Spring 2014

“If You’ve Forgotten the Names of the Clouds..."
Talk and Book Signing with Pearl Means
Friday, April 25th, 7:30 pm

Luminata is pleased to feature Pearl Means for a talk and signing. Her book was actually written by her late husband Russell Means. Means, who died in 2012 at age 72, wrote "If You’ve Forgotten the Names of the Clouds, You’ve Lost Your Way: An Introduction to American Indian Thought and Philosophy" during the months before his death. Bayard Johnson is co-author.

Russell Means wanted to leave a written record of the beliefs and traditions he was taught as a boy and as a young leader of the American Indian Movement. His book tells the story of the traditional Lakota Sioux worldview, beginning with ancestors and the tribe’s matrilineal social organization and ending with conclusions about the future. Means’ drawings are included.

In 1973, Means led hundreds of American Indians and white sympathizers in the occupation of Wounded Knee, S.D., site of a 1890 massacre of Lakota men, women and children, which was the last major conflict of the Indian Wars. Means was an artist and an actor as well as an activist, and was described as the most important Lakota figure of the last century. Pearl Means will talk about her husband, and Native American philosophy and spirituality. Don’t miss this exciting event!

Event Cost: FREE

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"World Enough & Time: On Creativity and Slowing Down"
Book Signing with author Christian McEwen
Friday, April 11th at 7:30  pm

Our book signing event is the west coast's introduction to the wisdom of Christian McEwen. Her most recent book is a unique combination of history, spirituality and practical advice about enjoying the benefits of slowing down in everyday living. The author shares her thorough research and glimpses into creative minds from many historical times and disciplines. This insightful, wise book will give you a road map to making different life choices and help discover the creative being you are meant to be. 
  
"World Enough and Time" will help readers become fully alive to the joy of every moment. Christian McEwen
provides beautiful insights on how slowing down can open doors to sustained creativity. Out of the quiet, a new
perception of the world begins to emerge, and we rediscover the inner springs of creativity and  mindfulness.

Christian McEwen was born in London and grew up in Scotland. For many years, she taught poetry to teachers. She has also taught in schools, and at the renowned Omega Institute in New York’s Hudson Valley. She has written for The Nation and the Village Voice, and her poems and essays have been widely published. She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.

"World Enough and Time is a wise book - a quiet feast, a daydreamer's manual, a work of mindfulness, which
teaches us to slow down and see the world anew. Read it slowly, and come to your senses." -- Edward Hirsch

Event Cost: FREE

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"Born to Receive"
Talk and Book Signing with Amanda Owen
Friday, May 30th, at 7:30 pm

Amanda Owen is a nationally known coach, consultant and writer. In this her second book
she inspires women to take the reins of their life with effective strategies to achieve goals, reduce stress, and create health and happiness by contacting the power within them. Her radically different approach will appeal to women and men who desire a new and effective way to harness their spiritual resources.

The author's research over the past twenty years into the nature of receptivity -- along with her diverse studies in quantum theory and Buddhism -- has led her to develop an original method that
helps people create the life they truly want by opening their inner capacity to receive the bounty the universe wants to give us.

Event Cost: FREE

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"Meditation in the Marketplace” 
Talk and Book Signing with Stuart Perrin
Friday, May 16, 7:30  pm

Stuart Perrin is an inspirational speaker and well known teacher of meditation. He has lived in India and the United States, and was a close personal student of the renowned American spiritual teacher Swami Rudrananda, known affectionately by his students as Rudi. In his first book, "Rudi: the Final Moments", Suart Perrin chronicles his close relationship with his teacher and mentor, the life-transforming spiritual instruction he received, and the fascinating details of the private life of a well-known American spiritual teacher. The narrative leads up to the final days of Rudi's life before he died tragically in a plane crash in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Remarkably, Stuart survived the crash.
Stuart has opened meditation centers in the United States, India and Israel. A powerful speaker, he moves and
inspires audiences with his message, and is an authority on balancing the inner and outer life -- bridging our everyday world and inner practice. Don't miss this chance to meet Stuart and hear him speak about the transforming
power of meditation.

Event Cost: FREE

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"Living Life in Full Bloom"
Talk and Book Signing with Elizabeth Murray
Friday, June 27th, at 7:30 pm

“Living life in full bloom” means living with hope and purpose, with imagination and vision--in a way that honors the Earth, the spirit, and one another. Adorned with the author's exquisite nouveau vintage photography in a beautiful gift format, 30 guided activities for each "pathway” help readers take powerful action steps to define the purposes of busy lives and help them remember who they really are. Murray also includes profiles of "bloomers," inspiring individuals who exemplify this life and are in partnership with their local communities and international organizations focused on people and causes. A step-by-step exercise on life mapping helps to identify passions, skills, and community needs and offers specific actions to serve the greater good.

ELIZABETH MURRAY is a writer, photographer, and motivational speaker, and she's best known for assisting in the 
restoration of Monet's gardens and photographing them annually for the past 28 years. In 2012, Murray's photography was shown alongside Monet's paintings at the New York Botanical Garden. She has an active lecture and class schedule and is invited to speak and teach around the world. She lives in Monterey, CA.

Event Cost: FREE

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"Living in the Light"
Shamanic Ritual for the Summer Solstice
With Jon Rasmussen
Friday, June 20th at 7:30 pm

Local shaman Jon Rasmussen will lead a ritual in the tradition of a shamanic journey. The summer solstice is a time of inner expansion. Summer is characterized by the peak of solar forces and the zenith of outer light. This symbolizes the capacity we all have to live in the light of our sacred self, the radiance  flowing from our inmost center. Tonight Jon will talk on the theme of “living in the light.” He will explore how to make contact with our spiritual center of luminous consciousness and meet circumstances with equanimity and inner confidence. Jon will lead us in a solstice ceremony employing traditional shamanic ritual tools for drawing down blessings. As each of us one by one steps more fully into this role of co-creator, free and  powerful in every moment, the entire world benefits from our expanded awareness and the planet evolves into greater balance, serenity and peace.

Jon Rasmussen is a well-known local shaman and author of Dreaming Your World into Being. His shamanic studies include apprenticeship with world famous shaman Alberto Villoldo, and tutelage in the Andes with the mysterious Q’ero Indians of Peru. Jon has a growing national reputation as a carrier of the authentic shamanic tradition of the Americas.

Love offerings accepted.
Event Cost: FREE

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