Highlighting Morgan Rivers

Points Of Light Music is delighted to be collaborating with three other marvelous dance leaders to organize and curate the weekend long "Dancing Our Life Purpose" retreat in April. 

Top:  Saleem Adam, Conie. Bottom:  Morgan, Heather Hayat

Today we'll get to know Morgan Rivers, who was the core organizer for the dance leader training Conie completed a couple years ago and who wisely organized the Anahata retreat last year to invite musicians to deepen their skills in support of the Dances, which inspired this year's regional leader led retreat.
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A lifelong musician, spiritual seeker and lover of movement, Morgan has been shepherding a monthly circle of the Dances of Universal Peace since 2004 in Des Moines, Iowa and became a
certified leader in 2017.

Anne & Morgan making music. Photo courtesy of Morgan Rivers.

She loves creating sacred space for people to have an experience of connection, unity and a stronger sense of their own divinity.

A dance circle at Unity.  Photo courtesy of Morgan Rivers.

Two of her favorite quotes about the Dances are:

1. “Spiritual growth is an individual activity best done in groups.” - Saadi Neil Douglas-Klotz
2. “What is the power of the Dances of Universal Peace?  What is the secret of their enduring appeal? Why have they spread all over the world, continuing to spread, even as we speak?

Ask a dozen Dancers, and you're likely to receive a dozen different answers. For some, it's the power of community, a precious chance to join together with others in a deep experience that is always new, even as it's always familiar. For others, the secret is the feeling-sense that can result-joy, peace, compassion, equanimity, ecstasy. Some will say they love to sing, or love to dance, or love the hugs. Others will say they don't know why they come; it's just something they must do, a call that must be answered. 

For me, the power of the Dances lies in the shared, sustained, embodied Sacred Space created by sounding a sacred phrase with simple, heart-felt movement. I know of no other spiritual practice or artistic discipline that is based on these specific combined elements. Each time we join hands in Dance-worship, what can result has the power to transform, to heal, to unite us individually and as a group with All That Is, to bring us home to our true Self.” - Farrunnissa Rosa, Dance Leader and Mentor, North Carolina

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Here are the 2018 dates for Dance Circles in Des Moines, Iowa. 

Mar 1-31: Smallest Labyrinth Museum in St. Paul

Last fall, fellow Minnesota Labyrinth Network members Sue Swanson approached Tom Vetter and me about co-curating a Smallest Museum in St. Paul exhibit about labyrinths.  We said yes! 

We are happy to announce that in March 2018, The Smallest Museum in St. Paul will be showcasing labyrinths around St. Paul.  Come to Workhorse Coffee Bar and checkout the display that is just right of the front door. 

Details are being worked out, but you can expect pictures of local labyrinths, labyrinths you can trace with your fingers, and lots of interesting designs. 

There will be a artist reception on Saturday, March 10, 2018, from 10 a.m.-noon.  Join us for hands-on demonstrations of creating labyrinths from a seed pattern, seeing a variety of designs, and trivia about the local labyrinth scene.

Even if you are not able to join us for the reception, let us know that you visited by taking a selfie with the display and tag @pointsoflight_mu on Instagram, #smallestlabyrinthmuseum

What:  Smallest Labyrinth Museum in St. Paul
Exhibition Dates:  March 1-31, 2018
Reception Date:  Saturday, March 10, 2018, 10a-12n
Where:  Workhorse Coffee, 2399 University Ave W, St. Paul

Jan 30-Mar 2: "Nothing exists except ..." On Display

Almost two years ago, this doodle came out.  Who would have guessed that it would be accepted in a juried exhibition? 

What if G-d was pure ecstasy? Yearning and love? #doodlesacrednames #wouldprinceapprove

A post shared by Conie Borchardt (@pointsoflight_mu) on Apr 25, 2016 at 10:27am PDT

It looks pretty sharp in this frame, a little timeshare loan from a friend's painting from my living room.  And I was worried about finding a frame to complement some of the idiosyncratic colors ...

I've titled this drawing "Nothing exists except ..."

Here is the Artist's Statement: 

"I am interested in vibration in sound and movement, in light and color. Repeating words, either spoken or on the page, is a meditation, inviting a deeper relationship to unfold new understanding, to rewrite old patterns. Through my experiences of Dances of Universal Peace, I have chanted and connected to the words of many religious and spiritual traditions. Here I dive into Allah, the 0 of 99 Names of God that Sufis like Rumi study."

You can find "Nothing exists except ..." on display at St. Paul's Monastery as part of their "Seeing God" exhibit until Friday, March 2, 2018. 

Here's a small portion of the art in the "Seeing God" exhibition.
"Nothing exists exception..." is on the far left of this photo.

What:  "Seeing God" exhibition
When:  now until Friday, March 2, 2018
Where:  St. Paul's Monastery, 2675 Benet Rd, St. Paul