Order of Archangel Michael TALENT SHOW This event has passed (May 8, 2008), but we will have another.

Joseph Pio Asterita will share selections of his spiritual poetry. Seeing the inner mystic world in daily life led Joseph to discover that many joys in life lie hidden beneath the surface just waiting to be discovered. Joseph started writing poetry in the 1990’s. A profound experience started his intimate communing with nature. While visiting Glastonbury Cathedral in England, he stood under an ancient pine tree which spoke to him in clear words. “How lucky you are to travel around the world to experience many things while I stay in this same place for hundreds of years.” His experiences continued while hiking through the mountains in upstate New York. He felt a deep inner peace standing next to the giant oaks and maples that covered the mountainsides. More words of nature came to him. His nightly meditations inspired him about angels and the spirituality of mankind. All this he put into poetry which he compiled in his book, Angels, Trees, You and Me.

Drew Becker began playing with words on paper before he left elementary school.  Throughout high school and college he always found time to dash down some words on the closest scrap of paper and to add it to the others in a dark-colored Buster Brown shoebox or his collection of blue-lined pads.          In the 70's after leaving the teaching profession, Drew shared his artistic journey with an array of the local visual artists, including Painter John Fish, with whom he spent many an afternoon in friendly banter and verbal and visual jousting: Selecting the same subject, John would draw quick sketches while Drew planted words on bar napkins. At one of John's art openings the artist challenged Drew to read from his works.  Multiple requests from the appreciative audience motivated Drew to publish I Fell for 13 Dreamers in 1975. The book is a collection of his poetry with art by some of those local artists and French and Spanish translations of many of the poems.          Drew participated in numerous poetry readings in coffee houses, bars, theaters and other venues. He worked with organizers to stage the Denver Poets' Day festival in '77, '78 and '79. He read with local poets as well as such notable writers as Allen Ginsberg, James Ryan Morris and Kenneth Babbs. In '78 his interview with Ginsberg became the basis for a newspaper article about Neil Cassidy, a Denver legend who was a character in Jack Kerouac's On the Road and Ken Kesey's Electric Kool-aid Acid Test.          The Mythocratic Memories event was an art show which combined 20 of Drew's poems with the drawings of Bill Heustis. Each piece of artwork, a synthesis of poetry and drawing, was hung on the walls.  Drew roamed around, reading each poem—with the live accompaniment of original guitar and flute—in front of the artwork.          Drew has continued to write poetry and prose to the present. His current project is a five-year endeavor called Morning Meditations. Nearly every morning, after he rises and before he moves into his daily routine, he looks out the same window, opens his mind and creates a new meditation poem. Drew will share his poetry at this event.

Mara Bishop: Healing Art Journey: Using shamanic drumming we will journey into the healing space of one of Mara’s paintings.          Mara Bishop is an intuitive consultant, shamanic practitioner, teacher, author, and artist. She holds degrees in energy medicine, theology, and art and studied core shamanism extensively.  In her private practice, she combines intuitive consultations, shamanic healing, and energetic healing on an individual basis to provide each client with an integrated approach to spiritual healing, personal growth, and emotional well-being. She conducts workshops and is available for speaking engagements.          As a painter she has merged her spiritual and creative practices. She enters a meditative state and allows healing energy to flow through her as she works. People are affected not only by the way her paintings look in their homes but by the energy they radiate.  Commissions are available.

Carolee Carlson, a member of the Redrum players, recently played Sara in Redrum: A Murder Mystery. A graduate of The School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill, Carolee brings her marketing and coaching skills to Inspire, Inc. in order to support businesses and other coaches in sharing their purposes and passion with the world. Although she rarely sings in front of an audience, Carolee has agreed to grace us with her dulcet tones at this event.

Jayne Cluggish: After several decades as an artist, Jayne started making clay masks about 10 years ago. At the same time she began refining her fascination with the human face and masks, her basket work moved from vessels to sculptural human forms. This change in direction in both her clay and basket work has created a more emotional and expressive content. Through the merger of clay masks and body basket forms, the spiritual qualities of Jayne's work have become more pronounced. Jayne will show a few of her pieces and speak briefly about her art and inspiration.

Sharri Gaines is a practitioner of Integrative Reflexology and Reiki and is a Yoga Teacher. She is a graduate of Claire Marie Miller’s Integrative Reflexology program, the Asheville Yoga Center and is a nationally registered member of Yoga Alliance. Sharri has studied Acupressure and Acu-Yoga and offers specialized workshops including Acupressure for Self-Healing, Yoga for the Office and Meditation & Relaxation. Sharri will read one of her poems and sing the Gayatri mantra chant for this event.

Stacy Grove will play her flutes with an intention set by the audience. Stacy is an interfaith minister and spiritual director serving as an Associate Chaplain at WakeMed Cary. Combining various energy modalities with vibrational healing for wellness of mind, body, spirit and emotion, she plays various flutes and crystal bowl for individuals moving through life transitions. She focuses on heart-centered experiences, inviting restoration of balance to the body’s natural healing energies through the use of rhythm and sound.  She has a private practice for clients seeking stress relief, spiritual guidance and energetic healing.

Order of Archangel Michael Founder Diana Henderson will strum the angel harp and sing/tone the Light as well as hosting the evening. The angel harp is tuned to elevate the spirit and bring healing, balance and harmony to listeners. Diana tones waves of energy that come through her voice from the Angels of Light to provide potential for deep healing.           Much of her work as a healer/teacher/messenger focuses on opening people to their own intuitive and healing gifts and enhancing their spiritual connection—hastening the journey to enlightenment. The angels lovingly assist her both in intuitive readings and healing sessions. Using a combination of clairaudience, clairvoyance, clairsentience and conscious channeling, she accesses guidance from the Higher Self, spirit guides and the Angelic Realm.

Maryphyllis Horn is a shamanic practitioner in private practice in Pittsboro since 1995.  Although she offers numerous counseling/healing modalities, she specializes in Soul Retrievals, teaching how to contact spirit guides, Past-Life healings, Ancestral Lines Clearing and shamanic healing. At the gathering, she will give a brief presentation of her newly released book Transforming the Soul. Maryphyllis is offering her book as a door prize at this event as well.

Alice Hough will combine crystal bowls and toning at the gathering. Sit back and allow the vocal and crystal tones to flow through your body and its energetic fields, raising your vibrational energy as you travel on the sound.         Alice is an energetic healing practitioner and ordained minister. Using hands-on healing techniques such as Reiki and Theta Healing, along with sound and vibrational energy, she channels a flow of healing energy that works with you at a non-conscious level, altering your energetic alignment and fostering positive change and growth in your life.

Tammy May: Over the past couple of years, Tammy has taken her love for stained glass and shifted from an admirer to a creator.  Now, she creates unique designs in glass featuring window panels, sun catchers, kaleidoscopes, fusion jewelry, wine stoppers, letter openers, lanterns, business card holders, boxes and candle holders.  "For the first time in her life," Tammy says, "I feel like I can call myself an artist. When I'm working with glass, it's like being in a meditative state and I am present in the moment.  Each design is created with love and infused with my light." Tammy will showcase some of her designs in stained glass and fused glass at this event.

Gurpreet Jawa was born in India but raised entirely in the United States, mostly in North Carolina. He loves calling North Carolina home. His spiritual path is primarily Native American shamanism. He will be reading three of his poems at this event. Gurpreet's short story, "The Third Date," appeared in the Jan/Feb 2007 issue of Writer's Journal after it won third place in this national writing magazine's contest.

Obinna Mbah: I walk the path that life puts before me.  I reflect on the way and write poetry that tries and fails to capture the essence of the experience.  Don't mistake the finger for what's being indicated.  What is pointed at is an experience and not concepts to be mulled over.  The poetry I write aims to be an experience; I hope you will journey along with me.

Dee Shell awakened to her artistic soul perhaps later in life than some, but has embraced it with passion and joy.  Her lifetime of spiritual study has provided a rich and fertile ground for her artistry.  Intuitiveness, insight and ability to communicate with spiritual beings compliment her design work. Each piece of her jewelry is created as a tangible spiritual meditation. Dee will share some of her art and jewelry designs.

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