WORKSHOPS & CLASSES
“To journey without being changed is to be a nomad. To change without journeying is to be a chameleon. To journey and be transformed by the journey is to be a pilgrim.”
–Mark Nepo
CURRENT CLASSES
“Clergy Grief Support Group”
6 weeks for 1.5 hour zoom group
led by 2 facilitators: Rev. Erin King and Susan Garcia
How many participants? 5-10
Fee: $300 for 6 sessions; $50/per session or $275 if paid up front
To Register: contact Erin King izumiwellspring@gmail.com or 209-815-0763
Are you a clergyperson who has been “let go” from a church or from a spiritual
leadership position whether on purpose (known reasons) or unexpectedly? Have
you recently retired as a pastor/chaplain, or are you a clergy who has experienced a
personal loss? Perhaps you have been experiencing disenfranchised grief and may
not realize it. Disenfranchised grief is grief that persons experience when they
incur a loss that is not or cannot be openly, publicly mourned, or socially
supported.” When clergy experience this type of grief and do not get the support
they need, it can cause a longer grieving process and could evolve into a more
serious form of complicated grief.
Purpose for the group: Given there is minimal or no places for clergy to receive
specialized support for their disenfranchised grief process, we will provide a 6-
week grief support group. There will be a strong emphasis on creating a safe and
confidential setting. We will provide a place where clergy can express their grief,
receive spiritual and emotional support regarding the multiple issues inherent in
this type of grief, become familiar with the newest information about the
disenfranchised grief process, and how to cope as they move through this time of
transition.
Rev. Erin King and Susan Garcia will co-facilitate this grief support group. Rev. Erin has been a Board-Certified Chaplain (BCC) for 20 years and has worked as a hospice chaplain for over 10 years and as a hospital chaplain for 7 years. Most recently she was serving as Associate Pastor of Spiritual Formation at CAUCC in Modesto, CA. Erin has personal experience with disenfranchised grief and its specific issues for clergy in the church and communities. She has led grief support groups and has provided individual support for adults and children grieving. She has received specialized training as an Anamcara Apprentice at the Sacred Art of Living Center in Bend, Oregon and with the American Academy of Bereavement.
Co-facilitator, Susan Garcia, majored in Human Resources and has extensive background in grief and loss. She worked for 31 years in a hospice setting as Director of Bereavement Services, providing bereavement services for hospice and community clients. She offered grief counseling for those experiencing an impending loss or after a loss occurred for children, teens and adults. Susan developed, supervised and facilitated innumerable groups which included caregiver, general grief, bereaved parent, and survivors of suicide groups and a Tragedy Assistance Group for Survivors (TAPS). Within the community, Susan assisted in the development of groups in churches, schools and within the workplace. Susan has served as a Jail Chaplain where she met with inmates individually and in a group setting. Susan is also an active CISD (Critical Incident Stress Debriefing) team member.
“From Age-ing to Sage-ing: Spiritual Eldering”
Wednesdays, October 4, 11, 18 and 25, 2023
on zoom: 2-3:30 pm
OR
Sundays October 1, 8, 15 and 22, 2023
in person: Stockton, CA 2-3:30 pm
$89 per person or $120 per couple for the 4-week series
To Register: contact Erin King izumiwellspring@gmail.com or 209-815-0763
This class series will focus on exploring what it means to be an older person in our
communities and society. So many people experience physical and mental changes
and wonder how they are valuable or worthwhile now. Do we have to be
physically active and mentally sharp to be appreciated by family, friends, and
community? We will look at and experience “spiritual eldering”. We will re-
contextualize aging as “the anticipated fulfillment of life, not its inevitable
decline”. The focus will be discovering that elderhood is a time of unparalleled
inner spiritual growth. Each class will include a teaching/learning time, plus an
opportunity to experience spiritual eldering.
“Dragonfly Times: Transitions of Letting In, Letting Go and Moving On”
Contact Erin King izumiwellspring@gmail.com or 209-815-0763 to set up a time and consultation.
This 4 weeks/8 hour class series is for the congregation who has gone through transitions, is going through transitions or will be going through transitions. We will focus on the steps involved in this process, particularly to endings, the neutral zone, and new beginnings. We will be attentive to self-care, make meaning of where we are in the process, and how specific gifts of the Spirit and biblical stories can guide us during the transition process. The class format will combine teaching segments, small group sharing and individual reflection time. Through creative activities and journaling, participants will become experientially involved in tapping the wellspring within themselves that will give them the hope to face their faith community transitions as well as their own personal transitions.
Rev. Erin King has guided individuals and groups many times both here in the USA and overseas in Tokyo, Japan. She has used this valuable information for her own personal transitions including multiple overseas moves, a divorce, two career changes, family shift changes as well as congregational shifts. Erin has been an ordained UCC clergywoman for 21 years, she has 20 years’ experience as a chaplain and 30 years’ experience as a spiritual teacher and guide.
“Women At The Well”
Fourth Saturday of every month beginning
November 25 (Stockton)
December 2 (Portola Valley)
from 3:30-5 p.m
Following ancient tradition of women gathering at the well, we will come together to celebrate what it means to be women with ritual, connection, and friendship, as we create and deepen community together.
Come to our woman-space, where you belong!
Experience beauty, ritual, laughter, and stories as we pause and pay attention to connect to our senses and satisfy our inner wellspring.
Creating Your Own Lorica: A Celtic Spiritual Shield
Saturdays, March 4-April 15 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Stockton, CA
$100 (plus $20 materials cost) or
$20/week over 6 weeks (plus $20 materials cost)
Space is limited.
Do you sometimes need God’s protection? Do you want to know in a concrete way you are not alone in navigating life’s challenges? Let’s discover how the ancient Celts did it.
Come create your very own spiritual shield, what the Celts called a Lorica. We will spend the 6 weeks of Lent creating our very own shield. Using a circular canvas, you will paint your own personal symbols, your family’s symbols and your faith community’s symbols invoking intentions for prayers of protection. This will be a spiritual practice involving the mind, body, and heart. We will meet each week and share meaningful ritual, and paint
together. During the week, you will ponder questions of reflection. By the end of the 6 weeks, you will have your very own shield of protection.
The Red Thread Circle
Saturdays, March 18, April 15, May 20, June 17
3:30pm – 5:00pm
Stockton, CA
Donations accepted
The third Saturday of the month we gather to celebrate who we are as women, one another and the Divine within us.
For more information, contact Erin King at izumiwellspring@gmail.com or 209-815-0763
World Labyrinth Day Walk
Saturday, May 6, 2023, 1-3 p.m
You will learn about this ancient spiritual tool and experience a guided walk that allows the intuitive, symbolic mind to come to the forefront. Many who walk the labyrinth experience a deep sense of inner peace and spiritual well-being. Erin is a trained labyrinth facilitator.
For more information, contact Erin King at izumiwellspring@gmail.com or 209-815-0763
SoulCollage® : Celebrating Beltane and the Full Moon
Friday, May 5, 2023 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Stockton, CA
$40, includes materials
Through fitting together cut-out images in a surprising new way, you will tap into your well-spring of creativity, intuition, and inner wisdom. This process is a means for psychological and spiritual growth. Erin is a trained SoulCollage® facilitator.
For more information, contact Erin King at izumiwellspring@gmail.com or 209-815-0763
Beyond the Circle: Creating Healing Mandalas
“Sanctuary Rest”
Sunday, April 23, 2023, 1-3 p.m.
Stockton, CA
$40, includes materials
This workshop will focus on using the spiritual tool of creating mandalas as a way of seeking healing and spiritual well-being. Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning “Sacred Circle” or “to have possession of one’s essence”. Mandalas are circular designs found in all cultures and faith traditions. With ritual, music and guided meditation we will discover how symbol is the language of the soul and experience the creating of a mandala as a deepening of one’s spiritual connection to the Divine.
For more information, contact Erin King at izumiwellspring@gmail.com or 209-815-0763
ONE ON ONE CONSULTATIONS
CURRENT OFFERINGS
Spiritual Direction
Grief Counseling
Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator®
(MBTI) With Interpreted Results
Enneagram
Interpretation Of Mandalas Using MARI®
Soulcollage®
Intentional Creativity®
Self-Discovery Through
Labyrinth Meditation
A Portable Labyrinth Available Upon Request
What Is Spiritual Direction?
Spiritual direction or Spiritual Companioning is a relationship with a person where the focus is on a person’s spiritual journey. Erin has extensive training in being with people of different faiths as well as with people who claim no faith tradition. She enables a person to explore what feels right for her/himself; and offers a safe container to question beliefs, doubts and the “I don’t know’s”. She offers creative suggestions, traditional and non-traditional spiritual remedies as well as a willingness to walk with people during those dark times that could include loss and grief, trauma, and addiction recovery.
Grief Counseling
Erin has 19 years as a Board Certified Chaplain in health care community including working with cancer patients, behavioral health patients and crisis situations. She also has 10 years experience as a hospice chaplain. Erin is an Apprentice graduate of the AnamCara Project from the Sacred Art of Living Center in Bend, Oregon. She has specialized training in Coma Communication with those at the end of life as well as with those people who have Alzheimer’s Disease.
Intentional Creativity®
Erin has been trained in the 2018 Color of Woman Teacher Training with Shiloh Sophia McCloud. Through The Intentional Creativity process, Erin encourages participants to claim their story, pay attention to what their inner world wants to be called forth anew, and through intentionally using symbol (the language of the soul), a new story is expressed in the form of a painting, a poem or other creative expressions. Participants often acknowledge an inner shift has occurred.
Crone Rituals
Weddings
Memorials, Celebration Of Life
Beyond the Circle:
Creating Healing Mandalas
This workshop will focus on using the spiritual tool of creating mandalas as a way of seeking healing and spiritual well-being. Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning “Sacred Circle” or “to have possession of one’s essence”. Mandalas are circular designs found in all cultures and faith traditions. With ritual, music and guided meditation we will discover how symbol is the language of the soul and experience the creating of a mandala as a deepening of one’s spiritual connection to the Divine.
Age-ing to Sage-ing: Spiritual Eldering
This class series will focus on exploring what it means to be an older person in our church and society. We will look at and experience “spiritual eldering”. Author and Rabbi Shalomi states, “An elder is a person who is still growing, still a learner, still with potential and whose life continues to have within it promise... It is a time to discover inner richness for self-development and spiritual growth.”
SoulCollage®
Through fitting together cut-out images in a surprising new way, you will tap into your well-spring of creativity, intuition, and inner wisdom. This process is a means for psychological and spiritual growth. Erin is a trained SoulCollage® facilitator.
Exploring the Artist’s Way:
A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
This 12 week class uses Julia Cameron’s book as a guide for deeper awareness of the inner creative process. At the end of the 12 weeks, participants notice a significant creative shift.
The Labyrinth: A Walking Meditation
Through the use of a full size labyrinth, you will learn about this ancient spiritual tool and experience a guided walk as a spiritual morality that allows the intuitive, symbolic mind to come to the forefront. Many who walk the labyrinth experience a deep sense of inner peace and spiritual well-being. Erin is a trained labyrinth facilitator.
Your Way In the World: Applying The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI)
Gain an understanding of your individual preferences in energy source, decision making, lifestyle and work patterns. Erin is a trained facilitator of the MBTI®
The Enneagram: The 9 Faces of God
Gain understanding of your personality traits through the Enneagram; and how it relates to your understanding of God, your expression of your spirituality, and how it effects your relationships with others. Erin has been trained by Don Risso and Russ Hudson.
The Soul of a Pilgrim
Take a 40 day journey. This is a great opportunity for inner reflection by attending a new class that will focus on the inner spiritual journey. During these 40 days we will be studying the book The Soul of a Pilgrim by Christine Valters Paintner. Each class will include a study on a bible passage related to pilgrimage using a “midrash” technique, an experiential activity that opens the mind-spirit connection, and shared open reflection.
Our Spiritual Journey
This class series will explore four different ways of nurturing the spirit. We will experience ritual; creative expression with art as meditation; spiritual reading/Lectio Divina; and the use of music as spiritual practices.
Red Thread Circles
Regular gathering of women who share their stories, celebrating who they are and their connectedness to one another.