Lauren Artress
lauren@veriditas.org
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.
Read a recent article about Lauren here.
Dawn Matheny, Ph.D., Executive Director
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.
Jo Ann Mast, Master Teacher
joann@veriditas.org
Jo Ann Mast is a business woman, spiritual mentor, teacher, lecturer, mother, grandmother. She lives her passion for the labyrinth, which brings a quality and depth to her life where chaos emerges as creative energy. Jo Ann facilitates sacred labyrinth walks, talks, ceremonies, rituals, and labyrinth dedications.
In 1999, her labyrinth work began in earnest with teaching, conducting retreats, workshops, talks and seminars across the U.S., Canada and Europe. She was a member of the Veriditas Board - The Voice of the Labyrinth Movement - 2000 through 2006, and is a founding member of the Veriditas Council.
Through many pilgrimages and facilitation work at Chartres Cathedral in Chartres France in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2005 Jo Ann shares the rich legends, experiences and intense beauty and mystery of the labyrinth. Jo Ann's intimate knowledge of the labyrinth invites you to tap into your unique spiritual journey through the weaving of historical and contemporary labyrinth uses and stories.
She currently lectures at Naropa University's Inter-religious Exploration Program and teaches at Iliff Theological Seminary's second year Spiritual Formation Program on various subjects including "Is There a Spirituality of Money?"
Recently Jo Ann completed a two-year assignment as Theologian in Residence for the First United Methodist Church of Boulder, Colorado where she was responsible for Adult Spiritual Education offering experiential spirituality through the labyrinth, liturgy, Taize music and ceremony as part of regular church services.
Jo Ann draws on her 25-year experience working in television news, the telecommunications and financial services industries along with her work as a certified advisor and teacher for Harrison Assessments (an international business organization designed to create highly effective workforces) and as a business writer and owner of a management consulting business, Conscious-Solutions.
Di Williams, Master Teacher Apprentice
Di@veriditas.org
Di Williams 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 last 15 years.
She began her working life in a comprehensive school teaching mainly Religious Education, Physical Education and a little Drama. After eight years she took some time out to do some study in Adult Education, followed by an MA in Religious Studies at Lancaster University, then continued her theological learning as she trained for the Anglican ministry. She worked in two parishes and as a member of the adult development team for her home diocese of Liverpool. She qualified as a Massage Practitioner whilst in Liverpool. In 1996 she went back to Lancaster University as Anglican Chaplain where, amongst other things, she set up a Natural Health Care Centre in the Chaplaincy for staff and students. For the last eight years she has worked as Chaplain to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She has developed a Chaplaincy provision within the University which is for all faiths and none. She has a deep interest in the variety of spiritual journeys we humans find ourselves making. One of her joys has been to develop the use of the labyrinth within the University and the wider Edinburgh community. She initiated, and saw through to completion, the building of the beautiful Edinburgh Labyrinth in the peaceful setting of the 18th century George Square Gardens in Edinburgh's Old Town, right opposite the main University Library. She loves travel, images, walking in the countryside...and people!
On December 10, 2008, Di was invested by the Queen at Buckingham Palace as an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) The MBE is a national award. The Prime Minister, on advice from the Cabinet Secretary and the expert Honors Committees submitted her name to The Queen who approved her appointment. She received the honor for 'services to Higher Education', including her interfaith and labyrinth work in Chaplaincy.
Kay Mutert, Master Teacher Apprentice
kay@veriditas.org
Kay is a member of the Veriditas Council and a certified Veriditas Advanced Facilitator, now serving as Veriditas' USA Southeast Regional Representative. Her current business is called "DaySpring - a source of creative expression and renewal of spirit". She uses her experience as musician, minister, and teacher in working with groups and individuals from all arenas of life, inviting them to discover the possibilities of the labyrinth in the journey to experience a reconnection with the sacredness of life. She has worked with labyrinths for the past 12 years. Kay's focus is on helping others find ways for renewal of mind, body, spirit and creative energy, through retreats, workshops and sacred events. Kay served congregations in the United Methodist Church and the British Methodist Church. Before that she worked as a music educator and musician in Florida and Alabama. She is a conductor, composer and pianist, wanting to let her love for the spirit of music and movement speak to the hearts of others. Her work has included compositions and concerts for those affected by cancer and AIDS.
Kay has served as musician and program presenter at Iona Abbey, and has been an associate of the international ecumenical Iona Community based in Scotland. She offers workshops and worship experiences utilizing the resources of Iona, Taize and global music.
Kay believes the ancient archetype of the labyrinth serves as a strong source of possibility for today's world, in meditation, reconciliation, peace-making, for young and old, for cross-cultures, for community and personal use. Through her experience in the a variety of settings, Kay works to honor the non-verbal expression of meaning, as felt in the labyrinth, through movement, and through visual and musical expressions.
Kay's strengths lie in the areas of group facilitation, understanding where persons may be and bridging the gaps of language or expression, so that they may be open to new experiences. Her approach is invitational. Her training and experience in creative arts, in movement, and in pastoral care, ministry and teacher education provide strength for her work with the labyrinth.
Kay holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Mississippi State University, graduating 1st in her class, Master of Arts in Vocal Music Education from University of South Florida, where she served as a teaching assistant, Doctor of Education in Secondary Music Education from University of Alabama, where she served as teaching assistant and then faculty/staff member, and Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology, as a Woodruff Scholar. She has published a set of her musical compositions, Songs for the Journey, with Joe Elmore, among other vocal/choral/piano compositions. Her upcoming book At the end of the day tells the story of her first year of life and ministry in England.
Roberta Sautter, Technical Consultant
roberta@veriditas.org
Roberta has been running the office at Veriditas for the past 4 years. She has a bachelor's degree in English from Brown University, where she then worked for 12 years. During that time, as Rhode Island's first Paper and Library Materials conservator, she founded the Department of Library Conservation in the John Hay Special Collections Library. After a sojourn in the field of human services, working with autistic children and later emotionally disturbed teenagers, she went on to become a project manager for a software development company. She brings her technical skills to Veriditas, handling the database, setting up Internet communications and introducing new software, but also enjoys talking to people who want to sign up or call with questions about Veriditas programs. She recently managed Veriditas' fourth successful auction.
Roberta recently moved from full time staff to Technical Consultant and website administratior.
When not at Veriditas, you can often find Roberta at Grace Cathedral, where she is a parishoner. Her other interests include her cat, Wiglaf, and knitting.
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.
Ed Pryle, Bookkeeper
accounting@veriditas.orgEd Pryle came to Veriditas with extensive background in auditing and accounting in both the private and non profit sectors. He has done full charge accounting all the way through financial statements for more than twenty years. He has worked for institutions as varied as Bank of America, Francis Coppola' film company and the Haight Ashbury Free Clinics. He has also been walking the Labyrinth for almost a decade, and is very active in the Grace Cathedral Labyrinth Guild.
Volunteers on Staff
Financial Comptroller: Barbara Lundlum
Newsletter Production Team: Tina Margason and Jay Edge with Marjorie Connelly, Newsletter Desktop Publisher
Veriditas Certified Facilitators and many, many more volunteers who help with our events.
