Post from: Sunrise Ranch

newsletter

What could be more glorious, more full of beauty and wonder, than spending all or just a part of the month of May on Sunrise Ranch in Eden Valley, near Loveland, Colorado? I’m reminded of the opening words of a song that I sing frequently, especially at this time of the year: “The mist of May is in the gloamin’ and all the clouds are standin’ still, so take my hand and let’s go roamin’ through the heather on the hill.” Well, we may not have heather on our hills here, but we do have fields of wildflowers on Green Ridge and shadows that play on the rimrock as the sun sets. And as for song, what can match the lyrical tones of the many meadowlarks that inhabit our valley?

If there is any time of year when magic is in the air, it is now: the magic of a blossoming flower, the magic of a tree with new leaves, the magic scent of freshly-mowed grass, the magic of life with all its surging energy and newness. But there is nothing as magical as human beings sharing unconditional love in a setting whose very nature draws forth and nourishes this sharing. Sunrise Ranch is such a setting, offering a rich menu of programs and activities in which bodies can renew, minds can engage and hearts can blend.

It is a glorious time to be alive. There is even more magic that could emerge in this beautiful valley and we would be delighted if it came from you!

Blessings in the magical nature of life,

Jerry Kvasnicka, Sunrise Ranch

Upcoming Events:

Worldwide Coordinating Director of Humanity’s Team, Steve Farrell, discusses the principles of oneness with Spiritual Leadership Award recipient, author Barbara Marx Hubbard, during a recent interview. She is being honored for her contribution to mankind’s spiritual evolution.

Spiritual Leadership Award Ceremony

Memorial Day, Monday, May 27th from 6-9:30 pm

Join us as Humanity’s Team Global Council and Founder Neale Donald Walsch celebrate their 10th Anniversary by presenting Barbara Marx Hubbard with the Spiritual Leadership Award. Click HERE for more information and to register.

Barbara Marx Hubbard is internationally renowned for her books, speaking tours, and work in promoting the concept of “oneness” among all humanity. Steve Farrell, worldwide coordinating director and Council of Trustees member of Humanity’s Team said, “Barbara Marx Hubbard has dedicated her life to helping humanity awaken itself to a sense of oneness. She is an absolute wonderful model for oneness.”

Journey into sacred ceremony and ancient wisdom from all over the world as we explore the primal bond that has sustained cultures throughout time and will propel us into a thriving tomorrow.

Register at www.LifeFieldConference.com…For a special Friends of Sunrise Discount of $50 off the regular price of the entire event, enter the discount code FRIENDS at checkout! Hope to see you her—it’s going to be fantastic! Delicious farm-to-table and organic meals are included. Accommodations can be booked separately.

Highlights include:

Sacred temple dancing from Egypt, South America, Bali and India
Drumming
Yoga
Elixir Bar and Super Food Lounge
Vendors
Fire Ceremony
Ancient Food Practices/ Permaculture
Lost Crystal Skulls
Laser Light Show
Dance Celebration
Star Gazing

Activate / Reconnect / Interact / Synchronize / Empower

ARISE is a 5-day music and co-creative camping festival. With 5 stages, over 100 bands, DJs, presenters, artists, activists, theme camps and filmmakers, be prepared to immerse yourself into a co-creative wonderspace.

Theme camps give different segments of our creative community an open platform to share creativity. Villages, like our Hemp Village, allow for the mingling of like-minded souls, whether your interests are music, clothing, food, yoga, the subtle energies, visionary art, or kicking back with a cold or warm bevy.

We invite you to ARISE!  For more information and to register for the ARISE Music Festival  CLICK HERE 

Join us at Wanderlust Colorado! July 4-7

It’s almost time to unleash a continental dose of prana upon our entire community! Wanderlust 2013 offers the perfect mix of yoga, music and nature at Copper Mountain Resort.

Click HERE for more information

 Thriving Community Program 

This summer’s Thriving Community Program (July 8-12) allows you to live in an intentional community and discover ways to boost your career, business and relationships as you boost your whole community.

We all know that big business and big government won’t take care of quality of life in your community, and this program offers you the ways that whole communities thrive. This is a perfect way to explore Sunrise Ranch and to see and feel how communities thrive.

These five-day programs include David Karchere, Daphne Bramlett, Robby Robbins and Peter McGugan as faculty.

You’ll have time to explore the Sunrise Ranch community—from the permaculture gardens to the farm-to-table organic kitchen; you can also connect with the hearts of people who thrive here.

Don’t miss this open-door, open-heart opportunity to feel how a happy intentional community sustains itself.  CLICK HERE for more information and to register!…

 

Please visit our Calendar of Events for more opportunities! Click HERE

 

Fine Arts Program at Sunrise Ranch

Learn the Arts at Sunrise Ranch every Monday and Thursday evening  Sunrise Ranch is proud to announce our Fine Arts Program that frees the spirit and lifts the soul. Plein air classes also available on Saturdays.

“Expanding Vision Through Creative Expression” teaches beginners and experts alike the process and techniques for creating expressive works of art. With a newly renovated building created as an art studio for this program, Sunrise Ranch has decreed Studio A as a home for which fine arts can be birthed in a sacred space. Classes are now being held every Monday and Thursday, from 7-9:30 p.m. These classes are led by Bob Ewing, Sunrise Artist-in-Residence, and local professional artist Dave Holman. The maximum number of students that Studio A can hold is 12, so reserve your spot as soon as possible to guarantee participation. For additional information please see our web page  http://sunriseranch.org/arts/learn-the-arts/ or contact Bob Ewing (970) 443-4402 or Dave Holman (970) 391-0982. You can also e-mail Bob Ewing at bewing@emnet.org

 

 

 

AROUND THE RANCH

Signing of the Arise Festival contract by Paul Bassis (Arise) and David Karchere (Sunrise Ranch)

 

Hard at work!

 

 Sunrise Ranch Youth Programs

Counselor-in-Training program at Sunrise Ranch  Do you know any students, ages 14-16, who would like the opportunity to participate in Camp Sunrise, while offering their leadership abilities and learning what it takes to be a camp counselor? They will have all the fun experiences of being a camper, with additional opportunities for developing qualities of leadership. There will also be some specific activities just for Counselors-in-Training. Camp Sunrise gives children ages 8-17 the opportunity to experience their joy, creativity and unique gifts in a positive, safe and nourishing environment.  Campers connect with each other and with the natural world around them through fun activities: overnight camping in tents, hiking in the foothills of the Rockies, gardening, farming, permaculture, performing arts, a culminating talent show, team-building games, sports, swimming and water play, arts and crafts, campfire, stargazing, and field trip.  There is a deposit required to secure your spot(s), so for additional information visit http://sunriseranch.org/arts/camp-sunrise  or call 877-786-0078 or 970-679-4200 to make a deposit or partial payment.

Excerpt from The Pulse of Spirit: “Let love radiate without concern for results. This is the purpose for our being. That purpose includes many other things but, in the end, all those other things come to focus in this one thing: letting love radiate without concern for results. That is a picture of unconditional love, which is the foundation and the basis for every true spiritual teaching that ever was. We call it unconditional love because it means nothing if it is conditional. If love is conditional, it is buying and selling.”    Click HERE to read more

<— click to “Like” our “Pulse of Spirit” Facebook Community Page

How to visit or get involved at Sunrise Ranch:

Convenient to Denver International Airport, yet far away from the bustle of daily life, Sunrise Ranch is a conference and retreat center located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Drop in and visit! Tour our garden, walk the labyrinth, sit by the pond, watch the animals, have a meal & enjoy the scenery. Please call and let us know you are coming—Toll free: 877-786-0078 or direct: 970-679-4200.

Attend a Sunrise Ranch community event, class or retreat. To view our calendar – click HERE

• Concerts in our beautiful Dome
• Dances of Universal Peace – A form of circle dances designed to bring the experience of prayer from many world traditions into the body, voice, heart and spirit. Offered first Tuesday of each month.
• Transformational Evenings – We have a rotating schedule of open Wednesday evening enlightening events.
• Creative Arts Classes – A variety of classes—journaling, plein air art, yoga and more
• Attunement Session – Attunement is a sacred healing art and spiritual practice.
• Sunday Services – Held every Sunday morning at 11 a.m. in the Dome Chapel at Sunrise Ranch. (Visit us LIVE streaming online every Sunday at 11am Mountain Time)

Sign up for a retreat or workshop held at Sunrise Ranch—many gifted teachers, presenters and facilitators hold their events at Sunrise Ranch, including programs in Personal Growth, Spiritual Life, Healing and Wellness, Sustainability, and Creative Arts!

Plan your own retreat/workshop at Sunrise Ranch—Convenient to Denver International Airport, yet far away from the bustle of daily life, Sunrise Ranch is a conference and retreat center located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Whether you’re planning a Colorado personal retreat, wedding, board retreat, or workshop, we have the ideal venue for you! * Variety of Meeting Spaces – Comfortable Accommodations – Affordable Rates – Delicious, Wholesome Meals – Attractive Amenities * You will be offering your event as part of a powerful, internationally known, rapidly expanding program. Your participants will enjoy an unmatched atmosphere that deeply enhances their experience. All of this AND easy on your budget. Truly a WIN-WIN situation!

Residential programs: We offer four unique opportunities to participate in residential programs, including Full Self Emergence, Culinary Academy, Integrated Holistic Agriculture, Garden Internships, and Permaculture Work/Study, for periods ranging from a week to eighteen months. Sunrise Ranch Spiritual Retreat Center has programs that empower personal transformation and world service; conference facilities for leading-edge organizations; opportunities to participate in our 350-acre ranch and farm; connection with like-minded people in this multifaceted spiritual community. Sunrise Ranch is the headquarters for Emissaries of Divine Light, a global spiritual network.

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Post from: Sunrise Ranch

Magic Is in the Air DRAFT MAY NEWSLETTER

by Jessica Benes

Sunrise Ranch is not-for-profit retreat for spiritual development, self-actualization and learning about authenticity and transparency. “People can relax and let loose from the grind and get deeper into workshops they’re coming for,” said Robbie Robbins, director of program development.

To view the rest of the article, click here.

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Post from: Sunrise Ranch

Article in Loveland Reporter Herald – April 29, 2013

It occurs to me that the world can use a refresher on what love is and what love does. The deeper I open to love I find that it demands more of itself in feeling, knowing and action. It seeks itself out in the next most powerful way and true way. It will take the lead of our experience if we let it.

Love opens, explores, delves deeper, is not satisfied with assumptions and can turn everything inside out—mind, heart and body—in a moment of deeper recognition. Love wants nothing, is utterly free and can be completely relied upon.

True love between people means “no matter what.” Whatever comes, whatever thought, feeling or action trips along our path, we know that we are together in holding it—together. This kind of unconditional love is definitely what changes the world–powerfully, magically and instantly… As we hold this kind of love for and with each other we are changing the world one incredible moment at a time.

My heart is devastated with love, broken free again and again with the wonder of this love that I have within me, and the deeper that I let it run through me with other people, no matter what, the more intense and awe-inspiring my life becomes and the more free it is truly in the arms of God.

I notice that the “no matter what” part is the most incredible in its ecstatic remembrance. Things come up, but as I stretch deeply into a place that knows no wrong for this situation my heart opens and my thoughts move in alignment with that love, making creation possible in a situation that would otherwise have been a stopping point of some kind. Breakthroughs like this, when the world seems to be telling you that you can’t love in this situation and you say, “Yes I will, yes I am loving no matter what,” are portals for a cosmic design to enter in all at once.

Unconditional love that comes from an ever deeper place in me is the means by which I know that I am a magical instrument of transmutation and creation in this sphere of things. This takes real attention on where love is finding its focus in my life. What am I looking at and what are my energies moving toward? Is it coming together or is it random in emergence? True love is not a surprise; it is a marvelous and astonishingly beautiful foundation in my life that finds itself ever directed at its focus for greatest manifestation. True love only wants to manifest truly and abundantly in my experience. It wants to come together in truth, in reality, not just in imagination. It wants this humanity to know its magic and creative potential.

Daphne provides oversight for Sunrise Ranch Program Development, Guest Services and Human Resources and is a member of the Sunrise Ranch Executive Group. She loves speaking, singing, writing and coaching about the opportunity that we have in each moment to deepen our awareness of our own true Presence and create a world that reflects that pristine inner beauty.

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Post from: Sunrise Ranch

Love Within Us and Between Us

LOVELAND — A small herb garden and plentiful grove of fruit trees sit just steps from the kitchen, easily accessible and vibrant in the crisp light of early spring. Rivulets of water escape from under mounded snow piles and muddy the sandy garden soil. In such a serene setting, nature speaks emphatically. Chef Joel Navejas, executive chef of Farm to Table Culinary Academy, has been listening, and says the message is driving his dream.

In a valley a few miles west of Loveland, on the 400-acre Sunrise Ranch, Navejas is heading a new cooking school that teaches harmonious interaction with food. He hopes to help established chefs and those beginning their cooking careers to rethink their connections with food, and to get their hands dirty in the process.

“We actually get a chance to interact with food throughout its life cycle,” Navejas said. “We know exactly how the food is grown. We’re harvesting directly to the kitchen and we’re making a meal the same day the food is harvested.”

The academy will take advantage of the bounty of the ranch, including grass-fed beef, organic vegetables, pastured poultry, eggs, fruit and grains. Culinary students, with the help of resident Sunrise Ranch community members, will help steward the land and animals, and in that way, Navejas said, become more conscious of the natural cycles of life.

“We’re focusing on our carbon footprint,” Navejas said, “getting away from the industrial complex and GMOs (genetically modified organisms) completely.”

For Navejas, that purposeful move is all about lifestyle and health. As a 10-year-old, he worked on huge farms as a migrant worker harvesting potatoes in Idaho and Oregon. “They’d dump chemicals on those fields,” he said. “We didn’t think much of it then; it was part of the job.” Later, he moved to San Francisco to attend California Culinary Academy and said he began to see how important GMO- and pesticide-free foods are as part of a healthy lifestyle. He frequented fruit stands and met with local farmers, using as much local produce as he could in his recipes. “The things you put in affect how you are and feel,” Navejas said.

In Colorado, Navejas worked at Biaggis in Loveland, opened both Rustic Ovens and cooked at Crown Pub in Old Town. But his time as executive chef at Whole Foods provided the “big piece,” for him, he said. “That’s where I got my food education. And now I’m coming full circle,” he said, “putting my hands back in the soil.” Navejas, who has been executive chef at Sunrise Ranch for eight months, is working toward accreditation for the new school, which he says will probably take two to three years.

The six to eight students of the inaugural class of the academy will learn how to make dishes that follow the offerings of the seasons, according to Navejas. They’ll also learn traditional skill sets and food presentation, as well as how to cook with various fresh produce to preserve nutrients and maximize flavor.
“We already have four students, and we’re still accepting applications,” Navejas said. The hands-on curriculum, which runs seven months from April through October, costs $3,500; more for housing onsite.

Gary Goodhue, a member of Sunrise Ranch community and kitchen worker, said the recipes are far from ordinary. “There’s an amazing array of culinary cuisine, from all around the world — there’s Mediterranean, Asian, Caribbean and African. The diversity of cuisine that can be created while still maintaining a healthy style of food is just incredible.”

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Post from: Sunrise Ranch

Farm to Table Culinary Academy at Sunrise Ranch

I have been interested for some time in living in an intentional community. I now do, in an event and conference center and intentional spiritual community called Sunrise Ranch, in Loveland, Colorado. Living in community, I find that almost all of my basic needs are met, and many of them are met with greater abundance than I would have imagined. We have an organic farm and garden program, as well as a farm-to-table culinary academy. Because we are an event and conference center, many people from a variety of walks of life come to visit and stay with us. We have a commercial-size kitchen that will often feed over 100 people per meal. Our head chef and director of the culinary academy used to be the executive chef at a Whole Foods and regularly prepares amazingly healthy and delicious cuisine for the community and guests to enjoy. The type of food that I eat on a daily basis would be very expensive to buy and prepare if I had to go out to eat or buy from a grocery store on a regular basis. For some reason, in today’s world, it is more expensive to eat good, healthy food than the processed and pre-packaged type of meals that I used to live off of as a modern-day bachelor.

On top of the generous availability of food that I experience, my housing accommodations, utilities, laundry facilities, and Internet are all provided for and included within the work-trade program. For the most part, I have been able to let go of the rat race world of making a paycheck in order to pay bills and live a comfortable life. This has freed me up to be able to focus on the things that are most important to me—like personal and spiritual development and discovering my passion and purpose in life. There are a number of options for work-type services that I can choose to engage in. Whether cooking in the kitchen, doing maintenance and landscaping, childcare, growing in the garden, stewarding the land and animals on the farm, taking care of guests and the events business, marketing and sales, program development, outreach, publications, financials, or overall community operations, there are many areas for a person to participate in and explore their individual passion.

Another huge benefit of living in community, as I do, is that I live and work in the same place. I do not have to deal with commuting or traffic or gas expenses. I get more time in my day because it only takes me a few minutes to walk to work from my home, and I have the opportunity to engage in different activities through multiple work duties. Sometimes I might be helping take care of the children of families that live in the community; sometimes I might be cooking in the kitchen or working on a new building project or editing a website. This availability allows me to be diverse and keeps me from getting stressed or burned out from doing the same thing all the time, day in and day out. And because we are surrounded by beautiful nature settings, I get to enjoy hiking and interacting with plants, animals and the natural world that I formerly had to drive to different locations to enjoy; here they’re within a couple minutes’ walk.

While living in the city, I had to be self-reliant and could rarely depend on others to help me out with areas of life that I would have difficulty with. In community living, people are there for each other, and it is known that we are stronger existing together as a whole than individually and separate. It is almost like living inside of a large extended family, where people actually care for each other and will go out of their way to help one another when they are in need. This doesn’t mean that it is a virtual utopia, where everything is perfect and everyone is always happy all the time. People are still people everywhere you go, and we are all growing and learning in our own individual areas of life; however, there is a greater encompassment and support for each other than I have ever known in any other type of lifestyle.

One of the challenges in such an environment is that it is similar to living in a very small village, where everyone knows everybody else. Sometimes it can be like living in a fish bowl, where everyone seems to know your business. Often that is not the case but sometimes that is what it feels like. Maybe that is because it is common to think that, just because my world revolves around me, other people are paying as much attention to my experiences as I am. Usually they are not, but still the fact remains that many people hear what I say and see what I do. That can become a problem if the two do not match. The up-side to this is that, if you allow it, others can help to hold you accountable and it can be a type of support for a person to become more transparent. This means releasing the lies and sneakiness and general incongruences within your character. This is a good thing to be moving toward. However, until you get there, it might feel frustrating as the old ways of being are no longer working the same as they used to and outdated selfish behaviors can no longer be kept in the shadows.

Some people might think then that living in an intentional community could be boring, in such close proximity to your neighbors and without many varied experiences. This might be true in some situations, but not here on Sunrise Ranch. We always have something going on because this place also serves as a conscious event and conference center. There are dances, drumming circles, musical jam sessions, workshops and classes, healers’ gatherings, spiritual and inspirational services, harvest and garden parties, game nights, outdoor group sports, activities, and much more that happen on a fairly consistent basis. I can choose to involve myself in these options or not, depending on my range of availability; and most of them are free and easy to participate in. Often there are new people who come to visit and interact with us, and the ones that I live, work and play with on a daily basis are like family; I know who I am spending my time with and they know me.

All in all, living in an intentional-community environment has been a rich and fulfilling experience and is my favorite among the lifestyles I have known. I believe that this is a model for the type of living that the world as a whole is moving toward. Imagine trading money focus, self-centeredness and separation for shared abundance, service consciousness and interconnected living. I am blessed to be in such a supportive and abundant environment.

Gary Goodhue is an author, actor, poet and has been a seeker of universal truth and spiritual awakenings his entire adult life. He studied at the School of Metaphysics, where he taught classes and directed one of their school centers. He was involved with a spiritual community called Community of Light for two years and was introduced to intentional communal living. He pursued community living for a number of years after that, even planning how to start his own with friends. He currently resides at Sunrise Ranch, headquarters for Emissaries of Divine Light, and one of the oldest continual intentional communities in the United States.

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Post from: Sunrise Ranch

Affordability at Sunrise Ranch

Gary Goodhue is an author, actor, poet and spiritual aspirant. Gary has been exploring universal success principles, personal development and spiritual concepts for most of his life. He has studied at the School of Metaphysics, as well as teaching classes and serving as branch director for one of their sixteen school centers. He was also involved with the Community of Light and is currently living at Sunrise Ranch, headquarters of the Emissaries of Divine Light. He is involved in their Full Self Emergence Program and serves in multiple capacities on the ranch and in the community. He works within different departments and also has started participating in the EDL ministry program, sharing spiritual truth and reciting original works of poetry, as well as writing blog articles for the website. Gary is looking forward to deepening his relationship with the Emissaries and serving in greater capacities as the spirit of love expresses through him into larger levels of manifestation and experience.

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Post from: Sunrise Ranch

Life’s Resurrection

I was sitting in the dining room the other day and the fresh breezes of spring were in the air. Everyone seemed to have a smile on their face and an extra bounce in their step, as if there was a newness in their life. As I was sitting down to eat, my friend Maryann said to me, “Mmmm, you smell good—what are you wearing?” I told her I was wearing an essential oil spray that I made from OM. It gave me cause to consider how scents bring us into a different energetic space. How do the scents of Spring create an atmosphere in your life? Does the smell of rain put you in a space for spring cleaning, just as it provides a cleansing  for mother earth? How about the earthy scent of the land drying after the rain. Does it give you thoughts or feelings of planting your garden for the coming summer?

Scent can give us a fresh perspective, be exhilarating, and fill us with energy. With the buds sprouting, the smell of green is in the air—the scent of trees in bud, grass emerging from winter dormancy, soil coming alive. Green smells good! Did you know that richly scented flowers don’t even release their scents until warm temperatures allow their oils to vaporize, providing the sweet fragrance? It makes me think that it’s the same with people and their energy. The warm weather seems to stimulate people’s rich loving energy, vaporizing the oil of connection and releasing the sweet fragrance of life.

I hope that you are blessed with the awareness of receiving the gift of scent, both yours and others, to enrich your life and inspire the budding opportunities for you to live and love life more abundantly.

Blessings of love and possibility, Sunrise Ranch

Concert in The Dome with Donna De Lory during our Vibrational Field Conference

Don’t miss our upcoming Life Field Conference!

Gilly Gonzalez and Lisa Wimberger of Lil Sum’n Sum’n playing in The Dome

Impromptu healing with Richard Rudis’s sacred sound instruments, ancient Singing Bowls, which are composed of a sacred seven metal alloy.  Janet Bass was facilitating this  session at the Vibrational Field Conference………………………..

Upcoming Events:

Spiritual Leadership Award Ceremony

Memorial Day, Monday, May 27th from 6-9:30 pm

Join us as Humanity’s Team Global Council and Founder Neale Donald Walsch celebrate their 10th Anniversary by presenting Barbara Marx Hubbard with the Spiritual Leadership Award. Click HERE for more information and to register.

The ARISE Music Festival at Sunrise Ranch August 2013

Activate / Reconnect / Interact / Synchronize / Empower

ARISE is a 5-day music and co-creative camping festival located just 65 miles north of Denver, CO. The event takes place in a breathtaking Rocky Mountain oasis known as Sunrise Ranch. This magical and inspiring landscape is the perfect container for participants to entertain and be entertained, explore their creative potentials, connect with nature, stretch out, dive in, and dance to the early hours. “The music is like the fire, and we all gather around it to warm our souls,” says Paul Bassis, co-producer of ARISE. “And this first year we have an exceptional lineup for your main stage, second stage, electronic stage, yoga stage and 400 seat presentation dome. “Around the fire, we also talk, exchange ideas and inspire one another,” Paul continues “and the intention of the event is to facilitate and amplify that inspiration into action.” Theme camps give different segments of our creative community an open platform to share creativity. Villages, like our Hemp village, allow for the mingling of like-minded souls, whether your interests are music, clothing, food, yoga, the subtle energies, visionary art, or kicking back with a cold or warm bevy. With 5 stages, over 100 bands, DJs, presenters, artists, activists, theme camps and filmmakers, be prepared to immerse yourself into a co-creative wonderspace. We invite you to ARISE!  ~Paul, Tierro, Aly, Ami, Raja and the ARISE festival family. For more information and to register for the ARISE Music Festival, CLICK HERE 

DIAMOND BODY CHANT & DANCE With DJ MantraMatrix – ElectroSanskrit TranceMission May 3, 2013, evening Chanting, dancing and breath-work have been used for centuries as shamanic vehicles for expanded consciousness. They are ways we tap into vibrational awareness, flow and other ways of knowing and being.   DJ MantraMatrix mixes a sonic kaleidoscope of live mantra chanting and trance-electronica beats to create a kirtronica experience of divine bliss. The music ranges from etheric ambient landscapes to wild, Kali-shaking dubstep glitch. www.MantraMatrix.com

Thriving Community Program & Thriving Community Film Festival

This summer’s Thriving Community Programs allow you to live in an intentional community and discover ways to boost your career, business, and relationships as you boost your whole community. The Thriving Community Film Festivals are weekend events screening uplifting new films about inspiring thriving communities and include discussions about the films and sharing of ideas and resources. CLICK HERE for more information…

Join us for a magical day of mystical dance and a night of tribal beats and sensual rhythms!

May 4, 2013, 10am-10:30pm Ixeeya Workshop: Wild Divine Dance Journey to Circulate the Sensual Energies of Spring! Concert in The Dome featuring TIERRO Band and the Sea Stars CLICK HERE for more information  

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Please visit our Calendar of Events for more opportunities! Click HERE

   

 

Our new reflective sign makes it easier to find us!

Sunrise Ranch Culinary Academy

Sunrise Ranch Permaculture

Flocking Geese                         

Okay, so our geese are not exactly “flocking” but they are a group of birds moving in the same direction.  Seen here is Cowboy David and Curt moving our geese to their new home near the garden to assist Derik Lane, Sunrise Ranch’s Garden Manager, with bugs and weed control.  They are enjoying their new location overlooking the garden and are looking forward to meeting the neighbors.  Stay tuned!

Ranching Operations – Integrated Holistic Agriculture

Sunrise Ranch is excited to announce our inaugural Farm Internship, combining our Integrated Holistic Agriculture (IHA), Permaculture, and Garden internships for the 2013 season! In our IHA program, we offer training and work experience in ranch work, based on the principles of Holistic Management®, rotational grazing and rejuvenating (rather than depleting) the land on which we live and work. Gain hands-on experience, as well as classroom-style education, while receiving room and board and a $250 stipend for every 30 days of service. This program is designed to give participants the full experience of living in an intentional community among spiritually minded people who share a passion for integrating their lives with the ecology in which they dwell. Participants will learn the skills and principles that allow a community and its immediate landscape to thrive and sustain. For additional information,  go to  http://sunriseranch.org/iha/   OR contact Keahi Ewa at keahi@sunriseranch.org, (970) 679-4349.

 Sunrise Ranch Youth Programs

Counselor-in-Training program at Sunrise Ranch  Do you know any students, ages 14 – 16, who would like the opportunity to participate in Camp Sunrise, while offering their leadership abilities and learning what it takes to be a camp counselor? They will have all the fun experiences of being a camper, with additional opportunities for developing qualities of leadership. There will also be some specific activities just for Counselors-in-Training. Camp Sunrise gives children ages 8-17 the opportunity to experience their joy, creativity and unique gifts in a positive, safe and nourishing environment.  Campers connect with each other and with the natural world around them through fun activities: overnight camping in tents, hiking in the foothills of the Rockies, gardening, farming, permaculture, performing arts, a culminating talent show, team-building games, sports, swimming and water play, arts and crafts, campfire, stargazing, and field trip.  There is a deposit required to secure your spot(s) so for additional information visit http://sunriseranch.org/arts/camp-sunrise  OR call 877-786-0078 or 970-679-4200 to make a deposit or partial payment

Fine Arts Program at Sunrise Ranch

AROUND THE RANCH

Pond and Garden area after the snow

Entrance to the Permaculture Garden after the blizzard in March and some of our goats helping with the pruning!

The Pavilion after the snow

Kay Rice overlooking The Dome on the hiking trail above Sunrise Ranch

David Karchere speaking at Community Day

Sunrise Ranch Community enjoying events around the ranch

(left) David and Ford taking down fencing to be replaced by fencing that works for our cattle and the ARISE FESTIVAL. (right) David and Curt putting in all of our new “side roll” irrigation so our fields will be in top-notch shape come festival day.

Derik watering the sprouts that will go into the garden

Herbs and Veggies in the Greenhouse getting ready for the Garden!

Elk Playing at Sunrise Ranch

Emissaries of Divine Light (EDL)

Excerpt from The Pulse of Spirit: “I receive many messages from people that carry a vision of what an enlightened life might be like. Often it’s a lovely vision, a heavenly vision, a very peaceful vision, free of worry, free of care, having all the person’s needs met, free of challenge, and full of serendipity. Reflecting on these messages, I wonder, is that really how it goes when you open up spiritually? Is that really what happens? This past week I was speaking to someone about moving to Sunrise Ranch, the spiritual community and conference center where I live. In the middle of the conversation, she said, “I’m scared.” And I said, “Good!”    Click HERE to read more

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How to visit or get involved at Sunrise Ranch:

Convenient to Denver International Airport, yet far away from the bustle of daily life, Sunrise Ranch is a conference and retreat center located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Drop in and visit! Tour our garden, walk the labyrinth, sit by the pond, watch the animals, have a meal & enjoy the scenery. Please call and let us know you are coming—Toll free: 877-786-0078 or Direct: 970-679-4200.

Attend a Sunrise Ranch community event, class or retreat. To view our calendar – click HERE

• Concerts in our beautiful Dome
• Dances of Universal Peace – A form of circle dances designed to bring the experience of prayer from many world traditions into the body, voice, heart and spirit. Offered first Tuesday of each month.
• Transformational Evenings – We have a rotating schedule of open Wednesday evening enlightening events.
• Creative Arts Classes – A variety of classes—journaling, plein aire art, yoga and more
• Attunement Session – Attunement is a sacred healing art and spiritual practice
• Sunday Services – Held every Sunday morning at 11 a.m. in the Dome Chapel at Sunrise Ranch. (Visit us LIVE streaming online every Sunday at 11am Mountain Time)

Sign up for a retreat or workshop held at Sunrise Ranch—many gifted teachers, presenters and facilitators hold their events at Sunrise Ranch, including programs in Personal Growth, Spiritual Life, Healing and Wellness, Sustainability, and Creative Arts!

Plan your own retreat/workshop at Sunrise Ranch—Convenient to Denver International Airport, yet far away from the bustle of daily life, Sunrise Ranch is a conference and retreat center located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Whether you’re planning a Colorado personal retreat, wedding, board retreat, or workshop, we have the ideal venue for you! * Variety of Meeting Spaces – Comfortable Accommodations – Affordable Rates – Delicious, Wholesome Meals – Attractive Amenities * You will be offering your event as part of a powerful, internationally known, rapidly expanding program. Your participants will enjoy an unmatched atmosphere that deeply enhances their experience. All of this AND easy on your budget. Truly a WIN-WIN situation!

Residential programs: We offer four unique opportunities to participate in residential programs, including Full Self Emergence, Culinary Academy, Integrated Holistic Agriculture, Garden Internships, and Permaculture Work/Study, for periods ranging from a week to eighteen months. Sunrise Ranch Spiritual Retreat Center has programs that empower personal transformation and world service; conference facilities for leading-edge organizations; opportunities to participate in our 350-acre ranch and farm; connection with like-minded people in this multifaceted spiritual community. Sunrise Ranch is the headquarters for Emissaries of Divine Light, a global spiritual network.

Heart Connection Community Kirtan 16 April 2013 Held every 3rd Tuesday of each month Chanting opens the heart, expands awareness and connects us to the one heart we share with all of Creation. Experience it for yourself! Come and sing with us! More | Register Learn the Arts at Sunrise Ranch 18 April 2013 Held every Thursday Sunrise Ranch is proud to announce the initiation of a Fine Arts Program that frees the spirit and lifts the soul. Meets 7-9:30pm on Mondays and Thursdays. More | Register The Art of Letting Go: An Insight Meditation Retreat 18 - 21 April 2013 The Art of Letting Go - The practice of Vipassana (Insight) and Metta (Loving-kindness) meditation; and some interpersonal contemplative inquiry on what it means to surrender to the present moment. More| Register Path of Love Process 20 - 27 April 2013 A highly structured 7-day intensive that combines the love for truth with a sincere longing to realize full human and spiritual potential. More | Register Enneamotion 22 April 2013 Held every Monday Using the Enneagram, EnneaMotion and Brain Science to Wake Up! More | Register Hudson Leick's Healing Heart Yoga Retreat 2 - 5 May 2013 Our retreats provide safe, sacred space where you can begin to discover your authentic self and provide the opportunity to connect and share with like-minded loving folks from different walks of life. More| Register May Concert Weekend 3 - 4 May 2013 Weekend Event Includes: ManraMatrix Trance Dance and overnight lodging on Friday, and on Saturday a morning hike, workshop with Ixeeya, Yoga, concert in the Dome with Tierro Band and Sea Stars. Fabulous Farm-to-Table meals are also included. More | Register Comfort Touch - Nurturing Acupressure 3 - 5 May 2013 Workshop in which to teach principles and techniques of Comfort Touch® Nurturing Acupressure More | Register | Lodging Dances of Universal Of Peace 7 May 2013 Held every 1st Tuesday of each month Through singing sacred mantras and moving together, we weave a holy atmosphere, a community of healing and harmony. Join us with your open hearts! More | Register Thriving Community Film Festival 10 - 12 May 2013 Sunrise Ranch Film Festival, supporting the Thriving Community Program course with Peter McGugan. | Register | Lodging Earth Changes 17 - 19 May 2013 In this experiential workshop, Marko will lead us deep into the soul of this unique landscape to discover its many archetypal dimensions. More | Register Satori Awareness Intensive 22 - 27 May 2013 Meditation, Self Discovery, Human potential More| Register Co-Creators Convergence Year 1: Creating Community - You Are Not Alone 25 - 27 May 2013 Beyond Birth 2012! What's next? Year One! Collectively, on December 22, 2012, through the labor of globally awakened beings, a new era of humanity was birthed. Now the real work begins! More | Register Humanity's Team and Barbara Marx Hubbard 27 May 2013 Join us as Humanity's Team Global Council and Founder Neale Donald Walsch celebrates their 10th Anniversary by Presenting Barbara Marx Hubbard with the Spiritual Leadership Award. More | Register Mysterium: Psychology... in the Truest Sense of the Word 4 - 9 June 2013 A 5-Day Intensive for Helping Professionals With Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes More | Register Healing Ourselves, Healing the World 14 - 17 June 2013 Healing Ourselves, Healing the World: Cultivating the Art of Mindful Living. A 4 Day Mindfulness Retreat in the Tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh With Dharmacharya Chan Huy More | Register | Lodging Shakuhachi Summer Camp 20 - 24 June 2013 5 day class held by the world renowned masters of the Japanese Shakuhachi flute, with a stunning Saturday night performance in the Sunrise Ranch Dome Cathedral. | Register | Lodging Renewed Body, Relaxed Mind: A Mindfulness Yoga Retreat 21 - 23 June 2013 Please join us for a relaxing and rejuvenating weekend to "reset" your life with multiple yoga and mindfulness meditation opportunities. More Life Field Conference 27 - 29 June 2013 "Sacred Ceremonialists are being gathered from around the world to explore the primal bond and share in the current of Ancient Wisdom that has sustained cultures throughout time and will propel us into a thriving tomorrow. More The Art of Living (formerly The Opening) 30 Jun - 7 Jul 2013 Exploring foundational principles of living, this week-long intensive is an adventure in experiencing the reality of our divine nature. More | Register

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Post from: Sunrise Ranch

The Sweet Aroma of Spring!

There is a sense in which all of life is magic: the magic of a flower, the magic of a tree, the magic of birds in flight, the magic of spring, the magic of autumn, the magic of a baby just born, the magic felt by two human beings sharing unconditional love.  Yes, it could be said that magic is everywhere, that the very fact of creation is an act of magic. Indeed it is, and human beings who acknowledge this and embody in form the magic of life at their core have the singular opportunity to experience the beauty, the wonder, the glory and the miraculous nature of creation.  This is the magic I believe in.

Yet there is another kind of magic that has been concocted by the human mind in its state of limited understanding. It is a counterfeit magic, a product of wishful thinking and actually not magic at all.  I refer to this phenomenon as “the myth of magic.” Of the myths that have been accepted by people down through the centuries, few are as ancient and deeply rooted in human consciousness as this belief in magic—the idea that mysterious, supernatural powers exist and can, under certain conditions, produce miraculous effects in human beings and their environment.

“Wanted—a magic formula or potion to change the hearts and minds of men” ran a recent ad in the Chicago Tribune. Many answers were forthcoming, but religion headed the list. The acceptance of the “myth of magic” is indeed the basis of all human religion. In fact, the various religions of the world—ancient and modern, Oriental and Occidental—are merely the different mechanics which man have devised to tap the “magic” in which they have wrapped their hopes and dreams.

Belief in this kind of magic is the essential ingredient of human religion for the simple reason that a state of limitation is universally accepted as normal. It is believed, for example, in the Christian pattern based on the idea of “original sin,” that man is a “worm of the dust,” a decidedly inferior creature, who can only be delivered from the “curse” of human nature and the “prison of the flesh” by the intervention of a merciful God via his wonder-working son, Jesus Christ. Even many of the most sophisticated and seemingly self-assured individuals alive today, the finest products of the computer age, are laboring, consciously or unconsciously, under an enormous inferiority complex, a monumental conviction of their own inherent weakness and insignificance, and are looking with increasing desperation for that magical something—be it computer technology, the “second coming” or world government—to bail them and their human fellows out of the morass of misery that presently engulfs the planet. It has been customary to dread the possibility of invasion by beings from another planet, but now I understand there are growing numbers who feel that such an intervention may be the last hope for our survival!

When you get right down to it, a pretty incredible feat of self-deception is required to swallow the “myth of magic.” Yet generation after generation of human beings somehow manage to persuade themselves that this kind of magic does in fact exist, that the “Fountain of Youth,” the “Great Society” or the “New Jerusalem” is about to appear. But even more amazing is the ingenuity human beings have exercised in devising ways and means by which this supposed magic may be harnessed to human ends. In the religious doctrine of transubstantiation, for instance, the bread and wine are alleged to be the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ and thus loaded with magical potential. Believers who ingest these magical elements are supposedly raised to the status of divinity, at least for the duration of the Eucharist.

Yet, compared to the claims advanced by certain cosmetic and soft drink manufacturers, this is mild indeed. The “myth of magic” is marketed on every street corner and doorstep of civilized society. People, it seems, will quite willingly put their bodies and minds through the most outlandish acrobatics if, by doing so, they believe that supernatural powers can be bent in their direction. Rigorous ascetic disciplines, mechanical gadgetry of all kinds, religious rites and rituals, special diets and elixirs, and ingenious doctrinal formulations have all been employed to this end.

To quote some opening verses from the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes: “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.  What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?” Perhaps it is time to state the truth of the matter: there is no magic, certainly not in the sense in which human beings conceive of it. There are no “mysterious, supernatural powers” at work in the affairs of man. Nothing has ever operated, or ever will, outside of simple natural law. No magician or combination of magicians—scientists, industrialists, politicians and religious saviors included—is going to materialize some sunny day to halt the downward plunge of civilization. The fate of the earth is entirely in our hands. Divine intervention is a pipedream. This kind of so-called magic is a myth.

But this myth is actually the product of an even more pernicious myth—the idea that men and women are merely human and consequently confined to a miserable state of weakness and limitation on earth. Of all the frauds ever sold to humanity, this is certainly the most absurd and the most destructive. The plain fact is that human beings are divine, and it is only because they have swallowed the lie of limitation, thereby betraying their own nature, that belief in pseudo magic has seemed necessary to assuage their troubled hearts and minds.

Obviously a man like Jesus would appear to be superhuman to those thoroughly persuaded of their own inferiority. But when the true meaning and significance of his life is dug out of the pile of legends and myths in which deluded human beings have buried it, it is evident that he was one of the only completely authentic human beings of whom there exists any record. He absolutely refused to swallow the lie of limitation.  He dared to be himself, an angelic being in human form. “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” This was his challenge to subsequent generations, but who has believed him?

Isn’t it about time that we discarded once and for all the “myth of magic” and the “myth of limitation”? Isn’t it about time that we ceased our foolish strivings and imaginings and simply began to be what we were created to be on earth, began to assume responsibility for the expression of divine character here and now? This is the only way that a transformed state of oneness will appear on earth, certainly not by divine intervention or some kind of “rapture,” as if God acts quite apart from the creatures  who were made in His image and likeness. To an individual going up in an elevator everything outside of the elevator seems to be going down.  The New Jerusalem comes down from God out of heaven when human beings rise up in consciousness, allowing the cobwebs of myth to be cleared away by the infilling spirit of God.

This is the magic of life, something of which human beings in their self-imposed prison of limitation know nothing. Yes, there are vibrational gradations, such that those operating at a higher vibrational frequency may appear as magicians to those existing at a subhuman level. But why stay at a subhuman level? How utterly unnatural! Rise up and taste the magic of life! When we awaken to our divine potential, when we begin to release the magic that we have tended to impute to a separate God, then it becomes quite apparent that everything required for the total transformation of human existence is already present on earth.

Jerry Kvasnicka, a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, has had a varied career as a youth minister, a radio news reporter, a writer and editor for several magazines and journals and a custodian with the Loveland, Colorado school district. Jerry currently edits and writes for the spirituality section of the online magazine The Mindful Word. He has lived at the Sunrise Ranch spiritual community in Loveland for twenty-five years. He can be reached at jerry@themindfulword.org.

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Post from: Sunrise Ranch

Do You Believe In Magic?

An awakened reality is revealed with clarity
In the calm, still center of a stormy humanity
With right orientation, the turbulence resides
And bright days are born when the Master presides
Thoughts and feelings pointed toward the divine
Now, already always the kingdom of God is mine

Live this day centered in an awareness of being
Look again from an eternal perspective of seeing
Surrender the thoughts to the great source of all
Watch the Maya melt as the veils of illusion fall
Release emotional attachments in order to feel
The joy of knowing the truth that only love is real

Gary Goodhue is an author, actor, poet and spiritual aspirant. Gary has been exploring universal success principles, personal development and spiritual concepts for most of his life. He has studied at the School of Metaphysics, as well as teaching classes and serving as branch director for one of their sixteen school centers. He was also involved with the Community of Light and is currently living at Sunrise Ranch, headquarters of the Emissaries of Divine Light. He is involved in their Full Self Emergence Program and serves in multiple capacities on the ranch and in the community. He works within different departments and also has started participating in the EDL ministry program, sharing spiritual truth and reciting original works of poetry, as well as writing blog articles for the website. Gary is looking forward to deepening his relationship with the Emissaries and serving in greater capacities as the spirit of love expresses through him into larger levels of manifestation and experience.

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Post from: Sunrise Ranch

Eye of the Storm