Finding Spirituality at 1st Thursday

The monthly downtown art-and-culture tour is generally focused on visual art, performances and imbibing glasses of wine, not so much on seeking meaning and higher connection. But the holiday season brings time of reflection, so the December event, which takes place on December 6, has a couple of choices that might be a bit uplifting. 

The Impact Hub at 1117 State Street invites everyone to join the Anti-Defamation League for Festival of Lights, a free event to learn about different “celebrations of light” recognized by the many cultures within our community. Representatives from various faiths will give interactive presentations about their traditions. Meanwhile, also on display is an exhibit of art that would seem somewhat connected to the theme: “We Were Strangers, Too,” a collection created by local refugees.

Over at Santa Barbara Arts, 1114 State Street #24, Genevieve Antonow will be on hand for an author’s reception and book signing in celebration of the recent publication of Santa Barbara Sacred Spaces, her beautiful and comprehensive guide that celebrates in both words and photos an intriguing and often surprising side of the city and surrounding areas. Both events take place from 5-8 pm, with free admission. 

Sacred Suggestions

Speaking of Sacred Space – the so named Summerland store where many of the crafts and artifacts come from underdeveloped nations and which also serves as a gathering space and sponsor of lectures and courses on meditation, personal growth, love, religious studies, health, music, planetary welfare, and friendship – sent out a moving missive last week, entitled “Giving From Your Heart.” Among the excerpts are a quote from Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

In that spirit, the SS staff suggests we “please practice speaking to the people in your life without being distracted by an electronic device, a meeting, or something less important than being present with those closest to you.” And rather than suggest available books, educational media, or other items as gifts, the message advises to “do things that inspire inner joy in your relationships versus the short-lived amusement from the latest item. Inspire morality in your family; focus on your place in the universe and the wonder and mystery of the meaning of life and death.”

Skipping seasonal shopping is sounding better all the time.

Conscious Premonitions

Consciousness Hacking Santa Barbara was founded last January as part of a global community exploring technology as a catalyst for psychological, emotional, and spiritual flourishing. Offering an inside-out perspective on how technology can serve us by changing our relationship to the world, rather than the world itself, the MeetUp began as a monthly soirée blending spirituality, consciousness-exploration, neuromodulation and the pursuit of the Evolved Self. Meetings were held at Fishbon Pescadrome through April covering the topics “Recruiting Reflexive Insight,” “Frontiers in Neurostimulation,” “The Middle Way: The Balance Between Mindfulness and Mind Wandering,” and “The Future of Communication: Biosensors, AI and Augmented Humans,” before going on hiatus for the better part of three seasons.

Consciousness Hacking Santa Barbara returns at a new location this Sunday, December 9, with an intriguing gathering about “The Premonition Code.” Have you ever correctly predicted something would happen even though you didn’t have a reason? Are these experiences simply a matter of luck or completely subconscious? Or do people actually have the capability of sensing the future? Julia Mossbridge, MA, PhD, a futurist trained in cognitive neuroscience, the guest speaker for Sunday’s event at Yoga Soup, operates at the cutting edge of exploring precognition, and her findings may fundamentally change the way you view reality. Mossbridge co-authored “Premonition Code” as well as “Transcendent Mind: Rethinking the Science of Consciousness,” the latter published by the American Psychological Association in 2017. Her talk, we’re told, will be at least half experiential, including individual and group precognition exercises as participants learn what you need to start experimenting with “controlled precognition” for yourself. Admission to the 7-9 pm event is $20. Visit www.eventbrite.com or check out https://thepremonitioncode.com for online resources. 

Sessions at the Soup 

Yemaya Renuka Duby, who has been working in the field of human potential, somatic healing, trauma recovery and yoga for over 25 years, returns to Yoga Soup to present “Healing Our Bodies’ Buried Stories.” The 1-6 pm workshop on Saturday, December 8, is an experiential, hands-on afternoon based on her Bones of Freedom method that serves as a “somatic journey to the heart of the matter.” The extended version from her offering last May allows for participants to deepen their inner healing experience while healers can access unique and powerful tools to bring back to those they serve. Cost: $75 in advance, $95 day of.

Montecito author (Writing for Bliss) Diana Raab’s Mindful Writing for the Holidays helps participants use journal writing to maintain a sense of calm and peace during this busy and often stressful time of year. Using meditation, writing tips, writing prompts, and discussion, the workshop aims to help you uncover your authentic voice and inspire the writer inside of you, resulting in leaving the workshop glowing with inspiration while toting snippets of original writing and writing ideas for home. The 2-5 pm workshop on Sunday, December 9, costs $30 in advance, $35 day of.

Naturopathic Remedies to Relieve Holiday Stress, from Dr. Lynn von Schneidau, ND, is a free introduction to herbs, homeopathy, essential oils, and relaxation techniques to ease on down the December road. Dr. Lynn, a UCSB alum who has been a primary care doctor and Naturopath in Washington State for the past 16 years, will discuss ways to identify the signs of physical and emotional stress and learn tools to help calm your nervous system, balance your hormones, strengthen your immune system, lift your spirit, and calm your soul through the holidays and beyond. Relaxation techniques, herbal teas, homeopathy, and essential oils are among the areas covered in the 7 pm talk on Wednesday, December 12.

December’s First Fridays Ecstatic Dance – a barefoot, substance-free, live DJ get-down dance party – takes place 7-9:30 pm on December 7, beginning with a one-hour Contact Improv Warm-Up followed by the dance where the music will loosely follow an ecstatic dance 5-Rhythms “wave” with slow and mellow music building to chaotic intensity and then returning to stillness at the end. Guest DJ is Ean Golden, a 20-year veteran of clubs and festivals whose online videos have reached over 50 million views but now only plays at conscious events that are aligned with his personal values. Admission is $15.

Details and registration for all Yoga Soup workshops are available online at www.yogasoup.com/category/events.

Yoga 101 

Sierra Noland teaches a Foundations of Yoga class at 4 pm on Sunday, December 9, at DiviniTree Santa Barbara. The class is designed for first-timers/beginners or those who want to dig deeper into the yoga tradition and fine-tune their primary yoga asanas (poses). The two-hour session provides a non-intimidating environment to ask any questions you have about yoga – the poses, history, philosophy, breathing, meditation, and more – so you can maximize the benefit and understanding of the practice. The “Community Class” costs just $12 (free for studio members), and is limited to 15 people. 

Pre-Christmas Kirtan 

Jacob Duran, a highly accomplished kirtan artist, musician, composer, and astrologer who has 20-plus years of study in Sanskrit, Indian classical music, and Yoga philosophy, including main stage appearances at both Bhakti and Shakti Fests, returns to Santa Barbara Yoga Center for a 90-minute session of call-and-response chanting at 7 pm Saturday, December 8. Admission is $20, or by donation.