"Even the smallest woods have their secrets and secret places, their unmarked precincts. I am certain all sacred buildings from the greatest cathedral to the smallest chapel, and in all religions, derive from the natural aura of certain forest or woodland settings. In them we stand among older, larger and infinitely other beings, remoter from us than the most bizarre other non-human forms of life: immobile, waiting... altogether very like the only form a universal god could conceivably take."
John Fowles & Frank Horvat “The Tree”
Veronica Institute is a non-profit organization that had its origins in 1998 as Veronica Sacred Arts, Inc. It is based in Portland, Maine and offers wonderful events all over the map! The name, Veronica, came to our founder in a dream. From the Latin, vera iconica, veronica means true image.
We are a collaborative of artists, teachers and philanthropists whose mission is to promote an improved human-Earth relationship. We do this through:
***If you are an organization needing a Fundraising Event for an Environmental Conference, Theatres For The Earth is your best source for inspirational performances. We perform at Schools, Cathedrals, and for Planetary Gatherings for mutual benefit! Please contact us for information.
Our celebratory and inspirational work is vital in our world today. On behalf of The Board of Veronica Institute, we sincerely appreciate your tax-deductible donations that support the on-going work of our organization. Thank you.
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Here, we present Ourselves! The wonderful circle that is
Veronica Institute:
Nancy graduated from Vassar College in 1957, and ran the Music and Theatre Department at The Pingree School from 1961 to 1981. She sang with the Portland Choral Arts for 8 years. Nancy founded "The Miracles" , an extraordinary on-going circle of women, and was a founding member of the Genesis Fund for which she served ten years. Presently, she is on the Board of the Daponte String Quartet. Remarkably, Nancy, for fifty years and continuing, is "Mother-to-Thousands" in her role (with her husband) as former Director of Camp Kieve for Boys in Damariscotta, Maine. For over twenty years, Nancy has also sponsored workshops at Camp Kieve on Women's topics. She is a lay reader at St. Andrew's Church, Newcastle, Maine, a member of the Companions of the Holy Cross, and serves on the Linbergh Earthshine Board.
Erin grew up in a mountainous region of rural New Hampshire. She studied international relations, psychology, and pottery at the American University in Washington, D.C. After moving to Maine in 1996, Erin began working in special education. She received her Masters in Science and Special Education in 2003
Today, Erin is a potter, teacher, Reiki Master and intuitive. She both creates and heals through her hands. An artist all of her life, Erin has used her understanding of creativity to help with her personal healing journey. Erin's dishes, mugs, and bowls are as practical and lasting as they are true works of art (see store). She has been working with clay for over 13 years and currently collaborates with 3 other artists in their business Spiral Tree Designs.
Erin is a certified Spiritual Response Therapist, a Reiki II practitioner and a channel. She has been working in the healing arts field for over four years, both privately and in the hospital setting at Maine Medical Center.
As a native of Ireland,
Ann Quinlan carries in her soul a rich
heritage that includes the mystical world of Celtic Mythology, the
romance of folklore, love of land, a natural wit and a readiness for a
good story. Ann has a deep knowing of the arts, and is committed to the
creative process as a fundamental pathway to healing. A gifted
improvisational pianist, Ann?s life has always been filled with music.
She is constantly open to the wisdom streams of the world and has a
deep sensitivity to th
e needs and the enrichment of humanity. Ann is a devoted advocate of
elders; her creative and engaging workshops, "Aging Romantically"
and "Don't Get Pruned from Your Family Tree" offer fun and refreshing
perspectives on celebrating the aging process, for all. A lifelong
birder, Ann is committed to the preservation of wilderness and open
space, and delights in designing and leading small group journeys, on
the land, in her native Ireland. Ann is a Reiki Master, holds a private
counseling practice, is a mother and grandmother, and hosts two weekly
radio talk shows in the Boston area.
Website contact is www.spiraljourneys.com
Blake Wood has been a lecturer in Screenwriting and Film Studies at Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, NH for ten years. She is a Producing Fellow of AFI (American Film Institute in Los Angeles) and owns Blakewood Productions, a video production company, in Dublin, NH. She has also been an Astrological Consultant since 1999 and is currently doing advanced studies at The Center for Psychological Astrology in London with Jungian analyst/astrologer Liz Greene. Blake sees the connection between her two fields of study as the soul-moving healing power of storytelling. ?Both the cinema and the astrological blueprint engage us in a journey of dramatic evolution. When we enter each world, we are given an opportunity to see the dance between reality and illusion and another piece of the puzzle of whom we might be. Consciously creating our own characters in this storytelling process, allows us a more objective tool with which to identify motivations that help us reach the climax and resolution of our personal individuation process.? To reach Blake by e-mail click here.
Frederica has been Veronica Institute For Life Story's primary inspiration. In turn, she has been inspired and helped by many people who have believed in the transformative power of stories, circles, of soul.
Frederica was born in Franconia, NH. She attended an all-girl high school in Portland, Maine. She received her Master?s degree in Mental Health Nursing and established a psychotherapy practice in Camden, Maine. Her interest in spirituality and in Carl Jung's psychoanalytic theory took her to Findhorn, Scotland to live, and to undergo Jungian analysis in London. The consciousness of the Findhorn community and the landscape opened her to nature intelligence. At the same time, Jungian analysis required close attention to her dreams, and to observing outer symbols. As she was preparing to enter the CG Jung Institute to become an analyst, the dream showed a man's face masked in white. That image changed the course of her life. With help from her analyst, rather than choosing the life of a psychoanalyst, she entered the world of story and theatre.
As a storyteller, in 1992, Frederica took stories of nature and the Goddess to Brazil, to the World Conference on Environment and Development. She became a champion of nature, of women and women's stories. In 1993, Frederica formed a theatre troupe of women, Veronica Sacred Theatre, to perform at the Parliament of the World's Religions. She wrote and produced an archetypal story of a girl entering womanhood, now titled, The Princess Who Spoke the Truth: A Feminine Myth For The 21st Century. She transcribed the fairy tale into a book of the same title. Her passion for offering mentorship to girls inspired her to write A Girl?s Gateway to Womanhood: A Rite of Passage Guidebook For Girls, Parents and Mentors (see products) Currently, she is planning to make a motion picture entitled, The Secret of the Wells.
A native Mainer of French-Canadian descent, Michael has performed as a storyteller and singer, in both English and French, throughout the United States, and beyond, since 1977. He has been featured at many events, including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee ('81, '89, '98, '02), the International Storytelling Colloquium in Paris ('89), the Glistening Waters Festival in New Zealand ('98), the Sperrins Autumn Storytelling Festival in Northern Ireland and the Scealta Shamhna Festival in Dublin ('02), as well as the Multi-Cultural Storytelling Festival in Eugene, Oregon ('04).
In addition to his performances for a wide range of audiences, including schools, libraries, theaters, and festivals, Michael also leads storytelling, story-writing, and performance workshops.
After living in Virginia for many years, where he was a co-founder of, and frequent performer at Live Arts, a thriving alternative theater in Charlottesville, Michael returned to his home state of Maine in July, 1998, and now lives in Portland. He received the National Storytelling Network's "Circle of Excellence" Award in 1999, and was a keynote speaker at the 2001 National Storytelling Conference in Providence, R.I. He will be a featured keynote speaker at the Sharing the Fire storytelling conference in Cambridge, Mass. in March of 2005. Michael's solo work can be seen at www.michaelparent.com. See Books and Products for Michae's book, Of Kings and Fools.