Embracing Our Intuition, Releasing Our Gifts
We are thrilled to welcome back the amazing Renee Harrison for another engaging day as we explore the past to see how enslaved people, guided by their intuition, harnessed their power and shared their gifts to create change in American history during the 17th–19th centuries. How did they persevere during uncertain times? How did they navigate through chaos and trauma, using their talents to inspire themselves and others? What lessons can we learn from their ingenuity, and how does exploring this creativity motivate us to use our own gifts today? This workshop will include storytelling, self-discovery activities, group affirmation, and connecting our talents to what we will define together as the greater good. We end the day with an indoor “treasure hunt” and an imaginative gift-giving ritual. Don’t miss one of our most popular retreats of the year!
Please wear warm, comfortable clothes. There will be minimal indoor walking and no outdoor activities. Also, please bring a small item from your home that reminds you of your gifts, dreams, or talents.
Renee K. Harrison, a Professor of African American and US Religious History at Howard University, earned her PhD in Religion from Emory University with an interdisciplinary focus on History, Philosophy, African American Studies, and Black Feminist/Womanist Thought. Her recent book, Black Hands, White House: Slave Labor and the Making of America, documents and appraises the role enslaved women, men, and children played in building the United States, especially the nation’s capital. She is currently working on a project about Native Americans’ contributions, tentatively titled Smudging Our Way Through Broken Treaties: Native American Spirituality and American Genocide. Dr. Harrison is also the author of Enslaved Women and the Art of Resistance in Antebellum America and co-author of Engaged Teaching in Theology and Religion with Dr. Jennie Knight (UVA). She is known for her creative works, speaking engagements, teaching, healing workshops, and rituals. A native of Los Angeles, CA, Dr. Harrison is a retired 11-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department and the former executive director of A Leap of Faith Productions, a non-profit community-based theater group in Los Angeles. She is also an artist, poet, and playwright.
Want to extend your retreat experience? With at least 48 hours’ notice (and subject to availability), Bon Secours offers “private retreats” with lodging and meals. Register for two back-to-back retreats and add an overnight stay as a private retreatant for the night between. Call the Welcome Center at 410-442-3120 to inquire about booking a private retreat.