Drum workshop at the music studio of Thomas Richardson, Castle Pook, Doneraile, Ireland
| Welcome to my bio page. For the short story -- I was raised in a loving, Roman Catholic home, and encouraged to listen, learn and find my own way. I've been a student of diverse spiritual paths since I was about 13, enchanted by the myths and legends of other religions, and trying to find a place to honor Spirit in a welcoming community. For many years I have been a confidante, teacher, and Spiritual guide. For the Healing Journey I employ my training in modalities of meditation, Grief Recovery, Small Group Ministry and many leadership programs beginning when I was in my first career with the YMCA-YWCA as Aquatic/Progam Director, and worked with children, teens and adults in leadership and values clarification programs. With my training in Pastoral Care and Healthcare Ministry, I am a licensed minister and celebrant, and have officiated at many rites of passage from baby dedications, weddings/handfastings and women's passages, to funerals and memorial services. Terra Amma Center of Light has been around since the early '90's, and now I have a permanent office on Akron-Peninsula Road, offering meditation, art, and drumming classes, along with consultations in Grief Recovery, Spiritual Guidance using crystal bowls, guided journey, shamanic drumming, crystal/stone therapy and reiki. PASTORAL CARE and SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE I'm most proud of completing the course work in Pastoral Care with SUMMA hospitals, and Akron General Medical Center's Advanced Spiritual Healthcare program to become certified as a volunteer Pastoral Care Chaplain. I have also completed training as a Certified Grief Recovery Institute© Specialist, and studied with Kwang Jang Nym/Stephen Coates of the Koryo MooSool Association, Center for Spiritual Formation to earn certification as a meditation facilitator. I've worked in many healing modalities with very special people ~ my most precious training in healing love comes from my soul sister and Reiki Master, MaDonna Moonhawk Estefan. MaDonna taught me the beauty and power of soundvibrational healing using voice and the crystal singing bowls. She ascended on my 50th birthday, October 2004, and left me a legacy of love and devotion to the healing arts. When called upon for prayer, energy work or healing, I employ diverse interfaith and cultural techniques ~ voice, drum, shamanic journey, gemstones, singing bowls, guided meditation ~ to facilitate healing, and inner peace. EARTH-SPIRIT INTERFAITH An ordained Earth-Spirit minister, honoring all faiths, I am licensed through the State of Ohio, and available for :
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF AKRON, OHIO My association as a member with the Unitarian Universalist Church has brought me many blessings. In 2002, through UUCA sponsorship, I attended and graduated from EAGLES - the Eastern Great Lakes Leadership School held at Brock University in St. Catherine's, Ontario - for the UU Association and the Unitarian Association of Canada. Further training in Small Group Ministry and our Worship Associate program helps me to bring our UU Sixth-Source of Spirituality (Earth-Spirit traditions) into our Sunday services - our Sacred Circle Services. I volunteer for our Way Cool Sunday School and teach the Celtic Wheel of the Year. DRUM My drumming has taken me as a workshop presenter with many wonderful women groups and retreats. With Sacred Space, a women's group from Rocky River, I led workshops for their Kelley's Island retreats. In 2006 I led a woman's retreat in Nag's Head; drumming, chanting, and playing in the Atlantic Ocean! I have fun leading drum circles for Akron Metroparks a few times a year at Seiberling Nature Realm for Solstices and Equinoxes. Each year in July, I teach drumming workshop for our UU Summer Institute at Kenyon College. One week of great people, music, drumming...and cafeteria food! (which really is pretty good, admittedly.) In September, 2009, the 4th Annual WomenDrum Retreat was held at Brushwood Folklore Center! A wonderfully diverse and interesting group of women from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York gathered to drum, sing, chant and enjoy out sisterhood together...along with hot-tubbing, hiking, and great bonfires! October 2009 - My journey to visit friends in Ireland at Castle Pook, Doneraile, County Cork and lead a weekend drum workshop. It was an amazing time with phenomenal people. The best part of my journey has been receiving never ending lessons from the Universe and many teachers, meeting some of the most beautifully loving people on Earth, and not fearing to share my Spirit-given gifts. Blessed be. Rev. Rebekah Benner |
