Services in May:

Thursday, May 3, Reiki Healing Circle, 7:30-9:00pm,

Studio 3, Dance Exchange, 7117 Maple Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912

Next Reiki Healing Circle, Thursday, June 7, 2012

Sunday, May 6, "Divine Love Loves EVERYONE Divinely," with Rev. Anthony Farmer and Ruby Dunston (vocalist), 2:30pm at the Chapel at Takoma Park Presbyterian Church, 310 Tulip Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912

Tuesdays, May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, Healing Hearts Meditation Circle, 7:00-8:00pm,

Studio 3, Dance Exchange, 7117 Maple Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912

Sunday, May 13, "Celebration of Love: For our Mothers, Grandmothers, Great-Grandmothers, Aunts, Wives and Honorary Mothers!" with Rev. Anthony Farmer, 2:30pm at the Chapel at Takoma Park Presbyterian Church, 310 Tulip Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912

Sunday, May 20, Healing Service: "The Healing Temple," A shamanic healing journey with and through love. with Rev. Anthony Farmer, 2:30pm at the Chapel at Takoma Park Presbyterian Church, 310 Tulip Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912

Sunday, May 29, Drumming as Prayer Service led by Rev. Sharon Gervasoni, doors open at 2:30/first drumbeat at 3:00pm,

Click here to read Rev. Gervasoni's account of the Drumming and Prayer Service

Other Events:

A Contemplative Nature Walk with Rev. Sharon. Join Rev. Sharon Gervasoni and other members of our extended community for a contemplative (silent) walk in nature on May 19, 2012 at the Rachel Carson Greenway/Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park (see link below) from 10am to Noon. We will gather and briefly circle together to set personal intentions for our walk, and then set off in silent companionship. Click here for more information.

Tea Talks and Coffee Conversations: A once a month gathering of like-minded, like-spirited people interested in coming together to share, talk, explore and have conversation (with coffee, tea or beverage of choice) on thoughts and things, facts and feelings, and the everyday life experiences of walking a spiritual path. The first Tea Talk & Coffee Conversation is scheduled for Saturday, June 2 @ 10am. More information tba! All are welcomed!

[If traveling via metro, please check the Metro website for updates on weekend track maintenance.]

Come join us for Sunday service! Our doors and hearts open at 2:15pm, Meditation and Reiki healing at 2:30pm, service begins at 3:00pm, and the love flows continuously.

Visions of the Heart Spiritual Life Center is an interfaith, interspiritual place of love, truth, wisdom and community, influenced through the teachings, sacred texts and wisdom practices of the world's spiritual and religious traditions. Our mission is to support the awakening to truth, love and the sacred within the hearts of humanity, one heart at a time.

"Heart is that place where intuition, inspiration, thinking, feeling and action can be integrated in the wholeness and harmony of Love and God." a Christian Mystic

As interfaith and interspiritual, we create a sacred space to connect to and embrace that divine river of golden truth that flows through many if not all spiritual and religious traditions.

We strive to embrace, integrate and be a demonstration of the "golden rule," that is found in many spiritual and religious traditions:

"Do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you." (Mahabharata 5.1517)

"One should not behave towards others in a way which is disagreeable to oneself." (Mencius Vii.A.4)

"One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts."

"We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." (Unitarian principle)

"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves." Chief Seattle

"Whatever you wish men to do for you, do likewise also for them; for this is the law and the prophets." Matthew 7:12

In the book The Mystic Heart, Wayne Teasdale wrote, "A wonderful aphorism in the Hindu tradition extols the rich variety of spiritual approaches: 'The paths are many but the goal is the same.'" He further wrote, "In most traditions, the goal of the spiritual journey is union with the divine, whether this reality is called God, Allah, Brahman, Atman, Wakan Taku, the Tao, the One." Visions of the Heart Spiritual Life Center incorporates and embraces this understanding.

The four pillars of Visions of the Heart Spiritual Life Center are love, wisdom, truth and community. These serve as the foundation by which this new and growing community is rooted. We are an interfaith, interspiritual place of love, truth, wisdom and community in the Heart of the Divine. Kahlil Gibran wrote in his book The Prophet, "When you love you should not say, 'God is in my heart,' but rather, 'I am in the heart of God.'" Visions of the Heart Spiritual Life Center is a demonstration of being love and being in the heart of God."

When asked which commandment of the law is the greatest, Christ Jesus responded, "...Love the Lord your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like to it, Love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hand the law and the prophets." (Matthew 23:37-40) At Visions of the Heart Spiritual Life Center as a sacred place of learning and teaching, healing and sharing in community, we hold these three teachings in our hearts: Love God, Love your Neighbor and Love self.

Visions of the Heart Spiritual Life Center is comprised of three ministries, or circles: the Circle of Fellowship, the Circle of Learning, and the Circle of Healing.

The Circle of Fellowship, which consists of the Sunday services, community service and outreach, and fellowship events, is named Ubuntu. Ubuntu is from the Bantu language and translates as "I am what I am because of who we all are." (Leymah Gbowee). Ubuntu speaks to our spiritual community, the Golden Rule, and love in action.

The Circle of Learning, which consists of classes, workshops and retreats, is named The Hall of Amenti. In Egyptian mythology, Thoth the God of Wisdom journeyed to the Hall of Amenti and received the mysteries for men to be free of the veil of the night, and to learn to shine their light. The Circle of Learning, Hall of Amenti, offers people opportunities, through receiving wisdom, awareness and knowledge, to free themselves from the veil of night and shine their light.

The Circle of Healing, which consists of holistic health clinics and healing fairs for personal healing, is named The Healing Temple. In his book, Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East, Baird T. Spalding wrote of The Healing Temple located in a Himalayan village where people came for healing. In this temple, the energy, vibration and power of the words "Life, Love and Peace" were used in healing. We embrace the same understanding in our healing efforts.

These are the three major ministries, or circles, within Visions of the Heart Spiritual Life Center.

The Visions of the Heart Sacred Giving is an opportunity to consciously and lovingly share gifts to support the function and operation of the Visions of the Heart Spiritual Life Center community, and the extended community. Ten percent (10%) of gifts received are given to community-based organizations serving infants, youth, adults and the Elders. Our sharing flows in alignment with the cycles of life:

Organizations that have received gifts from Visions of the Heart Spiritual Life Center include: Street Sense (adults), Mary's Place (youth), Life Pieces to Masterpieces (youth), All Shades of Pink (adults), Emmaus Services for the Aging (elders) Bright Beginnings (infants), and We Are Family (elders).

For the period, December 2011 - February 2012, gifts received will be shared with The Family Place, an organization that provides services of child development for infants and children (below the age of five) of low-income families in Washington, DC.

The essence of being a member of a community is the sense of contributing and belonging. Being a member of Visions of the Heart Spiritual Life Center is being a member of community of like-minded and like-spirited people where you can connect and feel connected, where you know you belong and you are welcomed; and, where you contribute and serve and allow yourself to be served.

Visions of the Heart Spiritual Life Center is an interfaith, interspiritual community. We, as a new and growing community, support people in embracing their divinity and living from their heart space through truth, wisdom and love, regardless of a person's spiritual path or religious tradition. We are a member of the Council of Interfaith Congregations on the United States (CIC-USA). CIC-USA is a religious association of independently-organized interfaith, multifaith and interspiritual congregations, communities and seminaries in the United States.

Reverend Anthony Farmer, OUnI, CMH, is the founder of Visions of the Heart Spiritual Life Center. Rev. Farmer is an Ordained Interfaith Minister through The New Seminary of New York City, and an Ordained Interfaith/Interspiritual Cleric and Wisdom Keeper through Order of Universal Interfaith. For more information, visit Reverend Anthony Farmer's website.

For more information about Visions of the Heart Spiritual Life Center and how you can become part of this new and growing spiritual community, please send questions and inquiries to Rev. Anthony Farmer: