Changes to Calendar of Events

Good news for online retreat attendees. Arrangements are in progress to hire Erica Finch as Online Coordinator, making it possible to attend more retreats remotely.

With Erica’s help, the June retreat with Stephan Bielfeldt, originally scheduled to be in-person only, is now also fully online. See below for more information.

The July four-day retreat with Susan Schepp, now fully booked for in-person participation, will also be accessible online. Timed sittings, talks, group dialogues and private meetings will be available to both in-person and online attendees.

Please note: Bob Dattola is not able to hold the August 12-19 seven-day retreat. Sandra Gonzalez will hold it in his place. In addition to being in-person, this retreat will now also have a full online component of timed sittings, talks, dialogues and private meetings.

See the Calendar for events remaining this year, keeping in mind that changes will take place as online access continues to evolve.

Saturday June 3 All-Day Sitting 8:30 – 4:00

In-person, with access to the talk online

This event is fully booked for in-person attendance with a lengthy wait list. Everyone is still welcome to access Susan’s talk online. Please contact the Center at info@springwatercenter for information.

The next All-Day Sitting will be Saturday August 5. Sandra Gonzalez will give the talk.

Reminder to Members

The Annual Meeting takes place Sunday June 4 at 10 a.m. ET. Please use the Zoom sign in information sent to you with the Agenda and Proxy Vote mailing.

June 10-17 Retreat with Stephan Bielfeldt

In-person and Online
Stephan returns to Springwater this year in person from his home near Hamburg, Germany.

This retreat still has some spaces available. Please apply soon if you wish to attend.

Also, please note the change to Stephan’s retreat: it will now be fully available online, with timed sittings, daily talks, opportunities for private meetings and daily online group dialogues.

Contact the Center if you would like to see the daily schedule for either the online or in-person versions of the retreat.

Stephan has recently written a book, the English translation, still in manuscript form, is titled “Seven Days in Silence.” In it, Stephan writes:

People often ask me if I can recommend a practice that can help to quiet down the mind and stop the endless flow of thought. We are each of us free to look within, to see what is taking place in the moment, but I don’t consider this a practice. It’s wonderful when there is a moment of stillness and silence, but it is not the purpose of meditation to make it happen. It isn’t a matter of pursuing a goal, but rather of realizing that we are pursuing a goal. We have to see the importance of stillness and quietening down, without getting stuck in trying to get there. Indeed, observing our own striving,in order to better understand what is going on, is an essential part of this way of meditating. Often, we ar not even aware that we are trying to get somewhere, that we are trying to reach a goal.

For more information about Stephan, including talks and articles, visit his teacher page on the website.

July 1-8 Retreat with Richard Witteman

In person and Online

This retreat with Richard is full for in-person attendance. Please contact reception at info@springwatercenter.org to be placed on the wait list. Use the button below to apply to attend online.
Some words from Richard:

Meditation is an invitation to wonder and curiosity. An invitation to soften around our ideas of what life is or should be, and to enter into the fullness of our moment to moment experience. To be here with the same spirit of wonder and curiosity we had as children – allowing everything to be fresh and unknown. Its an invitation to discover for ourselves the miracle of awareness.

Online Offerings

Online events offer new possibilities for entering into meditation and dialogue with others. The schedule changes from time to time; please see the online offerings calendar for the current schedule of online sittings.

There are opportunities to sit, hear a talk and dialogue with others at afternoon Saturday Programs. The next Saturday Program will be June 24 beginning at 1:30 pm with a sitting, followed by a recorded talk and group dialogue.

Online events are hosted in the Center’s usual Zoom room. Contact reception at info@springwatercenter.org if you need the invite link to access the room.

These online events are available at no cost, while donations are always appreciated to sustain the work of the Center. Auto-debit options are also now available for your convenience.

Use this link to hear a talk by the Center’s founder Toni Packer, played at the May 27 Saturday program. In it Toni speaks of the power of images and rituals. “Do we come here to find a different reality? Can one discern the difference between thinking and listening?; If I stop thinking will I cease to exist?”

Talks by Toni and other Center teachers can be accessed on the Center’s YouTube channel.

Donate, Support Online Offerings, Become a Member

A Plea

Do you have skills in areas such as custodial care, building repair, landscaping or gardening? Springwater Center’s extensive land and facilities need constant attention and upkeep. Please contact the Center if you are interested in volunteering.

In Debbie Lewis’s photo below, Wayne Coger and Erica Finch continue window replacement work. Sixteen windows in the eastern area of the main building have been replaced, and now the kitchen skylight is getting the same treatment.

COVID Updates

The COVID policy has been updated and may change again during the summer. Scroll down the home page of the website to read the policy. We make every effort to keep our website up to date with the most current information and requirements. If a change occurs for an event you are registered for, we will notify you as soon as possible.

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Check out the Changes to the Calendar of Events