Open Circle
Patricia Moran will talk about Poco a Poco at the next meeting of Open Circle, Sunday, July 31, 10:30 p.m. at the Lake Chapala Society.
Poco a Poco San Pedro helps the residents of the indigenous towns and villages near San Pedro Itzican and Mezcala, sponsoring a number of programs for the families. In conjunction with Lakeside Foodbank, lunches are provided for 740 vulnerable children five days a week cooked by local volunteers. A new program is underway to create a community garden, increasing the opportunity for families to become more self-sufficient. Come and learn about what is happening in these villages and how you can be a part of connecting with these wonderful families.
Register at opencircleajijic.org (click on Contact Us).
Auction for Pepe
More than 30 works of art and dozens of other items of artistic value will be up for grabs at an auction organized to benefit distinguished Chapala veterinarian Pepe Magaña, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. The event is Sunday, July 31, noon, at the PabloLola Galleria de Arte, Calle 16 de Septiembre 1, in Ajijic.
Summer Santa
The American Legion Post 7 Auxiliary will hold a Christmas in July craft bazaar and bake sale, Sunday, July 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Legion, Morelos 114 in Chapala.
Science of the Mind
Science of Mind’s “Be the Light-Convention of the Americas” returns to lakeside August 2 to 6 at the Hotel Montecarlo, with a host of speakers and workshops. The event includes meditations, prayer spaces, excursions, live music, a gala dinner and mariachis. The convention is a multicultural, bilingual event of new thought with simultaneous translation. The event begins at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, August 2,
The spiritual movement known as Religious Science was founded by Ernest Holmes (1887-1960), an American New Thought writer, teacher and leader. Religious Science is part of the greater New Thought movement and Science of Mind is its spiritual philosophy and also the name of Holmes’ book, written in 1926. The church’s name, Religious Science, was changed eight years ago to Center for Spiritual Living.
Says Religious Science practitioner Peggy Shinn, one of the organizers of the convention: “Holmes came up with the motto, ‘change your thinking, change your life.’ He believed there’s a power in the universe greater than we are, a power we can all tap into. This is done through service to others; being instruments of Spirit. It’s through this level of compassion and service that we’re building up our law of attraction frequency.”
Shinn felt inspired to embrace this particular spiritual path during the 1980s, after reading the book “You Can Heal Your Life” by Louise Hay.
“My brother-in-law was living in Atlanta, Georgia and dying of AIDS,” says Shinn. “He sent me Hay’s book, which he had been studying. The book really spoke to me, inspiring me to delve deeper into the teachings of Holmes and his philosophy. When I learned that these New Thought concepts were actually taught and practiced by organized groups of people, and that Hay was a Religious Science practitioner and minister, I was all in.”
Continues Shinn: “Mexicans who follow the Science of Mind philosophy can still keep their Catholicism because this is simply a New Thought philosophy. Some actually choose to move from Catholicism to Science of Mind, such as the Mexican man I met in 2003 while attending a service in Mexico City. He told me he transitioned to Science of Mind because Catholicism felt like clothes that no longer fit, and it was time for new clothes.”
One of the speakers this year — this is the sixth convention held at Lakeside — is Dr. Edward Vilojen, who has been the senior minister of the Center for Spiritual Living in Santa Rosa, California since 1995.
For more information or to register, see conventionoftheamericas.com.
Anavets event cancelled
Due to unforeseen events, the Anavets (Army, Navy, and Air Force Veterans Association Canada) Mexico Unit 19 third annual teddy bear picnic in support of Lakeside Children at Christmas, that was scheduled for Thursday, August 4, at Mama’s Musical Bar in San Antonio Tlayacapan, has been canceled. Information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Dying well at Lakeside
Why bother to plan ahead of an emergency? Because most health care emergencies involve many people. Some are known to you, some are not. The more information they have, the better your outcome. Planning ahead puts you in control. Whether you’re here full time, part time, or just visiting, registering your two-page Lake Chapala Society Post Life and Emergency document will make a difference in your quality of life and your peace of mind.
“Living Well and Dying Well Lakeside” is a workshop that provides you with information on Mexican healthcare directives, wills and the LCS document, along with guidance and motivation to complete and register your document as part of your total advance care planning process.
Loretta Downs is leading this two-part workshop, scheduled at the LCS August 10 and 17, 10 a.m. to noon.
Downs is an internationally recognized inspirational speaker, writer and consultant on the subject of preparing for and supporting the end-of-life experience with comfort and dignity. She is a storyteller with extraordinary experiences that suffuse her lively presentations with love, compassion, hope and wisdom. Her perspective on the end of life is informed by more than 35 years of being a companion to AIDS patients, friends, family, hospice patients and nursing home residents through the end of life. Downs retired from a successful business career at 50 and was drawn by her experiences to study dying and death. She earned a masters in Gerontology in 2009. She has published numerous articles and been quoted by others in both print and on social media. She founded Chrysalis End-of-Life Inspirations to fulfill her mission “to create opportunities to talk about dying and death in positive terms.” She advocates for private Chrysalis Rooms in nursing homes and hospitals so families can keep vigil with a loved one who is dying.