) DESCRIPTION:Free Webinar: From Resentment to an Open Heart with Karen McAllister\nFrom Resentment to an Open Heart:\nHonest Communication for Spiritual People\nSaturday October 11th: 10 – 11.30 am Mountain Time. \nFree online webinar (recording available if you cannot attend live).\nYou meditate\, reflect\, and work on healing your heart—yet expressing your needs clearly still feels surprisingly difficult. You’re not alone. Many spiritually minded people find themselves taking care of others while hoping they’ll read your mind\, avoiding asking for what you truly need\, or swinging between silence and frustration instead of speaking from clarity. \nThis free introductory webinar bridges that gap. Learning to express needs honestly and set healthy boundaries help us move out of resentment and develop an open heart. Learn to practice clear\, compassionate communication using Clear Sky’s Five Principles of a Mindful Container. These time-tested principles help you move beyond habits of over-giving\, resentment\, and indirect communication. \n \n Register Now For Free Webinar\n \nWe all want the best for ourselves and others. We long for peace in our hearts. And yet\, most of us were never taught how to express our needs clearly or how to ask for help effectively. Instead\, we’ve often learned to: \n\nTake care of others while expecting them to somehow read our minds.\nAvoid asking for what we truly need or want—sometimes not even knowing the difference ourselves.\nHold onto resentments because we don’t know how to voice what’s really going on.\nExpress ourselves indirectly—saying everything except the heart of the issue.\nSwing between silence and frustration\, instead of speaking from clarity and balance.\n\nFor many spiritually minded people\, this has a particular footprint. We may dedicate ourselves to meditation\, reflection\, and healing the heart\, yet still find the application of healthy boundaries and honest communication surprisingly difficult. \nThis free introductory webinar explores how to strengthen your emotional resilience and practice clear\, compassionate communication\, using Clear Sky’s Five Principles of a Mindful Container: \n\nHonoring Space – Creating environments where your emotions and needs can safely be expressed\, and where others feel truly heard.\nStructure – Building supportive rhythms and routines that keep you steady when emotions run high. \nCommunication – Developing the courage and skill to say what you mean with clarity and kindness\, and to listen deeply when others share their needs.\nCleaning Up Big Areas – Establishing healthy boundaries and shared understandings that reduce conflict and build trust.\nWorking With Others – Balancing care for others with the inner strength to stay connected to your own well-being.\n\nTogether\, these principles help us move beyond habits of silence\, over-giving\, or resentment. They cultivate steadiness in the midst of strong emotions and teach us to speak honestly\, listen generously\, and connect with one another from a place of resilience and heart. \nReady to Go Deeper? \nThis webinar introduces you to Clear Sky’s Five Principles through the lens of communication. Our 4-week Integrating Mindfulness course takes you through all Five Principles in depth\, helping you apply them to every area of your life—from your meditation practice and daily routines to your relationships\, environment\, and the big life areas that drain your energy. \nIf you’re ready for lasting transformation beyond this introduction\, learn more about Integrating Mindfulness here or register directly after the webinar. \n \n Register Now For Free Webinar\n \n \n \n \n \n \nThis workshop is based on Clear Sky’s Five Principles of a Supportive Container.  \nYou can learn more about our Five Principles here and get our free pdf overview by clicking the link below. \n \n FREE PDF – Five Principles of a Spiritual Container\n \n \n\n\n I am doing a lot of other courses. They are all good—this one is special. Integrating Mindfulness provides a good foundation to support any other studies. People who express feeling unhappy\, overwhelmed\, lacking connection\, would find an ideal fit here. Now\, I am committed to being aware of my boundaries\, and doing what it takes to maintain them\, including clear communication to others. I’m going to continue working on my spiritual container and structure. I plan to come to Clear Sky for more! \n Kim\n \n\n\n There are big areas of my life I needed to look at that I didn’t know I needed to. I am more aware of them now\, and have perspective on how to bring daily mindfulness to them. Now I have a technique to structure my life and prioritize the things I actually want to do\, and a dialogue technique that is helping in my relationships. Integrating Mindfulness allows you to think about issues in a different way (such as money!). Insightful and nourishing. \n Daniel\n \n\n\n Before Integrating Mindfulness\, I had been struggling with consistent meditation practice. Now I have a dedicated space for my practice. I am solidifying my need for community. And I am reassessing myself and my blocks and shadows. \n Leslie\n \n\n\n What is really important\, what is not? I’ve been running round in circles and always end up the same: no direction\, but stress! In Integrating Mindfulness\, I realized things that aren’t my highest priorities have been taking up a lot of time and money\, and I was missing a daily\, intentional structure. With these teachers\, you’ll get clarity about what you do\, why you do it\, and how you can change to something better. \n Jutta\n \nMeet the Teachers \n \nKaren McAllister\nAs Clear Sky’s Chair of the Board and Director of Business Development\, I’m passionate about teaching the much-ignored principles of nurturing the factors – like honor your space\, structure\, and communication – that create the conditions we need to wake up more in daily life. I see how I learned and embodied these principles in my different roles at Clear Sky as the center went from self-starter to second-stage growth. This is what I call “the hands-on way of doing an MBA with a spiritual bottom line!” \nIn my free time\, I love travelling\, speaking Portuguese and reading history\, architecture and art books. \nDuncan Cryle\nThrough 30+ years of personal practice and 15+ teaching meditation and mindfulness\, alongside an active career working all over the world\, I’ve learnt a lot about an integrating mindfulness into daily life.  As a founding member of Clear Sky in 2004\, I’m amazed at the power of a beautiful\, natural and dedicated space for supporting people to deepen their meditation and feel more connected.  Alongside. my Clear Sky work\, I hold a director position at a large software company where I also run a volunteer global mindfulness program to 1000s employees.  I was formerly one of the pioneers of IBM’s mindfulness movement.  I’m passionate about how mindfulness-based approaches can transform how we live and work together\, and be of better service in the world. \n \nWhat Previous Students Are Saying\n \n\n\n “I think this course is a beautiful\, utterly grounded and relevant way of making the spiritual life very real and integrated with how we are living every day of our lives. It lays an important foundation for a meditation practice that can actually go somewhere and lead to a well-rounded and truly fulfilling life.” \n Ruth – Embodied in Motion\n \n \n\n\n “It’s really\, really brought me back home to myself. I found myself in the past very scattered and would put off all the important things\, the spiritual aspects of life\, the mindfulness and so on\, just to blast through my day and get things done\, but now I am really taking pause. I still don’t get everything done\, but I don’t get everything done in a much more calm and soulful way.” \n Emmanuel – ActionAid Brasil\n \n \n Register Now URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/from-resentment-to-an-open-heart/ CATEGORIES:Integrating Mindfulness,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IM-From-Resentment-to-an-Open-Heart-Oct-11-2025-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20251025T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20251115T120000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20250129T035717Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260221T054139Z UID:23840-1761386400-1763208000@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Integrating Mindfulness Fall 2025: Tools for Holistic Living (In-Person or Online) DESCRIPTION:You’re Not Alone in This \nYou meditate. You work on yourself. Yet you still feel overwhelmed by everything you need to address—the habits draining your energy\, the relationship dynamics you can’t quite navigate\, the spaces that don’t support you\, the routines that keep slipping away. \nMaybe you’re working on all of this in isolation\, not sure if others struggle the same way. Or you’ve “scratched the surface” of integration but haven’t found a way to bring it all together. \nWhat if there was a container that could hold all of it? \nThis 4-week course offers that container—a sanctuary where you can pause\, reflect\, and reconnect with what truly matters. With heart-centered guides and a community of like-minded individuals\, you’ll discover how to integrate mindfulness into every facet of your life: your spaces\, routines\, communication\, relationships\, and the big areas that hold you back. \nWe see you\, and we walk this path with you. \nAccessible sliding scale pay-from-the-heart from $200-500 CAD according to your financial means.\n \n Attend Online (Register Here)\n \n \n Attend In-Person (Register Here)\n \nfocus area\nMeditation  \n& Daily Life \npractice\nInteractive \nWorkshop \nDuration\nFour \nWeeks \nDay/Time\nOctober 25\, November 1\, 8 & 15\, 2025  \n10am-12pm MT \nformat\nIn-Person \nor \nOnline by Zoom \nWhy integrating mindfulness?\nBecause having the pieces isn’t the same as knowing how they fit together. \nYou might have meditation apps\, self-help books\, therapy insights\, and good intentions. But when it comes to actually applying these tools to your messy real life—your difficult conversations\, your cluttered spaces\, your draining routines\, your money stress—it all feels scattered and overwhelming. \nThis course gives you a framework that makes everything fit together. \nUsing Clear Sky’s Five Principles\, you’ll discover how to create a supportive container—not just for your meditation practice\, but for your entire life. A container that can hold the overwhelm\, the growth\, the vulnerability\, and the breakthroughs. With heart-centered guides and a small community of people who genuinely understand\, you’ll move from working on this alone to being supported every step of the way. \nA holistic approach\nIntegrating Mindfulness addresses the fullness of life—not just your meditation cushion\, but your habits\, relationships\, environment\, communication patterns\, and the big areas you’ve been avoiding (yes\, including money). \nHere’s what makes this different: \nMost mindfulness courses focus only on the practice itself. This course teaches you how to build a complete supportive container using Clear Sky’s Five Principles—so your practice can actually land at a deeper level and transform your daily life. \nThrough this course\, you will: \n\nGet clarity on what truly matters – and let go of what’s draining your energy\nCreate physical and energetic spaces that actually support your well-being\nBuild sustainable routines and structure – even during life transitions\nLearn to communicate honestly – expressing your needs and listening deeply\, even in difficult conversations\nAddress the “big areas” holding you back – relationships\, money\, career\, habits\nExperience the power of community – discovering you’re not alone in these struggles\n\nThe real transformation happens when these pieces work together. One participant described it as “an expansive embrace” that provides “a container that can hold all of it.” Another found it gave them “a solid anchor” during a major life transition. \nWe work with heart-centered guides and a small\, intimate group of like-minded individuals\, fostering genuine connection and belonging. \nWhat Previous Students are Saying\n There are big areas of my life I needed to look at… that I didn’t know I needed to. I am more aware of them now\, and have perspective on how to bring daily mindfulness to them. Now I have a technique to structure my life and prioritize the things I actually want to do\, and a dialogue technique that is helping in my relationships. Integrating Mindfulness allows you to think about issues in a different way (such as money!). Insightful and nourishing.\n Daniel\n Participating in the Integrating Mindfulness course has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life. It has helped me cultivate greater awareness and compassion and provided me with practical tools for managing stress and anxiety. I am deeply grateful for the Clear Sky community and support provided by the course.\n Artin\n “I’m so stressed out… I cannot see an end to it”—says everybody. I’m always considering options\, and I had doubts around the authenticity of the Integrating Mindfulness programme\, but I’m glad to report those doubts were completely unfounded. With this course\, you learn to stop and breathe\, and the teachers will show you that it is indeed possible—necessary\, even—to put mindfulness at the very centre of your life. At first it might not seem there have been any changes\, but on reflection the changes have been huge.\n Pat\n I wanted more clarity on which direction to go. In Integrating Mindfulness\, I found fluidity and a variety of approaches to things I need\, like scheduling\, conversation\, clearer speech\, and language. In it\, I also discovered a definite need for clearing and dissolution. The question of work and overall change remains\, but I have moved forward on that journey.\n Zoe\n \n Attend Online (Register Here)\n \n \n Attend In-Person (Register Here)\n \nWhat’s inside the course?\nOur four-week journey is rooted in Clear Sky Retreat Center’s Five Principles\, offering a framework to create a mindful container for growth. These principles are: \nWeek 1 – Honor Your SpaceTransform your physical and energetic surroundings into a supportive sanctuary. Learn how your environment directly impacts your meditation practice and emotional well-being. \nWeek 2 – Structure and RoutineDevelop sustainable daily rhythms and rituals that ground you through life’s ebbs and flows. Discover how to prioritize what truly matters and let go of what drains you. \nWeek 3 – CommunicationDeepen your connections through authentic\, compassionate dialogue. Learn to express your needs clearly and listen with an open heart—even in difficult conversations. \nWeek 4 – Cleaning Up Big Areas & CommunityAddress the unresolved challenges that hold you back (money\, relationships\, career). Discover how transformation accelerates when supported by conscious community. \nThis course is a unique synthesis of practical tools and profound awareness practices\, designed to address the whole of your life. \n \n FREE PDF – Five Principles of a Mindful Container\n \nWho is this course for?\nThis course is for those ready to step into their wholeness: \n\nTo learn skillful communication and healthy boundaries\nTo learn how to reduce distractions and bad habits that hold you back\nTo navigate life’s challenges with grace and ease.\nTo feel profoundly connected to themselves and others.\nTo embrace awareness as a catalyst for sustainable\, heart-centered change.\n\nWhether you join online or in person\, this course meets you where you are and provides flexibility and tools to support and ignite your personal path and journey. \nNot sure if this is right for you? Attend our free webinar From Resentment to an Open Heart first to experience our teaching style and get a feel for the Five Principles. \nHow much does it cost?\nTo make this course as accessible as possible\, we offer a sliding scale pay-from-the-heart approach to let you pay according to your financial means. \nSuggested range $200-500 CAD \nCourse details\nWhen: October 25\, November 1\, 8 & 15\, 2025Time: 10am-12pm MTFormat: Interactive workshops via Zoom\, or join us in-person at Clear SkyWhat you’ll need: A quiet space\, journal\, and willingness to engage \nBetween sessions\, you’ll have: \n\nSimple daily practices to integrate what you’re learning\nAccess to our online community for questions and support\nOptional office hours with Karen and Duncan\n\nAll sessions are recorded for online participants who need to miss a session. \n \n \n \n \n \n Attend Online (Register Here)\n \n \n Attend In-Person (Register Here)\n \nExperience Our Teaching Before You Register\nNot sure if this course is right for you? Watch our recent webinar “From Resentment to an Open Heart” where we introduce one of Clear Sky’s Five Principles: honest communication. \nThis 90-minute session gives you a real sense of: \n\nOur teaching style and approach\nThe depth and practicality of the tools\nHow we create space for interactive learning\nWhether this work resonates with you\n\nThe webinar focused on communication. The 4-week course takes you through all Five Principles with the same depth – plus time for personal integration and practice. \nhttps://youtu.be/71CDP3tAunY \nMeet The Teachers\n \nKaren McAllister\n Karen McAllister brings a wealth of wisdom as Clear Sky’s Chair of the Board and Director of Business Development. She founded The Mindful Money Coach and has helped hundreds of people better integrate and align their spiritual path and relationship with money. Her passion lies in nurturing spaces\, structure\, and communication to support awakening in everyday life. With her decades of spiritual leadership\, Karen gently guides participants to uncover their innate wisdom and clarity. \nDuncan Cryle\n Duncan Cryle is a co-founding member of Clear Sky Center\, Dharma teacher\, and certified mindfulness instructor. He blends years of co-creating Clear Sky’s conscious community and dynamic team\, with an international executive career. He has created and run mindfulness programs at major companies\, including one of the creators of the IBM mindfulness community.  Duncan’s compassionate and holistic approach invites participants to weave spiritual growth seamlessly into their lives\, making profound insights accessible and transformative.\n \nWhat Previous Students are Saying\n Before Integrating Mindfulness\, I had been struggling with consistent practice\, conflicts within marriage about my practice\, and finances. Now I have a dedicated space for my practice\, am solidifying my need for sangha\, and am reassessing myself and my blocks and shadows. I would encourage someone interested in this to be open to change\, and know that change is always occurring—it doesn’t need to be a negative.\n Leslie \n Mindfulness is so much more than just truly enjoying my cup of tea! I was struggling to find balance with all the big life issues that are changing in my life; finding Integrating Mindfulness was serendipity. It is what I need in my spiritual toolbox to help me stay open and connected. I am more aware now when I am losing myself in grief\, when I am handling difficult conversations\, and in seeing how human differences are to be enjoyed\, as I enjoy different flowers. There is so much more to discover about life. Integrating Mindfulness is about interactions with fellow travellers! If you want to take mindfulness deeper\, you need this course.\n Kirsty\n I am doing a lot of other courses. They are all good—this one is special. Integrating Mindfulness provides a good foundation to support any other studies. People who express feeling unhappy\, overwhelmed\, lacking connection\, would find an ideal fit here. Now\, I am committed to being aware of my boundaries\, and doing what it takes to maintain them\, including clear communication to others. I’m going to continue working on my spiritual container and structure. I plan to come to Clear Sky for more!\n Kim\n Before Integrating Mindfulness\, I was exploring many directions\, and this was sapping my energy and making me ungrounded. I have been intending to discover a “middle way.” Through this course\, I have been getting clearer on my core\, non-negotiable values. I have gained confidence in asserting and communicating my boundaries and initiating conversations\, whereas in the past I avoided conflict. My sense of self-worth is deepening and I am valuing my time and energy more. I am discovering solutions for meeting my basic needs\, not subscribing to short-term gratification impulses\, and being in communion with conscious community\, all simultaneously.\n Aila\n Since Integrating Mindfulness\, I’m beginning to see how mindfulness is a part of everything\, and how much of my life I have let slip out of my hands by not being mindful. I’m seeing how much power I will regain as I learn to be aware of myself more constantly and expand my ability to actually choose what I want to choose in each moment. Talk about life-changing!\nIntegrating Mindfulness will give you the opportunity to peel back some of the daily veils put up around painful and confusing areas of your life. Doing it with a group\, and with Karen and Duncan as wonderful teachers who really know what they are doing\, will set you up to get closer to the direction and peace that you so deeply crave.\n Erika \nready to transform?\nMindfulness is not just a practice; it’s a way of being that illuminates the path to wholeness and connection. This course offers a nurturing container where you can pause\, reflect\, and embrace the beauty of your journey. \nThis course stands apart because it combines mindfulness with real-world integration\, creating a path for sustainable transformation. \nJoin us for Integrating Mindfulness\, and together\, we will uncover the power of awareness to create a life filled with intention\, compassion\, and deep fulfillment. \n \n Attend Online (Register Here)\n \n \n Attend In-Person (Register Here)\n \nLEARN more about clear sky’s five principles\nBased on Clear Sky’s Five Principles\, Integrating Mindfulness helps you build a sustainable meditation practice that permeates your body\, career\, relationships and all other areas of your life.  \nYou can learn more about our Five Principles here and get our free pdf overview by clicking the link below. \n \n FREE PDF – Five Principles of a Mindful Container\n \n \nFAQs\n What transformation can I expect from this course? \nThe course has been described as one of the most transformative experiences of many people’s lives. It helps cultivate greater awareness and compassion while providing practical tools for real-world integration of mindfulness into life and work\, creating lasting transformation. \n What will I learn and experience during the four weeks? \nEach week invites you to develop embodied awareness and presence\, cultivate heart-centered communication and compassionate listening\, balance inner work with outer action\, and live authentically aligned with your values. You’ll work with heart-centered guides and a community of like-minded individuals. \n Who is this course designed for? \nThe course is for those ready to step into their wholeness\, seeking deeper meaning\, a fuller embrace of life\, and a practice that nourishes both their inner world and connections to community. It’s ideal if you feel disconnected or struggle to bridge the gap between your intentions and daily challenges. \n What makes this mindfulness course different from other programs? \nThis course uses a threefold approach that cultivates mindfulness\, crafts a supportive container\, and powerfully integrates mindfulness into all aspects of life and work. It addresses the fullness of life including habits\, relationships\, environments\, and deepest aspirations\, ensuring participants experience profound\, tangible transformation. \n What are the Five Principles the course is based on? \nThe course is rooted in Clear Sky Retreat Center’s Five Principles: Awareness\, Communication\, Balance\, Authenticity\, and Mindfulness/Meditation. These principles provide a framework to create a mindful container for growth\, with each week building on the last. URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/integrating-mindfulness-tools-for-holistic-living-in-person-or-online/ CATEGORIES:Integrating Mindfulness,Online Courses,Special Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Integrating-Mindfulness-Feature-Image.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20251109T093000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20251130T110000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20250412T221230Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251212T054646Z UID:24389-1762680600-1764500400@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:21st Century Tantra DESCRIPTION:21st Century Tantra\n“Tantra means weaving\, and it’s about the weaving of energies in our life. The human organism and all of the cosmos is operating on these waves\, flows\, particles of energy— it’s learning to be able to sense that\, perceive that\, visualize that\, and work with that consciously.”  \n—Catherine Pawasarat Sensei \nAre your divine feminine and divine masculine on good speaking terms? This four-week course is for people who want to understand the role of Tantra in Vajrayana\, the role of sexuality in spiritual practice\, and the spiritual aspects of sexuality in daily life. We invite you to dive in with Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, a lineage teacher who has been practicing Tantra nearly three decades\, for this one-of-a-kind exploration of Tantra in 2025. \nNovember 09 – November 30\, 2025 \nSunday morning online classes 9:30-11:00am MT \n \n Register Now\n \nfocus area\nVajrayana \nBuddhism \npractice\nCourse & Optional \nHome Retreat \nDuration\nFour \nWeeks \nDay/Time\nSundays from 9:30-11am MT \nformat\nIn-Person or \nOnline \n21st Century Tantra\nOur modern moment calls for integration and balance in ourselves\, our relationships\, our communities\, and our planet. For the benefit of all beings\, our 21st-century labor is a labor of love\, a labor for the reintegrated health of this entire Earth and cosmos. That’s what 21st-century Tantra is all about. \nTantra is many things. Similar to Daoism\, it’s an interweaving of our inner feminine and inner masculine natures. This work can be done alone\, with a tantric partner\, or with tantric partners\, and that choice is yours. The key is to actively explore the energies without being distracted by attachment\, aversion\, or confusion. In this four-week course\, we’ll explore the roots of Tantra in what is now modern day Pakistan\, Tantra’s adoption and evolution in Tibetan Buddhism\, some of the challenges of translating Tantra to our contemporary cultures\, and how we can approach the practice today.  \nOur cultural conditioning can make understanding and integrating Tantra practice challenging. This course is also for those who would like to understand and their Vajrayana practice with the conditioning around sexuality and relationship they received from the tradition they were raised in. \n \n Register Now\n \n \n \n \n \n “In 10 years I have NOT missed a course with master teachers Qapel and Sensei! Every class reflects the light of oneness in prisms of direction and understanding and thus a lighter load to carry in the relative world and a lightness of being. If one aspires to be a bodhisattva and to benefit all beings\, this one recommends the next one.”\n Brendan R. \nWhat You’ll Learn\nSpiritual awakening is a series of questions\, and in this course\, we’ll explore a myriad of tantric questions together.  \nTwenty-first century living and practice: How does Tantra relate to my daily life in the contemporary world? What does Tantra mean for contemporary Vajrayana practitioners? How do we incorporate Tantra into our practice\, and what different kinds of ways are there to do so?  \nSexuality and Tantra: Do we get to have sex? Do we have to have sex? How does Tantra integrate with healthy sexuality? What does “healthy sexuality” mean?  \nMasculinity and Femininity: Are your divine feminine and divine masculine speaking to one another? What if you’re non-binary? \nAnd\, what does it take to be qualified to do this practice?  \nThis Course if for you if:\n\nYou would like to get greater clarity about the nature of Tantra in historical and contemporary practice.\nYou would like to get clarity about the role of sexuality in spiritual practice.\nYou would like to integrate your sexuality more. \nYou would like to cultivate healthier relationships.\nYou would like to better understand the causes of sex scandals in Buddhism\, and how we can empower ourselves and our Sanghas to better equip ourselves.\nYou would like to explore integration of the shadow around the first three chakras. – Checkout Money Sex Power free chapter/webpage\nYou’d like to grow stronger contact with the divine feminine and divine masculine. \nYou’d like to feel more comfortable with your non-binary sexuality in Buddhism’s heteronormative tradition.\n\n \n \n \nCourse Schedule\nClass Times (Mountain Time)\n\nSunday\, November 9 – 9:30-11am\nSunday\, November 16 – 9:30-11am\nSunday\, November 23 – 9:30-11am\nSaturday & Sunday\, November 29-30 – 9:30am and 2:30pm (approx 60-90 minutes)\n\n*Daily schedule is subject to minor changes closer to the course date. \n  \nThe formal and participatory teachings for this course will occur on Sundays with a Saturday-Sunday flash retreat on the fourth weekend.  Class times are estimates and may change slightly. \nWe encourage you to connect with sangha outside of class times to discuss and deepen your learning of the material. \nFlash Retreat Weekend: November 29-30\nTo deepen and integrate your experience\, the final (fourth) weekend during the course will also be an optional at home Flash Retreat . This can be done at home\, or with us at Clear Sky Meditation Centre\, in Eastern British Columbia. We highly recommend clearing your schedule over the weekend to focus on the retreat. Formal group sessions will be held at these approximate times. \n\nFlash Retreat morning session: 9:30am MT\nFlash Retreat afternoon session: 2:30pm MT\nSessions will be 60-90 mins in length.\n\n \n \nMeet the Teacher\n \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei is a contemporary Dharma teacher\, attendant\, consort\, co-teacher via Planet Dharma and co-founder of Clear Sky Retreat Center. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Catherine also draws on generative living and universal spiritual tools including transpersonal astrology and Japanese arts. \nShe has trained daily with Acariya Doug Duncan since 1998 in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003.  \nMore About Sensei | About the Lineage \n \n Register Now\n \n “The teachers have brought together ancient teachings with scientific findings that prove how and why Dharma teachings radically improve life\, reduce pain and increase global peace. It doesn’t matter what you believe\, you will embody a healthy new way of being. Because of their vast collective wisdom\, you leave their presence radically altered for the betterment of humanity.”\n Evangelos D.\n \nFAQs\n Dana and Pricing \nDana: \nYou may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart.” Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity.” With dāna\, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \nThe dharma has been built on generosity. No one is excluded for lack of funds. However\, it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able. \nTypically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course. \nAs we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma\, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure. Another form of giving dāna is to offer service\, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way\, we invite you to contact us. \nIf you are financially secure\, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers\, teachings\, and center. \nLearn more about the practice of dāna here. \n About the Online Admin Fee \nIn a traditional model of in-person teachings\, a retreat center or urban meditation center invites teachers to visit. In these cases the centers have infrastructure and organization costs to cover\, which might be covered by an admin fee. For the teaching itself\, dāna to the teachers is offered in a bowl. This honors both the sustainability of the teachers\, and of the supporting center. \nWe’ve tried to recreate this approach online. The teachers’ time and the teaching themselves are offered on the basis of dāna\, separate to the admin fee. With our dāna offering we are making a direct gift of generosity to the teachers to support their teachings and livelihood. \nThe admin fee* goes to support the infrastructure and organization necessary to support them to teach. As anyone with an online business will know\, the costs of setting up good infrastructure to support effective teaching and connection online can be surprising. \nOur admin fee changes based on the date of registration. \nRegister four + weeks prior: $80Register two to four weeks prior: $100Register less than two weeks prior: $120 \n*We also do not wish to exclude anyone from the Teachings\, so if you are not currently in a financial position to afford the admin fee\, please contact the course Registrar via registrar@planetdharma.com so we can support you to attend. \n— \nBelow are a few of the work and benefits that your admin fee payment is supporting: \n\nHigh speed internet (to allow interviews and classes on-line)\nOnline class systems (Zoom)\nRegistration / admin systems (Eventbrite\, Basecamp)\nCommunication systems to keep everyone informed\, share connection details\, teachings and other resources (Mailchimp)\nOnline storage (for example\, Dropbox\, to allow us to let students watch recordings\, and to store and share selected teachings in other forms such as podcasts and video later\, and Amazon cloud)\nQuality sound\, video and editing equipment (both for live teachings and to provide good enough quality for later sharing as podcasts and video). We are regularly updating our equipment to improve your user experience.\nOnline calendar booking system to allow students to book interviews\nWebsite hosting and maintenance for sharing upcoming courses\, teachings\, blogs and other resources.\n\nWe welcome any questions. May all our efforts be sustainable\, abundant and for the benefit of all beings! \n Do I need previous experience with Tantra or Vajrayana? \nNo previous experience is required. The course is suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners seeking deeper clarity on Tantra and spiritual sexuality. \n What is the 21st Century Tantra course? \nThe 21st Century Tantra course is a four-week exploration of Tantra within Vajrayana Buddhism\, sexuality\, energetic balance\, and spiritual practice\, guided by Catherine Pawasarat Sensei. It blends ancient teachings with a modern\, practical approach for today’s world. \n Who is this course for? \nThis course is ideal for individuals wanting to:Understand Tantra in VajrayanaExplore spirituality and sexualityImprove relationships and healthy sexualityHarmonize divine feminine and masculine energiesUnderstand non-binary sexuality within Buddhist traditionIntegrate shadow work around the first three chakras \n What is the focus of this course? \nIt focuses on integrating Tantra into daily life\, understanding the role of sexuality in spiritual practice\, connecting with inner feminine and masculine energies\, and exploring the roots of Tantra historically and culturally. \n What is the role of divine feminine and divine masculine in this course? \nThe course explores how inner feminine and masculine energies interact\, how they influence spiritual development\, and how they can be consciously balanced. It also addresses how these concepts apply to non-binary practitioners. \n \n \n \n Register Now URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/21-century-tantra/ CATEGORIES:Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/21-Century-Tantra.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251221 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260104 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20250704T015406Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251110T183229Z UID:25092-1766275200-1767484799@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Sangha Christmas Retreat (In-Person & Online Retreat) DESCRIPTION:Sangha Christmas Retreat\n“The best gift that we can give our Teacher is ‘doing the work.’” \nJoin us this holiday season for time with Catherine Sensei\, Sangha and an eight-day Foundation Work retreat. \nOne-Week Retreat: December 24th – January 1st. \n(Early arrivals and longer stays are encouraged). \nRegistration Deadline: Sunday\, December 7th \nNote: This retreat is open to existing Sangha only. Prerequisite: In the past two-years\, you have attended at least one in-person retreat with Catherine Sensei. \n\nRetreat With Us This Christmas\n \nFoundation Work & sangha Retreat\nSpending this holiday season working on our Foundation Practice together in community was such a precious and fruitful time in 2024\, that we’ll do it again together this year. \nAlready finished your Foundation work? No problem! You’re welcome to use this time focusing on your current practice. \nThe retreat also includes a New Year’s Celebration and some days enjoying time in community \n\n\n \nSchedule\nHere is our schedule (some details may be adjusted slightly). \nSunday\, Dec. 21st: Arrival day \nMonday\, Dec. 22nd: Community Sangha Time \nTuesday\, Dec. 23rd: Community Sangha Time \nWednesday\, Dec. 24th – Thursday\, Jan 1st: Foundation Practice & New Year’s Celebration \nFriday\, Jan. 2nd: Community Sangha Time \nSaturday\, Jan. 3rd: Main Departure Day \n\n\n\n\n \nMeet our Teacher\n \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei began her spiritual practices in earnest in her early 20s\, when she struggled to make sense of and overcome personal suffering and international environmental and social justice challenges. She became a student of metaphysics\, Western spiritual traditions\, and the ayahuasca sacraments in the 1990s. \nFor 26 years Catherine Sensei trained daily with Qapel Doug Duncan in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. \nWith Qapel she co-founded Clear Sky Retreat Center and Planet Dharma and is a lineage holder for these teachings. She supports the spiritual underpinnings of social entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship for spiritual practitioners. She worked as an advocacy photojournalist and studied traditional Japanese arts (including koto\, shamisen\, kyogen) in Kyoto for 20 years\, culminating in her landmark work GionFestival.org. \nSince the early 2000s Sensei has provided dharma training and taught the path of awakening to hundreds of students\, together with Qapel and on her own. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Sensei also draws on generative living (a.k.a. sustainability) and the arts. \nAbout Clear Sky\nLocated in the BC rocky mountains\, we offer over 300-acres to deepen your practice and reconnect with nature. \nFounded by Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, we are home to students from around the globe who are dedicated to co-creating a supportive and innovative space for awakening in our modern world. \nIn adherence with our quadruple bottom line\, we source our food as local and organic as possible. \nEVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \n\n\n\n \nFAQs\nAbout Dāna \nDana: \nRegistration fees cover food\, accommodation and the technology needed to offer the retreat online. The Teachings are freely given on the basis of dāna. \nYou may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart”. Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity”. With dāna\, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \nThe dharma has been built on generosity. No-one is excluded for lack of funds but it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able \nTypically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course. \nAs we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma\, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure.  Another form of giving dāna is to offer service\, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way\, we invite you to contact us. \nConversely\, if you are financially secure\, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers\, teachings\, and center. \nLearn more about the practice of dāna here. \nScholarship Application \nWe aim to make our retreats as accessible as possible. \nAs a centre run entirely by Karma Yoga (selfless service)\, retreat fees only cover food\, accommodation and the equipment required to offer them online. \nThe teachings themselves are offered on the basis of Dāna (pay-from-the-heart). \nFor some\, this is still a barrier of entry. \nIf you are seeking financial assistance to attend a retreat\, please complete a Scholarship Application form. \nDetailed Daily Schedule (Long retreats) \nSpecific times may change – this is a rough guide (MST) \n6:30 – 7:30 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice\n7:30 – 8:15 AM: Breakfast: Prepare\, eat\, clean up\n8:15 – 8:45 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice\n9:00 – 10:00 AM: Class with Teachers\n10:00 – 10:30 AM: Walk\n10:30 – 11:30 AM: Group Practice led by Sangha\n11:30 – 12:30 PM: Personal Practice\n12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch: Prepare\, eat\, clean up\n1:30 – 3:00 PM: Personal Practice\n3:00 – 4:00 PM: Group Practice led by Sangha\n4:00 – 5:30 PM: Personal Practice\n5:30 – 7:00 PM: Dinner: prepare\, eat\, clean up\n7:00 – 7:30 PM: Walk &/or Personal Practice\n7:30 – 8:30 PM: Group Practice and Q & A with Teachers\n8:30 – Beyond: Personal Practice & bed \nFood\, Weather\, Accommodation and How to Get Here \nClick here for details on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \nNote: In the unlikely scenario that this retreat is cancelled\, we recommend purchasing refundable travel fares. \nCannabis\, Psychedelics and Microdosing \nWe recognize and respect plant medicine as an important part of some people’s spiritual paths. \nPlease note\, the meditation practice on this retreat is very powerful. Consuming mind-altering substances will detract from your experience and could cause negative side-effects. \nWe ask that you refrain from microdosing or consuming mind-altering substances during this retreat and in the days immediately following it. \nRegistration Deadline \nRegistration Deadline is Sunday\, December 8th. \nQuestions? Please contact maureen@clearskycenter.org URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/sangha-christmas-retreat/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Group Retreats and Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Sangha-Christmas-Retreat.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20260101T143000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20260101T153000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20251217T031804Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251217T034539Z UID:26793-1767277800-1767281400@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:New Year Special 2026 (In-Person & Online) DESCRIPTION:New Year Reflection & Intention\n\nJoin Catherine Pawasarat Sensei for a special New Year gathering as we reflect on a year of profound transformation and set our intentions for the journey ahead. \nIn her first New Year talk since the passing of Qapel\, Catherine Sensei will share what is most alive and present for her as we cross this threshold together. \nOnline talk on January 1st at 2:30pm MT \n \n Register\n \n \nLooking Ahead with Intention\nAs 2025 draws to a close\, what are we carrying forward? What are we ready to release? Catherine Sensei will offer reflections on the year behind us and contemplations for the year ahead—invitations to meet 2026 with clarity\, courage\, and open hearts. \nThis intimate gathering is an opportunity to pause at the year’s turning point\, to sit with what has been\, and to orient ourselves toward what calls us forward. Whether you come with specific intentions or simply with presence\, you’ll find space here to mark this threshold in community. \n \n Register\n \n \nDharma Talks for 21st Century Life\nThe word ‘Dharma’ has many meanings\, one being the ultimate universal laws of the universe. How do these ancient perspectives illuminate our contemporary lives\, especially in times of change and uncertainty? \nThis year’s New Year talk holds special significance as Catherine Sensei continues to take the banner of the teaching lineage she received from Qapel into the future. Her perspective—shaped by decades of practice and unwavering commitment to awakening—offers us all a chance to meet life’s transitions with wisdom and grace. \nTalks like these bring uncompromising\, applicable teachings you can apply to your life. They’re thought-provoking\, inspiring\, and designed to shake up and wake up your world. In a culture that tends to ‘dumb down’ the complexities of wisdom\, we promise not to. \nWhat to Expect\nThis talk will include Catherine Sensei’s reflections on the year and the year ahead\, time for contemplation\, small group sharing\, and Q&A. Come with whatever questions or intentions are alive for you as we step into the new year. \nThis talk is open to all experience levels—longtime practitioners and newcomers alike. Video recordings are available for those who cannot attend live. \n \nMeet the Teacher\nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei is a contemporary Dharma teacher\, attendant\, consort\, co-teacher via Planet Dharma and co-founder of Clear Sky Retreat Center. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Catherine also draws on generative living and universal spiritual tools including transpersonal astrology and Japanese arts. \nShe trained daily with Acariya Doug Duncan from 1998 until his passing in 2024\, in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. \nMore About Sensei | About the Lineage \n \nCourse Details\nFees and Dāna\nThese sessions are offered based on the ancient principle of generosity\, or Dāna. \nWe recommend you attend live\, but if you cannot\, the video recording will be available for one week after the live session.  The live session includes time for a short sharing/ community discussion and Q&A. \n \n \n Register URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/new-year-special-2026/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Online Courses,Special Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/New-Year-Talk-Square.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20260118T093000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20260208T110000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20251110T183109Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260216T062956Z UID:26460-1768728600-1770548400@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Integral Evolution: The Next Frontier (Online Course) DESCRIPTION:Waking Up\, Growing Up: Integral Evolution\n “One of the most significant contributions of Integral Spirituality and Theory is that the difference between states and stages is clarified. As meditators we get skilled with states but have remained ignorant of stages. This is not in our best interest. You can meditate forever and still be at a low stage of human development.” —Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei \nMoving forward with our beloved teacher Qapel’s exhortation to embrace Integral as part of our spiritual practice. Awakening\, he said\, is like everything else: evolutionary. The Buddha said that his teachings would last 2\,500 years—which brings us to now. It’s time for a new turning of the wheel. Integral Evolution is the next stage of humanity’s awakening and development. It’s thrilling we’re alive at the new frontier of consciousness. Drawing on more of the last teaching notes our guru Qapel made\, come and explore with Catherine Sensei how we can marry authentic Dharma and the Integral paradigm. How do we evolve and awaken in alignment with the fullness of our current time and lay the groundwork for a revolutionary and generative future? \nNote: Integral Spirituality by Ken Wilber is a pre-requisite for the course. Please start by reading the Appendix as we have found it is clearer this way. \nJanuary 18th – February 8\, 2026 \nSunday morning online classes 9:30-11:00am MT \n \n Register Now\n \nfocus area\nIntegral  \nSpirituality \npractice\nCourse and optional \nweekend home retreat \nDuration\nFour \nWeeks \nDay/Time\nSundays from 9:30-11am MT \nformat\nIn-Person or \nOnline \nWaking Up and Growing Up\nAs we go deeper into the 21st-century we are seeing a new turning of the Wheel of Dharma – a radical evolution of Buddhism and spiritual teachings. The last major evolution in Buddhist Dharma was more than 1000 years ago with Vajrayana. Now with psychology\, integral spirituality and science\, something new is emerging. \nAlong with the work of waking up– cultivating an enlightened state – we also need to do the work of growing up. This means learning to integrate a clear state in the world through doing our shadow work\, developing our communication skills and working through the critical human development stages – individually and collectively. \nJoin us for this exciting four week course\, together we will explore the emerging elements of a fit and dynamic vehicle for 21st-century awakening\, and beyond. \n \n Register\n \n \n \n \n “In 10 years I have NOT missed a course with master teachers Qapel and Sensei! Every class reflects the light of oneness in prisms of direction and understanding and thus a lighter load to carry in the relative world and a lightness of being. If one aspires to be a bodhisattva and to benefit all beings\, this one recommends the next one.”\n Brendan R. \nIntegral Spirituality\nIntegral Spirituality was coined by Ken Wilber\, an internationally acknowledged leader and the preeminent scholar of the Integral stage of human development.  In his many books\, he writes that traditional Buddhist teachings themselves suggest an ongoing evolution leading toward a more unified\, holistic\, and interconnected spirituality. He describes the ways in which the tradition has been open to the continuing unfolding and expansion of its own teachings\, and he suggests possible paths toward an ever more Integral approach. \nWe agree! In this course\, we are excited to be taking this work forward and translating it practically\, based on our lineage’s working experience of modern spiritual community. \nIntegral Spirituality by Ken Wilber is a pre-requisite for the course. Please start by reading the Appendix as we have found it is clearer this way. \n \nSchedule\nSundays\, January 18 – February 8\, 2026\nClass Times (Mountain Time)\n\nSunday\, January 18 – 9:30-11am\nSunday\, January 25 – 9:30-11am\nSunday\, February 1 – 9:30-11am\nSaturday & Sunday\, February 7-8 – 9:30am and 2:30pm (approx 60-90 minutes)\n\n*Daily schedule is subject to minor changes closer to the course date.\n \nMeet the Teachers\n \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei is a contemporary Dharma teacher\, attendant\, consort\, co-teacher via Planet Dharma and co-founder of Clear Sky Retreat Center. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Catherine also draws on generative living and universal spiritual tools including transpersonal astrology and Japanese arts. \nShe has trained daily with Acariya Doug Duncan since 1998 in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. \n \n Register\n \n “The teachers have brought together ancient teachings with scientific findings that prove how and why Dharma teachings radically improve life\, reduce pain and increase global peace. It doesn’t matter what you believe\, you will embody a healthy new way of being. Because of their vast collective wisdom\, you leave their presence radically altered for the betterment of humanity.”\n Evangelos D.\n \nFAQs\n What is integral spirituality? \nIntegral spirituality is a holistic spiritual approach that integrates meditation\, psychology\, human development\, and traditional wisdom into a unified framework. It acknowledges both states of awakening and stages of personal maturity\, helping practitioners live spiritual insight in daily life. \n Why is growth beyond meditation important? \nMeditation cultivates clarity and inner states\, but without development of emotional maturity\, communication\, and real-world integration\, spiritual progress can remain limited. Growth beyond meditation supports lasting transformation and effective engagement in daily life. \n What will you learn in this online course? \nYou will explore how to combine authentic Dharma with integral theory\, integrate awakened states into everyday life\, deepen human development stages\, work with shadow patterns\, and evolve toward a more complete expression of spiritual and psychological maturity. \n Who should attend this course? \nThis course is for meditators\, spiritual seekers\, and practitioners who want to deepen their inner awakening and grow in psychological and relational maturity\, integrating spirituality into all aspects of life. \n What makes this different from a meditation class? \nUnlike a standard meditation class focused on states of awareness\, this course also emphasizes stages of development — including shadow work\, communication\, and real-world application — so spiritual insights are embodied and functional in everyday life. \n Is prior spiritual experience required? \nPrior meditation or spiritual experience isn’t strictly required\, but familiarity with Integral Spirituality by Ken Wilber (recommended reading) and an interest in deepening both inner insight and personal growth will help you engage fully with the course material. \n Dana and Pricing \nDana: \nYou may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart.” Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity.” With dāna\, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \nThe dharma has been built on generosity. No one is excluded for lack of funds. However\, it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able. \nTypically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course. \nAs we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma\, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure. Another form of giving dāna is to offer service\, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way\, we invite you to contact us. \nIf you are financially secure\, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers\, teachings\, and center. \nLearn more about the practice of dāna here. \n About the Online Admin Fee \nIn a traditional model of in-person teachings\, a retreat center or urban meditation center invites teachers to visit. In these cases the centers have infrastructure and organization costs to cover\, which might be covered by an admin fee. For the teaching itself\, dāna to the teachers is offered in a bowl. This honors both the sustainability of the teachers\, and of the supporting center. \nWe’ve tried to recreate this approach online. The teachers’ time and the teaching themselves are offered on the basis of dāna\, separate to the admin fee. With our dāna offering we are making a direct gift of generosity to the teachers to support their teachings and livelihood. \nThe admin fee* goes to support the infrastructure and organization necessary to support them to teach. As anyone with an online business will know\, the costs of setting up good infrastructure to support effective teaching and connection online can be surprising. \nOur admin fee changes based on the date of registration. \nRegister four + weeks prior: $80Register two to four weeks prior: $100Register less than two weeks prior: $120 \n*We also do not wish to exclude anyone from the Teachings\, so if you are not currently in a financial position to afford the admin fee\, please contact the course Registrar via registrar@planetdharma.com so we can support you to attend. \n— \nBelow are a few of the work and benefits that your admin fee payment is supporting: \n\nHigh speed internet (to allow interviews and classes on-line)\nOnline class systems (Zoom)\nRegistration / admin systems (Eventbrite\, Basecamp)\nCommunication systems to keep everyone informed\, share connection details\, teachings and other resources (Mailchimp)\nOnline storage (for example\, Dropbox\, to allow us to let students watch recordings\, and to store and share selected teachings in other forms such as podcasts and video later\, and Amazon cloud)\nQuality sound\, video and editing equipment (both for live teachings and to provide good enough quality for later sharing as podcasts and video). We are regularly updating our equipment to improve your user experience.\nOnline calendar booking system to allow students to book interviews\nWebsite hosting and maintenance for sharing upcoming courses\, teachings\, blogs and other resources.\n\nWe welcome any questions. May all our efforts be sustainable\, abundant and for the benefit of all beings! \n \n \n \n Register URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/integral-evolution-the-next-frontier-online-course/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2025-PD-courses-Square-IG-Post-4.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260129T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260129T200000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20260210T174220Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260225T032348Z UID:27821-1769713200-1769716800@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Meditation For Hope And Healing - Local Classes DESCRIPTION:Meditation For Hope And Healing\nwith Dean Nicholson\nDo you find yourself stressed by all the troubling news that bombards us every day?  Are you experiencing anger\, anxiety or hopelessness\, and not sure what you can do to make a difference? \nDevelop peace and calm as you practice a powerful guided meditation technique that creates hope and healing to carry throughout your day. \nWhen: Thursdays 7:00-8:00 pm MST from Jan 29 – Mar 5\, 2026 \nWhere: In-Person: Mountain View Therapeutics\, 14 A 13 Ave S #204\, Cranbrook\, BC V1C 2V3 \nCost: Pay-from-the-heart (Dāna) \n  \n— \nCurious? Before this series starts\, you’re invited to enjoy our online guided meditations. \n Register Now Questions? \nClick To Contact Us (or call 250 429 3920) \nAbout these Community Meditation Classes\nThese community classes help you develop a stronger meditation practice both on and off the cushion. \nThese classes run semi-regularly throughout the year at Clear Sky or locally in Cranbrook\, interspersed with our other retreats and offerings. \nDrop ins are welcome\, and we also encourage you to attend all classes if possible. \n Register \nCourse Cost: Dāna\n \nWe offer this course on the basis of dāna.  If you’re not familiar with dāna\, you may have come across related approaches such as “pay from the heart.” \nDāna is a Sanskrit term that translates as “generosity” in English. The practice of generosity is central to spiritual unfoldment\, whatever path you follow. In our own Buddhist lineage\, teachings have always been given on the basis of dāna\, and we are committed to this practice and its development in the West. \nDāna is a radical and – we believe – viable economic alternative to capitalism. We all know there must be something better than capitalism or its hungry cousin\, consumerism. We maintain that\, together\, we can offer a financial model that is based in life-affirming mutual support. Please join us in co-creating this promising economic alternative. \nFor this course\, we give a suggested range $20-50 per class (which would be $80-200 for the 4-week series).  You are welcome regardless of what you are able to offer.  \n \n \nTo help you choose an amount that feels right for you\, we recommend this heart-based exercise from our friends at Planet Dharma.  \nChecking in with your heart\n1) Take a few quiet breaths and center yourself. Spend a few moments to reflect on each of the below: the beauty and integrity of dāna practice; the value of receiving direct teachings from lineage holders in a recognized spiritual tradition; the reality of your financial situation. \n2) Spend another few moments contacting a sense of health\, strength and abundance. You have a healthy mind\, a body\, senses\, the good karma to have heard the teachings\, and conditions to support your practice of Dharma. Celebrate this! \n3) Now check with your heart and mind what amount feels both consistent with your situation\, and expressive of your aspiration. \nIt’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \n Register Now URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/meditation-for-hope-and-healing-local-classes/2026-01-29/ LOCATION:Mountain View Therapeutics – Cranbrook\, #204 14 A 13 Avenue South\, Cranbrook\, BC\, V1C 2V3\, Canada CATEGORIES:Meditation Circle,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2.png ORGANIZER;CN="Clear Sky Center":MAILTO:contact@clearskycenter.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260131T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260131T113000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20250928T221154Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250928T223052Z UID:26319-1769853600-1769859000@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:FREE WEBINAR: Integrating the Money Shadow in your Spiritual Life DESCRIPTION:Saturday\, January 31st @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am MT \nStruggling in your relationship with money\, values and spiritual beliefs\nThis class is for spiritually-focused people whose spiritual aspiration is the most important thing in their lives\, yet they struggle with their relationship with money and values. \nMany spiritually-focused people feel that their spiritual life is hindering their ability to earn enough money. Or they know they have money issues but do not know what those issues are. They feel confused\, lost\, and have a very scattered relationship to money—the thought of it leads to fear and dissociation.  \n \n \n Register Now\n \nAre you in a fear-state around money and don’t feel capable of earning\, receiving\, or managing money? Perhaps you feel like you’re in survival mode\, disconnected from money or like you work too much and yet you never feel like you have enough. Perhaps you are living in total overwhelm and fear about addressing your debt issues or feel defeated by money and future prospects. Or perhaps you may defer completely to your partner in financial matters and do not know how to discuss your fears and concerns with them in a productive\, generative manner.  \nIn all of these situations\, the view around money is the problem. And this webinar will help you see where your limiting beliefs are.  \nImagine having a spiritual life and your income stable\, having success in repaying your debts or having money in your savings for retreats. Imagine valuing yourself more\, making solid business decisions or increasing your rates with ease. Understanding your interior money landscape is the first step. \nThis webinar will help you begin the journey to get to a place where your ability to earn money is actively supporting your spiritual life. It’s an opportunity to transform unhelpful money habits in a supportive\, non-judgmental community. It will help you realize that you are not alone. Money troubles come from past and present conditions and are not related to a personal deficiency. \nThis free webinar will help you see the way that our society has programmed us to feel stressed around money—which is the complete antithesis of living in alignment with the universe. \n \n Register Now\n \n \nMeet your Teacher\n \nKaren McAllister \nKaren has worked with clients to transform their money issues\, helping them become more effective\, professional\, and satisfied with their financial situation\, and growing a sense of abundance. She brings knowledge and experience of financial issues from the practical\, behavioral\, and emotional perspectives. Her real magic and superpowers come from studying with her spiritual teachers\, Acariya Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, for over 20 years. Her teachers specialize in helping their students transcend their issues around money\, sex\, and power. And she is a beautiful example of the fruits of this work\, known in Buddhist philosophy as the bodhisattva path. \nKaren studied Economics in her degree and has been certified by Deborah Price of the The Money Coaching Institute as a Certified Money Coach\, a Couples Money Coach\, and a Business Archetype Coach. She studied with Lynne Twist from the Soul of Money Institute\, including Mastering your Money and Transforming your Life\, and Lynne’s Fundraising from the Heart program. \n  \nFurther\, Karen has made use of that training through her own role as a founding member at Clear Sky\, which operates with a quadruple bottom line. Karen has been Board Chair since 2014 and is leader of Fund Development. Her passion for this arises out of her deep desire to awaken more fully and make the world a better place. She’s seen many amazing spiritual explorers and transformational change agents who want to make a difference yet don’t have the funds they need to truly fulfill their missions–despite the millions of dollars floating around in the economy. And she has also seen the other side. Many spiritual explorers with money who have tried to help others experience more abundance and feel that their efforts have been rejected; or their efforts to be generous have left them feeling taken advantage of or dismissed. Karen’s work is designed to change this.  \nKaren wants you to show up as an integrated and whole human being. She’ll help you direct and attract financial resources in meaningful ways\, steering away from greed and fear and towards love\, generosity\, collaboration\, and reciprocity. \nhttps://youtu.be/BwOnDegzXIw\n Working with Karen helped me understand that you need to have a vision and to know your values first\, and then in that lens\, we can start to work for money\, save it\, invest it. We have never had real conversations about our relationship to money! Until we understand and heal our thoughts/feelings/beliefs around money\, we will continue to loop the same patterns\, think the same thoughts\, feel the same feelings and stay in the same financial situation. It is difficult to recognize these things within ourselves. Karen’s coaching helped me spot what to work on quicker\, and more effectively. I haven’t found anything else like what she does.\nThank you Karen.\n Serena\n I had been feeling stress and a lack of safety around money\, in an ongoing state of not feeling enoughness. After working with Karen in Money and Spirituality\, I have vision on how to use my money to benefit the world\, and know I want to work with people who share the same vision. This course is a great stepping stone for me to dive deeper into spirituality\, opening up new chapter in my practice. Karen has helped me to begin unknotting the fears that are extremely intertwined with capitalism. I think everybody who has the motivation to free their unhealthy habits and patterns around money should take the course. You will realize you don’t live for money; you use money as a tool to create the life you desire!\nKaren offered us deep insights on many levels and the generosity of her time\, both inside and outside the sessions. She invested as much in the process as we did. The benefits that it brings are significant – on an interpersonal as well as financial level.\n Trinh\n I couldn’t find my blind spots which block me from seeing the root of my Money and Spirituality problems. This course give me more clarity and insight\, particularly around the need to work internally on my first three chakras. If you want to educate yourself and make more conscious financial decisions\, this course if for you.\n Iris\n I knew that I have money issues\, but not what those issues were. I was confused\, lost\, and had a very scattered relationship to money—the thought of it led to fear and dissociation. In this course with Karen\, I learnt that my approach to money is mostly from a victim and innocent archetype position\, and that issues with money\, life\, and my business are connected with my relationship to my mother and father. This was groundbreaking for me. I understand which areas of my life I need to heal and work on\, and I also see how these shadows don’t allow me to grow and transform. Karen has such knowledge and wisdom\, and so generously created a safe container where I felt heard\, seen\, and held throughout the program.\n Marina\n I have been living in a survival mode of circular thinking. For so long\, I have been disconnected from money\, operating with a scarcity mindset. Karen taught me a new language. I am now empowered to take up the responsibility of creating change. The Money and Spirituality course helped me get clear on my intention\, motivation\, and needs\, which I now can practice communicating. And\, the reminder that our beliefs and habitual patterns are shaped from our early years was huge for me; we must have the awareness that they’re not our fault\, but also that we have the responsibility to do something about them. I am practicing becoming my own Great Mother!\n Sue\n \n Register Now URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/free-webinar-integrating-the-money-shadow-in-your-spiritual-life/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Coaching,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-Programming-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Clear Sky Center":MAILTO:contact@clearskycenter.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260214T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260307T120000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20250928T230301Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260214T091111Z UID:26268-1771063200-1772884800@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Money & Spirituality: Integrating Spiritual and Material (Online) DESCRIPTION:A Four-Week Online Course with Karen McAllister\nFebruary 14 & 21\, 28 and March 7th  \nSaturdays at 10am MT – 12 pm MT \nClick here to see your timezone \n \n \n \n \n Register Now\n \nAn invitation to slow down\, soften\, and integrate your relationship with money in community.\nMoney touches some of the most tender places in us: safety\, belonging\, power\, worth. And yet\, most of us were never taught how to meet money with awareness\, care\, or honesty. \nIf you’ve ever felt: \n\nanxious\, avoidant\, or overwhelmed around money\nashamed\, guilty\, or “behind\,” even when you’re doing your best\ncaught between spiritual values and financial realities\nalone with your money questions\n\nYou’re not broken and you’re not alone. \nThis four-week program is an invitation to meet your relationship with money slowly\, gently\, and in relationship\, so what has tightened can begin to soften. \nA gentle threshold\nIf you’ve already had a taste of this work\, you may have noticed that what we touched wants time\, care\, and relationship to truly integrate. \nThis course offers exactly that. \nWhat this course is and what it is not\nThis is not: \n\na budgeting or financial optimization course\na mindset or manifestation program\na place to fix yourself or “get it right”\na space for exposure\, pressure\, or forced sharing\n\nThis is: \n\na relational\, trauma-aware container\ngrounded in the body\, the nervous system\, and lived experience\noriented toward integration rather than insight alone\na place to explore money as a spiritual and relational teacher\n\nThe pace is intentionally slow.Silence is welcome.Sharing is invitational. \nHow integration happens here\nIn this course\, we work with how money actually lives\, not just in thought\, but in the body\, the nervous system\, and relationship. \nOver four weeks\, we explore: \n\nwhere money touches safety\, belonging\, and power\nhow ego-clinging shows up as grasping\, pushing away\, or confusion\nhow shame weaves across these patterns without being the cause\nhow awareness and relationship allow patterns to soften\n\nRather than trying to fix money patterns\, we learn to recognize them\, name them\, and stay present as they loosen. \nIntegration happens when: \n\nwhat was secret becomes speakable\nsensations in the body are noticed with care\nold strategies are met with understanding rather than force\nbody\, speech\, mind\, and action begin to come back into alignment\n\nNot Sure If This Course Is Right for You? \nYou’re welcome to watch the free 1-hour webinar below as a way to explore your relationship with money and sense whether this work feels supportive for you. \n \n Register Now\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \nThe Money Knots\, a compassionate map\nOver many years of this work\, I’ve noticed that money patterns tend to cluster into a small number of recognizable Money Knots. \nThese are not diagnoses or flaws.They are adaptive survival strategies\, ways the nervous system learned to cope around money. \nSome of the knots we may explore include: \n\nscarcity and survival \n\nover-responsibility and control \n\nover-giving and depletion \n\navoidance and confusion \n\nworthiness and shame \n\n\nchaos or freeze patterns \n\n\nMost people recognize themselves in more than one. \nIn this course\, we don’t try to untie these knots forcefully.We meet them with awareness\, allowing them to loosen at their own pace. \nWhy this work happens best in group\nMoney tends to isolate us.Not because we’re failing but because of how our systems and culture have been shaped around money. \nIn group\, something different becomes possible. \nHealing often begins when: \n\nwe hear our own patterns reflected in others \n\ncomparison softens into recognition \n\nshame loosens through shared awareness \n\nwe discover we’re not alone with what we carry \n\n\nThis group is intentionally small and carefully held.Not to fix one another but to allow relational repair to emerge naturally. \nWhat integrates here doesn’t stay here.As you become more settled\, you may notice changes in how you show up: \n\nmore steadiness \n\nless reactivity \n\nclearer choice around money\, power\, and responsibility \n\n\nPersonal repair quietly becomes relational repair and ripples outward into the communities you’re already part of. \nWe can undo these knots together!\nWhat are some of the main patterns that spiritual types have around money? Dissociation and overgiving are two examples. \nKaren McAllister\, Certified Money Coach of Clear Sky Meditation Centre\, shares some of her insights in the main money patterns experienced by spiritual seekers\, artists and those in the non-profit sector. \nhttps://youtu.be/BwOnDegzXIw\n \n \n \n \nWhat to Expect\nThe course structures itself according to Clear Sky’s Five Principles\, which name the qualities of a supportive space for human flourishing. We apply these principles to help you come to a place of peace\, ease and clarity around your relationship with money. This course falls under the Fourth Principle\, which is\, “Cleaning up big areas of your life frees up energy.” The course structure follows each of the other four principles. \nSession #1: Honor your space. \nMetaphorically speaking\, we open the door and take a look inside your financial room. For many of us\, it is a room full of cobwebs\, things not in their place\, and dust bunnies running amok. The curtains are closed\, and there is a stale\, musty smell in the room. How did this room get this way? By applying principle #1\, we honor your space\, we face the mess and start cleaning it up. We start revisiting the past to see what was not acknowledged and owned around money in the family system and culture.   \nSession #2: Structure and routine are your friends. \nWe look at the money habits that you currently have and write them all down. What do you need to let go of\, and what new habits do you need to take on? How are you going to build them into your structure and routine? We will use the cue\, routine and reward from “The Power of Habit” to help you work new routines around your money life. We will share all the apps\, budget tools\, and a ton of resources for you to guide you in finding the right tool for you around your finances. \nSession #3: Communication shapes the space where we meet. \nWe look at building gratitude and generosity practices to help you overcome the fear and scarcity mentality that takes root in our beings because it is the very water of capitalism that we swim in. A model that promotes a chronic sense of not-enoughness in the being. We will learn to become very mindful of the scarcity we feed ourselves and get really good at cutting these dialogues off skillfully and kindly\, with fierce discernment.  \nSession #4: It’s easier with others. \nWhat are your relationships with money like with your spouse\, your colleagues\, and your friends? Do you end up feeling betrayed or tight around money with others\, or do you stick your head in the sand and not take responsibility? We will study money and relationships through the lens of the eight money archetypes. Archetypes are powerful teachers and allies\, since they inform us of where we need to grow. \n \n \n \nMeet Your Teacher\n \n \n \n \nKaren McAllister’s work is rooted in a simple\, brave question: What happens when our inner life and our financial life are no longer split apart? As a money coach\, meditation teacher\, and contemplative leader\, Karen supports people in healing their relationship with money so they can live\, lead\, and give from a place of wholeness rather than fear. \nFor many years\, Karen has walked alongside individuals\, couples\, and communities who are committed to a spiritual path\, whether expressed through meditation\, service\, creativity\, or conscious relationship\, as they untangle old money patterns and rediscover their capacity for care\, clarity\, and sufficiency. She works with people for whom inner life truly matters\, and for whom money is part of their practice rather than something separate from it. Her approach is both deeply practical and deeply human\, grounded in real financial skill\, emotional honesty\, and a profound respect for the inner life that shapes how we earn\, spend\, save\, and give. \nKaren’s work is shaped by more than twenty years of close study with her spiritual teachers\, Acariya Qapel and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei. Their teachings\, especially around money\, sex\, and power have deeply informed Karen’s way of being with others. She is known for her steady presence\, compassion\, and integrity\, and for embodying a path of practice that brings wisdom into lived\, relational\, and material life\, what Buddhist tradition calls the bodhisattva path. \nShe studied Economics as part of her degree and later trained as a Certified Money Coach\, Couples Money Coach\, and Business Archetype Coach through the Money Coaching Institute. She also studied with Lynne Twist at the Soul of Money Institute\, deepening her understanding of money as a spiritual\, relational\, and ethical force. \nKaren is a founding member and Co-Executive Director of Clear Sky Meditation & Study Centre\, where she lives in residential community. She is a meditation teacher and program developer with a particular focus on money and spirituality\, and she serves as Lead Fund Developer\, currently guiding the multi-year funding of Clear Sky’s Temple Project. This work is not theoretical for her. It is a lived practice of aligning vision\, values\, and material support in service of collective awakening. \nOver the years\, Karen has witnessed the quiet heartbreak on both sides of money: people with deep purpose and sincere spiritual commitment who lack the resources to sustain their work\, and people with financial means who long to give generously yet feel unseen\, mistrusted\, or misunderstood. Her work exists to heal this divide\, to restore trust\, dignity\, and mutual care between those who hold vision and those who hold resources. \nAt the heart of everything Karen offers is an invitation to show up as an integrated\, whole human being. She supports individuals\, couples\, and communities to direct and attract financial resources in ways that align with their deepest values\, moving away from fear and grasping\, and toward love\, generosity\, reciprocity\, and shared flourishing. \nWhat Previous Participants Have Said:\n I wanted to better understand myself with and around money. The benefits of this course? Take a closer look at your relationship with money. When\, why\, what\, who\, with money. Now I understand why I do what I do. The next step is taking action\, and knowing when to take that action. I think everyone would benefit from looking into their money relationship\, especially anyone saying money is evil\, or “I don’t seem to have enough.”\nThank you Karen.\n Fred\n ​​Before Money and Spirituality\, I was unhappy with money in my life but I didn’t know why. After the 4 weeks\, I now know the direction I need to head in to change that. It is now clear how my childhood has been driving my financial decisions as an adult in his 30s. I didn’t realize how much inner healing still needed to be done\, and addressing money brought those issues to light. I am excited to step more into my power. This class is perfect for the “odd balls” who never felt like they fit into society—artists\, spiritual types\, creatives\, and healers—there’s nothing wrong with you or money itself. The view is the problem\, and this class will help you see clearly.\n Mike\n I was living in total overwhelm and fear about addressing my debt issues. I was deferring almost completely to my partner in financial matters and did not know how to discuss my fears and concerns with him in a productive\, generative manner. I did not have much understanding of how my past money trauma may be affecting me today. When I saw the course was being offered this year\, it still scared me but I knew it was an important part of my work to do it. After taking Money and Spirituality\, I am more empowered\, positive\, and hopeful\, and my Warrior archetype is becoming activated. It’s an opportunity to transform unhelpful money habits in a supportive\, non-judgmental community. It will help you realize that you are not alone\, that money troubles come from past and present conditions and are not related to a personal deficiency. There are ways to understand a person’s interior money landscape\, and steps one can take to heal it.\n Jennifer\n I was stuck in a backlog of taxes\, missing day-to-day financial structures and education\, and feeling scarcity around money. Understanding my archetype as well as my beliefs and behaviors around money through this course with Karen were a huge relief. I understand sufficiency and generosity better\, which has made it easier for me to give and to receive. I also brought attention to my own abundance which shifted things and made me see how much I have to offer. I am amazed how big of an impact these seemingly little shifts have. I recommend this to friends; people who spend too much or have shopping addictions\, people who struggle with purpose\, people whose money and work are influenced by others too much\, people who feel they can’t sustain their business. Free yourself from false beliefs about money\, the learned and inherited behavior.\n Maike\n I want to do good in this world. This course has helped me to make business decisions knowing my voice is confident and kind. Learning with Karen gives the gift of a deeper understanding of how you can relate to money and awakening. We can all do it together.\n Kerry\n I have struggled with what vision I wish to have and invest money in\, for my personal growth and for the future of others. I felt ignorant in regard to global economy and the notion of a positive future for me and others. The course with Karen forced me to grow up and see the reality of what I can really afford to have in my life\, to go beyond the scarcity mind into more trusting and loving\, to take care of my body and my mind and therefore be in service to others to do the same. There comes clarity of vision\, understanding creative stress vs. emotional tension\, and knowing the future can be positive if our mindset is right and we learn from leaders like Karen what can be if we do something about our life and take up our responsibility for our Earth. I needed inspiration to move out from a limbo I’ve created for myself. As far as I see\, Karen offers one of the most evolved programs there is on the planet. It brings very conscious humans together to learn and ask really great questions.\n Maya\n I was in a fear state around money. I felt restrictive in my being and that I wasn’t capable of earning\, receiving\, or managing money. As a result of my work in the Money and Spirituality course\, my income has been stable\, I’m repaying my debts and have money in my savings! Karen helped me see the way that our society has programmed us to feel stressed around money—which is the complete antithesis to living in alignment with the universe. I now trust that the universe is supporting me\, and that I have the tools and capabilities to manage my money. Instead of feeling like my spiritual life is hindering my ability to earn enough money\, this course helped me get to a place where my ability to earn money is actively supporting my spiritual life. I’d especially recommend this course to spiritually-focused solopreneurs and anyone whose spiritual aspiration is the most important thing in their life.\n Ava \nHow the 4 Weeks Unfold\nEach week includes: \n\na short teaching to orient the theme\nguided reflection and somatic inquiry\noptional group sharing and listening\ntime for integration between sessions\n\nThe emphasis is on presence\, not performance. \nCourse Details\n\nLocation: Online (Zoom)\nDates: February 14 – March 7\, 2026\n4 x 2 hour session + 1 Individual 30 minute session\nTime: 10am – Noon MT\nDana: $200CAD – $500CAD recommended range.\nPlease chat with us if you have concerns about the cost. Part of taking the money out of the shadow is stepping forward and having a pricing conversation with us.\n\nThis course is Dana based. We do not want to turn away anyone and we are always looking for ways to help you cultivate your generosity practise. Because of this\, we are giving you the opportunity to give the lower rate if you are earning less currently\, or we encourage to give the higher rate if you are able. Many people feel guilty because they are doing well. We encourage you to think about paying it forward. \nThere is also an opportunity to give to the scholarship fund \n \n \nA Gentle Invitation\nIf your body felt a quiet “yes” as you read this\, this course may be a supportive next step. \nThere is no pressure to join.Trust your own timing. \nIf you’d like support in deciding\, I offer a complimentary 30-minute conversation\, not a sales call\, simply a chance to reflect together. https://clearskycoaching-karen.youcanbook.me/ \n \n Register Now\n \nFAQs\n Why does spirituality and money often feel disconnected? \nMany spiritual teachings emphasize renunciation or selflessness\, which can create unconscious beliefs that money is unspiritual. This inner split leads to guilt\, avoidance\, or confusion around earning\, receiving\, and valuing money. \n Can this improve confidence around financial decisions? \nYes. By understanding emotional patterns and beliefs around money\, participants gain clarity and self-trust\, allowing them to make calmer\, more aligned decisions about earning\, spending\, and receiving support. \n Is prior experience with spiritual practice required? \nNo prior experience is required. The course is accessible to beginners while offering depth for those already engaged in spiritual or personal growth work. \n What kinds of struggles is this course best suited to address? \nThe course supports people experiencing scarcity mindset\, money anxiety\, overgiving\, undercharging\, avoidance of finances\, guilt around earning\, or conflict between spiritual values and financial needs. \n What results can participants expect? \nParticipants often experience greater ease\, clarity\, and care in their relationship with money\, along with reduced stress\, healthier habits\, and better alignment between purpose\, values\, and financial life. \n How is this different from financial planning or therapy? \nThis course focuses on inner awareness and spiritual integration rather than budgets or diagnoses. It addresses the emotional and belief-based roots of money patterns\, creating the inner foundation that practical financial tools can build upon. URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/money-spirituality-online-course-2026/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Coaching,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2024-Programming.png ORGANIZER;CN="Clear Sky Center":MAILTO:contact@clearskycenter.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Edmonton:20260321T093000 DTEND;TZID=America/Edmonton:20260321T110000 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20260202T051633Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260315T145014Z UID:27430-1774085400-1774090800@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Psynauts Vol 1: Book Launch (Online Event) DESCRIPTION:“Only some beings access the methodology to become a Psynaut\, although almost all have the capacity.” \n-Qapel Doug Duncan\nQapel was always uncategorizable and his book Psynauts is the same. Is it a Dharma book\, is it sci-fi\, is it autobiography?  \nOn March 21st\, 2026\, at the Spring Equinox—the moment of perfect balance between light and dark\,  when new growth becomes inevitable\, when what has been dormant underground breaks through into manifestation – we gather virtually to celebrate the much-anticipated arrival of Psynauts Vol 1: The Source!  \nThrough dramatic readings\, visual media\, and guided experience\, you’ll be initiated into the Psynaut way of seeing—where ordinary reality becomes transparent to deeper truths. \nThis isn’t just a book launch. It’s the activation of a teaching that Elbud spent 30 years preparing to deliver—wisdom refined through thousands of meditation hours\, countless retreats\, and direct transmission from enlightened masters. \nQapel chose story because\, as he says in the book\, “Sometimes the ego’s defenses are so strong\, wisdom needs to sneak in through the back door.” \nOn March 21st\, that door opens! \n \n Sneak Peek! Download a Complimentary Chapter\n \nJoin us as the Victory Protocols—ancient wisdom from beyond this world—are unveiled to seekers ready to receive them. \nHear directly from those who worked alongside Elbud (Qapel Doug Duncan) during his Earth incarnation. They’ll share what it was like witnessing a master teacher channel cosmic wisdom into story form. \nDiscover what it means to be a space-traveling being—a Psynaut \n​📅 DATE: March 21\, 2026 (Spring Equinox) \n​🕐 TIME: 9:30 AM Mountain \n​🌐 LOCATION: Virtual (Zoom link sent upon registration) \n​💫 COST: Free – No one is turned away \n​⏱️ DURATION: 90 minutes \n​❔Can’t attend live? Recordings will be available for 1 week for anyone registered. \n \n Register Now\n \n \n \n✍️ ABOUT THE AUTHOR \nQapel Doug Duncan brings decades of meditation practice and teaching to this innovative blend of science fiction and spiritual memoir. A respected teacher in the Buddhist tradition\,  Qapel has crafted a unique narrative that makes ancient wisdom accessible to modern seekers. \n  \nA Dharma teacher known for his compassion\, humor\, and fearless wisdom\, Qapel was a lineage holder who studied with Venerable Namgyal Rinpoche for nearly thirty years. He led retreats around the world\, and co-founded Clear Sky Retreat Center in the BC Rockies. \n  \nA lifelong wanderer\, Qapel began exploring as a child—often requiring police escorts home. Over his decades as a teacher\, he helped many students integrate ancient wisdom with contemporary understandings. The Psynauts trilogy represents Qapel’s first work of fiction—a culmination of decades of spiritual insight. \nAre you a Psynaut?\nAnswer these honestly: \nHave you always felt like you don’t quite belong in “ordinary” reality? \nDo you sense there’s something more—but the usual spiritual answers feel incomplete? \nDoes the idea of consciousness traveling between worlds feel strangely familiar? \nHave you been searching for teachings that honor both ancient wisdom and cosmic possibility? \nDid finding this page feel like more than coincidence? \nIf you answered yes to even one of these… You may already be a Psynaut—you just haven’t remembered yet. March 21st is your remembering. \nSee beyond the ordinary story you’ve been told about consciousness… \nRemember the cosmic nature you’ve forgotten \nJoin a lineage of awakening beings spanning worlds and lifetimes \n \nMeet Your Host \n \n Seasoned meditator and Namgyal Lineage Teacher\, Catherine Pawasarat Sensei walked alongside Qapel for two decades\, co-founding Clear Sky Retreat in the BC Rockies and helping thousands of students remember their cosmic nature. She carries the transmission forward—and on March 21st\, she’ll help you understand why this teaching chose fiction as its vessel.\n \n Register Now URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/psynauts-book-launch-celebration-online/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Online Courses,Special Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Psynauts-Book-Launch-Square.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260327 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260406 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20251110T181955Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T020721Z UID:26461-1774569600-1775433599@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Vipassanā Meditation Retreat (In-Person & Online Retreat) DESCRIPTION:Vipassana Meditation Retreat\n“Our problems are noisy\, but our breakthroughs are quiet. All great mystics are born of solitude and silence.” \n-Catherine Pawasarat Sensei \nMany first-time meditators choose Vipassanā for their first retreat. \nVipassanā is ideal for those new to meditation because it introduces you to the foundations needed to build a strong meditation practice and is a doorway to profound insight and realization. \nJoin Catherine Pawasarat Sensei in an ten-day Vipassana meditation retreat\, where we will practice a balanced meditative approach using the foundations of mindfulness from the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta. \nwith Catherine Pawasarat Sensei | March 27 – April 5\, 2026 \nRegistration Deadlines: \nIn-Person Retreat registration deadline: March 13th \nOnline retreat registration deadline: March 20th \nEarly Bird Deadline: \nIn-person retreat Early Bird deadline: January 25th \nOnline retreat Early Bird deadline: February 1st \nWe recommend in-person retreats as the best way to get the most out of your experience. That said\, we recognize that travel is inhibitive for some people and are offering an online option to people living outside of Western Canada.  \n\nRegistration (In-Person)\n\n\nRegistration (Online)\n \nfocus area\nBuddhist Foundations\npractice\nVipassana\n(Insight)\nDuration\nEight Days\nSkill Level\nAll\nformat\nIn-Person & Online\nA Life Changing Experience\nAt this retreat\, the practice itself is awakening\, life-changing and healing. And most importantly\, you will reap great benefit from the rare in-person guidance of an accomplished meditation teacher and wisdom holder\, Catherine Pawasarat Sensei. Sensei’s teaching is radical\, down to earth\, and one-of-a-kind. \nIf you have a background in Vipassana retreats and are interested in doing something that is similar but a next step\, with a live teacher\, then this retreat may be for you. You will receive more detailed instructions based on the Buddhist satipatthana sutta\, and opportunities for asking questions and receiving feedback on your practice. This is priceless. \nAn online option is also available for those not in Western Canada\, to make participation possible from anywhere in the world. \n\nRegister for In-Person\n\n\nRegister for Online\n\n\n\n\n“I feel like a whole new world of understanding has opened up for me to explore. The teachings were interesting\, vibrant\, and so very relevant to our lives. Qapel and Catherine Sensei have done a wonderful job at distilling these vast teachings without oversimplying concepts. The teachings were visual\, informative\, and interactive. It was a great and lots of fun!”\nJenai L. \nTen Day Vipassana Meditation Retreat\nWhile we believe any undertaking can be a vehicle for awakening\, there’s no substitute for the power of one’s own profound experience of truth\, gained through meditation. This is why meditation is one of the four foundational practices of our teaching. \nAnother of our foundation practices is learning. A guiding text for this retreat is the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta\, or Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness.  It is an incredibly powerful methodology. In it\, the Buddha describes four foundations of mindfulness: body\, feeling\, mind\, and mental objects. It is a guide to liberation. \nThis simple yet powerful framework will extend your meditation experience to everything from subatomic particles to the vastness of space\, and all that’s between. It includes practice in all four postures—sitting\, walking\, standing\, and lying down. Experience will transform. And\, finally\, we will offer support for bridging the gap between retreat and daily life when you get home. \n\n \nSchedule\nFor those traveling short distances\, please arrive by 3pm on the start day. For those coming from international or longer distance travel\, please plan to arrive 1-2 days early to allow time to rest and acclimatize before the start of retreat. \nSample brief daily schedule: \n9am Class with Teacher \n11am Group Meditation led by a Senior Student \n12:30pm Lunch \n3pm Group Meditation with Teacher \n6pm Dinner \n7:30 pm Meditation led by a Senior Student \nDeparture: \nDepartures will begin after lunch on the final day of the retreat\, however we also recommend adding some extra nights to your stay for a more easeful transition from retreat to daily life. \n*Daily schedule is subject to minor changes closer to the course date\n\n\n\n\nRegister (In-Person)\n\n\nRegister (Online)\n \nMeet the Teachers\n \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei \nCatherine Pawasarat Sensei began her spiritual practices in earnest in her early 20s\, when she struggled to make sense of and overcome personal suffering and international environmental and social justice challenges. She became a student of metaphysics\, Western spiritual traditions\, and the ayahuasca sacraments in the 1990s. \nFor 26 years Catherine Sensei trained daily with Qapel Doug Duncan in an intensive spiritual apprenticeship that is rare in the modern West. She received lay ordination from Ven. Namgyal Rinpoche in 2003. \nWith Qapel she co-founded Clear Sky Retreat Center and Planet Dharma and is a lineage holder for these teachings. She supports the spiritual underpinnings of social entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship for spiritual practitioners. She worked as an advocacy photojournalist and studied traditional Japanese arts (including koto\, shamisen\, kyogen) in Kyoto for 20 years\, culminating in her landmark work GionFestival.org. \nSince the early 2000s Sensei has provided dharma training and taught the path of awakening to hundreds of students\, together with Qapel and on her own. In addition to Buddhist philosophy and its applications to daily life\, Sensei also draws on generative living (a.k.a. sustainability) and the arts. \nAbout Clear Sky\nLocated in the BC rocky mountains\, we offer over 300-acres to deepen your practice and reconnect with nature. \nFounded by Qapel Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, we are home to students from around the globe who are dedicated to co-creating a supportive and innovative space for awakening in our modern world. \nIn adherence with our quadruple bottom line\, we source our food as local and organic as possible. \nEVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \n\n\n\n\n“Clear Sky is my favourite place to retreat. I am so grateful to find such an amazing place to study various meditation practices\, walk in stunning nature and eat fresh food from the farm. I always enjoy going there for more.”\nMaya L.\n \nFAQs\nCosts \nThe teaching itself is offered in the traditional Buddhist way on the basis of Dāna\,  Please see the section About Dāna below. \nThe costs below cover the accommodation\, food and program/admin fees for Clear Sky to operate the retreat. \nIn person cost including meals and accommodation. \n\nShared Room – CAD $1\,557.00\nPrivate Cabin – CAD $2\,007.00\nOrion Private Cabin – CAD $2\,142.00\nTenting – CAD $1\,017.00\n\nOnline \n\nCAD $450.00 – Online Course Fee\n\nEarly bird discount available (see below). \nAbout Dāna \nDana: \nRegistration fees cover food\, accommodation and the technology needed to offer the retreat online. The Teachings are freely given on the basis of dāna. \nYou may have come across this elsewhere in the form of “pay from the heart”. Dāna is a Sanskrit term meaning “generosity”. With dāna\, we give as a mutual exchange of generosity. It’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \nThe dharma has been built on generosity. No-one is excluded for lack of funds but it is also extremely beneficial to give as much as you are able \nTypically people give in a range of $120-$500 USD for a course. \nAs we’re committed to ensuring everyone has access to the Dharma\, please feel comfortable to give less if you are not financially secure.  Another form of giving dāna is to offer service\, and if you are interested in providing support in a non-financial way\, we invite you to contact us. \nConversely\, if you are financially secure\, we invite you to generate merit by providing more financial support to the Triple Gem. Contributions like these make the difference in supporting our teachers\, teachings\, and center. \nLearn more about the practice of dāna here. \nScholarship Application \nWe aim to make our retreats as accessible as possible. \nAs a centre run entirely by Karma Yoga (selfless service)\, retreat fees only cover food\, accommodation and the equipment required to offer them online. \nThe teachings themselves are offered on the basis of Dāna (pay-from-the-heart). \nFor some\, this is still a barrier of entry. \nIf you are seeking financial assistance to attend a retreat\, please complete a Scholarship Application form. \nDetailed Daily Schedule (Long retreats) \nSpecific times may change – this is a rough guide (MST) \n6:30 – 7:30 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice\n7:30 – 8:15 AM: Breakfast: Prepare\, eat\, clean up\n8:15 – 8:45 AM: Walk &/or Personal Practice\n9:00 – 10:00 AM: Class with Teachers\n10:00 – 10:30 AM: Walk\n10:30 – 11:30 AM: Group Practice led by Sangha\n11:30 – 12:30 PM: Personal Practice\n12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch: Prepare\, eat\, clean up\n1:30 – 3:00 PM: Personal Practice\n3:00 – 4:00 PM: Group Practice led by Sangha\n4:00 – 5:30 PM: Personal Practice\n5:30 – 7:00 PM: Dinner: prepare\, eat\, clean up\n7:00 – 7:30 PM: Walk &/or Personal Practice\n7:30 – 8:30 PM: Group Practice and Q & A with Teachers\n8:30 – Beyond: Personal Practice & bed \nFood\, Weather\, Accommodation and How to Get Here \nClick here for details on how to get here\, what to bring and what to expect.  \nNote: In the unlikely scenario that this retreat is cancelled\, we recommend purchasing refundable travel fares. \nCannabis\, Psychedelics and Microdosing \nWe recognize and respect plant medicine as an important part of some people’s spiritual paths. \nPlease note\, the meditation practice on this retreat is very powerful. Consuming mind-altering substances will detract from your experience and could cause negative side-effects. \nWe ask that you refrain from microdosing or consuming mind-altering substances during this retreat and in the days immediately following it. \nEarly Bird & Registration Deadlines \nIN-PERSON: Please register as early as possible so we can plan for the retreat. Save 10% on fees until April 13\, 2025. Registration deadline for in-person retreatants is May 9th 2025. \nONLINE: We encourage early registration. Save $100 on the online fees until April 20\, 2025. June 6th is the final online registration deadline. \n\n\n\nRegister for In-Person\n\n\nRegister for Online URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/vipassana-meditation-retreat-in-bc-rocky-mountains/ CATEGORIES:Featured Courses,Group Retreats and Courses,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2025-PD-courses-Square-IG-Post-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260409T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260409T201500 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20260210T170647Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260418T174447Z UID:27745-1775761200-1775765700@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Finding Ground: Meditation For Uncertain Times DESCRIPTION:Finding Ground: Meditation For Uncertain Times\nwith Duncan Cryle and Karen McAllister\nAre you feeling stretched thin by the pace of modern life? Struggling to stay centered when the world feels unsettled? \nJoin us for a four-week evening series offering simple meditation practices and communication tools to help you find your ground and reconnect in these unsettled times. Through guided practices\, we’ll learn to settle the body\, come back to the breath\, and draw on nature and community as sources of support. \nEach session includes guided meditation\, reflection\, and time for questions. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming—come as you are. \nNo experience necessary—complete beginners welcome. \nWhen: Thursdays 7:00-8:15 pm MST from April 9 – 30\, 2026 \nWhere: In-Person: Mountain View Therapeutics\, 14 A 13 Ave S #204\, Cranbrook\, BC V1C 2V3 or Online Via Zoom \nCost: Pay-from-the-heart (Dāna). Suggested range $20-50 per class (and welcome regardless of what you are able to offer). \nCurious? Before this series starts\, you’re invited to enjoy our online guided meditations.  \n \n \n Attend In Person\n \n \n Attend Online\n \nAbout these Community Meditation Classes\nThese community classes help you develop a stronger meditation practice both on and off the cushion. \nThese classes run semi-regularly throughout the year at Clear Sky or locally in Cranbrook\, interspersed with our other retreats and offerings. \nDrop ins are welcome\, and we also encourage you to attend all classes if possible. \nClass Series Teachers\n \nKaren McAllister\nKaren McAllister has been practicing meditation since the 1990s and studying in the Namgyal lineage with Qapel and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei since 1998. A founding member of Clear Sky in 2004\, she now serves as Co-Executive Director and leads the funding of the Temple project\, supporting a vision of refuge and deep practice for generations to come. With over a decade of teaching meditation and mindfulness\, Karen’s approach is grounded\, compassionate\, and real\, shaped by the lived practice of community and the willingness to meet life as it is. She invites people to slow down\, listen inwardly\, and find a sense of steadiness within uncertainty. She is also the founder of Mindful Money Coaching\, supporting people to bring awareness and care to how they give\, receive\, and relate to resources. \nDuncan Cryle\nThrough 30+ years of personal practice and 15+ teaching meditation and mindfulness\, alongside an active career working all over the world\, I’ve learnt a lot about an integrating mindfulness into daily life.  As a founding member of Clear Sky in 2004\, I’m amazed at the power of a beautiful\, natural and dedicated space for supporting people to deepen their meditation and feel more connected.  Alongside. my Clear Sky work\, I hold a director position at a large software company where I also run a volunteer global mindfulness program to 1000s employees.  I was formerly one of the pioneers of IBM’s mindfulness movement.  I’m passionate about how mindfulness-based approaches can transform how we live and work together\, and be of better service in the world. \n \nCourse Cost: Dāna\n \n Attend In Person\n \n \n Attend Online\n \n \nWe offer this course on the basis of dāna.  If you’re not familiar with dāna\, you may have come across related approaches such as “pay from the heart.” \nDāna is a Sanskrit term that translates as “generosity” in English. The practice of generosity is central to spiritual unfoldment\, whatever path you follow. In our own Buddhist lineage\, teachings have always been given on the basis of dāna\, and we are committed to this practice and its development in the West. \nDāna is a radical and – we believe – viable economic alternative to capitalism. We all know there must be something better than capitalism or its hungry cousin\, consumerism. We maintain that\, together\, we can offer a financial model that is based in life-affirming mutual support. Please join us in co-creating this promising economic alternative. \nFor this course\, we give a suggested range $20-50 per class (which would be $80-200 for the 4-week series).  You are welcome regardless of what you are able to offer.  \n \n \nTo help you choose an amount that feels right for you\, we recommend this heart-based exercise from our friends at Planet Dharma.  \nChecking in with your heart\n1) Take a few quiet breaths and center yourself. Spend a few moments to reflect on each of the below: the beauty and integrity of dāna practice; the value of receiving direct teachings from lineage holders in a recognized spiritual tradition; the reality of your financial situation. \n2) Spend another few moments contacting a sense of health\, strength and abundance. You have a healthy mind\, a body\, senses\, the good karma to have heard the teachings\, and conditions to support your practice of Dharma. Celebrate this! \n3) Now check with your heart and mind what amount feels both consistent with your situation\, and expressive of your aspiration. \nIt’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \n \n Attend In Person\n \n \n Attend Online\n \nFAQ\n Who leads the Meditation Circle? \nThe series is led by experienced meditation teachers Duncan Cryle and Karen McAllister\, who specialize in integrating mindfulness into daily life and community practice. \n What is the purpose of this meditation series? \nThe program helps participants find stability\, grounding\, and emotional balance during challenging or uncertain times through simple meditation and communication practices. \n What practices are included in the sessions? \nEach session includes guided meditation\, reflection\, breath awareness practices\, and group discussion\, supporting both inner calm and connection with others. \n What can participants expect to experience? \nParticipants learn to settle the body\, reconnect with the breath\, and draw support from nature and community\, creating a sense of steadiness and clarity. \n Is prior meditation experience required? \nNo. The meditation circle is open to complete beginners as well as experienced practitioners. \n How does this program support wellbeing during uncertain times? \nThe practices help reduce overwhelm by strengthening presence\, emotional resilience\, and grounded awareness\, allowing participants to stay centered despite external stress. \n Is this suitable for stress or anxiety relief? \nYes. The series is designed specifically for people feeling stretched\, unsettled\, or disconnected\, offering practical tools for calm and stability. URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/meditation-circle-finding-ground-meditation-for-uncertain-times/2026-04-09/ LOCATION:Mountain View Therapeutics – Cranbrook\, #204 14 A 13 Avenue South\, Cranbrook\, BC\, V1C 2V3\, Canada CATEGORIES:Meditation Circle,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2.png ORGANIZER;CN="Clear Sky Center":MAILTO:contact@clearskycenter.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260430T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260430T201500 DTSTAMP:20260501T214353 CREATED:20260210T170647Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260418T181249Z UID:27863-1777575600-1777580100@www.clearskycenter.org SUMMARY:Finding Ground: Meditation For Uncertain Times DESCRIPTION:Finding Ground: Meditation For Uncertain Times\nwith Duncan Cryle and Karen McAllister\nAre you feeling stretched thin by the pace of modern life? Struggling to stay centered when the world feels unsettled? \nJoin us for a four-week evening series offering simple meditation practices and communication tools to help you find your ground and reconnect in these unsettled times. Through guided practices\, we’ll learn to settle the body\, come back to the breath\, and draw on nature and community as sources of support. \nEach session includes guided meditation\, reflection\, and time for questions. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming\, come as you are. \nNo experience necessary. Complete beginners welcome. \nWhen: Thursdays 7:00-8:15 pm MST from April 9 – 30\, 2026 \nWhere: In-Person: Mountain View Therapeutics\, 14 A 13 Ave S #204\, Cranbrook\, BC V1C 2V3 \nCost: Pay-from-the-heart (Dāna). Suggested range $20-50 per class (and welcome regardless of what you are able to offer). \nCurious? Before this series starts\, you’re invited to enjoy our online guided meditations.  \n Register Now Questions? \nClick To Contact Us (or call 250 429 3920) \nAbout these Community Meditation Classes\nThese community classes help you develop a stronger meditation practice both on and off the cushion. \nThese classes run semi-regularly throughout the year at Clear Sky or locally in Cranbrook\, interspersed with our other retreats and offerings. \nDrop ins are welcome\, and we also encourage you to attend all classes if possible. \nClass Series Teachers\nKaren McAllister\nThrough over 25 years of meditation practice in the Namgyal lineage with Qapel and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei\, and more than a decade of teaching meditation and mindfulness\, I’ve come to trust the importance of staying present with life as it is\, especially in times of uncertainty. As a founding member of Clear Sky in 2004\, I’m continually inspired by the power of intentional community as a place to deepen awareness\, navigate challenges\, and grow together. Alongside my teaching\, I serve as Co-Executive Director of Clear Sky and lead the funding of the Temple project\, supporting a long-term vision of refuge and deep practice for generations to come. I’m also the founder of Mindful Money Coaching\, where I support people to bring greater awareness and care to how they give\, receive\, and relate to resources\, aligning their material lives with what matters most. \nDuncan Cryle\nThrough 30+ years of personal practice and 15+ teaching meditation and mindfulness\, alongside an active career working all over the world\, I’ve learnt a lot about an integrating mindfulness into daily life.  As a founding member of Clear Sky in 2004\, I’m amazed at the power of a beautiful\, natural and dedicated space for supporting people to deepen their meditation and feel more connected.  Alongside. my Clear Sky work\, I hold a director position at a large software company where I also run a volunteer global mindfulness program to 1000s employees.  I was formerly one of the pioneers of IBM’s mindfulness movement.  I’m passionate about how mindfulness-based approaches can transform how we live and work together\, and be of better service in the world. \nCourse Cost: Dāna\n Register \n \nWe offer this course on the basis of dāna.  If you’re not familiar with dāna\, you may have come across related approaches such as “pay from the heart.” \nDāna is a Sanskrit term that translates as “generosity” in English. The practice of generosity is central to spiritual unfoldment\, whatever path you follow. In our own Buddhist lineage\, teachings have always been given on the basis of dāna\, and we are committed to this practice and its development in the West. \nDāna is a radical and we believe viable economic alternative to capitalism. We all know there must be something better than capitalism or its hungry cousin\, consumerism. We maintain that\, together\, we can offer a financial model that is based in life-affirming mutual support. Please join us in co-creating this promising economic alternative. \nFor this course\, we give a suggested range $20-50 per class (which would be $80-200 for the 4-week series).  You are welcome regardless of what you are able to offer.  \n \nTo help you choose an amount that feels right for you\, we recommend this heart-based exercise from our friends at Planet Dharma.  \nChecking in with your heart\n1) Take a few quiet breaths and center yourself. Spend a few moments to reflect on each of the below: the beauty and integrity of dāna practice; the value of receiving direct teachings from lineage holders in a recognized spiritual tradition; the reality of your financial situation. \n2) Spend another few moments contacting a sense of health\, strength and abundance. You have a healthy mind\, a body\, senses\, the good karma to have heard the teachings\, and conditions to support your practice of Dharma. Celebrate this! \n3) Now check with your heart and mind what amount feels both consistent with your situation\, and expressive of your aspiration. \nIt’s our joy to offer this course\, and we trust you’ll match our time\, energy\, and passion by giving an amount of money that feels good and healthy to both you and us. \n Register Now \nFAQ\n Who leads the Meditation Circle? \nThe series is led by experienced meditation teachers Duncan Cryle and Karen McAllister\, who specialize in integrating mindfulness into daily life and community practice. \nWhat is the purpose of this meditation series? \nThe program helps participants find stability\, grounding\, and emotional balance during challenging or uncertain times through simple meditation and communication practices. \nWhat practices are included in the sessions? \nEach session includes guided meditation\, reflection\, breath awareness practices\, and group discussion\, supporting both inner calm and connection with others. \nWhat can participants expect to experience? \nParticipants learn to settle the body\, reconnect with the breath\, and draw support from nature and community\, creating a sense of steadiness and clarity. \nIs prior meditation experience required? \nNo. The meditation circle is open to complete beginners as well as experienced practitioners. \nHow does this program support wellbeing during uncertain times? \nThe practices help reduce overwhelm by strengthening presence\, emotional resilience\, and grounded awareness\, allowing participants to stay centered despite external stress. \n Is this suitable for stress or anxiety relief? \nYes. The series is designed specifically for people feeling stretched\, unsettled\, or disconnected\, offering practical tools for calm and stability. URL:https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/meditation-circle-finding-ground-meditation-for-uncertain-times-2026-04-30/ LOCATION:Mountain View Therapeutics – Cranbrook\, #204 14 A 13 Avenue South\, Cranbrook\, BC\, V1C 2V3\, Canada CATEGORIES:Meditation Circle,Online Courses ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.clearskycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2.png ORGANIZER;CN="Clear Sky Center":MAILTO:contact@clearskycenter.org END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR