Rand B. Lee has been killing plants since he was 8 years old. A former perennials manager at Payne’s Nursery here in Santa Fe, Rand confesses he is a certified lifelong tomato-holic and is currently tending 14 tomato plants, most of them in pots. In his talk, Rand describes his journey into gardening madness, and attempts to reveal the deep spiritual principles embodied in 100% organic compost, squash bugs, and time-release fertilizers.
A couple of years ago, Ken spoke about his “My Three Questions,” which were “How Am I?”, “Who Am I?”, and “Why Am I Here?” At that time, he focused mostly on the first one, and this talk will briefly review that question, with updates, and delve more deeply into the next two. Or not…. Ken is a long-time Celebrant, and has experienced a lot of personal change during these years. His early influences were Seth, Paramahansa Yogananda, Alan Cohen, and Ernest Holmes. Read more
Chaz shares his personal journey since the start of this year & describes the challenges, confusions & conundrums that have led to choices creating his condition. He was born & raised in the Hudson River Valley in upstate New York. His parents were both teachers. He is the second of 5 children, with 3 brothers & one sister. An extremely important experience for the family occurred when his brother Peter contracted leukemia in 1969. He watched Peter go through the medical model of treatment for the illness, which included radiation, chemo & multiple bone marrow transplants. Peter lost his hair, suffered greatly and then passed away in 1972 from the disease. This caused him to wonder if there was a better way to create & maintain health & started a lifetime pursuit in the study of natural health. He attended State University as well as the L.A. College of Chiropractic & attained a BS in Biology & a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. He has practiced Chiropractic & Nutritional Therapy at Back to Health Wellness Center here in Santa Fe since 1992. He has also been an active participant in The Celebration since 1993 as a facilitator, speaker, reader & host & has actively participated in men’s groups since 1993. In his spare time. he loves to hike, bike, camp, body surf, & enjoy rooting for the Yankees & the Jets. His website: backtohealthsantafe.com
Doug takes a look at discovering and disseminating what we came here for, because, what else is there?
Doug Webb is a Certified Awakening Coach, Artist, Musician and writer.
Marvin shares about his life’s journey and some of the experiences/miracles/blessings that happened along the way. After graduating from the University of Missouri, Marvin Boone enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He served more than four years as a officer ending with a tour in Viet Nam. He worked for over forty years in sales and marketing of investments, residential housing and autos. Marvin was active for many years in church work. He served as a lay minister, teacher and board member. He helped found a Religious Science church in Dallas, TX and is a founding member of The Celebration. Now retired, he lives with his wife Robin near Kansas City, MO.
Challenge, adversity, grief and disappointment—these unwelcome guests all play a unique role in our development. The blessing sleeps next to the wound—but only if we are really paying attention. Victor will share his own journey towards conscious empowered masculinity, and some of the tools he has found useful along the way.
David has experienced a wide variety of fathering experiences in his lifetime, from having a father, being a father, foster father and step-father, being a grandfather and great-grandfather, and a few variations along the way. He will share his observations concerning this sacred trust and a few of the questions and answers that have occurred to him throughout his journey.
Lee Valentine speaks on his learning to listen without judgement, an ability that he lacked as a child and as a young person, since that capacity was not to be found in his parents’ household.
Lee Valentine uses his middle name, “Lee”, but always signs his name in full, “William Lee Valentine”. He has lived in Santa Fe for eighteen years, and has attended the Celebration for the last several. He has written a book on personal recovery — that is, on the effort to recover from personal problems, or from emotional illness. He is trying to self-publish this book, “Out of the Labyrinth.” The book grew out of his own efforts to recover from a childhood that appeared to leave him in a hopeless state as a purported adult, though he did marry and has two grown children.
Is it possible to have a Forever Love? What is the difference between a Soul Mate, a Life Partner and a Friend? Are these all different kinds of love? ChrisTina believes that life gives us the opportunity to explore these questions and find the answers for ourselves. She is a death Doula and a Life Cycle Celebrant. It was her curiosity about life and her love for stories that guided her to this work. She enjoys hearing about significant events in people’s lives and how couples met. She has been profoundly changed by many of the life stories that have been shared with her at the end of life. She believes that there are special stories that can guide and teach us significant things about our lives. ChrisTina is a Native New Mexican and has a deep connection to Santa Fe and her ancestors. Learn more about her at heartscrossing.com
Saul grew up in an inner-city ghetto area of Brooklyn, NY. He wanted proof, or manifestation, of something that could convince him that there was more to life than what his initial experiences were. This led him on a journey which eventually brought him to read “There is a River”, the biography of Edgar Cayce by Thomas Sugrue, and then “The Magic of Findhorn” by Paul Hawken. This set in motion a series of events that eventually showed him that he was a spiritual healer.