Welcome to my Calendar!
If you’re looking for things to do that will help you reconnect with yourself, you’re in the right place!
My offerings include many options to meet your yearning for a life that is congruent—aligned with who you are and how you want to be in the world.
I don’t perform very much these days, but I’ll be singing at my church, Unity Unitarian, in St. Paul for all three services: 9:00 am, 11:00 am and 4:30 pm. I’d love to see you there!
I sing a mixture of original and medieval celticky music. Check out my music (and CDs).
One audience member said “Your music reminds me of my ancient celtic roots and resonates deeply in my soul.”
Join us for the premiere showing of a new documentary telling the story of a powerful but still little-known saint and muse who invites us to experience the ordinary touching the divine. Filmmaker Michael Conti tells the story of Hildegard of Bingen and explores the ways she continues to have a profound impact on today’s theologians, artists, musicians and educators.
Following the film, Mary Kaye Medinger and Sue Swanson will facilitate a conversation around how Hildegard inspires us. Katy Taylor, who has studied Hildegard’s music, will lead us in singing chants and melodies.
Gather on two Wednesday evenings during Advent to deepen your Advent journey with sacred chant and silent prayer/meditation. (12/9 & 12/16). Learn and sing music from medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen as well as other sacred music.
No prior professional singing experience necessary.
Hosted by the CSJ Membership and Association Offices (Celeste’s Dream, Consociate Services and Sister Membership).
This is part of the MN-IEA Member Appreciation Brunch. You need to join the organization to attend it.
Brain-Wave Coach Dr. Anna Vazquez on cello and Certified Riso-Hudson Enneagram Teacher and Holistic Health & Wellness Coach Katy Taylor take you on a journey exploring Presence—what supports us to be more present and what gets in the way. Together, we’ll explore presence experientially and use the map of the Enneagram to understand type-specific triggers that cause us to lose presence. We’ll come up with ways to recognize when we leave presence as well as ways to find our way back home.
Gather on two Wednesday evenings during Lent to deepen your Lenten journey with sacred chant and silent prayer/meditation. (3/2 & 3/9). Learn and sing music from medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen as well as other sacred music.
No prior professional singing experience necessary.
Hosted by the CSJ Membership and Association Offices (Celeste’s Dream, Consociate Services and Sister Membership).
Gather on two Wednesday evenings during Lent to deepen your Lenten journey with sacred chant and silent prayer/meditation. (3/2 & 3/9). Learn and sing music from medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen as well as other sacred music.
No prior professional singing experience necessary.
Hosted by the CSJ Membership and Association Offices (Celeste’s Dream, Consociate Services and Sister Membership).
Gather on two Wednesday evenings during Advent to deepen your Advent journey with sacred chant and silent prayer/meditation. (12/9 & 12/16). Learn and sing music from medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen as well as other sacred music.
No prior professional singing experience necessary.
Hosted by the CSJ Membership and Association Offices (Celeste’s Dream, Consociate Services and Sister Membership).
Join the Winter Solstice Celebration, a contemplative, family-friendly, Celtic-inspired ritual to mark the turning of the year as the darkness gives way to the growing light. This participatory ritual will include chanting, meditation, candle-lighting, singing, and cauldron jumping. Kids—bring animal masks and hand percussion (rattles, shakers, bells)!
Note: This workshop is part of a full-day women’s retreat.
What if joy were always here, within reach, within us, but we just weren’t mindful enough to recognize it?
Join me to explore how we can use the natural rhythm of our daily lives to mindfully welcome joy through various practices including meditation, movement, and music.
* The image of the woman bursting out of a flower is from a painting by Melissa Harris. Check out her beautiful work.
Gather on two Wednesday evenings during Lent to deepen your Lenten journey with sacred chant and silent prayer/meditation. (3/2 & 3/9). Learn and sing music from medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen as well as other sacred music.
No prior professional singing experience necessary.
Hosted by the CSJ Membership and Association Offices (Celeste’s Dream, Consociate Services and Sister Membership).
Gather on two Wednesday evenings during Lent to deepen your Lenten journey with sacred chant and silent prayer/meditation. (3/2 & 3/9). Learn and sing music from medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen as well as other sacred music.
No prior professional singing experience necessary.
Hosted by the CSJ Membership and Association Offices (Celeste’s Dream, Consociate Services and Sister Membership).
Being kind to yourself is not a luxury. Being kind to yourself is not selfish. In fact, being kind opens the way for real growth and healing on all levels. Come explore the radical act of self-compassion with Katy and Worship Associate Rene Meyer-Grimberg to learn how it can change your life!
SERIES CANCELED:
We heard from a number of you
that a half- or full-day would fit your life better,
so we’ll be back in touch!
Do you find yourself too busy to have fun? Are you frequently being drawn back into thinking about difficult things? Maybe life is just feeling hard and unsatisfying?
There has been an enormous amount of research recently on the body-mind connection, brain science, and the habits and behaviors of happy people. We also know that the Enneagram helps us profoundly in understanding our own desires, needs, and habits. In this series, we will explore choices we can make to create more self-understanding, self-acceptance, and happiness.
A truly happy person thinks more clearly and openly and is more likely to affect others in a positive way and to attract good things in their life. Join us in this experiential workshop to find out how you can create happiness habits that will bring you more joy, ease, and a life you want to live! Knowledge of your own Enneagram type required.
Questions? Contact Katy.
To Register: Registration Deadline: Noon, Thursday, Oct. 13th
Your Facilitators
Katy Taylor is a Holistic Life Coach, a Riso-Hudson Enneagram Teacher, a Way of the Happy Woman® Teacher, and a SomaYoga Teacher. She loves helping curious and soulful people practice presence so they can feel at home in their bodies and at ease & resilient in their lives. Katy helps people get in touch with their own inner wisdom so they can trust and accept who they are, one mindful choice at a time. www.katytaylor.com
Becky Myrick, M. Div, MA, is a spiritual & wellness counselor, a teacher of holistic living & of creativity which comes from our own body wisdom. She loves to dive into soul work with people, helping her clients find & follow callings, and become more fully creative. She is certified leader in InterPlay, a Higher Brain Living practitioner, an Enneagram teacher, and a lover of participatory arts exploration. www.beckymyrick.com
Join the Winter Solstice Celebration, a contemplative, family-friendly, Celtic-inspired ritual to mark the turning of the year as the darkness gives way to the growing light. This participatory ritual will include chanting, meditation, candle-lighting, singing, and cauldron jumping. Kids—bring animal masks and hand percussion (rattles, shakers, bells)!
Do you find yourself too busy to have fun? Are you frequently being drawn back into thinking about difficult things? Maybe life is just feeling hard and unsatisfying?
There has been an enormous amount of research recently on the body-mind connection, brain science, and the habits and behaviors of happy people. We also know that the Enneagram helps us profoundly in understanding our own desires, needs, and habits. In this series, we will explore choices we can make to create more self-understanding, self-acceptance, and happiness.
A truly happy person thinks more clearly and openly and is more likely to affect others in a positive way and to attract good things in their life. Join us in this experiential workshop to find out how you can create happiness habits that will bring you more joy, ease, and a life you want to live! Knowledge of your own Enneagram type required.
Questions and to Register: Contact Katy.
Sign Up Now: Limited to 8 People!
Your Facilitators
Katy Taylor is a Holistic Life Coach, a Riso-Hudson Enneagram Teacher, a Way of the Happy Woman® Teacher, and a SomaYoga Teacher. She loves helping curious and soulful people practice presence so they can feel at home in their bodies and at ease & resilient in their lives. Katy helps people get in touch with their own inner wisdom so they can trust and accept who they are, one mindful choice at a time. www.katytaylor.com
Becky Myrick, M. Div, MA, is a spiritual & wellness counselor, a teacher of holistic living & of creativity which comes from our own body wisdom. She loves to dive into soul work with people, helping her clients find & follow callings, and become more fully creative. She is certified leader in InterPlay, a Higher Brain Living practitioner, an Enneagram teacher, and a lover of participatory arts exploration. www.beckymyrick.com
This is my version of the popular “Challenge.”
A perfect way to get back on track after the holidays
and to start your New Year with Presence!
For 5 days, you’ll receive daily emails with practice suggestions, and we’ll support each other in a private facebook group, sharing our triumphs and our struggles. I’ll lovingly hold your hand as you try on simple, doable changes to create more presence in your life.
Join me to get excited about your life again–
because you’ll be aligned with its innate support, rhythm, and beauty.
You’ll be living your life with sacred intention and practice.
Gurdjieff taught that we are not one unified person, but a collection of many separate selves. Various psychological systems also recognize we are made of many parts. We will explore how our ego uses a multitude of separate selves to enliven and strengthen our particular Enneagram personality type.
Becoming aware of and including these often-unconscious parts of our inner family is a key step of the journey of awakening, which is always about coming back to our innate wholeness. We will practice listening to each inner self’s unique perspective to bring these disparate parts of ourselves into one harmonious whole.
This event is part of the MN International Enneagram Association programming. It is free to MN-IEA members. 1st-time guests can attend for free. A $45 membership gives you all MN-IEA events for free, except for national presenters.
As a longtime singer and a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader, chanting and laughing have been an integral part of my life! I started singing as a little girl and it has always been a way for me to keep connected with my deepest sense of self—to a place that I find difficult to explain with words. When I found Laughter Yoga, I found it also brought a deep sense of connection, this one with a distinctly joyful affect!
In this Energy Medicine Salon, I welcome the opportunity to explore more consciously the effect on our being of using our voices in these ways.
Tones come through the human channel as unique and varied voices, even though many say all sound comes from a primordial and common source. There are various theories about certain tones corresponding to and/or eliciting specific energetic responses, but what I find most interesting is how people produce and respond to tone differently.
This evening, we will explore:
- The energetic effect of tones from our individual experience
- The energetic effect of different vocal expressions of tone
- The interface between tone and silence
- Singing meditation
- Laughter yoga
- The healing benefits of sound
Advance registration is required. Registration closes the day prior to the event.
This is my version of the popular “Challenge.”
A perfect way to do a Spring refresh and renew for your spiritual practice life!
For 5 days, you’ll receive daily emails with practice suggestions, and we’ll support each other in a private facebook group, sharing our triumphs and our struggles. I’ll lovingly hold your hand as you try on simple, doable changes to create more presence in your life.
Join me to get excited about your life again–
because you’ll be aligned with its innate support, rhythm, and beauty.
You’ll be living your life with sacred intention and practice.
Embodiment is such a buzz word these days. What does it really mean? And what’s the big deal about being in your body? Join Interfaith Minister Katy Taylor and Worship Associate Betsy Carter to explore these questions and consider how this all fits into the times we are living in. Come curious and ready to inquire!
Is there anything between you and being at home in yourself? For most of us, there is, a lot of the time. Come explore, with Interfaith Minister Katy Taylor and Worship Associate Rene Meyer-Grimberg, what gets in the way of a free and open heart, and what we can do about it.
Our Western culture, our family upbringing, and even the way our brains are wired all support a dualistic perspective on life. Our lives begin with a banishment from the oneness of the womb into an either/or world of pleasure vs. pain and good vs. bad. At some primal level, we even approach our spiritual work as an attempt to transcend our humanity and become a different, more “holy” being.
What if, as Gurdjieff and the mystical paths of most faith traditions have taught, we don’t have to live constantly in this land of duality? What if we could learn how to integrate body, heart, and mind, how to trust the deeper wisdom of Third Force, restoring us to a more whole, mysterious, and inclusive perspective? From this place, we suffer less, enjoy our lives more, and live with more ease, clarity, and compassion.
Join Dave Hall and Katy Taylor for a day of heartfelt, embodied exploration of how living the Law of Three can radically transform our experience of ourselves in the world. This is a highly experiential workshop, so wear clothing you feel comfortable moving in and come ready to explore and play with your fellow seekers in the Enneagram community!
This is a 4-part series: October 18th & 25th, November 1st & 15th.
Is there anything between you and being at home in yourself? For most of us, there is, a lot of the time. Come explore what gets in the way of a free and open heart and what we can do about it—using the wisdom of the Enneagram, mindfulness, and your own loving presence.
In this 4-part series, we’ll dive deep into the false type assumptions, stories, and beliefs that get in the way of forgiving ourselves and others. With practices to engage all three centers, we’ll inquire into, come to understand, and meet with compassion the ways that we block our hearts. And we’ll courageously try on new ways of being, feeling, and thinking to forge new neural pathways and create a life worth living.
Join the Winter Solstice Celebration, a contemplative, family-friendly, Celtic-inspired ritual to mark the turning of the year as the darkness gives way to the growing light. This participatory ritual will include chanting, meditation, candle-lighting, singing, and cauldron jumping. Kids—bring animal masks and hand percussion (rattles, shakers, bells)!
This is my version of the popular “Challenge.”
A perfect way to get back on track after the holidays
and to start your New Year with presence!
For 5 days, you’ll receive daily emails with practice suggestions, and we’ll support each other in a private facebook group, sharing our triumphs and our struggles. I’ll lovingly hold your hand as you try on simple, doable changes to create more presence in your life.
Join me to get excited about your life again–
because you’ll be aligned with its innate support, rhythm, and beauty.
You’ll be living your life with sacred intention and practice.
Through original, celticky, and sacred chant and song,
may the door of your heart slip open.
In Sufism, Laila is the deep secret love of God, that fierce and sweet song that stirs the heart for union with the Beloved. Through angelic voice, mountain dulcimer and prayerful intent, she joyfully reminds you Who you truly are.
Katy sings original and medieval chant and song that weaves celtic ornamentation with haunting, mystical invocations and prayers. Her voice creates a bridge between heaven and earth, calling down the angels from on high to join hands and hearts with the goddess of the earth.
Known and deeply appreciated in the Hudson Valley for years, Amy puts the very essence of her entire being into song. She lifts you up into a higher plane with her beautiful, larger-than-life voice.
Note: The Woodstock Sufi Center is above the Burnette Gallery and between Mirabai Books and Catskill Art and Office Supply.
We look forward to singing for (and with ) you!
The instincts of the Enneagram teachings are the name we give to a group of three flavors of instinctual life-force energies. These are the same energies we share with our animal ancestors.
The instincts supply the fuel for the way our type manifests in the world, so learning about and working with them is a way to understand how your Enneagram type is driven around in the world, how you go on autopilot and lose presence.
In this workshop, we will explore the three instincts, inquire as to how they show up in our lives, and come up with ways to live them in a more balanced manner that promotes growth, transformation, and deeper presence.
Full Voice: The Art & Practice
of Vocal Presence
How can you embody your full presence–through your voice?
How can you speak so people will listen?
What gifts reside deep inside you that are yearning for expression?
How would your life be different if you were “unsilenced?” If your voice were alive, expressive, powerful, and clear?
No matter what you do for a living, you spend a good part of every day in conversation–at work, at home, and in your community. As important as our voices are, few of us know how to embody them to their full potential. Many of us feel self-conscious about how we sound, but don’t know how to make authentic, lasting change in our voices.
Learning to consciously tap the full range of expression available to you in your voice also opens up a fuller range in your bodysoul… and makes it much more likely that your message will reach the minds and hearts of your listeners. Working with your own full voice makes you a more skillful listener as well.
Full Voice is the work of Barbara McAfee–I am in her Full Voice Coach Training Program and this is part of my practicum!
In this highly interactive, practical, and fun workshop, together, we will:
- Explore our vocal strengths, habits, assumptions, and challenges,
- Increase vocal awareness, flexibility, and expression using the Five Elements Framework,
- Identify ways to use voice to project authority, express passion, extend compassion, and convey vision in everyday conversations,
- Learn how to use our voices to awaken our gifts,
- And have fun, playing and making sound together!
Logistics:
Friday, November 2nd, from 7:00-8:30
St. Paul Yoga Center, Corner Studio
FREE! Let me know you’re coming, or just show up!
Join the Winter Solstice Celebration, a contemplative, family-friendly, Celtic-inspired ritual to mark the turning of the year as the darkness gives way to the growing light. This participatory ritual will include chanting, meditation, candle-lighting, singing, and cauldron jumping. Kids—bring animal masks and hand percussion (rattles, shakers, bells)! No RSVP needed–just come!
Did you know that the Enneagram is not just about personality? The types are best understood when we consider their divine origins. Each type, at its deepest essence, is a flavor of the Divine, of True Nature, of God. When we feel disconnected from the Divine, the ego personality that develops is a compensation for this loss, an attempt to get back to our sacred home.
We will explore the Essence Qualities of the 9 types with words, image, and poetry. From this deep understanding of our Essence, we understand how feeling separated from it causes each ego type personality to unfold with perfect beauty and coherence. We will also consider how this loss of divine Essence contributes to the distortion of the instincts.
Cancelled–Watch for a New Date in 2020!
Taught by Dave Hall and Katy Taylor at the beautiful, rural Christine Center in Wisconsin.
What does it mean to recover our wholeness?
How is it that we find ourselves, as adults, living in a small room tucked away in a corner of the glorious mansion of ourselves?
What happened to the freedom and joy and possibility that we may remember from our early childhood?
The Enneagram can give us a focusing lens on our core personality type, helping us understand how the world and our families responded to our core needs, desires, and fears—and how we, in turn, responded to the world—creating the partial personality we inhabit now. The Enneagram can also show us, because it is itself a complete model of the human soul, the way to recover our initial wholeness.
We learn about our own core personality type, not to label ourselves or to stuff ourselves into a box, but to understand the nature of the box we already live in—and to see the way out!
Over many years of teaching the Enneagram together, we have developed our own unique way of conveying the riches of this transformational system, incorporating stories, poetry, music, imagery, discussion, and embodied experience, all as ways to help participants find their unique path back to wholeness.
Minimum of 15 students.
More information and registration on the Christine Center website:
The Enneagram types divide symmetrically into a number of triads which reveal similarities about the types in them.
One of these is the Dominant Affect Groups, first named and developed by Don Riso and called the Harmony Triads by David Daniels.
The Dominant Affect triad shows us one of the ways, as a result of our type, that we initially reacted to the loss of direct contact with the Divine. Within each triad, each type lives out a specific flavor of how we manage that loss and, in so doing, resist reality, losing presence.
We must continually practice to undo these underlying orientations to reality in order to be in more direct contact with the Divine. As we do, we not only feel more present, but also in more real contact with others.
We will explore not only the theory, but how we can practice to release the grip of the Dominant Affects and become more whole.
The Law of Three teaches us how to work through the places where we get stuck in dualistic either-or thinking. Learning how to access the Third Force leads to more “Win-Win-Win” outcomes in our lives. And, yes, that makes three wins!
In this workshop, we will explore Gurdjieff’s Process Enneagram to understand how accessing Third Force enables us to jump to a higher “octave” in our work of psycho-spiritual transformation.
Free for members, students, and first-time guests. No advance registration is required.
Join the Winter Solstice Celebration, a contemplative, family-friendly, Celtic-inspired ritual to mark the turning of the year as the darkness gives way to the growing light. This participatory ritual will include chanting, meditation, candle-lighting, singing, and cauldron jumping. Kids—bring animal masks and hand percussion (rattles, shakers, bells)!
QUUF members may bring a guest, but space is limited. Doors open at 6:45 for first-come, first-served seating.
Celebrating Imbolc & St. Brigid’s Feast Day
Grateful harmony is a concert series that falls on the pagan cross quarter days. Consisting of song, ritual and conversation to explore the sacred.
Simon de Voil, the Music Minister at Unity Church, hosts the evening, and I am his special guest!
I perform original, medieval, and Celtic chant and song weaving Celtic ornamentation with haunting, mystical invocations and prayers. I have performed and toured with various ensembles over the years and have recorded 4 CDs. Singing since I was a child, music often rises up within me to become song. Singing is my primary channel to the Divine Mystery. You can have a listen on my old website.
I’d be honored to share this evening with you!
Full Voice: The Art & Practice
of Vocal Presence
How can you embody your full presence–through your voice?
How can you speak so people will listen?
What gifts reside deep inside you that are yearning for expression?
How would your life be different if you were “unsilenced?” If your voice were alive, expressive, powerful, and clear?
No matter what you do for a living, you spend a good part of every day in conversation–at work, at home, and in your community. As important as our voices are, few of us know how to embody them to their full potential. Many of us feel self-conscious about how we sound, but don’t know how to make authentic, lasting change in our voices.
Learning to consciously tap the full range of expression available to you in your voice also opens up a fuller range in your bodysoul… and makes it much more likely that your message will reach the minds and hearts of your listeners. Working with your own full voice makes you a more skillful listener as well.
Full Voice is the work of Barbara McAfee–I am a Certified Full Voice Coach.
In this highly interactive, practical, and fun workshop, together, we will:
- Explore our vocal strengths, habits, assumptions, and challenges,
- Increase vocal awareness, flexibility, and expression using the Five Elements Framework,
- Identify ways to use voice to project authority, express passion, extend compassion, and convey vision in everyday conversations,
- Learn how to use our voices to awaken our gifts,
- And have fun, playing and making sound together!
FREE, but…
Sometimes life can feel pretty overwhelming with all that is happening in the world. How do we find our way? What is right action for us? What if the answer were as simple as choosing to walk in beauty in each moment? Join Interfaith Minister and QUUF member Katy Taylor to unpack what it means to walk in beauty and to explore how to make it real in our daily lives.
This service will also include Katy singing, joined by Heidi Mattern.
Find the link to the service, which you can watch anytime after it has premiered here.
Join us for a contemplative, Earth-centered, Celtic-inspired ritual to mark the turning of the year as the darkness gives way to the growing light. This participatory ritual will include calling in the Directions, chanting & singing, meditation, candle-lighting, and deep connection with this seasonal turning of the year.
Unlike our in-person ritual, this one is not particularly kid-friendly. 🙁
Plan to have with you a candle and matches as well as a noisemaker (rattle, shaker, bell) for the Light Returning section. Because of intermittent connectivity with Zoom, participants will remain muted until invited at certain times in the ritual to unmute. Chants and songs will be participatory and lyrics will be posted in the Chat.
Contact Katy to request the zoom link.
About Me
I support curious and soulful people to practice presence so they can feel more at home in the bodies and at ease & resilient in their lives! Read more. Seeking a Profound Map of the Soul?
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