GRATITUDE

Perhaps the best place for me to start this newsletter is with Gratitude.

A Winter Feast for the Soul makes wonderful things happen in people’s lives with the generous support and talents of many individuals and groups. All who participated added to the energy created, and the guided meditations and those who led them are still touching people and changing lives. Friends and partners in other countries translated quotes and our newsletters into numerous languages, and groups organized in many different communities to support one another in their practice. Donors and contributors generously offered ongoing support and helped us bring the Feast to the world.

We received many e-mails, letters and web posts and were truly grateful to hear so many positive effects come from the forty day period. Those of you in the southern hemisphere participated too, even though it was your Summer season, and experienced profound connections. Someone was just telling me the other day they wanted help with meditating, and I referred them to our website and the guided meditations that anyone can access. They have already listened and found it quite helpful, with plans to engage in more.

If you haven’t yet tried the Online Guided Meditations for 2010, find them here:
http://www.winterfeastforthesoul.com/index2.php?dest=2010_meditations

That is the beauty of this organization. An individual can begin at any time and find ongoing support for meditation practice regardless of what day the calendar may show. Think about sharing this new found treasure with others in your life....

Blessings on your Journey,

Karon

MAINTAINING A DAILY PRACTICE

With all the benefits we see from daily spiritual practice, why is it so easy for us to become distracted?

This recently posed question is certainly something we can all relate to. How many of us are still committed to forty minutes a day? If you have a moment, write to us and tell us about your experiences since the end of Winter Feast in February.
KaronKorp@winterfeastforthesoul.com

We all have our own way of getting ourselves ready for and executing our spiritual practice. If you have a meditation regiment or methods that are working for you, share them with us, and we will pass it along in the next newsletter.

WHAT’S NEW

Many of you took the opportunity to download Phil Jones’ Insight Meditations during the Winter Feast, and another Insight Meditation was posted on April 8th.

You may remember Sarah McLean, who led the 2010 Winter Feast for the Soul Closing Ceremony. She has posted a new Interdenominational Meditation.

All of these and more can be found on the Winter Feast for the Soul website on our 2010 Guided Meditations page. This page contains links to the recordings and live broadcasts on Talkshoe. Take some time to explore some of the different spiritual offerings our teachers have to offer!

We are in the process of finalizing necessary communications to start the Prison Outreach Pen Pal Program, and should have that ready to begin in just a few weeks. Our website will be updated this month to focus on our next event, A Summer Feast for the Soul, but more on that in a minute. We are updating our logo and putting together new organizational materials. A new Board of Directors is about to be formed, and this group will review our goals for next year. Our website will be updated in a few weeks with Summer Feast info and new contact information.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

A natural result of the Winter and Summer Feast periods is the opportunity to gather together in groups to meditate. Many often express how much more powerful our experience becomes when done in such a setting - more so than our practicing alone. We will be updating our Area Coordinator’s information and Organizer’s Checklist on our website soon, and we want to encourage you to think about creating a meditation group in your community for the upcoming Summer Feast.

To help you build your own spiritual community we offer guidelines for planning, promotional materials and much more. It is our purpose to support individuals and groups to engage others in the pursuit of inner awareness and peace.

A SUMMER FEAST IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, WINTER FEAST IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

A Summer Feast for the Soul - June 21st through June 27th, 2010

For thousands of years and in myriad cultures the time period surrounding the June Solstice has been celebrated and observed in many ways. We will continue our tradition of bringing you a seven day period of focus and introspection with A Summer Feast for the Soul (Northern Hemisphere) and for folks in the Southern Hemisphere, A Winter Feast for the Soul in June. Our intention is to once again offer you daily guided meditations, support materials, inspirational quotes, and Kick Off and Closing events to mark the celebrations.

WANT TO BECOME AN AREA COORDINATOR?

What does it mean? How do I get started?

These topics and more will be reviewed on our website and available on April 22nd prior to the upcoming conference call on April 24th for people who may be interested in organizing meditation events in their area. On the left side our Home Page you will see the heading "Organizers" and links to several tools underneath including: an Organizer's Checklist, a Sample Outreach Letter, a Sample Press Release, and Opening Ceremony Guidelines.

Keep in mind – these are all being updated with Summer Feast info, and will be posted by April 22nd.
If you would like to get involved in planning something for your city, Area Coordinators will be invited to a special call on Talkshoe on Saturday, April 24th at 2:00pm EDT/1:00pm CST/12:00n MST/11:00am PST, and a discussion will be held with ideas and tips.

Please RSVP by e-mail to KaronKorp@winterfeastforthesoul.com and let me know of your interest, your city, and that you will join us on the call. Information for the conference will be e-mailed to you!

HELP US CONTINUE OUR WORK

We really mean it when we say that YOU make all of this possible. As a non-profit organization, the funds we raise are critical to our success and ability to fulfill our mission. Each offering made strengthens us, and we invite you to take a moment now and use our convenient Pay Pal link.

NEW CONTACT INFO

A Winter Feast for the Soul has moved its center of operations to the mountains of North Carolina, and the city of Asheville. The new mailing address for our main office is:

P.O. Box 2773
Asheville, NC 28802

we will be sharing an office and phone with Magic Mountain Press, (828) 254-4651. Feel free to e-mail or write me at any time, messages are usually answered within 24 hours (please be patient with us as we move into our new roles!)

Karon Korp
Director
KaronKorp@winterfeastforthesoul.com