Presented by Sarah Gish with Gish Creative

We are concluding Compassion Week with a reflective labyrinth walk, embracing the week’s theme of We All Belong. This peaceful, meditative journey will be led by Certified Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator Sarah Gish (www.IgniteYourOwnLife.com) in cooperation with The Center for Christian Spirituality (https://thecenterfcs.org). 

What to expect
Participants will be prompted to visualize welcome and inclusion in their own lives and to ponder their personal connections to our shared humanity. As we walk the labyrinth together, we cultivate compassion, connection, and a deeper sense of belonging for all. There will be a time and space for individual reflections and writing, and the event will conclude with a sharing circle and a special offering by The Center at 4pm. 

Meet Sarah

Intuitive guide, artist, enrichment expert, teacher, Certified Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator, and igniter Sarah Gish is the owner of Gish Creative. She began sharing her love of labyrinths with the public in 2006 and since then, has taken hundreds of people on walks on over 20 of Houston’s labyrinths. Sarah’s passion is connecting and igniting and she feels labyrinths are integral to that. She loves the power of the labyrinth to inspire people on their path and to serve as a walking meditation. Sarah’s latest art project, IGNITE YOUR LIFE! (www.igniteyourownlife.com), includes labyrinth walks, photographs, videos, workshops, jewelry, an art car (her 5th since 2003!), and a forthcoming book.

Meet The Center for Christian Spirituality

The Center for Christian Spirituality is a Contemplative Christian Community of Chapelwood UMC that seeks to help people deepen their awareness of God within them and to bring wholeness to the world around them.

They have a robust calendar of events that includes weekly Contemplative Worship and Centering Prayer, guided silent retreats, classes on contemplative living, creative space, and more. They commissioned the Labyrinth in December 2023 with a vision for a well-used and well-loved labyrinth in the backyard of The Anchor House, their retreat house for prayer, learning, and contemplation. They are releasing a new album, Everything Belongs: Songs from The Center, Volume 2, the week prior to this event. 

Presented by Unity of Houston

We live in an era of rapid change and manifold crises in our world. How do we find a place to stand when the earth seems to be moving beneath our feet? Nadia Bolz-Weber says, “All I know for sure is that this world will break your heart. There’s enough sorrow to go around and for everyone to have seconds. But this world has a thousand forms of medicine, too.”

In this workshop, Revs. Stacy Collins and Michael Gott will offer some of the forms of medicine that they have discovered in their journeys--practices that offer us something we can do, based upon the timeless spiritual truths of who we truly are.

• All are welcome to attend. Register below.

Presented by Ismaili Council for the Southwestern USA

Join us for Compassion Week with a Matilda screening! Bring a blanket to donate, enjoy refreshments, and make kindness cards with the kids!

What to Expect

• Please bring a blanket to donate to a local shelter.

• As a community, we will be creating heartfelt cards to show kindness and spread compassion. Bring your kids and get creative, writing messages of hope and encouragement, which will be attached to each blanket.

• We're also hosting a special screening of the movie Matilda. Enjoy light refreshments and a fun-filled event for people of all ages.

• Spread the Word: Encourage friends, family, and colleagues to join in! Share our event on social media or invite them to participate in this meaningful initiative.

Together, let's make a positive impact and show our community that compassion is at the heart of what we do. Your generosity can bring warmth and joy to those who need it most. Thank you for being a part of this special week and project!

Presented jointly by Tagore Society of Houston and Bahá’í Faith of Houston

The event will include songs, poetry readings and a panel discussion. Panelists will discuss the role of women in the transformation of society, and how these women have inspired them in their own lives to practice unity, compassion, and female empowerment, with particular emphasis on the roles of pioneering women of the Tagore Household and early Bahá’í History.

> Introducing the Panelists

Meet our partners:

Tagore Society of Houston (TSH) is an organization with the sole purpose of disseminating the universal ideas and philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore who is world renowned for the mystic nature of his poetry, his humanistic ideals and outspoken advocacy for a borderless world.

The Bahá’í Faith is a worldwide religion based on the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh (1817-1892); its central theme is that humanity is one family bound together in a common destiny: a global society and recognition of the oneness of humanity is the key feature of this age, an age in which humankind is approaching its collective maturity.

Presented By tagore society of houston

The Tagore Society of Houston is delighted to host the Compassion Week event: “Chai & Samosa with Tagore”.

Come together for an enjoyable Saturday morning filled with the soulful words of Tagore, accompanied by the comforting flavors of chai and crispy samosas. This in-person event promises to be a unique experience where you can immerse yourself in the beauty of Tagore's poetry while enjoying delicious treats.

Whether you are a Tagore enthusiast or simply looking for a refreshing Saturday morning out, this event is perfect for anyone who appreciates good company, great food, and inspiring literature. Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and savor the magic of Tagore's messages of peace & universalism, "where the mind is without fear and the head is held high", while walking through the serene Tagore Grove Memorial, nestled within Ray Miller Park at 1800 Eldridge Parkway, Houston, TX 77077.

Meet our partner, the Tagore Society of Houston

The Tagore Society of Houston (TSH) is a non-sectarian, no-religious, non-political organization established in 1974 with the sole purpose of disseminating the universal ideas and philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore. Detailed information on the Society and its activities can be found at > here.

Presented by Compassionate Houston

Join Us for the Art of Quiet Connections: Sharing Stories in Stillness.

Compassionate Houston warmly invites you to a serene gathering of book lovers at our Art of Quiet Connections. This event welcomes all who seek camaraderie in quietude and the joy of reading.

Event Logistics:

• Date & Time: Friday, November 15. Read from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, followed by a community share from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

• Location: Good Time Kitchen + Bar, 2100 Travis Street, Houston, TX 77002 (Parking available at Gray and Travis).

What to expecT:

Enjoy a free book of your choice from our selection or bring your own. There’s no assigned reading or pressure to discuss; simply immerse yourself in your book for an hour of peaceful reflection. After the reading, join us for a friendly sharing session to discuss what you’ve read (facilitated by Marlin Murdock).

**Creating Community Through Quiet Connections:**

In a world filled with noise, we often overlook the power of simply being present with others. This event is a perfect opportunity to recharge and connect with like-minded individuals in a tranquil setting. If you cherish the calm of reading and appreciate the company of fellow book enthusiasts, we encourage you to join us!

** A Note on Food & Refreshments:** The cafe will not be serving food during the event. Please purchase drinks at your own discretion.

Banner photo by Alexis Brown on Unsplash

Presented by Blackwood Educational Land Institute

All are welcome to join us as we plant, harvest and share our bounty. Come learn about Skyfarm Houston’s largest rooftop farm and model for the possibilities of rooftop soil growing and urban, community-supported agriculture.

Join us for a celebration of Compassion Week!

Blackwood is proud to partner with Compassionate Houston a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to growing the compassionate culture of Greater Houston through awareness, education, community, and service.

Presented By Grace Episcopal Church

• Join us for a joyful evening in Grace’s Labyrinth Garden featuring sacred music and dancing from the world of faith communities in Houston.

• No registration required.

About The Tree of Life Labyrinth at Grace

Nestled under two live oak trees, The Tree of Life Labyrinth, invites people to embark on a spiritual journey, nurture their spirit and grow in wholeness. The 36-foot outdoor labyrinth, and surrounding walkways, memorial prayer garden and worship space were completed in 2017. Learn more about the inviting grounds at Grace here.

What is a labyrinth?

A labyrinth is a meandering path, often unicursal, with a singular path leading to a center. They date back 4,000 years or more, and were used symbolically, as a walking meditation, choreographed dance, or site of rituals and ceremony, among other things.

Labyrinths are used around the world as tools to clear the mind, guide inner healing, deepen self-knowledge, and build community.

presented by The Alta Arts, Compassionate Houston, connect community, the garden, gethsamane church

We are excited to share with you our own network-wide event in collaboration with several other organizations: the free showing of the multiple award-winning documentary The Spirit of Ubuntu ("I am because We are"), including the producer performing live music from the film.

The event is scheduled for World Kindness Day, November 13, a beautiful reminder intrinsic to Ubuntu that compassion unites us all.

The Spirit of Ubuntu Documentary

Award winning film director Kudzai Tinago teams up with Grammy nominated reggae legend Pato Banton and world-renowned keyboard player Antoinette Rootsdawtah and embarks on an amazing journey to 10 countries across the continent of Africa to explore and document the ancient philosophy of Ubuntu.

For more details and photos, read on > here.

Presented by Irene Greaves, Founder of Lovescaping.

Join us during Compassion Week for an interactive session exploring the Lovescaping framework and its 15 pillars. Grounded in the philosophy of Ubuntu, which emphasizes our shared humanity, this event will delve into how Lovescaping intentionally cultivates solidarity and connection across differences. Participants will engage in meaningful reflection and discussion, discovering how Ubuntu and the pillars of Lovescaping can be powerful tools to build a more compassionate, inclusive world—one where there is no "other," only us.

** Offered as a mid-day online session. Join from the comfort of your home, during a break at work, or from anywhere! **

Meet Irene Greaves

Irene Greaves is the author and founder of Lovescaping, a philosophy of life, pedagogy of love, and organization with the mission to teach human beings how to practice love in action. As a Lovescaper, she believes learning to love should be the most important purpose of education. Irene’s global experience in the field of education and community development in different parts of the world over the past 18 years taught her that love transcends all differences and that love in action is the essential condition of our humanity. Irene is currently based in Houston, TX where she teaches Lovescaping in different settings and environments.

Presented by Dawn Mountain

Compassion in Action focuses on how we can join our best intentions with our daily activities so that they are fruitful and helpful, fulfilling our intuitive desire to be responsive to others.

Cultivate Care and Courage with Tonglen

Dr. Renée Ford and Dr. Nathaniel Rich will share instructions on a meditation practice called tonglen, which cultivates care and courage by focusing on breathing out positive wishes as an expression of care for ourselves and others and breathing in (and dissolving) pain as an expression of courage in confronting the reality of suffering.

• This practice encourages us to reorient our thoughts toward wishing for all beings to be happy. This reorientation in our thinking is not the end of this practice, however.

• We will also discuss how we can carry this new orientation into our daily lives and activities so that we begin to engage an intention that genuinely wishes for happiness while we are actively engaged in helping others, whatever our circumstances are.

If good intentions can be cultivated and nurtured just like good habits, can we imagine putting forth a little effort toward developing them and then joining those with action?

Please join us in Compassion in Action to explore methods for integrating thought and action in ways that benefit all of us.

Meet DAWN MOUNTAIN

Dawn Mountain Center for Tibetan Buddhism, founded in 1996 by Anne C. Klein and Harvey B. Aronson, is a Tibetan Buddhist Temple, Community Center and Research Institute drawing from multiple Buddhist traditions and grounded in transmissions from the Ancient (Nyingma) lineage.

The mission of Dawn Mountain is to further the spiritual growth of our diverse community as a living bridge between traditional Tibetan Buddhist teachings and curious people everywhere. Dawn Mountain online draws 60% of its subscribers and viewers from the U.S, with regular visitors from Canada, Mexico, Sweden, Italy, Bhutan, Malaysia, South America and Russia.

Presented by Center for Mind Body Health with Gwen Brehm

Join us for a virtual 1.5-hour workshop, discussing the principles of Mindful Self-compassion, how to get past your inner critic, insecurity and empower yourself with kindness and compassion. Gwen will share several skills that you can use immediately to help you deal with anxiety, worry, and depression. Learn things you can do on your own to add kindness and compassion to your life, for yourself and for others. The skills originated with Kristin Neff, Ph.D. and Chris Germer, Ph.D.- the creators of the international program Mindful Self-Compassion 8 week program. 

Meet GweN:

Presented by Marci Sharif

We All Belong. This is a beautiful sentiment and theme.

If everyone truly belongs, we’re all less lonely, less angry, less anxious. Instead of separation, divisiveness, and isolation, there’s cooperation, compassion, and empathy.

It sounds lovely.

But HOW do we cultivate this state?  

Join Marci for a one-hour workshop that will include meditation, discussion, and reflection. We will consider what stands in the way of broadening compassion and a sense that we all belong. We will challenge our own internal barriers and open our hearts.

This event is similar to Marci’s monthly Meditate and Connect series, a collaboration with Compassionate Houston. It will be a powerful lunchtime recharge!

Meet Marci

Registration closes on Tuesday, November 12 at 10:00am!

NOTE: If you previously registered for Compassionate Houston’s monthly “Meditate & Connect with Marci,” please rote that you need to register for her Compassion Week workshop above. Unlike the monthly program, you will not automatically receive a Zoom link for this workshop.

NOTE: If you register by Monday 8:00pm, you will receive a Zoom link at 8:00am Tuesday morning. If you register between Monday, 8:00pm and Tuesday 10:00am, you will receive a Zoom link around 11:45am on Tuesday.

Presented by Insight Meditation Houston (IMH)

“If your compassion does not include yourself,  it is incomplete.” ~ Jack Kornfield.

Join Insight Meditation Houston for a hybrid 1.5 hour self-compassion meditation workshop. Self-compassion is not just a concept—it’s experiential. Through the practices of self-compassion we learn to love and accept ourselves just as we are. We may also find it easier to feel compassion for others. In this workshop participants will have an opportunity to explore various modalities including meditation and movement as well as other practices designed to cultivate the loving connected presence of self-compassion. 

Meet Insight Meditation Houston  

IMH is a non-profit educational and meditative community intended to promote the benefits of Vipassana or Insight Meditation, serving the Houston community and beyond. This mindfulness practice, existent in Asia for 2500 years, supports the development of concentration and awareness.

Hybrid Program

The event will be offered as a hybrid program. For those attending in person, the location is Covenant Church, 4949 Caroline St. Houston, TX 77004, the Huff Fellowship Hall. If you join via Zoom, click the button below and scroll down mid-page to find your link.

No need to register, just come and join us!

Meet Lisa Murphy

Lisa is a member of the Insight Meditation Houston Sangha. She first learned about self-compassion from Kristin Neff’s book published in 2015.

This year Lisa attended a Mindful Self-Compassion Intensive with Christopher Germer and Sydney Spears. Practicing self-compassion has been transformative for Lisa, and she looks forward to sharing self-compassion practices including a guided meditation in this experiential workshop. 

Meditative Moments

Cultivating Compassion with the Collective

by Rothko Chapel in collaboration with the Mind Body Spirit Institute at the Jung Center Houston

The Rothko Chapel presents a Tibetan Bön Buddhist meditation facilitated by Dr. Alejandro Chaoul. This event provides an opportunity to practice the magical movements of body, breath, and mind in the Tibetan yogic tradition or trul khor, through stretching, breathwork, sound and visualization. Join in community to counter the growing epidemic of social isolation and division, to create a movement that cultivates collective well-being.

Meet Alejandro Chaoul

Ale Chaoul is a scholar, researcher, author, teacher, and educator, with a PhD from Rice University focusing on Tibetan mind-body practices and applications in contemporary health environments. For over twenty years, Ale has researched and taught mind-body techniques to help relieve stress and support wellbeing throughout the community, including at MD Anderson’s Integrative Medicine Program and other educational, health care, and nonprofit organizations. He teaches in English and in Spanish.

The Rothko Chapel is offering a unique meditation experience, led by Dr. Chaoul, with a special focus on this year’s Compassion Week theme.

Learn more and register here.

The Healing Power of Community

by Unity of Houston & YogaMass

This immersive and experiential workshop highlights the healing power of connection for well-being and body, mind, and soul nurture. Unity Sr. Minister Rev. Michael Gott and YogaMass Founder Rev. Gena Davis share a mutual enthusiasm for connection and community as an antidote to anxiety and loneliness that is prevalent in society.

This curated experience will utilize multiple modalities for healing and connection including spiritual teaching, gentle movement, music, Yoga Nidra meditation, an alchemy crystal bowl sound bath and other guided healing practices.

—-> Bring your yoga mat, pillow, blanket, and eye pillow as desired for your comfort during the meditation portion of the workshop. Chairs will be available if wish to sit. For additional information and to RSVP, visit Unity of Houston’s website here.

Reserve your spot here.

A Virtual Healing Circles "Conference"

by NAMI Greater Houston

Background

NAMI Greater Houston’s Healing Circles are “5-week facilitated groups that help community members process internalized trauma, overwhelm, grief/loss, or other critical incidents that could challenge an individual’s emotional health. Healing circles are designed for communities with shared experiences with space for shared healing.” - NAMI Greater Houston

Compassion Week Virtual Program

Participants will learn about Healing Circles and NAMI Greater Houston's range of mental health support, education, and advocacy offerings before joining small, 60-minute healing circles for the following stages of life:

• Caregivers

• People living with illness (mental or physical, not required to disclose)

• Parents of young adults

• New parents

• People coping with holiday stress/grief

- - - - > Register here to receive your Zoom link.

Houston Cinema Arts Festival Screening: Omen

By Houston Cinema Arts Society

The screening of Omen is in partnership with Compassionate Houston and Alta Arts.

Omen

The movie "Omen" directed by Baloji is a thought-provoking film that explores various themes through a captivating storyline. It tells the story of a young Congolese man who returns to his home country after many years of living abroad. As he navigates the complexities of his past and present, he finds himself caught up in a world of political turmoil, cultural clashes, and personal introspection.

Through stunning visuals, compelling performances, and a mix of different cinematic styles, "Omen" takes viewers on a journey that delves into issues such as identity, colonialism, and the impact of globalization on African societies. It is a narrative about displacement, belonging and resilience. It beautifully combines elements of drama, documentary, and magical realism to create a unique and immersive cinematic experience.

Houston Cinema Arts FestivaL and Ticket Sales

The screening of Omen, in collaboration with Alta Arts and Compassionate Houston, is part of the Houston Cinema Arts Festival (HCAF), featuring a wide variety of curated feature films with a focus on the diverse cultural community of Houston, Texas.

The entire Festival is scheduled from November 9-19, single tickets are $15. All Access Passes and Bundles are available. Check out the welcome page on their website here for everything you need to know about the film festival.

We’ve got a discounT!

• Exciting news! Tickets to watch Omen are now $5 with discount code: compassionate-omen! for Compassionate Houston’s supporters and Compassion Week participants.

• And we received a discount code for 20% off an all access pass: compassionate-pass!

So, what are you waiting for? :-)

Is Love Something You Do?

By THE Houston BAHÁ’Í Community

Uniting the Hearts

We look forward to enjoying a deep conversation that explores love as a practice and its power not just in our own lives but also in its ability to effect change in all of humanity. We will explore spiritual perspectives offered by the Bahai Teachings on the power of love in action and how developing that practice can help create the change we want to see in the world. 

Celebrate World Kindness Day on November 13 with the Baha’i Faith Community!

Make new friends, share a devotional space, and build community. All faiths are welcome! Free parking available!

Register here.

Explore our partner’s history, key areas, such as family life, community activities and more.