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Liaisons
Priest Dr. Pandit Hari Shankar Dabral – Hindu
Pandit Hari Shankar Dabral, Ph.D is the Spiritual Director of The Himalayan Yoga Meditation Centre (HYMC) in Calgary.
Panditji is an experienced teacher in the Himalayan Tradition who is capable of bringing the authentic teachings of the yoga masters to all types of students. People of all ages enjoy his accessibility and humour. His knowledge of Sanskrit and the Yoga Scriptures is vast and comprehensive yet he is able to explain complex ideas in ways that are easy to understand and apply to daily life. He brings the experiences and knowledge of the Himalayan Sages to life. Panditji offers classes, workshops, full moon meditations, and retreats in Calgary, as well as leading an annual Pilgrimage to India. He is also a Vedic Astrologer and a fourth generation priest. Panditji travels internationally to teach and perform ceremonies.
Phone: 403-613-9642
Email: sadhakam [at] yahoo [dot] com
Dr. Wayne A. Holst - Adult Spiritual Development, St. David's United Church
Dr. Wayne Holst has undergraduate and graduate studies in english, history and theology from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. He was a scholarship student at the Graduate School of Ecumenical Studies, World Council of Churches, Geneva (Bossey)Switzerland and completed his doctoral studies at St.Stephens College, University of Alberta. He was a Research Associate at the Artic Institute of North America at the University of Calgary and is a lecturer and instructor in religion and culture studies through the Faculty of Continuing Education at the University of Calgary.
Wayne is an ordained Lutheran pastor (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada) and worked in mission administration in the Lutheran Church in American in New York City and worked in new church development in Calgary, Alberta.
He is a currently an Adult Spiritual Development staff member at St. David's United Church in Calgary.
Email: sadhakam [at] yahoo [dot] com
Website: http://www.1journey.net/stdavids/sdc.htm
Christine Shellska – Secular/Humanist
Christine Shellska is a PhD student in the Department of Communication and Culture in the Faculty of Arts. Her research focuses on exploring how intelligent design is presented as an alternative scientific theory to evolution. In addition to studying communication theories and their philosophical underpinnings she has dabbled in philosophy of science, philosophy of religion and religious studies, public understanding of science and technology, feminism and social justice. Christine participates in secular activist initiatives locally as well as internationally. Christine found support within her secular family when she identified early as a non-believer, and her experimental encounters with various religions as a youth, although often enlightening and inspiring, served to strengthen her commitment to secular humanism.
Email: cmshells [at] ucalgary [dot] ca
Dr. Marcia Epstein – Secular/Humanist
Dr. Marcia Jenneth Epstein is a cultural historian and musicologist who teaches in the Department of Communication and Culture and in the Faculty of Nursing, exploring the influences of culture on beliefs (political, spiritual, ethical and aesthetic) and the influences of music and noise on health. As a musician she has participated joyously in a variety of spiritual practices: singing with church and synagogue choirs and Hindu pujas, chanting with Sufi and Buddhist groups, drumming with Aboriginal Canadian and West African circles. Marcia supplements an experiential background in secular Humanism with an interest in exploring improvisational spirituality through the arts, through studies of culture and neuroscience, and through sheer curiosity about the aspect of human culture called worship. She believes strongly in: stepping outside of categorical classifications, if only for a moment; asking important questions and really listening to the answers; dancing with ideas rather than jumping to conclusions; celebrating Darwin Day, Shakespeare Day, and many others yet to be determined.
Email: epstein [at] ucalgary [dot] ca
