Celtic spiritual practices introduced at workshops

Lynn Valley is home to nearly a dozen churches and congregations of various types. But in this age that is often described as “spiritual but not religious,” church leaders are increasingly being found outside their buildings, helping people of all backgrounds find the sacred in everyday life.

Lynne McNaughton is the priest at St. Clement’s Anglican Church on Institute Road, and an avid learner and teacher of Celtic spirituality. Lynne, who has a doctorate in spirituality and has led  pilgrimages to several ancient Celtic sites in Europe, is looking forward to introducing interested locals to the tradition of Celtic practices that serve to inject an appreciation of  nature and holiness into the everyday tasks of living.

Everyone is welcome to participate in the hands-on workshops, which will take place at Mollie Nye House, 840 Lynn Valley Road, over a series of Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. Topics to be explored include:

Celtic knot.jpgApril 20: Smooring the Fire: Mindfulness in ordinary everyday physical activity

May 11: Illumination: Beauty as spiritual practice

May 25: Celtic Knots as Spiritual Practice: Interweaving life and the sacred

June 8: Holiness of Rocks and Trees, Skies and Seas: Cultivating awe as a spiritual practice (This session will begin with a Celtic dinner at 6 p.m.)

Cost is $10 for each of the first three sessions, $20 for the June dinner session, or $50 for  the whole series. Register by calling 604-988-4418 (St Clement’s Church, where messages are checked frequently) or email at [email protected]. Please inquire about babysitting should that be helpful.

LynnValleyLife recently caught up with Lynne to ask her some more questions about the workshops and her thoughts about Celtic spirituality in general. We’ve shared her answers, below:

What is it about Celtic spirituality that intrigues you? What do you think it has to offer people in the church and in the wider community?

Celtic spirituality has intrigued me for decades, as I have led pilgrimages to ancient Celtic sites in several countries.  Although I am fifth or more generations Canadian, I have Irish, Welsh and Scottish heritage (as you might guess from my last name!)   I see Celtic life as part of my own roots, my aboriginal heritage.    My study of Celtic spirituality deepens my understanding of myself, who am I, how do I relate, and what matters in life.

Lynne McNaughton

I see Celtic spirituality as embodied, that is, having to do with our physical bodies.  Spirit and body are connected, and I think this is something we are reclaiming today; that spirituality is not some separate ethereal thing, but our whole beings.

Celtic spirituality is also very communal.  Our hope with this whole series is to have conversation in our neighbourhood that work against the isolation in our society, or a sense that our spiritual lives are only private and solitary.

What parallels might you suggest between the Celtic culture and ours on the Pacific coast?

I think that we are aware, as we live in the immense beauty of nature around us and at this moment are recoiling in horror at an oil spill, that we all need to reclaim a spirituality of deep connection to Earth;  Celtic spirituality gives us some roots in that, some ways of tending to that.

One of the sessions will be about beauty and spirituality.   Celtic spirituality honours and builds our imaginations.

When I have taught Celtic spirituality in Indigenous communities in Canada, we have talked about how Christianity arrived in Ireland in the fourth century with a much more respectful (less colonial and imperial) stance than it did in our country.

Christianity was strongly influenced by Celtic culture when it blended in to Ireland’s rural life, a life that was far more connected to the earth than early continental and urban Christianity.     Earth and everyday life are, after all,  infused with the sacred.   I am fine if people call me pagan;  it simply means “people of the Earth”  – and aren’t we all!

What will people learn/experience in the workshops? 

These aren’t lectures! I will give an introduction to a spiritual practice, some background and context, but this will be experiential learning.  There will be practice, action, and discussion about how we might adapt these insights from the Celts into our real everyday lives. Be prepared to be playful!

Any hints about what a Celtic dinner might entail? 

We are creating the closing dinner from foods that were traditional and considered sacred to the Celts.  The food will be local, as much as possible – we’re not importing anything.  Is that enough of a hint?  Think apples, for instance!

Are you planning other community workshops in the future?

Yes, we plan to have offer other themes to engage people in developing a healthy spiritual practice. One example is embodied prayer – I know I pray best when I am moving!

Streamkeepers report boom in Hastings Creek smolt

IMG_4918While many Lynn Valley residents may have been coming home to a welcome dinner or stretching out in front of the TV Friday night, a handful of enthusiastic citizens were on the banks of Hastings Creek carefully placing a number of bucket-shaped, black mesh traps. And the next morning, they donned their gum boots again to see what had transpired while they slept.

They were volunteers from the North Shore Streamkeepers, surveying the numbers of year-old smolt in the creek to survey whether the fish population was healthy. What they found swimming in the traps put smiles on everyone’s faces.

As the fish were carefully released out of the traps and into a bucket for measuring and counting, Jan Lander tallied the numbers. The result? The best smolt trapping since 2006, with 27 coho smolts being counted, a large increase over the five or so that have been typical in the past few years. These are a sampling of the fish that were born in the Hunter Park area of Hastings Creek last year and have survived since then. Four crayfish and 12 cutthroat trout – many measuring 16 or 17 cm – were also amongst the fish counted and released.

IMG_4926The relationship between human society and waterways has not always been a respectful one. In  earlier decades, the enthusiastic growth of industry, building booms and road construction commonly resulted in polluted streams, blocked spawning routes, and diminished fish populations. Even home gardeners had a negative impact, by introducing invasive plant species such as ivy, lamium, and periwinkle to stream-side environments.

Thanks, however, to greater awareness, tighter bylaws, and good working partnerships the health of urban streams has improved in many areas. Leading the charge in Lynn Valley have been an active group of North Shore Streamkeepers who safeguard and enhance the ability of local creeks to support healthy fish stocks.

People of all ages converge on the streams throughout the year to tackle a variety of tasks, from culling invasive plants, installing and maintaining fish ladders, testing water quality,  restoring habitat and performing surveys. One volunteer even takes it upon himself to find out about new construction projects taking place near creeks; he then visits each site to ensure waterway protection rules are being followed and that filters have been placed in the storm drains. He returns to the site again once construction is complete to ensure the filters have been appropriately removed.

The North Shore Streamkeepers were established in 1993, and is a member of the Pacific Streamkeepers Federation. The Streamkeepers are a program of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which provides a multi-module training manual for those volunteers who wish to learn everything from performing a habitat survey to sampling water quality to trapping and identifying fish.

Mayor to take part April 25

The Streamkeepers’ work has been recognized in a number of ways – Morten Creek was named for longtime volunteer Zo Ann Morten, and Mayor Richard Walton will be at Hunter Park at Donovan’s Pond on Saturday, April 25 at 11 a.m. to dedicate a new fish ladder installed by North Vancouver District in response to lobbying from the Streamkeepers.

What they’d really like, however, is for more volunteers to swell their ranks and learn for themselves the satisfaction of keeping our waterways healthy. To learn more, visit the North Shore Streamkeepers website or email [email protected].

IMG_4919

TED talks live-streamed at LV library

The entire TED talks conference is being live-streamed, at various North Van libraries at various times. See below for the schedule; we’ve bold-faced those events taking place in the Lynn Valley branch. Learn more about the sessions and the speakers here.

Monday, March 16

Livestreaming Location: Lynn Valley

Sessions:
12:30 – 2:15pm – TED Fellows Talks Session 1
3:00 – 4:30pm – TED Fellows Talks Session 2
6:00 – 8:00pm – Session 1: Opening Gambit

Tuesday, March 17

Livestreaming Locations: Lynn Valley | Capilano

Sessions:
8:30 – 10:15am – Session 2: What Are We Thinking?
11:00 – 12:45pm – Session 3: Machines That Learn
2:15 – 4:00pm – Session 4: Out of This World
5:00 – 6:45pm – Session 5: Life Stories

TED Discussion Lounge:
Capilano Library, 7:00pm – 8:00pm

Wednesday, March 18

Livestreaming Locations: Lynn Valley | Parkgate

Sessions:
8:30 – 10:15am – Session 6: Radical Reframe
11:00 – 12:45pm – Session 7: Creative Ignition
2:15 – 4:00pm – TED University
5:00 – 6:45pm – Session 8: Pop-Up Magazine

TED Discussion Lounge:
Parkgate Library, 7:00pm – 8:00pm

Thursday, March 19

Livestreaming Location: Lynn Valley

Sessions:
10:30 – 12:30pm – Session 9: Just and Unjust
2:15 – 4:00pm – Session 10: Building From Scratch
5:00 – 6:45pm – Session 11: Passion and Consequence

TED Discussion Lounge
Lynn Valley Library, 7:00pm – 8:00pm 

Friday, March 20

Livestreaming Locations: Lynn Valley | Parkgate

Session: 9:30 – 12:00pm – Session 12: Endgame

 

 

Lynn Valley loses loved Legionnaire

 

Received on March 12 from the Lynn Valley Legion. 

Comrade Harold Finnegan, a beloved member of Branch #114 and Veteran of the Korean War, passed away this week.  A Celebration of  Harold’s remarkable life will be held at Branch #114 this Saturday [March 14].  Please join us for a Full Legion Ceremony and service for family, friends and Comrades beginning at 11:00 a.m. A reception will follow at the Branch.

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It takes a village to make LV Day happen!

A year or two ago, Lynn Valley Day was voted the North Shore’s best festival in the North Shore News’ Readers’ Choice Awards. That same year, Lynn Valley was voted the best neighbourhood in which to live. Coincidence? We think not.

The same things that make a great festival make a great hometown. That’s friendly people, an engaged citizenry, a commitment to our shared environment, and lots of volunteer help when it’s needed.

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Bosa contest winner announced!

We’re thrilled for Ginger Campbell, who ended this week $2,500 richer! (Sorry, we reported the wrong surname earlier!)

The Lynn Valley resident won the prize in a random draw, thanks to participating in Bosa’s recent contest soliciting potential names for the new development planned for the Zellers end of Lynn Valley Mall.

We don’t know what name Ginger suggested, but we can tell you that the new development will be called The Residences at Lynn Valley. For more information about the project, being described as a “mountain village” with a residential component above a  grocery store and other retail outlets, click here. The development will also include an extensive, staged renovation of the entire shopping mall.

Ginger Shaw

Ginger Campbell, left, accepts her $2,500 prizewinnings for participating in Bosa’s recent contest to name the new residential development at Lynn Valley Mall. Beside her is Lisa Murrell, Bosa Development Corp’s sales and marketing manager.

 

 

LVLife welcomes new sponsoring realtor

The LynnValleyLife team is growing, and we couldn’t be happier to introduce to you the newest sponsoring realtor of our community news website.

We know, though, that for many of you Suzanne, or “Suzie,” Callaghan needs no introduction! Like many of you (and our editor!) Suzanne is an Argyle Secondary grad who has spent the last two decades raising her family in her friendly hometown ‘hood!

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Bob Rasmus featured in LV naming contest (deadline soon!)

Bob Rasmus is one of our Lynn Valley neighbours featured on the Lynn Valley Legacy website that is collecting names from readers – not just of notable neighbours who deserve the spotlight, but of potential names for the new Bosa development being built at Lynn Valley Centre. Visit the Legacy website before January 31 to participate – there is a $2,500 prize to be won!

These profiles and photographs are being shared with LynnValleyLife readers with permission of the original author.

Bob RasmusBob stood on the board of directors of the BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities, was a chair and provincial representative of the National Diabetes Association Liaison committee, and a Lynn Valley Lions member for 25 years.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL TRULY DEFINES LYNN VALLEY AS A UNIQUE NEIGHBOURHOOD?

I like how Lynn Valley has the feel of a small town, but without all the gossip. Its community is an inherent part of its identity. Many of our neighbours are community minded and do things in support of our community.

WHAT IS YOUR HAPPIEST MEMORY OF LYNN VALLEY?

About 15 years ago, when I owned my own construction business, a single mom approached the Lions Club, of which I was a member, asking for our assistance.

She had a seven-year-old son with severe cerebral palsy and needed to renovate her home to add a system of rails that would help transport him from the bedroom to the bathroom, which would cost her around $15,000. The mother’s approach impressed me so I put together a small team to do a free renovation. That’s one of my happiest memories. I still see the mother around the neighbourhood, one of the nice things of living in an intimate community.

WHAT DO YOU SEE FOR THE FUTURE OF LYNN VALLEY?

Well, more people and traffic congestion is inevitable, but more bodies will help keep the taxes down. We’ll have to do our best as a community to maintain some of the small-town feel.

Do you know someone who has, or is, making a lasting impact in our neighbourhood? Visit the Lynn Valley Legacy website to nominate a fellow resident of our community, or suggest a name for the new development being built at Lynn Valley Centre. Deadline for both is January 31, so throw your hat in the ring by then if you’d like to be eligible for prizes!