About Us
What is Mosaic Retreats?
Mosaic Retreats is a service offering retreats to those interested in the areas of spirituality and human growth. Retreats range from one day to one month and can be residential or non-residential. Retreats can be structured in many ways: in silence with talks and opportunities for spiritual direction or counselling, integrative and interactive with an emphasis on adult learning principals, or a combination.
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Why the Name Mosaic?
When travelling in Europe, especially in a city like Ravenna, a traveller comes across magnificent mosaics in churches and other communal gathering places. These magnificent creations are formed by joining small, often irregular pieces of stone, precious or semi precious jewels. By themselves, they have a certain appeal; put together they manifest an intricate divine or human form, as well as various animal, vegetative and environmental patterns. The spaces between each stone add to the pattern to such an extent that from a distance it is difficult to distinguish between a mural and a mosaic. However, the distinctiveness of each stone adds a depth to the over-all pattern.
We have chosen this name for the work we are doing because it is a metaphor of our understanding of human growth and development. All of us are creations of many dimensions, unique and at times, quite separate. When, we bring the many parts of our lives together, we are able to form a new image. Even the so-called gaps in our lives play an essential role in joining the parts together, giving us a fresh perspective. This happens when we are consciously committed to bringing all of these parts together.
The mortar which joins all the diverse pieces of our lives is the ability to love. With time and patience, patterns form and we let it set so that its beauty and perspective can be taken in and appreciated. However, in the human journey, no pattern remains fixed. Again and again, we integrate new pieces of life as well as re-arrange the pieces that are a part of our history. To this extent, our mosaic is fluid and alive; indeed it is a living mosaic.
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Values of Mosaic Retreats
Every retreat and program offered by Mosaic hold the following values in mind:
Silence. We need time and space to be still and to hear the voice within.
Simplicity. We need to learn ways to restore balance to our inner and outer world.
Solitude. We require extended times alone to reflect and re-connect with our personal life center.
Service. We need to find ways to intervene effectively with others; individually, in groups and through systems.
Sacred Practice. We need disciplined practices to fulfill our desire to serve all beings and to bring joy to our lives.
Mosaic Retreats is interspiritual. Retreats may be offered from a particular religious or spiritual orientation but are always respectful of and often include disciplines and perspectives from differing global faith traditions.
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Teresa Bryant
Teresa Bryant has been engaging in spiritual inquiry and dharma practice for over 20 years. Her path is the coming together of the teachings and practice of Buddhism and Christianity and a synthesis of spirituality and psychology. She emphasizes the daily practice of meditation and spiritual inquiry to awaken the heart and mind to the loving presence of Truth. Teresa holds degrees in Psychology and Religion and Culture, certification in Spiritual Direction and Adult Education, and has extensive training in Buddhist psychotherapy and meditation instruction.
At home across spiritual and religious traditions, Teresa has lead retreats for over 15 years. She is currently a part-time psychological counsellor at the University of Western Ontario.
Headings of previous retreats include: Being Bodies: Sexuality and Sensuality, The Power of Simplicity, The Mystical Mind, and Peace Making in a Frightened World.
James Schmeiser
James Schmeiser has been teaching courses and leading retreats in the area of religious studies and spirituality for over 30 years. His recent focus has been on the spiritual significance of dreams, the understanding of life as pilgrimage, and the importance of spiritual awareness in the realm of teaching. In addition to these areas, he has focused on the importance of rituals, symbols and story telling.
One of his great passions is that of being a pilgrim. Over the years he has walked the Negev and Sinai deserts, pilgrimage trails in England, and the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.
James is a professor emeritus at the University of Western Ontario. He teaches part time and leads retreats and workshops. Headings of previous retreats include: The Pilgrim Way, Spirituality in Married Life, Religion and Spirituality, Religion and Dreams, and The Importance of Rituals During the Time of Bereavement.
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