The public is invited to experience a new conference — Presence : Summit — on Sunday, Oct. 5, at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, Minn. It will be an opportunity to learn to go within, to find your own inner presence and peace, and to shine that always stunning Light out to the world. Jennifer Salness, event creator and owner of Presence online magazine, says that when we can access our own passions and live from joy, we can create deep change in our own lives and in the community at large.
“This event has been created from a need in the community for a deeper and richer experience,” she says. “We wanted to bring together people and resources in a new way that is fresh and alive. As our world becomes increasingly chaotic and busy, we see people seeking new resources to find their own inner strength and wisdom, and Presence : Summit aims to bring the resources to begin or continue this journey.”
The event features seven passionate speakers, including former KARE 11 anchor and HGTV host Joan Steffend, artist and radio show host Liv Lane, internationally known energy intuitive Cyndi Dale, and Yvonne Rosenlund, a visionary and artist who is flying in from Sweden just to speak at the event. In addition, select artists, wellness coaches and teachers will be available to support participants.
“Whether it’s finding empowerment to make changes in your life, discovering what truly gives you joy in life, or learning how you can tap into your innate divine wisdom, we are creating an event that is unique and powerful,” Salness says. “It is a full day experience for you to feel inspired to see a new perspective in life. Come to learn how to connect with divine inner wisdom, embody your physical self, and be seriously happy as you embark on life’s journey. We want to connect you with each other to make a new community centered in passion and joy!”
Complete details are available at www.presencesummit.com. Contact Jennifer Salness at 651.705.6760.
Spend a moment with each of the keynote speakers:
JOAN STEFFEND
How does inner peace influence your personal presence in the world?
I hold inner peace as a goal every day, but my gosh darn, humanity can get in the way of achieving it! I think the most any one of us can do is be aware that there is a peaceful consciousness within that can serve us better in our lives, and then develop a habit of redirecting thoughts, feelings and actions toward that consciousness. We all have habits, so why not develop the good ones?
To me, it’s the experience of self that feels most like home — the space inside that knows you are enough, just as you are. There is no striving to become something you aren’t, no abdication of self to please another, and no harsh judgment of self and others.
When I started dreaming of a peaceful world, I distilled the idea until I couldn’t distill it anymore. What it came down to is…me…and also you. We might be able to see a world “out there” without fighting for a period of time, but I don’t think we can enjoy a true peace without each of us choosing differently, moment to moment, in our lives. We can scoff at that and wait for the “other” to make that choice before we “waste our time” or we can make choices that shift how we are in the world, and watch how it shifts the world around us.
Joan Steffend was a former actress studying at Warner Brothers and national Emmy award-winning news reporter and anchor at KARE-TV in Minneapolis-St Paul. Joan tried her hand at a creative design show called “Decorating Cents”on HGTV for ten years and a local spiritual radio show for a few more. Today, she is a recovering media personality who decided to be just Joan. She’s encouraging others with her two books, …And She Sparkled, and Peace In, Peace Out. Her latest effort to get the world to be nice to itself is her non-profit group, Peace Begins With Me.
YVONNE ROSENLUND
How do we access the flow of creation?
Most of us have probably experienced flow at some time, the feeling when everything just flows out effortlessly and most often as a part of a creative process. It’s not a battle, or challenge to produce from this state, but most often it appears out of nowhere and we don’t really know where it came from and cannot reproduce it at will. There are, however, ways to increase the flow in our lives that will affect all that we do. The flow is there, if we want it, but we tend to do things to limit it, without knowing that is what we do.
Sometimes, that’s because we are not used to the intensity, and it can make us feel uneasy. Fears, worry and control make us try to bend the reality to our wishes, instead of letting ourselves go where our lives take us. Fear of going with life makes us resist it, so resistance is another way to block it. Fears from old hurts, which cause us to put our shields up, also block it — or we live in a dominator or victim role. Fear in all forms will block the flow. It’s not really about accessing the flow, but to stop resisting Life.
Yvonne Rosenlund is an international speaker from Sweden. Art and Adventure characterizes this seer, writer, Zen artist and engineer, who thrives in challenges and moves with the wind. Her gifts include drawing from a meditative state and seeing past lives and layers connecting everything. She also sees the true core beauty of others. She works with Creation’s energy, sees our past hidden history and how it links up to the now. She has a deep wish for everyone to know their own innate capability of doing what is often considered magic, but actually is a piece of our birthright.
CYNDI DALE
What tool(s) do you recommend for people to access their own “presence”?
One of the most important questions my oldest son ever asked was this: “Mommy, how do you know who you are?” Actually, he already had the sense of self or presence; he simply needed permission to become it.
We are instinctively conscious. We deeply know we are more than our mirror image. We dream of greatness and purpose because we are divine, and yes, ice cream and vacations, because we are human. We dream of our “presence.”
How do we access our inner presence, our divine spark clothed in our humanity? First, we believe in its existence. This isn’t so easy for those of us raised to ignore ourselves, and so we take a leap of faith. We decide — and then we celebrate this acknowledgement. We yell it from the rooftop — or if we’re shy, inscribe our feelings on the scroll that is our heart. Next, we engage our intuition. Intuition is an odd thing. Sometimes it acts like an early warning system, sometimes like a GPS, giving direction. Always, it’s our vehicle for guidance and inspiration.
Finally, we express our divine presence. We dance, think, sleep and paint the self we are onto the world’s landscape. We live. That’s what we’re here to do, after all.
Cyndi Dale is the author of 20 bestselling spiritual books, including The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy. She has worked with nearly 40,000 individuals and loves learning, teaching and traveling the world doing both — while enjoying this good earth.
LORI ANDRUS
Why are sacred practices important for maintaining presence in your life?
Presence happens in the moments we unite with the divine, when we step away from the noise, distractions, chaos and doings of our everyday life. Presence is in the inhale, the pause, the moments when we surrender, open, and receive.
When our life is busy and filled with activity we are not available to spirit or our inner sources of wisdom. Our busyness distracts us from the ever flowing insights and inspiration that surrounds us in every moment of every day. It creates a sense of separation and aloneness.
A sacred practice calls us back into our center. It invites our spirit to pause, to listen, to open, and to receive. This practice could be as simple as pulling an oracle card, planting our feet upon the earth, breathing, re-arranging an altar, burning incense, or even just noticing the birds chattering outside your window.
A sacred practice takes us out of the linear and logical reality of our world and into the world of the mythic where all things are possible. It is from this world that we become co-creators with the divine and step into full presence with the infinite possibilities and everyday magic of our lives.
Lori Andrus is a spiritual guide who weaves the transformational practices of ceremony, ritual, shamanic journeying and sacred creation to the bridge connecting our spiritual and physical worlds — and she connects individuals with their inner voice of wisdom and truth. Through her own spiritual and healing journey, Lori discovered her pathway for healing and transformation by working with crystals and stones (to create sacred power objects) and bringing sacred practices into her everyday life. Lori is the creator of JourneyJewels (jewelry for every facet of your sacred journey), and transformational programs and retreats where she empowers women and men to step in and live their sacred path.
LUCINDA PEPPER
What is a simple tool people can use to embody themselves?
Every day we make decisions from unconscious and unexamined beliefs. Why is it so important to be authentic in our bodies? Being embodied connects us with the wisdom that we hold, with our intuition, and with our cellular wisdom in our bones and our souls. When we’re able to connect, we can make decisions that guide us along our life in a more authentic way, in a way that is closer to living out the purpose we desire for ourselves.
One simple tool for embodying ourselves is to take a moment to simply notice what you’re feeling in your body. Stop trying to change the experience you’re having in your body and simply notice what sensations are arising. Notice those sensations to see fully where they are, how strong they are in your body, what they feel like; if resistance arises, that’s okay. Then take a moment to offer compassion to yourself.
One of my favorite phrases from a Buddhist meditation is to say to myself, “My darling, I am here for you.” Direct that compassion towards yourself or whatever experience you may be having in the moment. It’s this kind of moment-to-moment engagement with ourselves that leads to embodiment.
Lucinda Pepper is a visionary entrepreneur, writer, healer and queer person. She helms Embodied Health LLC, founded in 2006, offering massage therapy, yoga, somatic regulation and self-care education. Embodied Health’s practitioners explore the intersections between social change, social justice and body based healing, with an emphasis on offering effective, culturally competent, trauma-sensitive care with economic accessibility and environmental sustainability.
PATRICK STERENCHUK
What is an easy method people can use to find joy?
When we talk about “finding joy,” we are really talking about remembering, and allowing, one of our most natural human experiences. One of my favorite methods to consciously remember and allow joy is a daily morning practice consisting of three simple, powerful practices, which I call “The Breakfast of Champions”:
Step One: Breathe! As soon as you wake up, take three to five deep breaths, giving each breath your entire focus. This is one of the fundamental practices of joyful people, and the more you practice it, the easier it gets.
Step Two: Count Your Blessings! Let these be the first three that come to you, and focus on your gratitude for each of these blessings. This helps to make us aware of our blessings, throughout the day. Grateful folks are joyful folks!
Step Three: Name three of your gifts — three ways that you shine. When I am working with kids, we call these our “super powers.” This isn’t boasting. Being aware of our gifts makes it easier for us to share them. A surefire recipe for joy! What are your super powers?
I invite you to make this a part of your everyday practice. It’s simple to learn, easy to remember and fun to use. And it really works. There is no wrong way to practice this method.
Patrick Sterenchuk is a spiritual teacher whose personal practice, teaching and practical work come from his personal experience of all things being the same thing, which is Love…perfect being, perfect understanding, perfect allowing. For Patrick, all healing and all wisdom is simply the remembering that we are already whole, always Love. He employs all kinds of fun and wonderful tools for remembering: philosophical and spiritual teaching, guided meditation/visualization, healing techniques, Laughter Yoga/Intentional Laughter, life coaching, among others. Patrick simply serves others, in their remembering.
LIV LANE
How can courage bring forth your own inner presence?
The day I got brave and told the truth — knees knocking, voice quivering, angels dancing — everything changed. As a writer, speaker and broadcaster, I’d spent years sharing authentic stories about my life — from magical moments to massive sinkholes. But people who complimented me for being brave and open didn’t know I had a secret. I’d always loved celebrating other people’s spiritual gifts, but I was terrified to reveal the extent of my own intuition. Only close friends and family knew I could chat with angels and spirits or vividly see people’s life paths. I was especially worried during the decade I worked in corporate America, certain that coming clean would make me sound crazy and undermine my credibility.
But holding a secret like that is exhausting. Fear was keeping me from living fully, feeling free and serving others in the ways I was made for. Nelson Mandela said that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. I was scared, but I had to move forward anyway. When I took that leap into my truth, the proverbial net appeared. I could finally be fully present for my own life.
Liv Lane calls herself a Human Sparkler, lighting the way to deeper joy and greater clarity in her work as an intuitive adviser and inspirational artist. Liv left a successful communications career in 2007 to build her own business; she artfully and intuitively inspires women to live more purposefully and joyfully through her popular online classes, channeled guidance sessions, keynote speeches and workshops, and a line of life-affirming greeting cards.
