What do you wish for?

Do you base our choices on what you want, or what you think you're supposed to want? Let yourself feel what you feel and want what you want, THEN engage your mind in the process. The best wishes are born from your heart.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Molly Blue Dawn's List of Events for the Week starting Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Red Hand Day, Darwin Day, Crafty Cool Wednesdays at Handcraft Studio, British Traditional Wicca 101, Ancestral Healing Series: Dreaming with the Ancestors, Tibetan Sound Healing, Heart Centered Love: A Meditation Circle, In Her Name Circle: Honor and Connect with Your Innate Wisdom, History Mystery Tour, The Woman Magician, The Maltese Falcon, Old Sin Town: Thrillpeddlers 2014 Season Launch, Geoff Hoyle's Geezer, One Billion Rising for Justice, Garden Love Day, World Sound Healing Day, Peace 'n Justice Walk in North Oakland, Manifestation Monthly: Full Moon Manifestation Circle and Ceremony, A Night for The One Billion: Performance Ritual Mash-Up, Co:Laboratory: Valentines Day Creationships Edition, Gods Spirits and Consciousness, The Travertine Mysteries: Sacred Initiation Rites for Women, Monologos de la Vagina, PantheaCon, Tree Planting Ceremony and Demonstration, No Earth Energy Walk This Month, Family Stamps, Deep Dreaming: Finding Interconnection through Shared Dreaming, Ferment! Lacto-Fermenting for Flavor and Health, Intro to Indigo, Beading Workshop, Jeruiyq (The Promised Land), Chinese New Year Parade, Social Permaculture for Community Building: Design for Intangibles, Nebula Force Go!, An Evening of Awakened Love, The Saga Of Captain William Shorey, Herbal Medicine Demystified, A Tea Tasting Affair, Open Shamanic Journey Circle, African Drumming with Lamine, Bay Area Raw Valentine's Inspired Chocolate Extravaganza, A Cup of Tea with Spirit, Cosmic Mass: An Interactive Community Dance Celebration, Food and Pleasure, Journey Through The Living Temple of Witchcraft, The African Origins of Human Intelligence, The Perennial Wisdom of Dreaming: A Reading Course, Gaia Girls, Introduction to Self Defense Workshop
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Red Hand Day
Wednesday, February 12

“Red Hand Day, February 12 each year, is an annual commemoration day on which pleas are made to political leaders and events are staged around the world to draw attention to the fates of child soldiers, children who are forced to serve as soldiers in wars and armed conflicts. The aim of Red Hand Day is to call for action against this practice, and support for children who are affected by it.

Children have been used repeatedly as soldiers in recent years including armed conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, Cote d'Ivoire, Burma, the Philippines, Colombia, and Palestine. Estimates on the number of children engaging in armed conflict around the world show no change between 2006 and 2009. Rehabilitation for child soldiers returned to their communities ranges from inadequate to non-existent.

Red Hand Day was initiated in 2002, when the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict entered into force on February 12, 2002. This protocol was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in May 2000 and currently has signatures from over 100 different states. A number of international organizations are active against the use of children as soldiers. These organizations include, for example, the United Nations Child Fund (UNICEF), Amnesty International, Terre des Hommes or the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

The work of these organizations can be summarized by the abbreviation DDR: Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration.”
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Darwin Day
Wednesday, February 12

“Darwin Day is a global celebration of science and reason held on or around February 12, the birthday anniversary of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin.

On this website you can find all sorts of information about Charles Darwin and the International Darwin Day Foundation. If you are hosting a Darwin Day event, you can post information about it on our events listing. You can also locate Darwin Day programs near you by searching our events section.

We have also provided resources for hosting Darwin Day events, including promotional support and a list of potential Darwin Day presenters.”
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Crafty Cool Wednesdays at Handcraft Studio
Wednesday, February 12, 6:00-9:00PM, and the second Wednesday of each month
Handcraft Studio School, 5885 Doyle Street, Emeryville, 510-332-6101
$10

“Join us the second Wednesday of each month for our open craft night. Bring whatever project you are working on and enjoy the company of other creative people. Refreshments and snacks provided.

Welcome to Handcraft Studio School, where our mission is to teach, promote and preserve the art of handcrafts. At our Emeryville studio space, we share our passion for handcrafts by partnering with local artists and craftsmen to teach workshops ranging from letterpress printing to flower arranging, and more.”
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British Traditional Wicca 101
with Lady Argante
Wednesday, February 12, 7:00-9:00PM,
and eight more Wednesdays through April 9
The Sacred Well, 536 Grand Avenue, 510-444-9355
$10 per class

“British Traditional Wicca 101 is a 14-week class which provides students with a basic overview of the religion and craft of Wicca, from a British Traditional perspective. Subjects to be covered include the Goddess and the God, the Wheel of the Year, tools and correspondences, ritual structure and function, magical ethics and methods. There will also be guided visualizations and two informal rituals.

This month's classes:
February 12: Ritual Structure and Function
February 19: Meditation on the Element of Air
February 26: Meditation on the Element of Fire

British Traditional Wicca 101 will be taught by members of the Coven Daoine Sidhe, led by their High Priestess, Lady Argante. At 26 years young, Daoine Sidhe is one of the most enduring (or stubborn) Gardnerian covens in the San Francisco Bay Area.”
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Ancestral Healing Series: Dreaming with the Ancestors
with Atava Garcia Swiecicki
Wednesday, February 12, 7:00-9:15PM
Ancestral Apothecary, 3798 Grand Avenue, Oakland
$20
Please RSVP to atava@ancestralapothecary.com or 510-541-2715

“This evening is to introduce people to the work of remembering and reclaiming our ancestral medicine.

My intention is to gather together people engaged in this work that we may support and inspire one another and strengthen our connection to our own ancestors.

Our time together will be a blend of talking circles, teaching, meditation, creative work and healing work.

This meeting will be focused on sharing dreams of our ancestors. Please bring dreams to share.

This circle is open to people of all ancestral backgrounds.”
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Tibetan Sound Healing
with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Wednesday, February 12, 7:30-9:00PM,
and two more Wednesdays, March 5 and April 23
Sacred Stream Center, 2149 Byron Street, Berkeley, CA 94702
$20 in advance, $25 at the door (may sell out)
For more information, please e-mail info@sacredstream.org

“One of the world's oldest unbroken spiritual traditions is the Bon Buddhist tradition of Tibet. This wisdom path has survived thanks to the efforts of a handful of dedicated lamas, such as Bon lineage holder Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. In this series of teachings, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche gives us the tools to access wisdom and compassion, and to use the vibration of sacred sound to purify our body, connect with our inherent perfection and completeness, and awaken spiritual virtue.

You can come to any one of the talks or all of the talks. If you miss one of the earlier ones, you will still benefit from attending later ones.

This lecture series benefits the Tibetan's Children's School and the Tibetan Association of Northern California.
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Heart Centered Love: A Meditation Circle
with Evalena Rose, M.A.
Thursday, February 13, 6:30-8:30PM
The Crossroads, private land in Santa Rosa, RSVP for address
Donations welcome

“Our Gratitude Meditation in November was loving and powerful and we've been asked to host another.  This month we'll focus on releasing separation and embracing unity to strengthen and expand our heart centered love with more of the All.  Yes, the process begins with increasing Love and Compassion for Ourselves!”  
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In Her Name Circle: Honor and Connect with Your Innate Wisdom
with Joy Reichard
Thursday, February 13, 7:00-9:30PM, and the second Thursday of each month
Ann Benner Room, UU San Mateo, 300 E Santa Inez Avenue, San Mateo, 650-342-5946
$15 in advance, $20 at the door

“The voice of the Divine Feminine is re-emerging in human consciousness, bringing us a new vision of the sacredness and unity of life.

Her mythology from diverse cultures around the globe illustrates her many representations and rich symbolism offering role models and guidance to modern women and men. Her message is one of peace, compassion, and respect for all life.

If you are seeking to learn more about the Divine Feminine, then please join us on the second Friday of each month as devotees of the Goddess gather to celebrate her many manifestations with ritual, movement, myth, song, divination and guided visualization. A $10-$20 donation is appreciated.

This month’s circle: Honoring and Connecting with Our Innate Wisdom
Featuring Jeannie Advincula and Shea Lindsay

The IMPORTANCE of SELF LOVE on Valentine's Day...

When you take the time to care for yourself, you will change how you see and participate in the world. This initiates powerful emotional, physical, and spiritual changes. As a result, you may find more energy, resources, time and even love within and around you.

Jeannie Advincula and Shea Lindsay will be sharing tools to help you make daily shifts in your relationship with yourself and others. They will help you discover places of peace and connection in your body and learn how this can be utilized to change your LIFE.

You will be introduced to the amazing tools of Somato Respiratory Integration and concepts of Reorganizational Living - cutting edge transformational tools developed by Dr. Donald Epstein. Through this journey you will walk away with a greater understanding of how to till the soil of your inner being and harness the change you want to see in your life through LOVE and CONNECTION.

Jeannie Advincula is a Wellness Educator and a passionate cheerleader for humanity. Her personal and professional experience in Somato Respiratory Integration and Chiropractic shape her outlook on the limitless possibilities connection brings to the growth and evolution of the planet. Jeannie has taught various workshops on personal discovery, transformation and awakening utilizing tools of Reorganizational Healing. She has spoken at various events representing Life Chiropractic College West throughout her educational career and is currently a chiropractic intern at the Life West Health Center.

Shea Lindsay: Originally from Rhode Island where I graduated from university of Rhode Island with a bachelors of science in Exercise Science. I worked in Cardiac Rehabilitation, Athletic Training for Salve Regina University, and as a personal trainer for specifically Women of all ages. I am certified as a personal trainer, CPR/ First aid instructor, and certified strength and conditioning specialist. After moving to San Diego, I found my love in Chiropractic and the preventative and holistic approaches to wellness. I am currently a student at Life Chiropractic College West. I have a love for exercise, yoga/meditation, and the outdoors. I am passionate about learning from others and sharing my knowledge to help improves lives.”
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History Mystery Tour
on board the USS Hornet
Thursday, February 13, 7:00-10:00PM
USS Hornet Museum, 707 W Hornet Avenue, Pier 3, Alameda, 510-521-8448
must be age 12+
$35, must book in advance at the website below

“Is the USS Hornet really haunted? Come and see for yourself! Do you dare explore Hornet after hours?

Beat the crowds and receive a special tour of areas onboard Hornet that have not yet been opened to the public or have been reported to host unseen visitors:
Combat Information Center (CIC)
Message Center (Radio Central)
Mess Deck
Sidewinder Missile Assembly Room
Brig
Catapult Machinery Room
Sick Bay
Captain and Admiral’s In Port State Rooms
Flight Deck and Island
Focsle and Secondary Con

Upcoming dates:
Friday, March 21, 2014
Friday, April 24, 2014
Friday, May 30, 2014
Friday, June 6, 2014
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Friday, August 15, 2014
Friday, September 5, 2014
Thursday, October 23, 2014

The three-hour guided tour is 7:00-10:00PM.
Everybody must bring their own flashlight. Hornet does not supply individual lights.
Cameras are welcome, but must have a neck strap.
Tour participants must wear comfortable shoes. Heels and open-toed shoes are not allowed.
Tour participants must be in good physical health as there will be lots of walking and climbing.
Due to safety reasons, children 12 and under are not allowed on History Mystery Tours.
The USS Hornet reserves the right to cancel a tour if less than 8 people sign up. Tours may be rescheduled or a refund will be issued.”
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The Woman Magician
with Brandy Williams
Thursday, February 13, 7:30PM
East West Bookstore, 324 Castro Street, Mountain View, 650-988-9800
Free, but please call to reserve a seat

“Is ‘High Magic’ just for men? The stereotypical image of the magician is like the Rider-Waite Tarot card, the male magician holding a wand in front of an altar. How do women fit into the tradition? Must we be relegated to the supporting role, the Priestess who inspires the magician, or can we wield the wand ourselves? Come discuss gender in the magical traditions with Brandy Williams, author of The Woman Magician: Revisioning Western Metaphysics from a Woman’s Perspective and Experience.”
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The Maltese Falcon
presented by Butterfield 8
Thursday-Saturday, February 13-15, 8:00PM
Cue Productions Live, 1835 Colfax Street, Concord
$20

“Tough, independent detective Sam Spade is hired by the beautiful and mysterious Miss Wonderly, who walks into his San Francisco office pleading desperately for help finding her sister. This sets into motion a story about what it's like to want something  a fortune, a lover, or even respect  so badly that you would kill for it; until finally the chase itself means more to you than what you're chasing.

Dashiell Hammett's third novel, The Maltese Falcon was originally serialized in the magazine Black Mask, and set the standard by which all subsequent detective fiction would be judged. Written in 1930 and adapted several times for film (most famously in 1941 starring Humphrey Bogart and directed by John Huston), the novel wasn't adapted for the stage until 2007.

Butterfield 8 will host a special Opening Night event on Friday, February 14, including a post show reception with an open bar and complimentary food.”
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Old Sin Town: Thrillpeddlers 2014 Season Launch
Thursday-Saturday, February 13-15, 8:00PM
The Hypnodrome, 575 10th Street, San Francisco
$20-$50

“Old Sin Town: Thrillpeddlers 2014 Season Launch

The holiday weekend celebrating both Valentines and Presidents Day is traditionally the time when Thrillpeddlers launch their latest season, which includes the 5th Anniversary Revival of Pearls Over Shanghai, the 15th Annual Shocktoberfest, and a summer of Creepshow Camps for kids.  This variety act bill, performed by members of the company, is a benefit to raise funds for those ‘little extras’ that will make our 2014 season truly glitter.  It is also a great chance for you to meet new and old Thrillpeddlers alike!

Here's who and what you'll see:

The Cast of Pearls Over Shanghai perform highlights from our 5th Anniversary Revival of Thrillpeddlers' long-running hit show and variety acts featuring their oh so ‘special skills’.  

Puppeteer Nick Knave handles the horrors of Dunderbeck with great aplomb, and his character Wolfie T. Wolf interviews individual Thrillpeddlers.  The Hypnodrome is a partner in the development process for Knave's new full-length grindhouse spectacular Puppetsploitation.

Alex Kinney performs the real-life fetish fable Helmut, The Maid, one of several pieces he'll be workshopping with Thrillpeddlers.

Long-time Thrillpeddlers Flynn DeMarco, Leigh Crow, and Ruby Vixen sing songs to get you hoppin'.

Original Cockette Rumi Missabu performs two new numbers with guitarist Shun Trenholm from him new cabaret act Beneath the Covers, story songs from the 60s folk songbook with special guest dancer Evgeny Soldatoz.

Mister Wa whisks us through the two-year run of our last Pearls production with a video montage from his upcoming feature length documentary The Children of the Cockettes.”
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Geoff Hoyle's Geezer
Thursday and Saturday, February 13 and 15
Thursday 8:00PM, Saturday 5:00PM
playing through March 1
The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley
Sliding scale, Thursdays $25-$35, Saturdays $30-$35

“The Marsh is thrilled to announce the return of Geoff Hoyle’s hit solo show, Geezer.

From a hysterical riff on life in a nursing home to The Venerable Bede’s meditations on the meaning of life, from delightful reminiscences of his youth in England and young manhood in America to ruminations on aging and mortality, Hoyle brings his irrepressible sense of comedy and trademark physicality, as well as a certain elegiac wistfulness, to this tour-de-force performance about what it is like to grow old.

Geoff Hoyle trained with Marcel Marceau’s teacher, Etienne Decroux, in Paris, developing his unique physical bravura comic style, a combination of the court jester, vaudeville and English music hall. He made his mark in the Bay Area as the Pickle Family Circus’ beloved clown, Mr. Sniff. Later, he created the critically acclaimed Feast of Fools, featuring masked Commedia Dell’Arte characters including the libidinous and elderly Pantalone (Hoyle claims he will no longer need to use a mask for this one,) Il Dottore and the pratt-falling Arleccino. It is a depiction of Everyman striving for dignity in the face of a multitude of struggles, big and small, that is not unlike Hoyle’s own search for meaning in Geezer. His award-winning shows The Convict’s Return (about taking Feast of Fools to Broadway and its mixed reception there,) (Geni(us) and The First Hundred Years (an improbable history of comedy) have been seen in San Francisco, Paris, London, Berlin, Taiwan, New York, England and the former Soviet Union.

Regional theatre appearances include Berkeley and Seattle Repertory Theatres, A.C.T. and La Jolla Playhouse. He was the original Zazu in the Broadway cast of The Lion King and appeared off-Broadway in Bill Irwin’s Mr. Fox and in Tony Kushner’s and Maurice Sendak’s adaptation of the children’s opera Brundibar. His many film appearances include Popeye, during which his son, Dan, was born. Last summer, he performed his fabled three-legged dance in the oldest theatre in Italy, the Teatro della Pergola, built in Florence in 1656. Critics have remarked at the sheer joy Hoyle’s character finds in mastering his extra limb!”
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One Billion Rising for Justice
A V Day Event
Friday, February 14
various times and locations all over the world
see website to find local events or register your own event

“One Billion Rising for Justice is a call to women, men, and youth around the world to gather safely on February 14, 2014 outside places where they are entitled to justice - court houses, police stations, government offices, school administration buildings, workplaces, sites of environmental injustice, military courts, embassies, places of worship, homes, or simply public gathering places where women deserve to feel safe but too often do not.

The campaign is a recognition that we cannot end violence against women without looking at the intersection of poverty, racism, war, the plunder of the environment, capitalism, imperialism, and patriarchy. Impunity lives at the heart of these interlocking forces.

‘Many of our supporters wrote to tell us that this year they wanted to go further, to go deeper, to address impunity and the lack of accountability as significant factors in the perpetuation of violence against women. One Billion Rising for Justice is a call to survivors and their allies to break the silence - politically, outrageously, artistically - through art, dance, marches, ritual, song, spoken word, testimonies, and other ways that best express their outrage, their need, their desire, and their joy,’ stated Eve Ensler, founder of V-Day and One Billion Rising. ‘With this launch, I am thrilled to announce that Monique Wilson - an extraordinary V-Day activist for 15 years who literally inspired all 7,000 islands in the Philippines to rise and dance - is joining us as Director of the One Billion Rising campaign.’

‘Our stories have been buried, denied, erased, altered, and minimized by patriarchal systems that allow impunity to reign,’ said Monique Wilson, One Billion Rising Director, activist, and actor. ‘Justice begins when we speak, release, and acknowledge the truth in solidarity and community. One Billion Rising for Justice is an invitation to break free from confinement, obligation, shame, guilt, grief, pain, humiliation, rage, and bondage. It is a call to bring on revolutionary justice.

The path to justice begins with acknowledging how violence is enabled and perpetuated - calling out where endemic patriarchy and institutionalized misogyny creates a barrier to real justice for survivors,’ said Wilson.

As part of the campaign launch, V-Day is debuting a new short film called Rising, by South African filmmaker Tony Stroebel (One Billion Rising, The Man Prayer, Break The Chain). The film features global event footage from One Billion Rising 2013 and calls up the new campaign for justice. To view the video, visit www.onebillionrising.org/619/risingvideo

For more than 15 years, V-Day activists have mobilized in more than 200 countries and worked tirelessly on a grassroots level to demand an end to all forms of violence against women and girls. In the face of resistance, V-Day activists have raised consciousness, changed laws, funded rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters (often keeping the doors open), educated their communities, and raised more than $100 million for groups doing the essential work of ending violence and serving survivors.

One Billion Rising for Justice will continue to leverage the strength of V-Day’s activist network to escalate efforts and create change, calling on women and men everywhere to rise in defiance and in celebration, showing the world the strength of global solidarity and the power of art to educate, transform, and inspire.”
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Garden Love Day
with Frieda Kipar Bay of Taproot Medicine
Friday, February 14, 11:00AM-4:00PM
private land in Sebastopol, address given upon RSVP
Free, please RSVP to info@taprootmedicine.org

“The first Garden Love Day is February 14, 11:00AM-4:00PM.   We are building a garden from the bottom up, so there's lots of soil to move and mend, seeds to sow, and roots to transplant.  If you are looking to learn more about growing herbs, permaculture gardening, or just need to get out of the city and get dirty, please come with your own gloves and snacks.  I'll have a pot of vegetarian soup available.  Kids are welcome, rain cancels.  It will be an especially good time to put some roots in after all this blessed rain.  We'll make sure everyone gets dirty and learns a new plant.”
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World Sound Healing Day
Friday, February 14, 12:00PM

“Join thousands throughout the planet for the 11th Annual World Sound Healing Day on Thursday, February 14, 2013. At 12 noon (local time in your time zone), sound forth for 5 minutes with the ‘AH’, created and projected with the energy of compassion and love, sending a sonic valentine to Gaia, our Mother Earth.

At that time, please go to the Temple of Sacred Sound site to enhance the vibratory effect as we sound together for Global Harmonization, planetary peace and healing.

The purpose of World Sound Healing Day is to:
Heal Our Planet!
Heal Our Waters!
Raise Our Consciousness!

If you cannot tone at 12 noon, sounding anytime during February 14, 2013 will help create positive shift and change for our planet on World Sound Healing Day.”
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Peace 'n Justice Walk in North Oakland
Friday, February 14, 6:00PM
meet at Bethany Baptist Parking Lot, 5400 Adeline Street, Oakland
Free, please RSVP at the website below

“Come out and share some warm drinks, meet your neighbors, and learn about a growing call for Restorative Justice in North Oakland.

If your group would like to join us or sponsor a future walk please email: info@phatbeetsproduce.org
Join The North Oakland Restorative Justice Council (Rev. Leggett of Bethany Baptist Church, Members of St. Columba Church, Memorial Tabernacle Church, Healers Not Jailers, Bay Area Youth Empowerment Project, Phat Beets Produce, PLACE for Sustainable Living, Growing Together, and many others for this monthly Peace n' Justice walk in North Oakland.
The purpose of the walk is for neighbors to meet each other, build community and feel safe outside at night in Oakland. We aim to build a multi-faith/class/race neighborhood movement to address violence through community initiated restorative justice work.  Free hot drinks will be provided by Phat Beets Produce and neighbors like you .
The Route This Month:
From Bethany Baptist Church, we’ll head up 55th Street to stop at recent sites of violence, heading North on Dover Street, then East up to Bushrod Park (recent parking lot shooting). We’ll be stopping by our Allies at Memorial Tabernacle Church on 59th and Telegraph, and finally heading back to down to 55th and Market to Bethany Baptist Church. There will be Restorative Justice based activities at each stop.”
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Manifestation Monthly: Full Moon Manifestation Circle and Ceremony
Friday, February 14, 6:00-9:00PM
Terra's Temple, 3051 Adeline Street, Berkeley
$35

“Coaching and Ceremony to support you set and manifest your intentions; keep you aligned, inspired and accountable.

Theme for February: It's All About Love

Single drop-ins are $35 per session. Four Session Discount Pass $100 allows you to attend any 4 sessions over 2014 for $25 each.

You will be part of a group of women (up to 12 women) with the purpose of manifesting your intentions throughout 2014. You will meet once a month, the evening of Full Moon.

Roke (Krishnakali) Noir will hold the group in a safe, fun, and grounded space. She will use coaching tools, expressive arts (movement, improv, art making, storytelling, writing and more) practices, self-exploratory intuitive and cognitive games, group interactions and ritual theatre to lead you to:

Look Back: 6:00-7:00PM
Reflect on the last month through guided meditation
Examine your choices, decisions and actions
Learn from your celebrations and challenges

Move Forward: 7:00-8:00PM
Release what no longer serves you
Call yourself back and realign to your highest self
Set your intentions
Create your Manifestation Practice for next lunar cycle

Full Moon Ceremony: 8:00-9:00PM
After the Circle is complete you will join a Manifestation Fire Ceremony under the full moon in Roke's garden (6 blocks from Terra's Temple).

Upcoming Dates:
Sunday, March 16
Monday, April 14

Roke (aka Krishnakali) Noir, originally from India and strongly rooted in eastern philosophies, is a manifestation coach, expressive arts director and shamanic energy practitioner. She has curved her path to walk on as The Alchemista, starting from the age of 35, after moving to USA at the age of 22, finishing her PhD in Artificial Intelligence and working in the high tech corporate world for 13 years. She has manifested her purpose of ‘using darkness - shaping light’ as she continues her passionate search for beauty in all things broken. As a woman bridging many worlds like the east and the west, the sacred and the sex positive, individualism and socialism, addictions and activism - she believes her work in this life is to serve women to accept who they are and manifest their highest selves. The guiding principles of her very own Dare to Manifest program are the Energetics (the spirit), Logistics (the mind) and Mechanics (the body) of every day Manifestation Practice.”
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A Night for The One Billion: Performance Ritual Mash-Up
Friday, February 14, 7:00PM
First Presbyterian Church, 2619 Broadway, Oakland
Youth under 17 Free, Adults sliding scale $10-$30

“Bay Area Rising - performers, ritualists, and advocates for women and girls - are offering a community-based performance ritual as an accumulation of energy and joy after a day of actions with One Billion Rising. Join Destiny Arts, Jennifer Berezan, Holly Near, Dance Mission, Gina Breedlove and Shelly Dotty, Afia Walking Tree, Eve Decker of Rebecca Riots, Hand to Hand, Fat Chance Belly Dance, Mona de Vestel, for an evening of beauty, community, and holding the collective consciousness for a planet free of violence against women.

100% of proceeds go to IDEX women's projects around the world and local organizations serving women and girls (V-Day, MISSSEY, and other local girl's orgs).

We need your support for this event and for women's international organizations working on this issue.

One Billion Rising began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. On February 14, 2013, V-Day’s 15th anniversary, Oakland will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and women and men across the world as we express their outrage, demand change, strike, dance, and RISE in defiance of the injustices women suffer, demanding an end at last to violence against women.”

Thanks to Heaven for letting me know about this event!
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Co:Laboratory: Valentines Day Creationships Edition
presented by Catalyst Arts
Friday, February 14, 7:00PM-Midnight
PLACE for Sustainable Living, 1121 64th Street, Oakland
Free

“Co:Laboratory: Valentines Day Creationships Edition
Bringing together Creators and Innovators in a Fresh Experimental Event Format

For the LOVE of Art
LOVE of Culture
LOVE of Sustainability
LOVE of Community
Featuring:
Ambessa The Articulate/FIYAPOWA band
Syar DaLi
Cole featuring Towntroniks
Majaal
Atreau on the Dance
DJ Big Tunes
Live Body Painting
Collaborative Art on Hearts Project
Giant Heart Photo Booth
Interactivations and Synergy Experiments
Open Mic Collaborative - over beats”
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Gods, Spirits, and Consciousness
with Lon Milo DuQuette
Friday, February 14, 7:30PM
East West Bookstore, 324 Castro Street, Mountain View, 650-988-9800
Free, but please call to reserve a seat

“According to author-magician Lon Milo DuQuette, gods, angels, spirits, and demons are ‘all in your head.’ He is careful to add, however, that few of us actually know how cosmically big our heads are. Join us for a fascinating, provocative, and hilarious exploration of the nature of consciousness, and find out how the demons of ‘Low Magick’ can in fact be our best friends. DuQuette has been involved with occult studies since the late 60s and has become a widely-recognized authority within the world of modern occultism.”
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The Travertine Mysteries: Sacred Initiation Rites for Women
with Maria Owl Gutierrez
and Mira Wonderwheel
Friday-Sunday, February 14-16,
and four more weekends, see website for detailed schedule
various private residences and nature preserves throughout the Bay Area
see website for registration information

“Welcome to the Travertine Mysteries.

We are committed to supporting women in claiming their power and living
an embodied, awake, prosperous, authentic life.

We offer women two programs that can launch them into alignment with their destiny.

The first:
Travertine Mysteries Women's Initiation
This is a nine month process offered in Sonoma and Marin Counties, in the San Francisco Bay Area and North Bay. Women initiates will meet every other month for a weekend, plus one full day a month, in sacred ritual work/play. Initiates bring their own food and take care of their own lodging.”
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Monologos de la Vagina
by Eve Ensler
En Espanol
Friday-Sunday,  February 14-16,
Friday 8:00PM, Saturday 5:00PM and 8:00PM, Sunday 2:00PM
Brava Theater, 2781 24th Street, San Francisco
$35

“The Vagina Monologues comes to Brava Theater in the heart of the Mission District to celebrate in Spanish with a high-end piece that give homage to all Latinas, fundamental pillars in the Latina society of the United States.

The Vagina Monologues is an examination of women's attitudes, sexuality, and history of the body derived from a series of interviews conducted  by author Eve Ensler of more than 200 women of various races, creeds, and social and economic positions. A roller coaster of emotions delineated by the hand of Mendoza who has led many other successful theatrical presentations.

30,000 spectators made The Vagina Monologues a runaway success in Miami and New York. 25,000 spectators attended the 65 performances in the Trail Theater in Miami.  40 shows were sold out in Miami. 5,000 spectators attended the 15 performances of the play at El Museo del Barrio New York Theater, in New York.

Monologos de la Vagina llega a Brava Theater en el corazon del Distrito de La Mission para celebrar en Espanol con una excelente pieza que le rinde homenaje a todas mujeres Latinas, pilares fundamentales en la sociedad Latina de Estados Unidos.

Los Monologos de la Vagina hacen un examen detallado de la mujer, su historia y su sexualidad surgidad de una serie de entrevistas hechas por la autora Eve Ensler a mas de 200 mujeres de distintas razas, credos y posiciones sociales y económicas. Una montana rusa de emociones delineadas por la mano de el Director Venezolano, Manuel Mendoza.

30.000 espectadores hicieron de Monologos de la Vagina un exito taquillero en Miami y Nueva York. 25.000 espectadores asistieron a las 65 presentaciones en el Teatro Trial de Miami.  40 shows estuvieron agotados en Miami.  5.000 espectadores asistieron a las 15 presentaciones de esta obra en El Museo del Barrio de Nueva York."  
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PantheaCon
Friday-Monday, February 14-17 (President's Day Weekend)
Doubletree Hotel, 2050 Gateway Place, San Jose
$75 for the whole weekend,  $35 for a single day, $20 for an evening only (after 5:00PM)

An enormous, magical, festive and reverent gathering of Pagans from all over the world!
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Tree Planting Ceremony and Demonstration
Saturday, February 15, 9:00AM-12:00PM
Firehouse, History Park, 635 Phelan Avenue, San Jose
Free

“Thanks to a grant from Invest From the Ground Up, 10 trees will be planted at History Park. This project will be installed by Our City Forest of San Jose. Please join us for the planting, which will start at 9:00AM. Coffee and donuts will be served in the morning.”
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No Earth Energy Walk This Month


“Earth Energy Walks with Community Seed has been postponed this month due to PantheaCon!  

Enjoy the con everyone!!”
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Family Stamps
with Sarah Starfeather
Saturday, February 15, 10:00AM-12:00PM
Meeting at fabric store, see below
Handcraft Studio School, 5885 Doyle Street, Emeryville, 510-332-6101
$45, limit 10 families

“Design and make your own stamps using simple materials and techniques. Work with your child(ren) to co-create a masterpiece! Once your stamps are completed, collaborate with your child to create a motif or design on both a tote bag and a tea towel, that can be elegant or edgy. Workshop created for children 3 years old and up.

Sarah Starfeather is a preschool teacher with a background in art. Her teaching method is adaptable to countless media with a passion for the creative spirit at the core. Collaboration while honoring self expression is the essence of this method.

For this workshop, she brings with her a unique approach to the principles, tools and techniques associated with block printing. This collaboration will help you and your child nurture your natural creative energies and release the artist within.”
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Deep Dreaming: Finding Interconnection through Shared Dreaming
facilitated by Richard Russo, M.A. and Meredith Sabini, Ph.D.
Saturday, February 15, 12:00–2:00PM,
and three more Saturdays, April 12, May 10, June 14
The Dream Institute of Northern California, 1672 University Avenue, Berkeley, 510-845-1767
$20 per session, $75 for the whole series

“Just as we can’t see the roots of a circle of redwood trees, we also don’t see the ways our individual dreams weave together in the mycelial root system of our species. But we can try to open ourselves to this level in the process we call ‘deep dreaming’.  It begins with a period of quiet meditation that allows us to sink below the level of the quotidian. Called by our intention, dreams slowly emerge from their rhizome, not ones we’ve chosen ahead of time, but ones that surprise us, dreams we may not remember, or ones from long ago. Using the ‘culture dreaming’ method, we tell the dreams that emerge spontaneously, one at a time, for perhaps twenty minutes. Then we take a brief break, and return to hear all the dreams read again as one narrative. Their interconnectedness, and ours with all life, may reveal its mysterious presence.”
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Ferment! Lacto-Fermenting for Flavor and Health
with K.Ruby Blume
presented by The Institute of Urban Homesteading
Saturday, February 15, 1:00-4:00PM
North Oakland, address given upon registration
Sliding scale $35-$65 plus $5 supply fee to be paid on day of class

“Fermenting foods is a healthful and amazingly easy way to preserve and enhance the flavor and nutrition of food. Sadly some of the healthier ferments have passed out of common usage because they are impractical for commercial production. In this class we will learn about different types of fermentation and cultures including pickling vegetables, ginger beer, traditional sodas and more. We will learn how to preserve food with lactic fermentation, a technique which requires neither canning nor vinegar (includes fresh sauerkraut and kim chee) and will prepare one lacto-fermented soda and one fermented veggie medley. Kombucha and traditional yeast soda will also be discussed and demonstrated if there is time. Along with your supply fee there will be a short list of readily available supplies to bring with you. Everyone will bring home goodies.”
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Intro to Indigo
with Kathryn Davey
Saturday, February 15, 2:00-5:00PM
Handcraft Studio School, 5885 Doyle Street, Emeryville, 510-332-6101
$90, limit 10 students

“Come join us for an afternoon of Indigo Fun where we will explore the basics of Indigo Dyeing. You will learn about preparing your fabric, starting a vat and creating patterns. Each student with take home a set of 4 beautiful Indigo Linen Napkins. Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes that you won’t mind getting indigoed!

Kathryn Davey’s main inspiration comes from nature and all the wonderful materials that come from the earth. She loves the gentleness of nature and how the less processed something is, the easier it returns to the earth. She is inspired by the craftsmanship of yester-year, antique linens and handwoven textiles, and of the quality and importance that was put into everyday items that lasted a lifetime. Kathryn believes in the importance of using consciously-sourced sustainable and non-toxic materials which are far less damaging to the environment and our children. In making her products she selects and uses only the highest quality, natural, sustainable and antique fibers.

Kathryn lives in the North Bay with her three beautiful daughters (who re-opened her eyes to the magic of creativity).”
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Beading Workshop
with Wawi Amasha
presented by the Cheza Nami Foundation
Saturday, February 15, 2:00-5:00PM
Bothwell Arts Center, 2466 8th Street, Livermore
$30

“Join us for a fun, Creative, educational and meditative bead making workshop with the talented Wawi Amasha of Mami Afrika designs. Create your own waist beads that can be used as a necklace, bracelet, anklet, hairline tie or belt using Wawi's collection of beautiful African and tradebeads.  

‘Waist beads are an age old African tradition. They are worn for vast reasons and purposes to celebrate femininity, healing, spirituality, power, balancing, attracting and keeping a mate, rites of passage, rejuvenation, initiations, first menses, energy, and body shaping. African women have traditionally worn waist beads beneath their clothing placed beneath the belly button and can be single or multiple strands. In ancient Egypt, waist beads were called girdles.
Women of all ages and sizes wear waist beads!  When you add stones, waist beads take on healing qualities.  Depending on ailment or what needs to be enhanced, various semi-precious stones can be included in the design of your waist beads.
It’s only now in modern times that waist beads are becoming more visible.  Think of them as colorful strands of femininity - vibrant glass or clay beads, gemstones, pieces of horn, shells and sometimes gold or silver fittings, strung together by hand and tailored to embrace a woman's individual midsection.

Waist Beads are multi-purpose. They can be used as a necklace, bracelet, anklet, hairline tie, belt, and a favorite  of mine, they are great weight regulators.’
- Wawi Amasha

A great activity for girlfriends, mothers and daughters.”
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Jeruiyq (The Promised Land)
film screening
Saturday, February 15, 5:00PM
Silk Road House, 1944 University Avenue, Berkeley, 510-981-0700

“The film by director Slambek Tauyekel. The screenplay is based on Lavrentiy Son’s play named Memory dedicated to 60th year since Korean deportation. It is based on childhood memories of the playwright. The main antagonist - energetic head of kolkhoz (collective farm) Orynbai, played by actor Bulat Abdilmanov, has a prototype from the kolkhoz where Lavrentiy was born on 2/2/1941. ‘It was a person who always suffered for his good initiatives. But it’s thanks to such people like him, the deported people could survive and became a part of Kazakhstani people,’ - said Lavrentiy Son. The film tells the story of those ethnicities that have been deported in hundreds thousands to Kazakhstan from Far East, Caucasus, Volga region, the story of their losses and their new life on Kazakh land.

Running time: 115 minutes. In Kazakh and Russian with English subtitles.

The screening will be introduced and commented on by Alma Kunanbaeva.

Silk Road House events are sponsored by the Silkroad Foundation.”
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Chinese New Year Parade
Year of the Water Snake
Saturday, February 15, 5:15-8:00PM
San Francisco’s Chinatown - see website for parade route and viewing locations

“Chinese New Year is a two week Spring festival celebrated for over 5,000 years in China. The San Francisco Chinese New Year celebration originated in the 1860's during the Gold Rush day and is now the largest Asian event in North America as well as the largest general market event in Northern California. The celebration includes two major fairs, the Chinese New Year Flower Fair and Chinatown Community Street Fair. All the festivities culminate with Chinese New Year Parade.

Named one of the world's top ten parades, Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco is the largest celebration of its kind outside of Asia. Over 100 units will participate in the parade, many of the floats and specialty units will feature the theme of this year's Chinese zodiac sign. Nowhere in the world will you see a lunar new year parade with more gorgeous floats, elaborate costumes, ferocious lions, and exploding firecrackers. Some of the parade highlights include elaborately decorated floats, school marching bands, martial arts group, stilt walkers, lion dancers, Chinese acrobatics, the newly crowned Miss Chinatown USA and the Golden Dragon. The Golden Dragon is over 201 feet long and is always featured at the end of the parade as the grand finale and will be accompanied by over 600,000 firecrackers! The Golden Dragon was made in Foshan, a small town in China. The Foshan dragonmasters formerly made all the costumes for the Cantonese opera, and the Golden Dragon bears many operatic touches, such as the rainbow colored pompoms on its 6 foot-long head. It is festooned from nose to tail with colored lights, decorated with silver rivets on both scaly sides and trimmed in white rabbit fur. The dragon, made on a skeleton of bamboo and rattan, is in 29 segments. It takes a team of 100 men and women to carry the Golden Dragon. This is also considered an honor to be chosen for the grand finale. Rain or shine, come watch the parade!”
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Social Permaculture for Community Building: Design for Intangibles
with Michael Becker
Saturday, February 15, 6:30-8:30PM
The Sunflower Center, 1435 N. McDowell Boulevard, Petaluma, 707-792-5300
$10-$15 sliding scale

“Michael is the Program Coordinator and Teacher for the FACS (Food and Conservation Science) Program at Hood River Middle School a public School in Hood River, OR. The FACS program deeply integrates students into design issues and follows a Permaculture inspired curriculum to design highly functional and productive solutions. Michael has spent the past 20 years refining ways to help students internalize and personalize their role as lifelong learners in this world. The FACS program serves as a model for what can be accomplished when one commits to a location, rolls up their sleeves and sees a bigger vision for kids and communities.”
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Nebula Force, Go!
with guests Echo and Maw
A benefit performance for Impact! Theatre
Saturday, February 15, 8:00PM
Impact Theatre at La Val's Subterranean, 1834 Euclid, Berkeley, 510-224-5744
$12 in advance, $15 at the door

“Two fresh and beloved Bay Area indie bands come together in a benefit performance for Impact!

Nebula Force, Go! captures the trials and tribulations of the universe’s brokenhearted would-be dinosaurs, spaceships yearning for adventure, and flesh-loving surfer kaiju in songs that delight and entertain. Channeling the mighty intergalactic power that has been bestowed upon them, Nebula Force, Go!’s unique alt-nerdative style creates a brain-crushing singularity at the intersection of geek and music.

Echo and Maw, with its patchwork of percussive pops and idiosyncratic tones crafted by keyboardist and producer Elysha Rom-Povolo holding the perfect space for Mary Hansell's wandering vibrato, creates a diverse and uniquely vibrant collection of anti-pop that makes listeners swoon.”
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An Evening of Awakened Love
with Jens Jarvie, Sahar and Terry Gillette
Saturday, February 15, 8:00PM              
Isis Oasis Theater, 20889 Geyserville Avenue, Geyserville, 707-857-4747
$10 Suggested donation

“Join us for a special evening of celebrating Love. Jens will be playing his original compositions of songs that invite you to rest deeply in the Heart of Love. Through sacred Mantras and uplifting melodies we will sing and dance in the prayer that all beings may be Love.”
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The Saga Of Captain William Shorey
Saturday-Sunday, February 15-16, 3:00-4:00PM
Visitor Center, Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco
Free
For more information, please call 415-447-5000.

“A series of slides will introduce you to the extraordinary life and accomplishments of the only Black whaling ship captain on the West Coast.”
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Herbal Medicine Demystified
with K.Ruby Blume
presented by The Institute of Urban Homesteading
Sunday, February 16, 10:00AM-4:00PM
North Oakland, address given upon registration
Sliding scale $60-$90

“This course will give you a introduction and overview of the herbal medicine making process. We'll learn about plant constituents and actions, get an overview of different herbal products that can be easily made at home including salves, slathers, tinctures, teas, poultices and decoctions. We'll learn about local sources for herbs as well as a brief introduction to harvesting, drying and storing your own. Then we'll visit and learn about some of the medicinal plants available locally - both wild and those grown easily in the garden. While we will not go in depth on every plant (that would be a year long course), we will learn about a few useful 'starter' plants and go home with a sampling of remedies for common maladies. We'll learn about useful references and how to decipher them to become more proficient and confident purchasing, making and using herbal remedies at home.
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A Tea Tasting Affair
with Fox and the Moon Teas
Sunday, February 16, 12:30-3:30PM
Modern Mouse, 2223 South Shore Center, Alameda
Free

“Tea is a lifelong journey of discovery, learning and sharing.

Fox and Moon Tea crafts unique tea products from ingredients gathered from around the world.

Join Fox and Moon Tea's Zo Guthrie at Modern Mouse on Sunday,  February 16, 12:30-3:30PM. You'll discover, learn and share in some tea that will keep you warm as you shop the latest and greatest from her collection and ours.”
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Open Shamanic Journey Circle
with Anne Hatfield and Stuart Dole
Sunday, February 16, 3:00-5:00PM, and the third Sunday of each month
The Volunteer Center, 153 Stony Circle, Santa Rosa
$20

“It was such a success we're continuing the open shamanic journey drumming circle! Come join us to partake in the ongoing magic.

Over the years many people have asked us about opportunities for journeying in the context of a circle - which many find to be more powerful than journeying solo. This is that opportunity.

The shamanic journey is a way to explore the non-ordinary realms, interact directly with personal power animals and spirit guides, and access divine information.

This is a journey circle - it's best if you already have had some experience with shamanic journeying. If not, or if you want a review, come at 2:30PM for introductory information and mentoring.

Bring a drum or rattle if you have them, an eye covering for journeying, and a notebook to record your experiences.

We plan to offer this every third Sunday afternoon.

We're asking a $20 donation to help with the site rental. Details will be sent to those that are coming”
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African Drumming with Lamine
presented by the Cheza Nami Foundation
Sunday, February 16, 3:00-6:00PM
Bothwell Arts Center, 2466 8th Street, Livermore
Free

“February features Mohamed Lamine Bangoura, a professional/master drummer originally from Guinea, now an Oakland resident as he shares his open heart and joyful music in our monthly community drum circle.

Bring your own drum or instrument of choice for the drum circle portion or borrow one of ours.

Note:Barefoot dancing, wear comfortable clothing you can dance in.”
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Bay Area Raw Valentine's Inspired Chocolate Extravaganza
presented by Bay Area Raw Events
Sunday, February 16, 3:30-11:30PM
Cloud 9, 1320 9th Street, Berkeley
see website below for ticket details

“For the Love of Chocolate
You are cordially invited to A Chocolate Love Affair Episode Two

Once again we will come together to Celebrate our Love for the Food of the Gods at our 2nd Annual Bay Area Raw Valentine's Inspired Chocolate Extravaganza.

A decadent evening of Divine Indulgence in Nectar of the Gods.  Experience the alchemical creations of countless exquisite cacao ambrosias and aphrodisiac treats  lovingly prepared by preeminent chocolatiers and select celebrity chefs.
 
4:00PM: Cacao Ceremony with Nature

Food of The Gods
LIVE Recipe Demonstrations and Tastings
by Celebrity Raw Chefs and Chocolatiers

5:00PM: Steve Adler of Sacred Chocolate

6:00PM: Brian Wallace of Endorfin
7:00PM: Special Secret Chocolatier
To Be Announced...

Artisan Chocolate Treats, Samples and Gifts for Sale From Local Vendors and  
Our Sponsors:
Ostara Chocolate

Yes Cacao
Endorfin
 
Gourmet Dinner and Treats Available a la Carte
prepared by a raw vegan chef TBA
Vitality Elixir Bar
Aphrodisiac Altar of Delicious Chocolate Lusciousness
Strawberries and Chocolate Fountain
Curiously Exotic Raw Vegan Chocolate Contest

Special Performances by:
Amae Love

Jack Caran
BuddhaBeBlessed

Delicious Beats by DJ Neptune

Special Exclusive VIP Lounge
Candlelight Lounge with Red Wine and Raw Vegan Double Dark Chocolate Amaretto Mulberry Fudge and Exotic Chocolate Tastings from 7:00-10:00PM
VIP Treats by Chef Jillian Love”
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A Cup of Tea with Spirit
with OwlSnake
Sunday, February 16, 4:00-5:00PM, and the third Sunday of every month
Julie’s Coffee and Tea Garden, 1223 Park Street, Alameda, 510-865-2385
suggested donation $5-$10

“Esoterica Shamanic Center invites you to join OwlSnake (Medicine Woman/Shaman Lineage) for...

A Cup of Tea with Spirit
We will sip tea,  and eat tasty treats as we connect and receive messages from Spirit and the Ancestors to guide us in our daily lives. We will Journey, Chant and Listen within, and be Inspired. A relaxing afternoon gift to yourself and others.

Who is OwlSnake?
Born into a long lineage of Medicine Men/Women, Spiritual Healers, Seers, and Shamans, on both her maternal and paternal ancestral lines, she was first called to this sacred path at the age of 4 years old from her Great Aunt. She was chosen to continue the family tradition of Spiritual Medicine work, some would call Shamanism. Through the years she would experience many of life's challenges and growth opportunities that have allowed her to learn and experience firsthand some of the greatest issues that plague this world today. From those experiences, along with her direct connection with Great Spirit, Guides, Angels, and Ancestors, OwlSnake has awakened into being a compassionate healer that is willing to be used as a ‘Hollow Bone’ for Spirit to assist all those that seek healing and inspiration on their journey.”
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Cosmic Mass: An Interactive Community Dance Celebration
Sunday, February 16, 6:30-9:30PM
American Steel Studios, 1960 Mandela Parkway, Oakland
$12 in advance, $15-$20 at the door

“The Cosmic Mass Art and Spirit - Come join in the fun and celebration as we revive The Cosmic Mass in Oakland! This ritual features spiritual luminary Matthew Fox and music DJ Dragonfly and video art by VJ Luna.

The Cosmic Mass (TCM) is an interactive community dance celebration created by Matthew Fox in the 90s that re-invents the form of worship. Think about it as partial techno-rave, temple, art exhibit, dance hall, meditation, and intentional space to touch the deepest parts of your being and cultivate your relationship with your own personal form of spirituality within a community. Incorporating cosmology, ritual, immersive visual art, music, spoken word and the practice of dance, The Cosmic Mass invites participants of all spiritual traditions to engage body and spirit directly.

The Cosmic Mass reinvigorates Western ritual by deconstructing the forms of worship we have inherited from the modern era by going back to dance. DJs and live musicians provide the musical ambiance and the VJ or video artist provides immersive images that tell the story of the theme celebrated. We danced in the presence of these images, bringing in the spirit of the theme.

Each Cosmic Mass is a community journey traversing the 4 Paths, the Via Positiva - a dance of Joy and Delight and Celebration. Via Negativa - a grief experience where we grieve and lament together the negative aspect of each theme. Grieving is an essential aspect to getting over anger and into our Via Creativa - our creativity. The Via Transformativa - a warrior dance which prepares us to go into the world and back to our communities as healers and strong defenders of compassion.

We also celebrate Communion that unites all beings in the sacred act of eating and drinking divine bread and wine. All ages are present, as well as diverse cultures and religious backgrounds ranging from Christian to Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Pagan. The worship is so pre-modern in many respects that many find home there. Beauty is everywhere present. And one might say, magic.”
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Food and Pleasure
with Nishanga Bliss
Monday, February 17, 4:30-6:00PM
Three Stone Hearth, 1581 University Avenue, Berkeley, 510-981-1334
$10-$20 sliding scale,  Broth bar $3.

“Nishanga Bliss, DSc shares emerging research and ancient wisdom on the connections between pleasure and health, and teaches practical ways you can enjoy your food, and your life, even more.

Enjoy our broth bar 20 min before the event begins. Tickets at the door are $10-20 sliding scale.

Nishanga Bliss is a licensed acupuncturist and professor of Chinese medicine at the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley. She is the author of Real Food All Year: Eating Seasonal Whole Foods for Optimal Health and All-Day Energy (New Harbinger 2012) and a doctoral candidate in holistic nutrition at Hawthorn University.”
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Journey Through The Living Temple of Witchcraft
with Christopher Penczak
Tuesday, February 18, 7:30PM
East West Bookstore, 324 Castro Street, Mountain View, 650-988-9800
Free, but please call to reserve a seat

“In The Living Temple of Witchcraft Volume II, we take a journey through the magick of the twelve stations of the stars, and explore the Zodiac as embodiments of the initiatory journey. The Hero's Journey through the signs, often told through the twelve labors of Hercules, provides a model for our own journey towards spiritual rebirth. Join author, teacher, and healing practitioner Christopher Penczak as he discusses the use of this balanced pattern for self exploration, healing and empowerment, and experience a short guided journey to encounter the magickal teachers of these signs.”
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The African Origins of Human Intelligence
with Dr. Yonatan Sahle
a production of Wonderfest
Wednesday, February 19, 6:00-9:00PM
University Theater, California State University East Bay, Hayward
Free, registration required

“Our ancestors sprang from populations in sub-Saharan Africa that existed between about 100,000 and 250,000 years ago.  Rapid evolution transformed Homo Erectus into Homo Sapiens.  Our technology exploded during this evolutionary transition, with several apparent African ‘firsts’ and subsequent spreads of technology into Eurasia. We became human in Africa, and the African ‘firsts’ don’t stop with the initial spread of some Homo Sapiens into Eurasia.
Dr. Yonatan Sahle, postdoctoral scholar at UC Berkeley’s Human Evolution Research Center, has recovered the earliest projectile points in the world. Come hear him explain what they tell us about our intellectual origins… and grapple with the challenges they pose to our understanding of human evolution.”
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The Perennial Wisdom of Dreaming: A Reading Course
facilitated by Meredith Sabini, Ph.D.
Thursday, February 20, 5:00–7:00PM,
and three more Thursdays, March 6 and 20, April 3
The Dream Institute of Northern California, 1672 University Avenue, Berkeley, 510-845-1767
$85 for the series
Please register at least one week in advance so reading materials can be sent out prior to the first meeting.

“This program will take a broad-ranging look at the ways in which dreaming is a laboratory for life - for the individual, the culture, and our species. Enough is now known about dreams and dreaming to constitute what we might call a ‘perennial wisdom’ of dreaming.

For this exploration, we will draw on selections from the Seth material, one of the most comprehensive tracts of contemporary wisdom literature. It is archived at Yale University library and contains many ideas that have been validated by recent research on sleep and dreams; other selections correspond to the tenets of Tibetan dream yoga and lucid dreaming. The description of the dream universe as a separate, non-ordinary reality where potentials for our individual and societal life are considered is astonishing in its breadth and depth. Each meeting will cover one topic of general interest, with readings from the Seth material ­provided.
No prior familiarity with the Seth material, received by Jane Roberts during the 1970s, is necessary to benefit from or participate in this program. Please plan to attend all sessions so that a meaningful group discussion can take place.

Session 1. Basic dynamics of personal dreamwork
We will cover Seth’s statements about how to recall dreams, how emotions and beliefs are formed into symbolic images, how illness may be signaled prior to manifesting, how to do dream re-entry, and the optimum balance of the waking-sleeping-dreaming cycle.

Session 2. The dream universe
Seth contended that the dream state is not an imaginary realm; it is an inner universe rather than an inner world. Dream exploration of this other universe is ‘a science and an art’, and fulfillment of this vocation ‘takes years of training and dedication’. This perspective is similar to Tibetan dream yoga, in which the dream state becomes portal to the afterlife, and one can practice this transition during sleep and in meditation.

Session 3. Dreams of potential futures
Seth described the dream universe as the place where our species tries out possible scenarios before they are manifested, such as the development of nuclear power, ‘which was first a dream on the part of many.’ He recommended that we conduct our wars in the dream state rather than enact them physically. This perspective has profound implications for our present global ecological crisis. Seth also noted that phenomena which we label precognitive or synchronistic may be more accurately viewed as the manifestation of an event previously considered in the mass dream state.

Session 4. Our species’ dream memory
Similar to Jung’s concept of the collective unconscious and Sheldrake’s morphogenetic field, our species has a dream memory, which Seth claimed was what children, for example, draw upon as they rehearse for coming states of development. ‘Without dreaming, there would be no learning or memory.’ Recent research in human and animal neurophysiology has confirmed that there is a vast, inherent capacity that each species draws upon for its survival behaviors.”
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Gaia Girls
Thursday, February 20, 4:00-6:30PM
and seven more Thursdays through April 10
at a home garden in Berkeley, address given upon registration
$400 for whole series
For girls ages 8-10
For more info or to register, please contact gaiamelita@yahoo.com

“Gaia Girls is an 8 week series that nurtures the essence of each girl’s unique spirit in a safe and supportive female environment.

Crafting, playing, sharing, sitting around a fire…

Is your girl starting to fly further from the nest?
Is she starting to ask the deeper and harder questions about life?
Are social dynamics with peers increasingly important and central to her life?
Are you noticing that she is starting to look less like a little girl?

In traditional and earth-based cultures, the age of 8-9 was recognized as an important rite of passage. At this age, girl’s bodies, minds, and spirits are growing and they are passing through a threshold that shifts their focus from being a child in the care of their parents to engaging more with the outer world as their unique individuated self. Gaia Girls will provide support for this changing time in a safe container where girls receive the nurturance of a lovingly held all-female space. Girls will be guided through a journey that builds self-confidence and inner resources, creates stronger friendships, and provides mentorship. Each week will have a theme that includes a craft project, a fire, dinner and a story and sharing about the topic.

Week-By-Week Themes and Crafts:
Week 1: Who Am I? Who Are You? Who are we as Gaia girls? - Journal Making
Week 2: Friendship/Sisterhood - Cordage friendship bracelets
Week 3: Personal Girl Power - Staff making
Week 4: Interconnectedness with nature - Herbal salve and dream pillows
Week 5: Communication: Knowing and speaking what we feel - Song/skit writing
Week 6: The power of our dreams - Dream Catchers
Week 7: Honoring your unique essence - Essence Medicine Pouches
Week 8: Celebration and Honoring with Moms!!

Gaia Girls Guides:

Melita Silberstein: Melita holds a degree from Naropa University in eco-psychology. She is a certified early childhood educator, and has worked extensively with young children in an array of environments. She is currently a music specialist and lead singer in the popular Bay Area kids' band, Octopretzel, and is also the mother of an 8 year old girl.

Sarai Shapiro: Sarai has been running and working with girls-only wilderness rites-of-passage groups for seven years. She has a background in education, music, art, herbal medicine and healing arts. She is currently part time Youth Programs Director for Wilderness Torah and has a small healing arts practice.”
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Introduction to Self Defense Workshop
Thursday, February 27, 6:00-9:00PM
Radiance Oak, 278 4th Street, Oakland
$40

“In an effort to increase the safety of our community, Radiance is sponsoring a three-hour Introduction to Self-Defense Workshop taught by Impact Bay Area.

This workshop introduces participants to the basics of self-defense. The class covers street safety and awareness, physical and verbal boundary setting and some basic full-force self-defense tactics proven effective at keeping you safer in the world. Class size is limited, and students have opportunities to practice front and rear grab responses and effective ground fighting with a padded mock assailant.

Open to all genders, age 18 and over.

Cost: $40 (discounted from the usual fee of $75 - $100)
A limited number of sliding scale slots available.  
Contact Chloe for details.
Registration deadline:  Wednesday, February 19, 2014
For registration and payment through PayPal, send payment to:

Include the following information in the PayPal comments section:
1) Name  
2) E-mail address where class information should be sent  
3) Phone

For any questions, contact:  Chloe Moire at chloe@radianceoak.org.”
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Have a Week of Love, Healing, Peace, Justice, and Magic!  (and Chocolate!)

Molly Blue Dawn

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