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About Holy Ground |
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a book of recipes and insights For those who work the land,
Integrating the personal and public dimensions of our lives in service of greater justice and beauty |
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Bringing together people of all faiths to explore the Holy and to discuss faith and justice issues has been a central thread of Holy Ground’s work over the years. Birthed as a nonprofit in 1994, Holy Ground nurtures the spiritual life and connects it to the simpler life. Holy Ground “holds the space” for personal introspection and creates a trusting environment for exploring the spiritual journey in new and fresh ways while encouraging interfaith exploration. Through education and public action, Holy Ground empowers women and men to create a world of greater social and ecological justice. As we sponsor community gatherings and conversations, we help to enable participants to integrate the private and public dimensions of their lives in service of greater justice and beauty. Our daytime retreat center, located near downtown Asheville, is open to everyone and offers a place of sanctuary, space to “exhale” from a fast-paced life. The work of local artists adorn the walls, creating a sense of beauty and oftentimes a point of depature for conversation. A lending library provides resources of magazines, journals, and books relating to the spiritual life, theological issues, interfaith perspectives, and simplicity, as well as ritual and worship guides. Persons may visit to have a cup of tea and read or to light a candle and move into stillness. Holy Ground’s work is shaped by a feminist posture that supports mutuality in relationship, that understands the interconnectedness and interdependency of all of creation, and that offers a “power with” rather than “power over” approach to our programming and services. At Holy Ground, there is no head table, and the table is always round, symbolic of our equality. Our prayers, teachings, and liturgy reflect the understanding that humanity’s healing and the earth’s healing are intimately connected. At Holy Ground, we make every effort to be earth friendly by lessening our use of paper products, recycling, serving organic coffees and teas, printing on recycled paper, and turning off unnecessary lighting. When our events include food, we attempt to serve locally produced, seasonal, and organic food. Eating locally reduces fuel consumption (much of our food travels thousands of miles to arrive in our grocery stores) and supports local farmers. And, the food is much fresher and better tasting. Eating is a sacred experience and we want to enhance that experience with good and healthy food. Before receiving and sharing food at Holy Ground events, we offer the following blessing to bring us into a posture of gratitude. We pass this along to you as an invitation and reminder to acknowledge eating as a sacred act. To learn more about Holy Ground, visit our website at www.holygroundretreats.org. Spirit of Justice and Love, |
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