Students unfamiliar with online classes often have questions. Here are some of the most frequently-asked questions we've encountered about our online offerings. If you don't find an answer here to your own question, you can contact us directly by email at info@lorian.org.
Why take an online class or program?
Lorian Education’s interactive classes and programs offer important benefits. Discussions in the classes expand one’s individual understanding as students share questions, experiences, perceptions and interpretations. And, the encouragement, feedback and sense of community that inevitably grow out of the online conversations widen one’s confidence in exploring and working with incarnational ideas in one’s daily life.
How do your online classes work?
Lorian online classes are conducted on the internet through the LorianEducation.com classroom site. You access your class through the site address e-mailed to you when registering for one of our courses or programs. You’ll be asked to complete your registration by establishing an ID and password which will give you access to your class and the Learning Library where your class archives are stored. On the day your class begins, you will receive an email reminding you to join in and clicking on the link provided will bring you into your class. There you simply click on the available topics and enter your response to course questions, communicate with the instructor, or engage in discussion with other students by typing in your comments. Classes usually include downloadable books or other written essays and experiential exercises presented by the faculty. You can work with this material at your own pace over the week. Responses to class material and others’ comments are typed within designated topic areas. All information posted will be available in your ongoing Learning Library archive. Also, you’ll be able to download and print the class material on your home printer.
What are the expectations of me as a participant in the class?
We do expect that you keep anything that is shared in the class confidential to provide a safe place for people to share and explore. Please click here to read our Confidentiality Agreement. Since the material is available 24/7, you will be able to fit reading and reflection time into your personal schedule. We simply encourage you to participate with interest, discernment and openness to the degree that your comfort level and time allow.
Will I get to know the other participants?
Yes, there is usually an active dialogue that is established between participants in spite of time and distance, and there is a friendly and engaging feel to the exchange. We strive to support a learning community atmosphere that includes humor and humanness where often there is an unexpected sense of connection, even when some participants live across the globe.
What do the Self-Study Modules include?
Each module includes extensive study materials in the form of PDF books and/or audio files of lectures or past workshops on the subject. Audio recordings of guided incarnational meditations are also included. Each module has a slightly different configuration of materials but each is a full-bodied learning experience. For those who have studied one or more of the modules, there is the opportunity to go more deeply with our live classes to deepen your integration with the material.
Do you offer in-person programs?
Yes, we occasionally offer programs around the United States and Canada and collaborate with the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland to occasionally offer programs in Britain as well. Please check our Class Schedule for any events that may be happening closer to you. When there is sufficient interest in Incarnational Spirituality, we also encourage individuals, such as yourself, to sponsor a Lorian workshop or study group in your area.
Email info@lorian.org to learn more about how to coordinate something in your area.
““One thing I love about using this online format is that the level of discussion can be much deeper than in a face-to-face class. In general, people have time to think through what they want to say and frame it in a way that stimulates thought and further discussion. By the end of the session we have created a strong and active learning community.””
How can I engage in Incarnational Spirituality?
A good place to start is to navigate through our website where you will find a video by David Spangler introducing Incarnational Spiritually, recorded IS exercises, the Lorian Podcast, as well as the Lorian Blog with posts from many folks sharing their experiences of integrating IS principles into their lives. You can also sign up for our Newsletter mailing list and receive a free ebook of essays about IS by David Spangler, and David’s monthly essay, “David’s Desk.”
We also offer Free Webinars each month. Simply sign up to participate, or listen to past webinar recordings at your convenience. Please click here to see if a webinar may be of interest to you.
I have done the initial introductory exploring, I would like to go deeper, but where do I start?
First, we recommend you participate in our Journey Into Fire I and II classes to get a picture of the overall field of Incarnational Spirituality. Then, accessing one of the self-study modules or participating in a short-term Presence class will help you build skills in the practices supportive of the incarnational perspective. For a more in-depth and coordinated approach, additional classes are offered to deepen your work with incarnational skills.
I have been studying spirituality for many years and don’t feel I am a beginner.
There are no expertise levels in our classwork. A "beginner's mind" allows one to engage the material with the benefit of whatever depth you want to explore. Our class, Journey Into Fire, offers an overview of incarnational principles and orients you to several essential practices such as “sovereignty,” “holding” and “Grail Space.” This work gives you a foundation to explore and deepen into other Incarnational Spirituality topic areas, such as “Subtle Activism” or “Manifestation” with more ease. Our programs orient one specifically to incarnational work and add to your own background and experience in more traditional spiritual practices such as meditation.
How does work with Incarnational Spirituality play out in life?
As a worldview, Incarnational Spirituality reflects in our identity and our actions. We see that it helps people to better honor the essential sacredness within themselves and to bring their unique light more fully into expression in ways that are co-creative and collaborative with the sacred in the world around them.
““There are times in the past when my life has felt cramped – l’ve felt locked in by circumstances. Through my work with incarnational principles that has been gradually replaced by a feeling of being connected in life. That feeling of connection leads me into a free and collaborative exchange with my world that is truly creative.””
Contact us for further information, email info@lorian.org, or write:
The Lorian Association P.O. Box 1368 Issaquah, WA 98027