Veriditas Staff
Founder and Creative Director
Lauren Artress
lauren@veriditas.org
www.laurenartress.com
Lauren is the Founder and Creative Director of Veriditas. She is the author of Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool (Putnam/Riverhead Books, New York), The Sand Labyrinth Kit, (Tuttle Publishers) and The Sacred Path Companion: A Guide to Walking the Labyrinth to Heal and Transform (Riverhead, 2006).
Lauren is a priest of the Episcopal Church, and her home parish is Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, California. From 1986 to 1992, she served as Canon Pastor and then as Canon for Special Ministries until August 2004. In May of 2006, her rediscovery of the labyrinth was honored by Grace Cathedral and she was designated Honorary Canon, a lifetime title.
In 1991, while on a brief sabbatical, Lauren walked an informal taped labyrinth through the work of Jean Houston. The idea gestated for a few months and then she was compelled to go to Chartres Cathedral, where she moved the chairs and walked the medieval labyrinth. This courageous act has led to the rediscovery of the labyrinth. Lauren not only introduced the walking meditation back into the Christian tradition but also introduced the labyrinth back into Western culture. By December 1991, she had replicated the Medieval Eleven Circuit Labyrinth at Grace Cathedral beginning in canvas form. Due to the enormous response of people desiring to learn a walking meditation, the tapestry labyrinth was installed inside the Cathedral in 1994.
The outdoor terrazzo labyrinth was installed in the Interfaith Meditation Garden in 1995. In 2007, Grace Cathedral installed a permanent limestone labyrinth in the floor to replace the tapestry labyrinth. Veriditas is storing the carpet until it can realize its vision of a retreat center where the tapestry labyrinth will once again have a home.
In 1995, Lauren created the non-profit Veriditas as a 501c3, with the initial vision of "peppering the planet with labyrinths". After successfully launching thousands of labyrinths in churches, hospitals, cathedrals, prisons, spas, community parks, hospices and other settings, a new mission for Veriditas emerged: To facilitate the transformation of the human spirit through offering the Labyrinth Experience.
Lauren travels worldwide offering workshops and lectures on the labyrinth, Hildegard of Bingen, Opening the Divine Imagination, Taking That Creative Leap ~ Navigating A Life Transition, and on other topics related to the spiritual journey and the mystical life. She creates large group experiences that nurture the connection between the human and divine such as Walking a Sacred Path held twice a year in Chartres Cathedral.
Lauren is a much sought after Keynote speaker, an Episcopal priest and licensed as a psychotherapist in the State of California. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Special Education from Ohio State University and a Master's of Education from Princeton Theological Seminary. She received her analytic training in Object Relations and Systems Theory at The Blanton-Peale Graduate Institute at The Institute of Religion and Health in New York City. Her Doctor of Ministry degree was granted in 1986 from Andover Newton Theological School in Boston Massachusetts in Pastoral Psychology.
Lauren is the Director of the Spiritual Direction program at Wisdom University. She is a Diplomate in the American Association for Pastoral Counselors and a Clinical Member in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists and a Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of California. She sits on the Editorial Board of Presence Magazine and is a Panelist for the On Faith series sponsored by Newsweek Magazine and the Washington Post.
Executive Director
Dawn Matheny, Ph.D. dawn@veriditas.org
Dawn Matheny is a seasoned administrator who has worked for over 30 years, running programs in local government and non-profits. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from University of California in Santa Cruz, a Masters Degree in Counseling from Sonoma State University, and a Doctorate in East West Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies.
Dawn started her work life in the non-profit sector, working in a children's residential treatment program and a volunteer bureau and then as an executive director of a shelter program for women and children who had been victims of domestic violence where she supervised 11 staff and 40 volunteers. She worked with the board to raise funds for both operational and capitol budgets. In 1984, she was hired by the County of Sonoma to create a volunteer program that would serve County departments. That program grew to over 2,000 volunteers who do a wide variety of tasks from tutoring kids in juvenile hall, walking trails in parks, to cat cuddling in the animal shelter. Dawn's job expanded over the years and involved many projects and assignments including producing on large scale recognition events, editing a 12 page monthly newsletter, and culminating in the coordination of two public sector commissions, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Human Rights. She ended her career in county government to accept the position with Veriditas.
Dawn's doctoral dissertation was titled Dreaming: the Relationship to Self, in which she explored the various ways that people have of relating to their dreams. Dawn is a member of the Association of the Study of Dreams and has made numerous presentations in classes and at conferences on dream related topics. After getting her Ph.D., Dawn taught Qualitative Research and Research Methods as adjunct faculty at John F. Kennedy University and the Institute of Integral Studies.
Dawn got involved with the labyrinth by attending and then assisting with Women's Dream Quests over the past six years. With strong administrative, organizational and people skills, Dawn is delighted to join Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress in building Veriditas to promote the wisdom of the labyrinth.
Women's Dream Quest Coordinator, and Veriditas Master Teachers and Master Teacher
Judith Tripp, Coordinator, Woman's Dream Quest
judith@veriditas.org
Judith Tripp has a Masters in Counseling and is a licensed Marriage/Family Therapist. She is a transpersonal psychotherapist, a Veriditas trained facilitator, as well as a musician with several CDs in circulation. She has been leading Veriditas sponsored Dream Quests at Grace Cathedral and around the country for almost 20 years. She is member of the Veriditas Council and works for Veriditas to coordinate, develop and lead programs specifically focused on women.
Jo Ann Mast, Master Teacher
joann@veriditas.org
Jo Ann Mast's first steps onto a labyrinth in 1998 felt immediately like beginning a partnership of intimacy with Spirit. She "intuitively felt its power to connect others effortlessly to their own inner language of meaning". In the years that followed, learning how to help others discover the same richness and depth became her passion.
Jo Ann has been involved in the labyrinth movement since its inception, working closely with the Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress and Veriditas. She was a member of the Veriditas Board from 2000 - 2006 and an active founding member of the Veriditas Council. As the labyrinth movement started taking form, she began to gather to herself, through Lauren and modern mystics such as Andrew Harvey and Matthew Fox, rich experiences that shaped her skills as a professional labyrinth facilitator certified by Veriditas.
Over the years, working in the US, Canada and Europe, she explored crafting an array of labyrinth experiences - creating programs, walks and retreats as well as consulting, designing and building labyrinths of all kinds. She also made five pilgrimages to the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth in France, using her facilitation work there to infuse her offerings with the Cathedral's rich legends, intense beauty and mystery. In all of these, she found new ways to open hearts and imagination to the challenging and unlimited opportunities available when we walk the labyrinth.
Jo Ann brought all of these experiences to her two-year residency as Theologian in Residence for the First United Methodist Church of Boulder, where she helped design and create a labyrinth as well as weekly programs blending liturgy, Taize music, ritual, and holy day celebrations. Jo Ann possesses the rare ability to create sacred labyrinth space that invites people to discover their own unique spiritual journey while in community.
In 2009, Jo Ann became the first Veriditas Master Teacher, certified to teach Veriditas educational labyrinth programs internationally. From her home and office in Boulder, Colorado, she consults and teaches in faith communities, universities, and seminaries and for community organizations of all kinds.
Recently, she founded the Colorado Labyrinth Group, a gathering of people whose purpose is to promote the use of the labyrinth, and to deepen and enrich the labyrinth experience. As a businesswoman, spiritual companion, mother, grandmother and partner, she invites and encourages everyone to embrace life fully and to have their own intensely personal labyrinth experience.
Kay Mutert, Master Teacher
kay@veriditas.org
Kay is a certified Veriditas Advanced Facilitator, member of the Veriditas Council and the current Veriditas USA Southeast Regional Representative. She has worked alongside Lauren Artress in training events, has been the guest presenter in the San Francisco Labyrinth and Creativity pilgrimage, labyrinth walk musician, and has facilitated and assisted at the Chartres pilgrimages.
She uses her composite experience as musician, minister, and teacher, inviting others to claim the labyrinth in a reconnection with the sacredness of life. She has worked with labyrinths since the mid nineties, helping groups introduce and develop labyrinth events, inviting others into renewal of mind, body, spirit and re-engagement of creative energy, leading retreats, workshops and rituals for life.
Kay has been minister to congregations in the United Methodist Church and the British Methodist Conference. Before that she was a music educator/musician in Florida and Alabama. A conductor, composer and pianist, her work has included compositions and concerts for those affected by cancer and AIDS. She has been a musician and program presenter at Iona Abbey, Scotland and has introduced Taizé and Iona resources in connection with labyrinth work.
Kay believes the ancient archetype of the labyrinth is acutely right for today's world, in meditation, reconciliation, for young and old, for cross-cultures, for community and personal use, as it draws us into an embodied non-verbal experience of meaning. Her background in creative arts and in pastoral care, ministry and teacher education provide strengths for her labyrinth work.
She holds masters and doctorate degrees in Education, and a Master of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theology, as a Woodruff Scholar.
The Reverend Di Williams MBE, Master Teacher
Di@veriditas.org
www.diwilliams.com
Rev Di Williams MBE MA is an Anglican priest, adult educator, spiritual accompanier, professional body work practitioner, writer and the first Labyrinth Master Teacher in the UK. She is the Veriditas regional Representative for the UK.
Di met her first labyrinth on a beautiful summer walk along the coastal path of South Wales. That encounter began a relationship with labyrinths which has deepened over the subsequent years.
She trained as a teacher and began her working life as a member of an Intentional Christian Community which ran a retreat and conference centre in the Yorkshire Dales. After further years of teaching Religious Studies, she went back to University to pursue her interest in Adult Development, Religious Studies, Theology and Ministry. She was one of the first women to be ordained a Priest in the Church of England in 1994. After two parishes and diocesan adult development work, she spent 15 years working as University Chaplain to Lancaster University, England and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Through this work she founded a Natural Health Care Centre and created the beautiful Edinburgh Labyrinth www.labyrinth.ed.ac.uk
She was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 2008 for Services to Higher Education for her leading work in developing spiritual support for those of all faiths and none.
She is experienced in working with people who wish to explore their authentic spiritual path. One of the gifts she brings to this work is a deep appreciation of physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual connection.
As well as her work with Veriditas in leading Workshops and Facilitator Training, she leads Quiet Days and Retreats, practices Spiritual Accompaniment, offers Labyrinth events, and is a consultant to emerging labyrinth projects.
Labyrinth – landscape of the soul, Di’s recent book is "a unique insight into labyrinths in the UK and wider, combined with stunning photography." Wild Goose Publications www.ionabooks.com ISBN 978-1-84952-185-7
Office Manager/Administrative Assistant
Anne Bull, Administrative Assistant
anne@veriditas.org
Anne Bull was born and raised in South Africa, where the stark life-quality contrasts, of mansions on one side of the street and makeshift shantytowns on the other, was so glaring that it inspired her to dedicate her life to making a meaningful difference in the world. She moved to the US in 1996 and enrolled at the University of South Africa (a correspondence university) where she completed her BA in Health Sciences and Social Services with Specialization in Applied Psychology for Professional, Contexts. Together with her training in graphic design, this communications-based degree has helped guide her work with non-profit organizations over the last 8 years.
Anne’s spiritual journey has included many years of meditation practice. She is now an assistant Zen Teacher and an ordained Soto Zen Buddhist Priest. She served on the High Mountain Crystal Lake Zen Community Board of Directors for seven years. During that time she also worked part-time as their Communications Director In June 2008, she moved to Montague Massachusetts to support the work of the Zen Peacemakers, an organization dedicated to social service. She served as their Communications Director, Event Coordinator, assistant to the Vice President and Office Manager.
At the end of 2009, Anne relocated to California with her dog Emma, to be closer to family. She and her niece, who is one-going-on-two, share a bundle of giggles! In addition to walking the Labyrinth, Anne enjoys yoga, meditation, reading, playing guitar & singing, and playing Native American flute. She is also pitching in, with her boyfriend, on the development of an organic farm in Sonoma County.
She is delighted to have joined the Veriditas team as Administrative Assistant. The position is an ideal match for her life path and she is looking forward to contributing to furthering this meaningful work in the world.
Contractors
Roberta Sautter, Technical Consultant and Webmaster
roberta@veriditas.org
Roberta ran the office at Veriditas for the 4 years until the move to Petaluma, when she became Technical Consultant and Web Master. When not working for Veriditas, you can often find Roberta at Grace Cathedral, where she is a parishoner and Education for Ministry Mentor. Her other interests include her cats, Wiglaf, Alban and Freya and knitting.
Pam Cole, Bookkeeper
accounting@veriditas.orgMy name is Pamela Cole, I’m the bookkeeper for Veriditas. I’ve degrees in psychology and art. A career as a potter and florist led me to realize I wanted to be creative for the joy of art for art’s sake not for money. I decided to become a bookkeeper in 2000. Applying my bookkeeping career towards supporting the efforts of socially conscious and spiritually uplifting organizations led me to Veriditas. I also work for The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) as the human resources administrator and the manager/purchasing agent for the IONS EarthRise Bookstore.
I have been with Veriditas for over a year and have met wonderful people in this organization. I have had some great experiences walking the labyrinth. Working with Dawn, Anne and Lauren has been very inspiring. I am excited to continue my work with Veriditas.
Volunteers
Newsletter Production Team: Robin Bradley Hansel, Maya Scott and Tina Margason, with Marjorie Connelly, Newsletter Desktop Publisher.
Facilitator Certification Committee: Catlyn Fendler, Anna Cook
...and many, many more volunteers who help with our events!
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