On Saturday, April 21, Sacred Snapshots, a day-long Sampler for the Spirit, will invite participants to experience the divine, celebrate spiritual practices from a range of religions and traditions at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) Whether exploring religion in pop culture, engaging 12-step spirituality, or experiencing Hindu ritual, attendees will create a multi-religious, multicultural and international community for one day. Rumi wrote that “there are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground,” and at Sacred Snapshots, you will have the chance to try at least a dozen.
When I heard about Saturday’s event, I was curious if Sacred Snapshots could deliver a hospitable space for those who belong to a congregation and those who do not to come together and experiment in spiritual practices new to both of them. After talking with the event organizers and looking at the web site, I realized the diversity of the presenters and traditions appearing in the Sacred Snapshots line-up provided an opportunity to dabble in something I have heard of or experience something I never knew existed from a location or community with which I’ve never had contact. There is so much to explore and to taste (and I do mean taste – there is a Flavors of Faith workshop that delves into the relationship between food and religious life.)
Curious? Good. That is what Sacred Snapshots wants to cultivate: the willingness to try new things, especially justice-making through spiritual practice. If nothing else, organizers explain that if “you find a new tradition that motivates you to work for justice, or if you discover a spiritual practice that deepens your connection to the holy, we feel the event will have fulfilled its purpose.” In fact, many of the workshops and rituals are centered on social justice and most other sessions are grounded in the spirit necessary to sustain collective liberation. If you also happen to find a church or want to take a course at Pacific School of Religion (PSR), the organizers say “rock on,” but its not the primary motivator. Pacific School of Religion is a Christian multi-denominational seminary and one of the member schools of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, where I am an instructor. Sacred Snapshots is based in the radical Christian hospitality that seeks to build a non-threatening space, “open to laughter, to discovery, to community, and to joy – in short, to the divine.” Come on in, and check it out.
Sacred Snapshots recommends you pre-register for the event. The registration fee is $10 and CEU credits are available. On-site registration will also be available, but all paid pre-registrants will be entered into a raffle to win a one-week Summer Session class at PSR. For more information, visit www.sacredsnapshots.org.