The PNC Center for Sacred Arts Is An Interfaith Community
The PNC is like a gathering place of many rivers.
We are fortunate to have a number of individuals and groups using the PNC building as a place of gathering. Though they are independently run and attended, the energy and love these people put into their offerings adds to making this a wonderfully diversified place of usefulness, creativity, and sacred community. Find below information on these offerings and visit our Calendar to see daily activities.
Sunday Mornings at the Center for Sacred Arts
​There will be no 2nd Sunday service in December due to the All Church Meeting at 10 AM, where we will vote on Council positions for 2026. We welcome all Members and Friends to attend!
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Starting in January, Spiritual Director, Circe Moss MacDonald, and Rev. Nanci Adair will offer a series of 2nd Sunday services which begin at 10 AM.
On the 1st Sunday of every month, 10 am - 12 pm, Ritual Lab presents Mathew Fox's
Come celebrate the moment with movement and live music! Hosted by Eco Chaplin Circe Moss MacDonald, Druid Priest Magnus de Ruddlan, and Rev Tod Glacy, Music Director
On the 3rd Sunday of each month,
join us for “Music for your Soul”
from 10:00-11:00 AM with
Rev. Myra Robinson
Interfaith Chaplain and Sound Healer
who leads a wonderfully creative and participatory service to revive and renew your spirit!
Everyone is welcome!
The
Sacred Mask Creation Workshop
A Path to Council of All Beings
​took place from May - October.
This wonderfully inspired mask making series and culminating event, lead by Magnus and Circe, now complete, lives on as sacred performance in the Portland area.
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On this coming 4th Sunday, 11/23 10-noon, we offer
"Season of Endarkenment Shamanic Journey"
Lead by Magnus de Ruddlan and Circe Moss MacDonald
(See the flier for that below)
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4th Sunday offerings will continue to be arts oriented events, embracing depths of spirit, inspiration, and celebrating the creative process.​​
For more info on Rev. Myra Robinson, Circe Moss MacDonald, Duid Priest Magnus de Ruddlan, and Tod Glacy, please scroll down.
The Seyir Duo
November 22, 7-8:30 PM
$15 admission
The Seyir Duo performs music which spans from the mystic world of the Sufis to the classical music of ancient Persia. Both Eric and Nathan are multi-instrumentalists, allowing the duo to explore an extensive array of timbres and traditions. Whether it is Egyptian dance music or Armenian folk songs, the duo always strives for an authentic and sensitive approach to the repertoire they perform.
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https://youtu.be/1YqBwRU-Tts?si=58AE1CRgcw8-_yrn
FYI contact: elaperna@bates.edu
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Namory Keita, Master Village Drummer
Drum Class / All levels
5:30-6:30 Monday evenings
Portland New Church
603 831 9609
Namory Keita, Master Drummer, is a sought after teacher and performer with a unique style and a wealth of traditional knowledge very rare to find outside the villages of Guinea. His resources include not only his wonderful ability to engage any audience but also his relationships with dancers and drummers locally and around the world.
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Visit his site:
Honoring our Grief
A circle for anyone who has lost anything
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What have you lost? We have all known loss and all carry grief, for so many things. Each grief has its own story, and we find comfort and strength in telling our stories. Solace is found in the connection of a sharing circle.
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Grief appears in many ways and can last for decades. What are you still grieving? or maybe never grieved? The death of your pet, a partner, a family member? The state of the planet? Your health or mobility? The lost dream of the life you wanted?
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We gather in circle to contemplate, share our stories and honor our grief. Come once or come every month.
All are welcome.
2nd Sunday of each month, 5 PM – 7 PM
starting October 13th at the PNC, 302 Stevens Ave
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RSVP at katrinaleathers13@gmail.com
Limited to 20 people each month
$10 - $20 donation
About Katrina:
Professionally, I am a spiritual counselor, interfaith chaplain and former therapist. I am also a hospice volunteer, cancer survivor, shamanic practitioner, and a mother of two young adults. I live in an old house with my partner and two dogs, finding joy in gardening and doing deep healing work with people.
For more information, see https://katrinaleathers.com
KMC Boston – Portland, Maine Branch
The Maine branch of Kadampa Meditation Center Boston aims to make meditation classes as accessible as possible, holding weekly classes on meditation and modern Buddhism that are open to everyone regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, or faith. You don’t have to be a Buddhist to learn how to meditate or to benefit from it. We wish to inspire and empower people to reach their full spiritual potential, in order to be of greatest benefit to their family and friends and, by developing inner peace, be active contributors to world peace.
We hold weekly, drop-in meditation classes at Portland New Church on Tuesdays at 6:00pm with our Portland-based teacher Clare Morin, and workshops on Saturdays, often with our resident teacher from Boston,
Gen Kelsang Khedrub. Everyone is welcome! More info: www.MeditationInMaine.org
Marita Kennedy-Castro - Movement & Dance
Free *Your* Movement, Private Individualized Movement Lessons with Marita Kennedy-Castro.
Guided, embodied-movement lessons assist you in accessing greater connection to your own authentic movement exploration, somatic awareness practice and freedom of physical expression.
For details & appointment contact Marita: https://embodytherhythm.com
Traditional Dance of Guinea, West Africa with Marita Kennedy-Castro.
Learn foundational movements, cultural and historical context, style and choreography of Guinean traditional dance in this upbeat dance class for Beginners, honoring the source and original teachers of this form. Fridays 9:00-10:15am
Details: https://embodytherhythm.com
WholeHeart Yoga Center
Mindful and gentle yoga honoring the heart and wholeness of yoga. Our studio is mostly online now, with our Monday morning class both online and in the PNC Center for Sacred Arts sanctuary. We also hold outdoor yoga events in spring and fall.
Find more at https://wholeheartyoga.com
Maine Sacred Harp Singing Group
The Maine Sacred Harp singing group meets at PNC on the 2nd and 4th Sunday afternoons most months, from 1-4 pm. We gather to sing in 4-part harmony from traditional shape-note tunebooks. Since this is a system of music notation originally created to teach the musically illiterate to sight-read music, it is perfect for beginners as well as experienced singers, and we welcome all. It is participatory rather than performance-based, and anyone who is curious is encouraged to come, listen, and try it out. Any questions? Email us at: sksandberg@gmail.com
Gurdjieff Movements
Gurdjieff Movements in Maine is a group of seekers who practice the Movements, a series of sacred dances, dynamic postures, gestures and other physical actions developed by George Gurdjieff, the spiritual teacher who in the early 20th century developed the Work, or Fourth Way, system of spiritual inquiry. The Work includes a broad variety of practices — meditation and contemplation exercises, reading and communal study, inner tasks and attention efforts in daily life — but the Movements are central to its understanding and transmission.
The Movements were developed out of Gurdjieff’s extensive travels in central Asia, India, Tibet and northern Africa, where for millennia a broad variety of sacred dances have enjoyed profound refinement in the Sufi, Buddhist and other traditions. These are employed as experiential engagement with universal truths as well as tools for individual development, self-observation and self-understanding.
For these sessions at the Portland New Church, we will practice several Movements, accompanied as always by live music which was composed by Gurdjieff and the Ukraine-born composer Thomas de Hartmann, his close companion. The Movements reveal infinite levels of subtlety and insight as one continues to practice them, however these sessions are designed to be accessible to all, and first-time practitioners are welcome.
For more information, contact Larry at forbes.larry@gmail.com
Maine Pagan & Alternative Spiritual Alliance
Jen Deraspe, MS
Spirals of Well-Being Holistic Life Coaching services
and founder of Women's School for Spiritual Warriors
Jen Deraspe, MS, has been a leader in the health and wellness industry since 1989. With a background in sports medicine and health sciences, Jen is a certified facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie, Holden Qi Gong, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, mindful Hatha Yoga and Laughter Yoga. A creator of intentional, safe and loving experiences, both one-on-one and in a group setting, Jen approaches guiding people as a true honor. In Jen, you will find a mirror of wisdom, humor and humility. In 1999, Jen Founded Maine's first green-certified retreat center, Nurture Through Nature, inDenmark, Maine as well as Spirals of Well-being holistic life coaching services and the Women's School for Spiritual Warriors.
Chris Reed
During open Studio sessions, those with previous experience in a medium of choice have the freedom of working on their own project while receiving one-on-one supportive feedback and demos as needed. Perhaps you want to fine-tune a particular aspect of a landscape painting or break new territory with an abstract composition. This class will open new doors in developing your unique creative path.
Each class will begin with a short meditation for heightening awareness while minimizing inhibitions associated with the creative process.
For further info., including all group classes in oil, watercolor, pastel, and charcoal, and inquiries about future classes at The New Church, please visit:
https://www.christopherdreed.com/group-classes
Private drawing and painting lessons are also available for the beginner, intermediate, or advanced level. For more info. to book a time at The New Church, please visit:
Rev. Myra’s “Music for your Soul” is at 10:00 on the third Sunday of every month.
As an ordained Interfaith Chaplain, Rev. Myra’s approach is broad-based, has no dogma or agenda, other than to explore different expressions of each person's individually defined spirituality. In fact, one doesn’t need to “believe” to recognize that our innate human drive to search for meaning may lead to a more balanced and fulfilling life.
Rev. Myra Robinson (she/her), is an experienced Interfaith Minister; certified in Clinical Pastoral Education, Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), and suicide prevention. For the last three years she was on the Faculty at The Chaplaincy Institute of Maine (ChIME). She is also an accomplished musician and Sound Healer. Her focus is empowering people with the Affirmantra Method (she created in 2015) and saving the planet “one mantra at a time.” FMI on Rev. Myra’s offerings visit www.SOulMotivated.com
Circe Moss MacDonald’s business is Ritual Lab: Ceremonies for People and Planet, offering ceremonies and rituals to support spiritual well-being in the community; all ages and backgrounds welcome. We sing, express gratitude, play, reflect, grieve, and transform together. Ritual Lab is for folks who yearn for more connection in their lives.
An Eco-Chaplain, Water Priestess, and Ceremonialist, Circe regularly conducts seasonal ceremonies at The Portland New Church, the University of Southern Maine, and around the Mid Coast region to celebrate nature and help people metabolize grief about climate change, based on teachings of the StarHouse and the work of Joanna Macy and Matthew Fox.
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Having earned two ordinations; the first as a Transdenominational Minister at The StarHouse in Boulder, Colorado in 2003; the second as an Interfaith Chaplain from The Chaplaincy Institute of Maine in 2019, Circe has been conducting wedding ceremonies, memorial services, and rites for passage for 20+ years. Contact Circe here.
Circe is also a puppeteer in the Mayo Street Arts community.
Magnus de Rhuddlan, Norse Druid Priest (a.k.a. Rev. Paul S. Ridlon)
To be a Druid means to work with Awen, the divine flow of inspiration and creativity.
Magnus is grounded by his Nature-based ancestral Northern European animist practice, permaculture, and shamanism. Guided by his life’s purpose, ‘To inspire, especially the young; and to recover that which was lost’, his personal spiritual journey transitioned from a primarily solitary practice to an integrated community-based practice. He is involved with shamanic practice circles that focus on healing ancestral trauma, soothing disrupted Earth energies, and re-gathering lost esoteric knowledge.
Magnus maintains a shamanic practice for clients seeking ancestral healing methods. He is particularly passionate about teaching and helping people to develop their own spiritual practice. He is devoted to creating sacred art, ritual regalia, and spiritual tools. He offers a range of spiritual services and pastoral care. He is currently working in collaboration with Eco-Chaplain Circe Moss MacDonald, Rev. Todd Glacy, and Rev. Nanci Adair to bring Matthew Fox’s Cosmic Mass to the Portland New Church community.
Contact (text only): 207-408-1989
Magnus is licensed clergy through the Maine Pagan Clergy Association. He is co-founder of the Evergreen Druid Fellowship, a trio that creates sacred visual art and bardic literature. He lives in a Mongolian ger (yurt) in his back garden with his cats--Ravus, Maya (Baby Kitty), and Bella; and his dogs Blue and Athena.
Rev. Todd Glacy, MSC
Sacred Sound and Living
Enlightenment Advocate, Empowerment Educator and Instigator of Joy.
As a professional musician, counselor, chaplain, educator, speaker and facilitator, Rev. Todd has traveled extensively over the years sharing his talents and wisdom with individuals and spirit/wellness focused communities all across the country. Drawing on and combining a vast array of experiences, practices and modalities (sound, music, meditation, yoga, dance, journeywork, Nature, etc…) his mission is to invite, encourage and inspire people to reconnect with themselves and each other in ways that promote awareness, gratitude, unity and celebration for all Life and inspire people to live happy, healthy, meaningful and fulfilling lives.
Todd received his BA in Professional Music from Berklee College of Music, Masters Degree in Professional Counseling from USM, and was ordained as an Interfaith Minister through the Chaplaincy Institute of Maine. He is the founder of Sacred Sound & Livng and created/facilitates the Consciously Evolving Men’s group. He serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Maine and also mentors students through Berklee and ChIME. He is a certified Life Coach, Yoga instructor and Drum Circle facilitator and has trained in a wide variety of spiritual/wellness modalities including: Breathwork, MBSR, Hypnotherapy, Shamanic Journeywork, Reiki, Sacred Sound & Music Therapy, Ecstatic Dance / Mindful Movement and Nature Immersion practices (among many others).
Todd has been involved with the PNC Center For Sacred Arts for over a decade and has offered a variety of event and workshops including: Gong Journeywork, Community Kirtan, Peace Concerts, Community Drum Circles, Labyrinth Ceremonies and Conscious Community Dance gatherings (to name but a few).
To find out more contact:
Rev.Todd Glacy
207-229-9965
Supporting Life’s Journey