Christmas and New Year Symposium and Celebration
Unity in Diversity, Inviting Divine Grace
December 22, 2008 – January 1, 2009
Event Details
In this Symposium, spiritual leaders and musicians from different religious and spiritual traditions will gather together to meet in that place where all spiritual seeking unites, that inner space which is a common longing to embrace and be embraced by the one Divine spirit. Speakers from Judaism, Christianity, Sufism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Native American spirituality will talk to us on the shared essence of these spiritual traditions and will lead meditations and/or sacred rituals from their own particular faith. Musicians ns will lead devotional music, singing and chanting concerts and workshops. Be with us and share in the spirit of the season as we step over the age-old boundaries of religious tradition and celebrate this coming together in love and harmony.
The symposium will take the form of a series of morning and evening lectures and concerts, and daytime workshops.
Presenters
Swami Swaroopananda is a senior disciple of Swami Vishnudevananda, the director of the Yoga Retreat and the Acharya (spiritual teacher) for the Sivananda centers and ashrams on the West Coast of the U.S.A., the Middle East, Far East, and the Bahamas. He is renowned for his profound knowledge of Yoga and Vedanta, as well as of many other spiritual traditions.
Lama Tenzin Yignyen
Buddhism
 The Venerable Lama Tenzin Yignyen is an ordained Tibetan Buddhist monk. He holds a degree of "Master of Sutra and Tantra" studies from the Namgyal Monastery of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India. Lama Tenzin is a visiting professor for Tibetan Buddhism at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
Sufism
 A Sufi teacher in the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya Sufi Order, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee has specialized in dreamwork, integrating the ancient Sufi approach to dreams with the insights of modern psychology. In recent years the focus of his writing and teaching has been on spiritual responsibility in our present time of transition, and the emerging global consciousness of oneness (see www.workingwithoneness.org). Author of several books, including Awakening the World: A Global Dimension to Spiritual Practice, Spiritual Power: How it Works, and The Face Before I was Born: A Spiritual Autobiography, he lectures throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
Malidoma Patrice Some, Ph.D.
West African Shamanism
 Malidoma Patrice Some is an initiated elder from a village in Burkina Faso, West Africa. He will share with us the ancient wisdom and healing practices that have supported his people for thousands of years, addressing our individual and collective relationship with the visible worlds of nature and community and with the invisible forces of our ancestors and Spirit allies.
 Dr. Mitchell Gibson is a forensic psychiatrist, author, artist, software developer, public speaker and spiritual teacher. He is currently a clinical professor of Medicine and Psychiatry. He will teach on spiritual healing and the scientific nature of the human soul.
Kenneth Hanson, Ph.D.
Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism
 Kenneth Hanson, PhD is a scholar of Jewish Mysticism, Kabbalah, Hebrew language and literature, the history of biblical lands, and Jewish and early Christian culture. He has written books about ancient Hebrew texts, namely The Dead Sea Scrolls: The Untold Story, Kabbalah, and Words of Light, making the knowledge contained in these texts accessible to everyone.
Grandmother Sara Smith
Native American Indian (Canada)
 Grandmother Sara Smith is of the Mohawk Tribe, Iroquois Nation, and is an Elder of the Turtle Clan. She has lived her entire lifetime in the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario, Canada. She is a leader in the movement of Traditional Peoples toward the establishment of World Peace. She is highly respected in both her own tradition and among other traditions for her gentle wisdom, compassion,
and spirit inspiration.
Rabbi Joseph H. Gelberman
Judaism
Rabbi Joseph H. Gelberman is a Master-teacher in the tradition of Neo-Hasidic mysticism and Kabbalah. He is the founder of the New Seminary New York (the first interfaith seminary in the world), and the All Faiths Seminary International.
Baptist Christianity
 Rev. Dr. Prince Hepburn has dedicated his life to the service of the underprivileged and youths of the Bahamas. He is the Founder and Executive President of the Bahamas Brotherhood and Sisterhood and The Star of the Bahamas. He assisted Swami Vishnudevananda in founding the Yoga Retreat and has remained a great supporter and inspiration to the Yoga Retreat since then.
Kyriacos Markides, Ph.D
Eastern Christian Mysticism
 Kyriacos Markides, Ph.D. is Professor of Sociology at the University of Maine and the author of the trilogy the Magus of Strovolos, Homage to the Sun and Fire in the Heart. He is also author of Riding with the Lion, Gift of the Desert and a recently published book on Eastern Christianity The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality. For the last twenty years he has been exploring the lives and teachings of Christian mystics, healers, miracle workers and monks around the world. He teaches on the lives of Christian mystics and how to apply their insights into our daily life.
Vaiyasaki Das
Bengali Kirtan
 Vaiyasaki Das is a disciple of Swami Bhaktivedanta Prabhupad. He spent many years in India learning various styles of kirtan. Since the 1970s, he has performed in 60 countries and recorded more than 10 kirtan CDs. Vaiyasaki Das is known for his own unique style of kirtan, blending the Bengali raga kirtan style with contemporary sounds.
Gerhard Fankhauser and Einat Gilboa
 Gerhard Fankhauser is a gifted musician and vocalist who builds bridges through music between east and west, ancient and modern. Einat Gilboa is working with singing, dancing and acting. She unites elements from oriental, Indian and shamanic traditions.
Krishnam Namboodiri
Hinduism
 Krishnam Namboodiri is a Tantric priest from Kerala, South India. He is trained in the classical tradition of mantras, pujas, homas, and yantras.
December 24, 2007
Christmas Celebration
December 31, 2007
Swami Vishnudevananda’s Birthday and the New Year Celebration
Cost
There is an extra daily fee of $20.00 for this program, in addition to accommodation rates, payable in advance at the beginning of your stay with us. For accommodation rates please see Rates.
Arrival and Departure
You are welcome to stay with us for the duration of the program, or for a longer or shorter stay, according to your own schedule.
For arrival details please see How To Get Here.
What To Bring
For information on what to bring with you for your stay at the Yoga Retreat please see What To Bring.
Reservations
Due to the popularity of our special programs and limited space we recommend that you reserve your accommodation with us in advance. For accommodation rates please see Rates.
Please register on line or print the registration form, fill it in and fax it to the Yoga Retreat at Fax Number: 1-242-363-3783. Then call us to give a credit card deposit and to confirm your reservation at 1-800-441-2096 or 1-242-363-2902.
A non-refundable deposit of US$50 is required for reserving your accommodation. The balance is due on arrival at the Yoga Retreat. Please note that there will be no refund in case of cancellation. A credit note will be given. | 
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