Magic and Mystery Evoked through Engagement with the Living Earth

Curiosity, awe, fascination, and delight… How can a life be changed by an osprey or an over-heated tent? How can an illness or a traumatic event lead to dedication to protect the Earth and all her beings? What does connection with all beings mean to a scientist, an attorney, a filmmaker, an educator, a healer?

S’mores Stories is an exploration of Allurement and Purpose – Being called to a life of meaning defined by service to Earth and desire to share wonder with others.

S’mores Stories is a unique opportunity to hear the backstory of falling in love with the night sky, the forest, the soil, the ocean.

S’mores Stories is a series of pre-recorded conversations about letting oneself be changed through profound relationship with Earth and Universe.

“The Power of Allurement: Guidance from Universe” with Stephan Martin

Stephan Martin is an astronomer, educator, and author who has taught astronomy, physics and consciousness studies at colleges, universities, and learning centers across the US for over 25 years. He is currently adjunct faculty in the Consciousness and Transformative Studies program at John F. Kennedy University and also co-director of the continuing care program at the Center for Spiritual Emergence in Asheville, NC where he assists clients in living more conscious lives from an expansive perspective. Steve frequently offers experiential workshops on stargazing, astronomy and personal transformation at observatories, learning centers, and other popular veneers around the world. He is the author of Cosmic Conversations: Dialogues on the Nature of the Universe and the Search for Reality.

Website: www.cosmicconversations.org | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cosmicadventuresstargazing/

Book: Cosmic Conversations: Dialogues on the Nature of the Universe and the Search for Reality.

“If science were a jungle, Stephan Martin would be the Harrison Ford character you’d want by your side. He serves as an eloquent but tough-minded guide through the complexities of some of the most compelling, cutting-edge ideas about who we are and what kind of world we live in. This is a daring book – and a great read!”
– Glenn Hartelius, PhD, co-editor, International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

“I had to make myself put this book down. It is spell-binding, engaging, and awe-inspiring as it offers really big (and helpful) perspectives on what is happening now.”
– Marianne Rowe, a Founding Teacher of Monterey Bay Meditation Studio and psychotherapist

“Relationship with Earth and Universe as a Spiritual Path” with Jennifer Farley, MA, LPCC, BC-DMT

Jennifer Farley, MA, LPCC, BC-DMT, runs a private practice integrating shamanic practices with body-based psychotherapy such as dance/movement therapy, Internal Family Systems therapy and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. Jennifer interweaves her formal education and training with an innate gift and passion for supporting people in cultivating their own sense of spirituality as a means to heal, thrive and evolve. She offers individual sessions, workshops, retreats and courses. Jennifer also offers clinical supervision for MFT associates, LPCC associates and dance/movement therapists, as well as professional consultation and training. 

Website: www.shamanhealingmonterey.com | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SHMonterey 

“Listening to Earth: Be Fearless and Get Dirty” with Laura Lee Lienk, MS

Laura Lee Lienk, MS, currently coordinates community-based programs for Watershed and Service Learning Institutes of the California State University Monterey Bay. She teaches service learning courses in the Environmental Studies program and Service Learning, as well as working with faculty in making partnerships with the community. She is dedicated to bringing children, university students, and the general public together in healing the Earth and healing human communities in what has become the new environmental and social discipline called Civic Ecology. For her work in community, Laura Lee was chosen as one of Monterey County’s Outstanding Women and as a CSUMB Presidential Administrator Awardee. She has been with CSUMB since its opening in 1995.

Website: www.csumb.edu/ron | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/returnofthenatives  | Email: llienk@csumb.edu

“Finding Meaning and Purpose through Paradox and Balance” with Daniel Fernandez, PhD in Electrical Engineering

Daniel Fernandez, PhD in Electrical Engineering, has been a professor at California State University Monterey Bay since 1996. Originally hired to develop and teach physics classes, he still teaches physics and also teaches classes in Environmental Studies, including classes in Systems Thinking, Infrastructure and a senior capstone class for Environmental Studies students. He has served in various leadership roles during his 25 years at CSUMB, including as Chair of the Academic Senate, Chair of the Division of Science and Environmental Policy, and Chair of the Senate Curriculum Committee Council. With a passion for sustainability and for integrating it into education, he started the Sustainable City Year Program in 2015, which integrates the efforts of faculty and their students from across the campus into the sustainability endeavors of nearby municipalities. He also is a fog researcher and has engaged over 60 CSUMB students in some aspect of his research efforts in the measurement of fog and the collection of it for water.

Website: www.baysidefogcollectors.com | Email: dfernandez@csumb.edu

“Sensing the Mystery and Miracle of Being Outdoors” with Sylvie Rokab, MA

Sylvie Rokab, MA, is a Nature-Therapy Guide and an award-winning filmmaker with 20+ years working as a director, producer, cinematographer, editor and writer -- for television, digital platforms and conscious cinema. Narrated by Liam Neeson, her film Love Thy Nature received 27 awards and had over 300 screenings worldwide -- with “view-and-do” events where audiences engage in nature-connecting and restoring activities such as tree-planting, wildlife-gazing, and forest-bathing. A certified Nature-Therapy guide, Sylvie leads retreats and expeditions to guide participants to deepen connection -- with nature, others, and self. Sylvie’s vision is to shift our paradigm to a nature-inspired civilization and restore our spellbinding world.

Websites: www.lovethynature.com | www.sylvierokab.com 

Film: Love Thy Nature, narrated by Liam Neeson

“Love Thy Nature will light up your neurons, change your breathing, and deeply connect you to those you’re with. The story will stay with you for a long time, because it’s yours.”
- Wallace J. Nichols, PhD, NY Times Bestselling Author

“Sylvie Rokab has created a visually stunning, soul stirring, and timely documentary…. Very innovative and thought provoking.”
- Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat – Spirituality and Practice

“Being Inspired and Called to Environmental Action by Wonder and Awe” with Lisa Emanuelson

Lisa Emanuelson is a marine biologist and passionate science communicator. Lisa has spent her career sharing her love of marine biology with students and adults. She has spent a lot of time in and around the ocean, as well as in wild spaces. Lisa enjoys seeing the spark of interest when talking with people about protecting the ocean and our natural world.

Website: www.baynetteamocean.weebly.com | Email: lisa.emanuelson@californiamsf.org

Nourish your deep relationship with the Outdoors by participating in “Being Outdoors: Sensing the Sacred,” an online experiential program of cultivating awareness of belonging wherever you are.