YoGo24 - 24 Hour Yoga Marathon for UNICEF

The Bozeman Yoga Center is holding a 24 hour marathon open yoga practice in honor of World AIDS Day, from 6:30 pm November 30th through 6:30 pm December 1st. There is no cost involved or donation required, but any funds raised will be donated in entirety to UNICEF’s Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS campaign. For more information or to register as a participant, find out more on the Bozeman Yoga Center's blog post about their YoGo24 event

Labyrinth Walks for Peace to Begin Sunday December 2nd

The Frannie Hall Kieschnick Peace Labyrinth is indeed on its way to the Peace and Justice Center! Labyrinth walks will begin, barring any pilgrimage diversions (aka airline luggage messups), next Sunday, December 2nd, from 5:00 - 6:30 pm in the main room of the Bozeman Yoga Center. These walks are community-centered, world-focused, and non-religious or dogmatic -- the Labyrinth is open to all interested in walking the road of the peaceful warrior, of any culture, race, affiliation, or age (parents of young children are asked to guide and accompany them as they walk and explore the Labyrinth). This will be a time for walking meditation, focusing energy towards world peace and the inner work necessary to manifest it, including making peace with oneself -- your walk can be of whatever format or significance that makes the most sense for you, wherever you are in your life now. Quiet will be observed for the hour and a half that the Labyrinth is available to be walked, and those who wish to sit meditation (please bring your own bench or cushion) outside the labyrinth for any period during that time may do so. Shoes may not be worn on the labyrinth, so bring warm socks if your feet are easily chilled (and whose aren't these days?). Hot tea and water may be enjoyed in the Yoga Center Atrium classroom before or after your Labyrinth walk. To learn more about the Labyrinth, its historical significance, ways of walking, about other Labyrinth forms and more, visit our "Labyrinth Links" section in the left-hand column.

Come join us as we welcome the Labyrinth to our Center, and add your presence and intention to the pool of those working, and walking, towards peace and social justice for all.

Labyrinth Walk for Peace
Sundays 5 - 6:30 pm
beginning December 2nd, 2007
1716 West Main Suite 8A2
the Bozeman Yoga Center

Upcoming Events for December 2007

Our first "Speaker & Supper Night"! Not one documentary, but two! December is a great time to get to know your new Peace and Social Justice Center -- come join in some or all of our events this upcoming month, and join in the dialog! All events are held at the Bozeman Yoga Center, across from Hastings at 1716 West Main Street, Suite 8A2.

Thursday December 6th - 7 pm - ** Bonus Documentary Film Night **
We will be holding a special showing of "Jesus Camp", the Academy Award-nominated documentary revealing the firsthand experiences of Evangelical Christian children at a pentecostal Summer camp, and depicting on a larger scale a glimpse into the movement of the Christian right. There will be a facilitated discussion after the film to explore how religious extremes affect both the wellbeing and individual rights of children, as well as the affect such extremes have on peace and social justice movements worldwide. As with all of our documentary film nights, there will be popcorn, tea, and homemade vegan cookies! $5 sliding-scale donation and a non-perishable item for the food bank gratefully requested.

Saturday December 15th - 6-9 pm - Speaker & Supper Night: Tanzania
Join us for this first in a monthly series, where we will gain knowledge of the peace and social justice issues of a specific country or region while also exploring its culture through the universal language of cuisine! This month, Essau Pwelle of Tanzania and Director of the African Orphans Fund will lead us through the challenges facing his homeland and share stories of the work he and others have done with the AOF, after we share a community potluck vegetarian supper of traditional Tanzanian dishes. Watch our blog for an upcoming post with the traditional yet simple Tanzanian recipes you can bring to share as we get to know this fascinating country, its culture, and what it's up against.

Thursday December 20th - 7 pm - "Third Thursday" Documentary Film Night
In part to celebrate this season of family, community and healing, we will be showing "The Story of the Weeping Camel". A nomadic Mongolian family, faced with the rare birth of a pure white camel calf and also the rejection of that calf by its mother, set out on a series of attempts and then quests to gently unite the mother and baby into the family they were intended to be. Aside from a heartwarming story, it is an excellent discussion point on the role that culture and tradition play in forming the medical model, and how we can strive to better facilitate health rather than conform to standard medical practice. Discussion to follow the film, and popcorn, tea, and homemade vegan cookies throughout. $5 sliding-scale donation and a non-perishable item for the food bank gratefully requested.

The Labyrinth Journeys to Bozeman

For centuries, those on inner or outer pilgrimages in search of enlightenment and a connection to all living things have walked patterns as a way of quieting the ego, focusing the mind, and honoring the lineage of those who have done so in times past. A very significant example of such a pattern is the Labyrinth that is laid in stone on the floor of the cathedral in Chatres, France. The Chatres Labyrinth was laid in 1200 CE, and is a much-loved and much-walked symbol worldwide by those seeking inner peace and outer direction to make a difference in our world.

The Reverend Frannie Hall Kieschnick, co-founder of the progressive Beatitudes Society and one who has worked both joyfully and tirelessly for many years in initiatives such as strengthening interfaith communities and supporting third world initiatives, has generously gifted her personal canvas copy of the Chartres Labyrinth on long-term loan to the Peace and Social Justice Center for use in facilitating a weekly contemplative "Walk for Peace". Canvas being quite heavy, we began working on a way to ferry the Labyrinth to Bozeman via alternative means; a Listeners Personal was placed on KGLT, the local community radio station, for anyone traveling from the San Francisco Bay Area to Bozeman any time over the Thanksgiving holiday, and word-of-mouth went out into the community for anyone making the trip between these two points... As luck would have it, we did indeed find such a person, and the Labyrinth will be making its way to us early next week.

PSJC Launches in Bozeman

Welcome to the Peace and Social Justice Center, the first of it's kind in South-Central Montana. It is an exciting time to be growing a community-based social consciousness movement in this part of the country, as we increase and add to the ongoing global dialog on issues ranging from gender inequality, water and food allocation, environmental health and sustainability, healthcare methodology and accessibility, and the many other issues that affect the daily peace and justice of all our fellow beings living on Earth. Join us as we strive to directly connect to the topical social and political issues affecting us all through our regular "Third Thursday" documentary film nights, hosted speaker evenings, potlucks, community fundraisers and food drives, and more... and be a part of building, from the ground up, a new center for the unification of those dedicated to a better world for all.