Anam Cara Clergy Group 2023 - 2024 (Online Program)
2023-10-02 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-05-06 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-06-03 10:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | ZOOM
Caring for others takes so much energy and can be “life-draining.” This is especially true in a congregational setting and for those who pastor to a community…especially in these challenging times.
The Well’s Anam Cara (Soul Friend) Clergy Group offers clergy what they regularly encourage for others – soul care. We invite you to a safe, sacred place just for you! A space where you have no responsibilities, can water your own soul, share, and just be without judgement or expectation.
The Well’s Anam Cara Clergy Group meets on the first Monday of the month October through June (adjusting for Mondays around holy days and holidays) from 10:30 am to noon online. Our rhythm is:
· A check-in time with one another
· A reflection prompt given by our facilitator
· 30 minutes of quiet, reflection time off screen (this is your time)
· A sharing time (optional) and a closing
Our facilitator is Cecilia Amaral. Cecilia has a deep commitment to encourage others to nurture authentic and thriving relationships with themselves, others, and their environments. Cecilia has extensive experience working with clergy from many denominations on an individual basis, in groups, and with denominational staff. She is uniquely gifted to companion clergy in the face of today’s unique pressures.
This is an ecumenical group for clergy who currently serve and who are retired. Please join us to nourish and care for your soul.
DATE: Mondays – 10/2, 11/6, 12/4/2023 and 1/8, 2/5, 3/4, 4/1, 5/6, and 6/3/2024

TIME: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM ET

COST: $95.00 for the series

LOCATION: Zoom – You will receive an email from Well for the Journey the week of the program, (usually 2 days in advance) with the Zoom Link. Please be sure you have received and read this email a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the start of the program. If you are unable to find the email, please search your email folders, including your spam folder. Thank you.
REGISTRATION is required; please register here.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Please read our cancellation policy, here.
FACILITATOR: Cecilia Amaral

FACILITATOR BIO:
Cecilia Amaral has a deep commitment to encourage others to nurture authentic and thriving relationships with themselves, others, and their environments. Her decision to retire after more than 25 years as a Pastoral Psychotherapist and Educator has transitioned into her current practice as Spiritual Director and Certified Professional Life Coach. Cecilia’s integrated approach in companioning others on their journey leads to meaningful, personal, and relational transformation.
Cecilia began her involvement with the mission of the Well by referring clients to use the programs offered for their well-being. This evolved into her service as a board member, Board Chair, and current Circle Chair. She also currently serves as Spiritual Guide to the Board of Directors.

The "Nature" of Journaling (Online Program)
2024-03-01 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-05-03 10:00 - 11:30 | ZOOM
Join this three-part journaling series to examine the nature of your spiritual awakening. Each session will engage participants in examining their personal journeys related to mountains, valleys, and streams. Each is a metaphor for life and provides powerful connections to our spiritual life.
Like a mountain, life is full of challenges, and great accomplishments. Taking time to look at the step-by-step journey of growth in our lives provides spiritual fulfillment.
Valleys provide focus on what matters most by putting forth the effort to look within, find the blessing, and discover the light. Understanding times of questioning and uncertainty directs our spiritual development.
Streams flow with many twists and turns. Some streams “go with the flow’, while others are content to follow a path and let the current take its course. The path of a stream can be compared to our spiritual path, one of richness and new life.
You are warmly invited to join experienced journaling facilitator, Liz Neal, to deepen your journaling practice or start a new one! Through guided practice to include a variety of readings and prompts participants will reflect, journal, and share responses to these aspects in nature. Simple journal strategies will be shared and modeled.
No previous writing or journaling experience is required. You may join for individual sessions or the entire series.
DATE: Fridays, 3/1, 4/12, 5/3/2024

TIME: 10:00 – 11:30 AM ET

COST: $80 for the series of 3 sessions or $30 per session

LOCATION: Zoom
REGISTRATION is required; please register here.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Please read our cancellation policy, here.
PREPARING FOR YOUR PROGRAM:
You will receive an email from Well for the Journey at least 2 days in advance of the start of your program. This email will include details to help you prepare for your program including any pertinent handouts, location information, and the Zoom Link for online programs. Please be sure you have received and read this email a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the start of the program. If you are unable to find the email, please check your SPAM or JUNK email folders.
FACILITATOR: Liz Neal
FACILITATOR BIO:
Liz has made journaling a routine practice for over 30 years. She has been blessed with a “heart for journaling” and now focuses on helping others discover the numerous benefits and insights that regular journaling can bring to their lives. Liz and her husband live in Lutherville. She has worked in education as a teacher and administrator for over 32 years. She loves spending time with her grandchildren, reading, and traveling.

In the Chapel of My Garden: A Praying in Color Meditation (Online Program)
2024-06-24 19:00 - 20:30 | ZOOM
“In the humble and exalted chapel of my garden, multitudes gather…” ~ Kai Siedenburg
This is the season of gardens! Farmers markets, garden centers, and nurseries are thriving and many of us have dirt under our nails on a daily basis. Whether you are a gardener, a wannabe gardener, or simply enjoy the beauty of a garden in June, you know what Thomas Moore meant when he said, “The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden.”
You are invited to join Lorie Conway in a guided and contemplative meditation where we will ponder the chapel of our favorite gardens and how they feed our soul. We will listen deeply to Kai Siedenburg’s poem, “Humble and Exalted,” and spend unhurried time in reflection and response using the spiritual practice of Praying in Color. There will also be time to share our reflections with one another in sacred community as you feel led.
Praying in Color is simply doodling with color as a way of helping to focus our wandering minds and capture insights and invitations during prayer or meditation. No prior experience or artistic skills are required! All you need is white paper and colorful writing utensils such as colored pencils, markers, crayons, or pens. Lorie will guide every step of this simple and meaningful spiritual practice.
Come join us in celebration and gratitude for your favorite soul-nourishing garden!
DATE: Monday, June 24, 2024
TIME: 7:00 – 8:30 PM ET
COST: $20
LOCATION: ZOOM
REGISTRATION is required; please register here.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Please read our cancellation policy, here.
IMPORTANT: You will receive an email from lorie@wellforthejourney.org at least 24 hours in advance of the start of your program. If you are unable to find the email, please check your SPAM or JUNK email folders. This email will include details to help you prepare for your program including any pertinent handouts, location information, and the ZOOM link for online programs. Please be sure you have received and read this email a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the start of the program. Thank you!
FACILITATOR: Lorie Conway
FACILITATOR BIO:
Lorie has a passion for deep listening and accompanying others on their spiritual journeys through spiritual direction, small groups, and retreats. It is Lorie’s ongoing journey of transformation and spiritual discovery that fuels her desire to offer spiritual companioning to others. Lorie’s spirituality is rooted in the Christ tradition and is welcoming of the many paths and unique journeys enfolded within Divine Mystery. Lorie received her certificate in spiritual direction from the Kairos School of Spiritual Formation and holds a M.A. in Religion from Lancaster Theological Seminary and a M.A.S. in Behavioral Management & Human Resources from Johns Hopkins University. Lorie is delighted to serve both on the programming staff at the Well and as a program and retreat facilitator. She is also Director of the Shalem Institute’s Transforming Community: Leading Contemplative Spiritual Groups & Retreats program.

What Color Is Your Spirituality? (Online Program)
2024-08-14 19:00 - 21:00 | ZOOM
“Be everything that you are unapologetically; most of you will find out that you are not just one color, you are a rainbow.” ~ Mridula Singh
What Color Is Your Spirituality? Perhaps, a question we don’t often ask ourselves. Yet, our unique answer to such a rhetorical question can be indicative of the path we are on in life. It can speak volumes about the losses we’ve weathered, the seasons in our relationships and commitments, and our greatest joys and challenges being alive at this time in history.
Join us for a sensory-engaging and soul-nourishing evening, where a diverse exploration of these themes will unfold in and through color play, spiritual practices, and group discussion. With visual-oriented exercises that promote creativity and reflection, you will be invited to connect spectrums of vivid, rustic, and earth-toned colors to the diverse contours of your life story. You will also be invited to center your awareness in the deeper, spiritual meaning of colors while interpreting them through the seasons of your life and re-envisioning the growth-enhancing experiences of your journeys.
Our time together will include engagement with storytelling, playful experimenting with color, and a meditative exploration of the diversity, beauty, and spiritual significance of color. Participants will benefit by cultivating an enhanced and richer understanding of their identity, the possibilities before them, and where they perceive they are being called/directed in the present moment and within their lives.
Join Gordon for this colorful, intriguing, and insightful look at your spirituality from the cool comfort of your home. Please bring along a journal for writing prompts and either colored markers or pencils for some of the program’s exercises. What better way to spend a hot summer evening!
DATE: Wednesday, August 14, 2024
TIME: 7:00 – 9:00 PM ET
COST: $40
LOCATION: ZOOM
REGISTRATION is required; please register here.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Please read our cancellation policy, here.
IMPORTANT: You will receive an email from lorie@wellforthejourney.org at least 24 hours in advance of the start of your program. If you are unable to find the email, please check your SPAM or JUNK email folders. This email will include details to help you prepare for your program including any pertinent handouts, location information, and the ZOOM link for online programs. Please be sure you have received and read this email a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the start of the program. Thank you!
FACILITATOR: Gordon Creamer
FACILITATOR BIO:
Gordon Creamer, creator of The Mission Bridge, joined the Well’s Staff in July 2022 as Program Director. He has held leadership roles in healthcare programming and operations since 2001 at various Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, and Hospice communities. He earned an MA in Spiritual & Pastoral Care from Loyola University and an MA in Theology from the Ecumenical Institute of St. Mary’s Seminary & University. He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry Program at the Ecumenical Institute.
Gordon has facilitated numerous retreats and workshops that focus on creating opportunities for participants to explore and enhance their spirituality and well-being through various media. Uplifting the journey of adults, individuals with memory impairment, and members of the LGBTQ+ community is a passion for him, and in the last several years, he has fostered support groups and programs for caregivers and those who are grieving losses. Trained as a spiritual director/companion, end-of-life doula, and Reiki practitioner, Gordon welcomes all in discovering the spiritual life as a means of healing, expanding and flourishing.

Exploring Ecclesiastes through the Art of Vincent Van Gogh (Online Program)
2024-08-20 19:00 - 20:30 | ZOOM
“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” The book of Ecclesiastes begins and ends with this proclamation (Ecc. 1:2 and Ecc. 12:8). Between these bookends, the writer of this Book of Wisdom explores this recurring theme while questioning how one should live when life appears to be both futile and brief. Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? What is the best way to live? .
Join us for a unique program that seeks answers to these questions through interpreting the art of Vincent van Gogh. Van Gogh used his passion, art, and tireless pursuit of happiness to seek answers to endless questions. Like many of us, he struggled with day-to-day needs and desires, and turned to nature, people, and God in search of peace.
Cheryl Duvall, a lifelong artist and Vincent van Gogh enthusiast, will facilitate this program that involves both passive and active engagement. She will read select passages from Ecclesiastes while simultaneously displaying 27 images from Van Gogh’s vast collection in a stimulating interpretation of this Book of Wisdom. She will share how she first created the connection between her favorite artist and Ecclesiastes in the mid-1990s, and then planned two different pilgrimages to Arles, France to further her understanding of when, where, how, and why he painted so many works of art there.
Join Cheryl from the cool comfort of your home for an engaging Summer evening of exploration and discussion about using art to uncover deeper meanings to sacred scriptures that challenge us in today’s world.
DATE: Tuesday, August 20, 2024
TIME: 7:00 – 8:30 PM ET
COST: $30
LOCATION: ZOOM
REGISTRATION is required; please register here.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Please read our cancellation policy, here.
IMPORTANT: You will receive an email from lorie@wellforthejourney.org at least 24 hours in advance of the start of your program. If you are unable to find the email, please check your SPAM or JUNK email folders. This email will include details to help you prepare for your program including any pertinent handouts, location information, and the ZOOM link for online programs. Please be sure you have received and read this email a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the start of the program. Thank you!
FACILITATOR: Cheryl Duvall
FACILITATOR BIO:
Cheryl Duvall recently retired from the interior design and architecture industry after 44 glorious years. A lifelong artist, she now has time to joyfully pursue several creative interests described as her 2 Ss and 3Ws: sailing, sewing, writing, watercolors, and weaving. A licensed USCG captain, she lives with her husband in Annapolis and they spend lots of time sailing Belle Bateau, a Gozzard 44, on the Chesapeake Bay and east coast waters. Cheryl is a noted writer and recently began contributing monthly articles for SpinSheet, a magazine for and about Chesapeake Bay sailors. She holds a Master of Science in Positive Organization Development and Change from Case Western Reserve University, and a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from University of Maryland. Cheryl is also a former Board Member at the Well. When she isn’t pursuing the Ss and Ws, she can often be found giggling with her four grandchildren in North Carolina.

Seven Sacred Pauses for Life's Daily Pilgrimage (Online Program Meeting Monthly)
2024-09-26 14:00 - 15:30, 2024-10-24 14:00 - 15:30, 2024-11-21 14:00 - 15:30, 2024-12-12 14:00 - 15:30 | ZOOM
“All it takes is a simple, sacred pause to get us in touch with the One who keeps vigil with us – the holy presence of so many names. Only you can name that which waits for you.” – Macrina Wiederkehr
No matter what spiritual path we follow, we are all pilgrims together on each day’s journey. The details of our daily pilgrimage differ one from another, but we all hope for a good day as we awake and move through the day with whatever joys and challenges await us. In her classic book, Seven Sacred Pauses – Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day, Macrina Wiederkehr invites us to embrace the rich tradition of consciously pausing at seven sacred moments of each day so that our daily passage through time is more of a sacred pilgrimage than one long To Do List. She encourages us to stay awake through the day, “Each morning as I look out my window, I want to be awake enough to say, today I will remember to pause.”
You are invited to journey through the hours with spiritual companion and retreat leader, Lorie Conway, as we explore ways to practice pausing that recognize the busyness, clutter, noise, and chaos that are rampant in our culture, while gently encouraging us to be creators of our present moment. Each month will explore a different hour of the day and engage with contemplative spiritual practices that may be well suited for that time. We will use Wiederkehr’s book as a guide to the hours as we engage poetry, music, reflections, and sacred text from an array of spiritual teachers and traditions. Please note, it is not necessary to read the book as it is only one of many resources that will be utilized.
Our monthly topics include:
· September 26th – Introduction to Sacred Pausing
· October 24th – The Awakening Hour – Dawn
· November 21st – The Blessing Hour – Midmorning
· December 12th – The Hour of Illumination – Midday
· January 23rd – The Wisdom Hour – Midafternoon
· February 20th – The Twilight Hour – Evening
· March 20th – The Great Silence – Night
· April 24th – The Night Watch – Midnight Until Dawn
You are welcome to join us for one, many, or all of the 8 monthly sessions. Lorie encourages you to join the first one, if possible, as it lays the groundwork for subsequent months. If you are unable to join the first one, no worries! A handout will be provided to give you foundational information.
DATES: Thursdays – 9/26, 10/24, 11/21, 12/12/24, and 1/23, 2/20, 3/20, 4/24/25
TIME: 2:00 – 3:30 PM ET
COST: $35 per session or $250 for all 8 sessions
REGISTRATION is required; please register here.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Please read our cancellation policy, here.
LOCATION: ZOOM
IMPORTANT: You will receive an email from lorie@wellforthejourney.org at least 24 hours in advance of the start of your program. If you are unable to find the email, please check your SPAM or JUNK email folders. This email will include details to help you prepare for your program including any pertinent handouts, location information, and the ZOOM link for online programs. Please be sure you have received and read this email a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the start of the program. Thank you!
FACILITATOR: Lorie Conway
FACILITATOR BIO:
Lorie has a passion for deep listening and accompanying others on their spiritual journeys through spiritual direction, small groups, and retreats. It is Lorie’s ongoing journey of transformation and spiritual discovery that fuels her desire to offer spiritual companioning to others. Lorie’s spirituality is rooted in the Christ tradition and is welcoming of the many paths and unique journeys enfolded within Divine Mystery. Lorie received her certificate in spiritual direction from the Kairos School of Spiritual Formation and holds a M.A. in Religion from Lancaster Theological Seminary and a M.A.S. in Behavioral Management & Human Resources from Johns Hopkins University. Lorie is delighted to serve both on the programming staff at the Well and as a program and retreat facilitator. She is also Director of the Shalem Institute’s Transforming Community: Leading Contemplative Spiritual Groups & Retreats program.

Group Spiritual Direction 2024-2025 with Cathy Rosensteel (In-Person & Online)
2024-09-28 08:30 - 11:00, 2024-10-12 08:30 - 11:00, 2024-11-09 08:30 - 11:00, 2024-12-14 08:30 - 11:00 | Well for the Journey (Note: Lutherville address), 120 W. Seminary Avenue, Lutherville-Timonium, MD, 21093, United States
Group Spiritual Direction is a process in which people gather together on a regular basis to assist one another in an ongoing awareness of God (Spirit, Source, Creator, whatever your name is) in all of life. Participants in the group are seeking support for their responsiveness to God and they agree to support others in that same responsiveness. This contemplative approach to spiritual direction is grounded in the model that originated at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Washington, DC. .
Joining the group is a deep commitment to one’s spiritual journey and to the other participants in the group. Three conditions are essential to the life of the group. Members must agree to:
· Commit themselves to an honest relationship with God, by whatever name called.
· Participate wholeheartedly in the group process through consistent attendance and prayerful listening and response.
· Open their spiritual journeys for consideration by others.
The group is limited to five participants and is facilitated by Cathy Rosensteel. The group will meet both in-person at the Well and on Zoom as noted below.
Cathy’s group has space for one new person this year. If you are feeling urged to give Group Spiritual Direction a try, please call the Well at 410-296-9355. We will connect you with Cathy so that you can discuss your interest with her.
DATES (In-Person at the Well): Saturdays – 9/28, 10/12, 11/9/24 and 3/8, 4/12, 5/10/25
DATES (Online via Zoom): Saturdays – 12/14/24 and 1/11, 2/8/25
TIME: 8:30 – 11:00 AM
COST: $250
LOCATION: Well for the Journey – 120 W. Seminary Ave, Lutherville-Timonium, MD 21093 and ZOOM
TO REGISTER: Call the Well at 410-296-9355. We will connect you with Cathy so that you can discuss your interest with her to assure the group is a mutual fit.
IMPORTANT: You will receive an email from lorie@wellforthejourney.org at least 24 hours in advance of the start of your program. If you are unable to find the email, please check your SPAM or JUNK email folders. This email will include details to help you prepare for your program including any pertinent handouts, location information, and the ZOOM link for online programs. Please be sure you have received and read this email a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the start of the program. Thank you!
FACILITATOR: Cathy Rosensteel
FACILITATOR BIO:
Cathy facilitates group spiritual direction in the Shalem tradition at The Well. She has an M.A. in Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Care from Loyola University Maryland. Kindled by a week-long silent Ignatian retreat, she developed a deep appreciation for silence and the Spiritual Exercises. Furthering her interest, she completed the 19th Annotation of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life. Her work in this area includes leading retreats on finding silence in everyday living and walking the labyrinth. Through private practice, Cathy is honored to provide individual spiritual direction in the Middle River and Towson areas.
Cathy’s background includes teaching teacher education candidates and directing the Special Education programs at Loyola University Maryland. She also had a notable career developing innovative programs for students with special needs, as a teacher and administrator with the Baltimore City Public School System.
Drawn to the outdoors, Cathy treasures time at home on Seneca Creek with her husband and dog. She enjoys designing engraved affirmation stones, gardening, and swimming. Often, she can be found happily reading, near or in a body of water, or just sitting, very still.

Insight from the Enneagram: An Introduction (Online Program)
2024-10-01 18:30 - 20:30, 2024-10-08 18:30 - 20:30, 2024-10-15 18:30 - 20:30 | ZOOM
Who am I? This is the fundamental question for each of us! The Enneagram is a powerful and dynamic system that helps to answer that question. It identifies nine distinct and fundamentally different patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting. Each of these nine basic personality types of human nature is found in each of us in a complex inter-relationship uniquely our own that helps guide us into our motivations, desires, behaviors, and habitual strategies.
The Enneagram is an insightful psychological tool that uses these types to help explain why we behave the way we do. At a much deeper level, the Enneagram is a spiritual tool that provides a map to help us grow as individuals – to recognize our Essence and become our truest self.
Join Riso-Hudson Certified Enneagram Teacher and Co-Active Life Coach, Bev Gorman, for this introductory overview of the Enneagram to help start you on your journey to find out who you really are – the true self that lies within.
A required quick online survey will be provided prior to the start of the program to help you identify your basic personality type. No other experience or knowledge of the Enneagram is necessary. This program serves as a great introduction or a wonderful refresher.
DATE: Tuesdays – 10/1, 10/8, 10/15/24
TIME: 6:30 – 8:30 PM ET
COST: $80
LOCATION: ZOOM
REGISTRATION is required; please register here.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Please read our cancellation policy, here.
IMPORTANT: You will receive an email from lorie@wellforthejourney.org at least 24 hours in advance of the start of your program. If you are unable to find the email, please check your SPAM or JUNK email folders. This email will include details to help you prepare for your program including any pertinent handouts, location information, and the ZOOM link for online programs. Please be sure you have received and read this email a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the start of the program. Thank you!
FACILITATOR: Beverly Gorman
FACILITATOR BIO:
Bev is a Riso-Hudson Certified Enneagram Teacher through the Enneagram Institute. She is a professional member of the International Enneagram Association and has been working since 2012 as an Enneagram coach with individuals and assists couples/partners in their relational strengths and challenges using the Enneagram as a guide. Bev leads Enneagram workshops for schools, businesses, ministries, nonprofits and Board of Directors and Enneagram guided retreats for small groups, churches, and businesses.

Yoga Nidra – Guided Meditation & Stillness (Online Program)
2024-10-14 19:30 - 20:30, 2024-10-29 19:30 - 20:30, 2024-11-04 19:30 - 20:30, 2024-11-12 19:30 - 20:30, 2024-12-09 19:30 - 20:30 | ZOOM
Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation practice that helps to relax the mind and body by doing “nothing.” This ancient practice produces a profound state of relaxation just by listening.
One hour of Yoga Nidra is equal to four (4) hours of sleep. As the mind slows down, our thoughts begin to move away from us. Yoga Nidra happens in the space between waking and sleeping. It’s like floating! You disengage from stress-producing thoughts, allowing the body, mind, and spirit to rest and heal naturally. Modern studies have validated the benefits of Yoga Nidra; showing that a guided meditation is very effective in reducing anxiety, stress, and depression.
Resting comfortably in your own home, the practice can be done lying down or in a seated position with your feet up. All you have to do is listen. These are the items you will need:
· A quiet place to lay down or recline.
· Pillow for head and under your knees.
· Blanket for warmth.
· If desired, an eye mask or pillow to block light.
· Water to drink.
The Well is thrilled to continue our relationship with certified Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide, Yoga Instructor, and I Am Yoga Nidra Facilitator, Jamila Keita to offer this deeply healing and restorative practice. Most individuals report feelings of enhanced well-being, calm and better sleep after each session. Many feel relaxed and energized.
If you are new to meditation, never tried or been successful at meditation, or an experienced meditator, we encourage you to give Yoga Nidra a try. You will be amazed at how easily you will achieve a meditative state.
The sessions are being offered twice a month on a Monday and Tuesday evening. You are welcome to purchase one session at a time or choose from three series options at a discounted rate – all sessions, all Mondays, or all Tuesdays.
DATES: Mondays – 9/16, 10/14, 11/4, 12/9/24, 1/13/25 and Tuesdays – 9/24, 10/29, 11/12, 12/17/24, 1/28/25
TIME: 7:30 – 8:30 PM ET
COST: $15 per session, All 10 sessions for $135, All Monday sessions for $70, or All Tuesday sessions for $70
LOCATION: ZOOM
REGISTRATION is required; please register here.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Please read our cancellation policy, here.
IMPORTANT: You will receive an email from lorie@wellforthejourney.org at least 24 hours in advance of the start of your program. If you are unable to find the email, please check your SPAM or JUNK email folders. This email will include details to help you prepare for your program including any pertinent handouts, location information, and the ZOOM link for online programs. Please be sure you have received and read this email a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the start of the program. Thank you!
FACILITATOR: Jamila Keita
FACILITATOR BIO:
Hi! My name is Evangeline “Jamila” Keita. I’ve been practicing yoga for almost 25 years and decided to teach yoga as my “retirement job.” It was during my yoga training (YT200) that I was introduced to Yoga Nidra. Immediately after completing YT200 in 2014, I took my first Yoga Nidra training. Since that time, I’ve taken subsequent trainings in Yoga Nidra in 2017 and 2021. I love this practice.
During the shutdown, I found “nature therapy.” This led me to complete a course through “The Kripalu School of Outdoor Leadership” and become a KMOG (Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide).
I currently teach two yoga classes per week on Zoom. Each class includes poses and a short Yoga Nidra session. Since 2022, I have provided weekly Yoga Nidra sessions for Hopewell Cancer Support Center and occasional Mindful Outdoor Experiences (MOEs). Additionally, I work for Nature Worx, a non-profit that provides MOEs to persons in recovery and the general public.
I never imagined this second career as it is, but it seems like a natural evolution to me. I hope you enjoy my offerings.

Journaling Your Magical Life (Online Program)
2024-10-25 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-11-08 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-11-22 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-12-06 13:00 - 14:30 | ZOOM
If we look deeply, every aspect of life has something magical about it and we hold the key to what is ‘our own magic’. Based on a commencement speech given by Brad Meltzer, American novelist, a series of journaling sessions with guided prompts will explore four “magic tricks”: making something appear, making something disappear, making two things switch places, and changing one thing into something else. Each ‘trick’ has the potential to integrate journaling opportunities to reflect on and enhance life skills that encourage each of us be the best version of ourselves.
Our session themes are:
October 25th – Making Something Appear
The session will explore how we make choices to surround ourselves with people and experiences that provide support and encouragement to highlight our best traits. Pausing to examine times in our lives where people and experiences have been valuable is key to promoting spiritual growth.
November 8th – Making Something Disappear
The session will explore challenges in our lives. Embracing a challenge can promote self-knowledge and equip us with the necessary strategies to harness our fears. Many times overcoming a fear leads to renewed strength and resilience.
November 22nd – Making Two Things Switch Places
The session will explore how compassion for others is essential to life. Every person we encounter is battling something and many times you cannot ‘see it’. Finding empathy requires switching places with others to understand their journey and the value of your impact on the lives of others.
December 6th – Changing One Thing Into Something Else
The session will explore the need to continue to pursue knowledge and growth to promote real change in our lives. It is essential to never stop striving for personal transformation and not get locked into a permanent state of being.
You are warmly invited to join experienced journaling facilitator, Liz Neal, to deepen your journaling practice or start a new one! No previous writing or journaling experience is required. You may join the entire series at a discounted rate or join one or more individual sessions. We look forward to a magical journaling journey with you at the Well!
DATE: Fridays – 10/25, 11/8, 11/22, 12/6/24
TIME: 1:00 – 2:30 PM ET
COST: $100 for the series of 4 sessions or $30 per session
LOCATION: ZOOM
REGISTRATION is required; please register here.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Please read our cancellation policy, here.
IMPORTANT: You will receive an email from lorie@wellforthejourney.org at least 24 hours in advance of the start of your program. If you are unable to find the email, please check your SPAM or JUNK email folders. This email will include details to help you prepare for your program including any pertinent handouts, location information, and the ZOOM link for online programs. Please be sure you have received and read this email a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the start of the program. Thank you!
FACILITATOR: Liz Neal
FACILITATOR BIO:
Liz has made journaling a routine practice for over 30 years. She has been blessed with a “heart for journaling” and now focuses on helping others discover the numerous benefits and insights that regular journaling can bring to their lives. Liz and her husband live in Cockeysville. She has worked in education as a teacher and administrator for over 32 years. She loves spending time with grandchildren, reading, and traveling.

Creating Sacred Rituals in a Time of Grief, Remembrance, and Joy (Online Program)
2024-11-13 18:30 - 20:00 | ZOOM
The ancient activity of creating and enacting rituals has served spiritual beings on the human journey for millennia. In particular, rituals have enabled humanity to access their inherent, divine spark to cultivate hope and meaning in the midst of life’s sweeping changes and ongoing seasons and cycles. To that end, individuals and communities throughout history have been inspired to mark rites of passage with a concrete exercise to commemorate their experiences. Examples of this span the gamut of welcoming the birth of a new family member and reverently keeping Sabbath to healing from trauma & losses and transitioning into a new job or home or from this life into death and beyond.
Join us for a special online opportunity to explore the value of rituals and incorporate them more noticeably into our spiritual journey as a cherished practice. This program will include a timely focus as we experience the energies of remembrance and grief in Autumn, prepare for the joy, busyness, and sometimes complex emotions of the Holiday Season, and turn inward during the Winter season. Through meditation, journaling, and other spiritual exercises, participants will be empowered and guided to create a ritual of their choice to honor a recent or upcoming transition or to manifest healing and balance as they process and integrate personal grief. Please have a journal handy for use during the program.
DATE: Wednesday, November 13, 2024
TIME: 6:30 – 8:00 PM ET
COST: $35
LOCATION: ZOOM
REGISTRATION is required; please register here.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Please read our cancellation policy, here.
IMPORTANT: You will receive an email from lorie@wellforthejourney.org at least 24 hours in advance of the start of your program. If you are unable to find the email, please check your SPAM or JUNK email folders. This email will include details to help you prepare for your program including any pertinent handouts, location information, and the ZOOM link for online programs. Please be sure you have received and read this email a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the start of the program. Thank you!
FACILITATOR: Gordon Creamer
FACILITATOR BIO:
Gordon Creamer, creator of The Mission Bridge, joined the Well’s Staff in July 2022 as Program Director. He has held leadership roles in healthcare programming and operations since 2001 at various Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, and Hospice communities. He earned an MA in Spiritual & Pastoral Care from Loyola University and an MA in Theology from the Ecumenical Institute of St. Mary’s Seminary & University. He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry Program at the Ecumenical Institute.
Gordon has facilitated numerous retreats and workshops that focus on creating opportunities for participants to explore and enhance their spirituality and well-being through various media. Uplifting the journey of adults, individuals with memory impairment, and members of the LGBTQ+ community is a passion for him, and in the last several years, he has fostered support groups and programs for caregivers and those who are grieving losses. Trained as a spiritual director/companion, end-of-life doula, and Reiki practitioner, Gordon welcomes all in discovering the spiritual life as a means of healing, expanding and flourishing.

Thanksgiving Gifts: A Praying in Color Meditation with the Poetry of Mary Oliver (Online Program)
2024-11-25 19:00 - 20:30 | ZOOM
“Let God and the world know you are grateful” ~ Mary Oliver
Gratitude is a theme that weaves throughout Mary Oliver’s poetry. She invites, cajoles, and sometimes demands that we pause, notice, wonder, and respond to the myriad gifts right before our eyes…and then tell someone about them! Her poetry calls us to a grateful life.
Thanksgiving is a day set apart in our culture to notice and be grateful for the gifts in our lives. For some, this holiday is so full of family, friends, turkey, football, and pumpkin pie, that it can be challenging to find a moment to reflect on those gifts. For others, the holiday holds grief, loneliness, and challenges that make gratitude seem elusive in the midst of it all.
You are invited to start your Thanksgiving week in a guided and contemplative meditation where we will intentionally pause to notice and let gratitude be our response. We will listen deeply to Mary’s words and spend unhurried time in reflection using the spiritual practice of Praying in Color. There will also be time to share our reflections with one another – to tell someone about what we noticed – in the sacred community of our group.
No prior experience or artistic skills are required to engage in this practice. Praying in Color is simply doodling with color as a way of helping us pause, notice, and reflect. All you need is white paper and colorful writing utensils such as colored pencils, markers, crayons, or pens. Lorie will guide every step of this simple and meaningful spiritual practice.
DATE: Monday, November 25, 2024
TIME: 7:00 – 8:30 PM ET
COST: $20
LOCATION: ZOOM
REGISTRATION is required; please register here.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Please read our cancellation policy, here.
IMPORTANT: You will receive an email from lorie@wellforthejourney.org at least 24 hours in advance of the start of your program. If you are unable to find the email, please check your SPAM or JUNK email folders. This email will include details to help you prepare for your program including any pertinent handouts, location information, and the ZOOM link for online programs. Please be sure you have received and read this email a minimum of 24 hours in advance of the start of the program. Thank you!
FACILITATOR: Lorie Conway
FACILITATOR BIO:
Lorie has a passion for deep listening and accompanying others on their spiritual journeys through spiritual direction, small groups, and retreats. It is Lorie’s ongoing journey of transformation and spiritual discovery that fuels her desire to offer spiritual companioning to others. Lorie’s spirituality is rooted in the Christ tradition and is welcoming of the many paths and unique journeys enfolded within Divine Mystery. Lorie received her certificate in spiritual direction from the Kairos School of Spiritual Formation and holds a M.A. in Religion from Lancaster Theological Seminary and a M.A.S. in Behavioral Management & Human Resources from Johns Hopkins University. Lorie is delighted to serve both on the programming staff at the Well and as a program and retreat facilitator. She is also Director of the Shalem Institute’s Transforming Community: Leading Contemplative Spiritual Groups & Retreats program.
