Hikers who wish to register for individual hikes may add their name to the waitlist by sending an email to [email protected]. Additional spaces for individual hikers on the waitlist may open up if a full series hiker cancels their registration.

This peak (elevation 5,482 feet) was named after North Fork’s Walker family, one of the early families to settle in the upper North Fork valley. The Walkers owned much of the land and were engaged in timber and logging. Along this trail are giant hemlocks, lichen and moss covered rocks, stretches of beech forest, surround by spectacular views. This 5-mile, moderate hike begins at Balsam Gap and extends to below Bullhead Mountain on the Blue Ridge Parkway and then returns. On this hike there are several long range views over the North Fork Valley and the Asheville Watershed.

Difficulty:  Moderate, 5.0 miles

UPDATE: In order to follow state regulations concerning the coronavirus, the Swannanoa Valley Museum has created new guidelines for its 2020 hikes. These guidelines and the 2020 hike schedule, will continue to evolve as the COVID situation changes.  Please email [email protected] with any questions. 

In this series of Virtual Goddess Channeling and Alignment Circles, we will work with shamanic technologies to connect with multidimensional Beings of Light to receive support throughout our current global paradigm shift. We will tap into energy streams of Quantum Light frequencies to raise our vibrations and receive messages from Kuan Yin, Mother Mary, Pele, Kali and other Transformative Goddesses who are lovingly here to assist us as we move through any energetic obstructions to fulfill our greatest potential. Learn how to access and divinely nourish yourself with the Quantum Light during this special Virtual Goddess event.

This week we will journey to the sacred Peru, receiving Pachamama’s blessings and a Light Language transmission from Machu Picchu.

For more information or to schedule a private session visit:
http://www.quantumlightpractice.com

“Broken Bridges: Building Community in a World Divided by Beliefs” will be presented by Chris Highland at the Sunday, August 16, 2020 meeting of the Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville, 2:30-4:00 PM by Zoom videoconference. Zoom connection info at EHSAsheville.org. All are welcome to attend.

Chris will select several true stories from his new book, Broken Bridges, drawn from years as a chaplain in jails and shelters. He will reflect on the wisdom of the “unheard” as well as insights from well-known voices like Frederick Douglass and the Dalai Lama. His book is an invitation to wider thinking for secular people and for those who still believe. The presentation and discussion should provide ample insights toward repairing, rebuilding, or even replacing old structures of belief that stand in the way of true progressive reform.

Chris is a Humanist Celebrant and Freethinker who served as a Presbyterian Minister and Interfaith Chaplain for many years in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the author of Broken Bridges, A Freethinker’s Gospel, My Address is a River and other books. He teaches at UNC-Asheville (Reuter Center), Blue Ridge Community College and writes the weekly “Highland Views” column for the Asheville Citizen-Times. He has a Master’s Degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary and a B.A. in Philosophy and Religion from Seattle Pacific University. He has directed and managed several non-profit organizations providing emergency shelter and cooperative housing for independent seniors.

Chris lives in Asheville with his wife Carol Hovis, a Presbyterian minister and Enneagram teacher. See www.chighland.com for more information.

The Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville endeavors to nurture the capacity and responsibility of human beings to act in their personal relationships and in the larger community to help create a better world. We are inspired by the ideal of working to create a more humane society, recognizing each person’s worth and dignity, and helping to bring out the best in him or her. We are a member of the American Ethical Union and an affiliate of the American Humanist Association. We join together to assist each other in developing ethical ideas and ideals, to celebrate life’s joys, support each other through life’s crises, and to cultivate ethical behavior in our community.

For more information: visit our website at: http://EHSAsheville.org, or see us on MeetUp: www.meetup.com/Ethical-Society-of-Asheville.

To register/attend, please go to: https://www.sos.org/event/learn-to-meditate-deepening-your-template-08172020/?prev=online

In this 6-part webinar series, “Deepening your Meditation Practice” — we will explore and teach the art and science behind meditation for healthy living. Each session includes meditation instructions and time to meditate. The series builds one upon the other, but each class stands on its own. This series has been presented around the world, and, for the first time, we are offering it online. An experienced facilitator will guide you through the techniques that will help you succeed in meditation. Join us as we explore a simple, powerful practice that can transform your life

6th Session: Practicing Meditation for Lasting Happiness — and how that can help our meditation practice. This class offers you unique tips and techniques to deepen your meditation practice. After you have been meditating daily, you notice the peace you find in meditation has begun to extend to those around you. You discover that the love you are experiencing is radiating to your friends and family. People remark on the difference they find in you. You smile more and realize how much your life has been transformed. An experienced facilitator of meditation will guide you with techniques and strategies to help you learn to meditate accurately.

Note that you do not have to attend all classes — as each one is independent and covers the basics of the meditation technique. We also leave ample time to meditate during each session — so you can put into practice what is being taught.

Awakening Asheville

In this series of Virtual Goddess Channeling and Alignment Circles, we will work with shamanic technologies to connect with multidimensional Beings of Light to receive support throughout our current global paradigm shift. We will tap into energy streams of Quantum Light frequencies to raise our vibrations and receive messages from Kuan Yin, Mother Mary, Pele, Kali and other Transformative Goddesses who are lovingly here to assist us as we move through any energetic obstructions to fulfill our greatest potential. Learn how to access and divinely nourish yourself with the Quantum Light during this special Virtual Goddess event.

This week we will journey to the sacred Peru, receiving Pachamama’s blessings and a Light Language transmission from Machu Picchu.

For more information or to schedule a private session visit:
http://www.quantumlightpractice.com

Awakening Asheville

In this series of Virtual Goddess Channeling and Alignment Circles, we will work with shamanic technologies to connect with multidimensional Beings of Light to receive support throughout our current global paradigm shift. We will tap into energy streams of Quantum Light frequencies to raise our vibrations and receive messages from Kuan Yin, Mother Mary, Pele, Kali and other Transformative Goddesses who are lovingly here to assist us as we move through any energetic obstructions to fulfill our greatest potential. Learn how to access and divinely nourish yourself with the Quantum Light during this special Virtual Goddess event.

This week we will journey to the sacred Peru, receiving Pachamama’s blessings and a Light Language transmission from Machu Picchu.

For more information or to schedule a private session visit:
http://www.quantumlightpractice.com

In this series of Virtual Goddess Channeling and Alignment Circles, we will work with shamanic technologies to connect with multidimensional Beings of Light to receive support throughout our current global paradigm shift. We will tap into energy streams of Quantum Light frequencies to raise our vibrations and receive messages from Kuan Yin, Mother Mary, Pele, Kali and other Transformative Goddesses who are lovingly here to assist us as we move through any energetic obstructions to fulfill our greatest potential. Learn how to access and divinely nourish yourself with the Quantum Light during this special Virtual Goddess event.

This week we will journey to the sacred Peru, receiving Pachamama’s blessings and a Light Language transmission from Machu Picchu.

For more information or to schedule a private session visit:
http://www.quantumlightpractice.com

How can we change the pattern in which the cultural expression of the majority dominates other cultures?

This Devotional will include prayers and music, connecting with our spiritual nature, and illuminating the oneness of humanity.

A Zoom link will be sent in advance to those who register.

On Thursday, September 17, 2020 from 7:00 – 9:00 pm the Center will discuss the second film in our Reel Spirit Film Project series—The Truman Show (1998), a comedy/drama/science fiction film starring Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, and Laura Linney, and directed by Peter Weir. This movie is an allegory dealing with timeless questions and dilemmas: Is each of us alone? Who is really in control? What or who pulls our strings? Can we break the illusion? If so, what will it take to do so? Join us for a discussion of the life and decisions of Truman Burbank and how these might relate to our own lives.

Find out more on our website here:
https://centersw.org/progams/reel-spirit-movie-project-registration-open-for-the-truman-show-9-17

Earthdance Asheville is collaborating with producers around the world to produce a one main, live-streamed festival to be aired on Earthdance.tv. This is centered on our traditional synchronized meditation, happening at 7:00 PM (ET) on September 19th.

Cradled in the bosom of the Smokey and Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville is a place of palpable spontaneity. A freshly-roasted and family-friendly place to be, to invite some friends for a cup of tea. In this enchanted hotbed for the Arts; dancing, farming, music, and beer are just some of the ways we keep it weird around here.

For Vision 2020: Co-Manifestival we are excited to bring you a weekend’s worth of talented presenters, hailing from Berkeley to the Bays of Puerto Rico!

…and for the first time EVER, Earthdance Asheville is also working with the Global XR Community to provide you with an Xtended Reality experience as we manifest our Multiverse.

Join MountainTrue’s Ecologist and Public Lands Director, Bob Gale, for a gorgeous and educational hike through Pisgah National Forest. This hike offers breathtaking views of the fall foliage, and if we are lucky, we will catch glimpses of the Monarch Butterfly migration. We will be hiking the Pilot Cove Loop Trail in Pisgah, which is approximately 4 miles long. The trail starts in a lesser known part of Pisgah National Forest and winds upward among the brightly colored sourwood and black gum trees. After opening up onto a beautiful rocky outcrop, the trails travels through recently logged forested as well as much older sections of forest. There are some steep inclines on this trail, but Bob will be making frequent stops to rest and interpret the flora and fauna. Due to the pandemic, we are restricting group size for outings to 10 participants. Sign up today!

All participants will be required to agree to our COVID-19 event guidelines listed below and again agree to comply with the policies on the day of the event in addition to signing our standard wavier.

What to bring:

• Hiking boots and appropriate clothing for hiking (including rain gear)

• Lunch/trail snacks

• Plenty of water

• Sunscreen

• Camera

• Please, no pets on this hike

Let’s gather together VIRTUALLY to celebrate the goddess Lada Nada and discover our own inner divine feminine.

The Invitation

“You are the keepers of sacred magic, the template of the divine feminine protector of the Holy Grail, the Goddess, the Holy of Holies.

She is known by many names: Diana, Mary Magdalene, Isis, Hathor, Quan Yin, Hecate, Venus, Aphrodite, Diana, Freya, and Gaia. Keepers of the sacred flame, you are being called to come together in community to be held, scene, and to heal your wounds – our wounds of separation, of struggle, and profound forgetting.

Friday Nights October 30 – November 20. 7pm ~ 8:15pm. Each talk will be available for one Week.

Modern Kadampa Buddhism is flourishing across the South, because folks have discovered that meditation is a powerful and practical method to maintain a peaceful mind no matter what.

Please join these Southern teachers from across NC, GA and SC (online)! They will share their love for meditation by offering practical advice and simple tips for finding happiness within our own good hearts.

You’re welcome to register for any individual week or the entire series at a discount. Individual weeks $10 each. Package $30, Discounts for Monthly Members.

October 30 Letting Go with Gen Tilopa from KMC North Carolina
November 6 What’s the Meaning of Life with Gen Norden from KMC Georgia
November 13 From Anger to Compassion with Kelsang Jangchen from KMC South Carolina
November 19 TBD: Ethan Lechner from Kosala Buddhist Center