This course is based on the book, “Wheels of Life” by Anodea Judith. “The Classic Guide to the Chakra System; the Wheels that carry us through Life”

Learn about the Energetic Esoteric Anatomy System and structures of the seven Major Chakras. Explore how becoming more aware of and responsible for these human evolutionary systems will awaken you to higher dimensions of self- expression, self-healing and creativity. Gain a deeper understanding and insight into the meaning of the chakras, their associated colors and elements.

Learn conductivity and healing exercises to transform emotionally reactive habit patterns to responsive action, thereby freeing you from limitations of self-expression.

Guided experiential exercises will be used, including meditation, breath and yoga to enhance the functions of body/emotion/mind & breath which will lead you to a better understanding of yourself in relationship to your Life, Love & Light Force.

Instructor: Henny Nouwen, RN, LMT

Henny started learning about and experimenting with the unseen realms of energy awareness, auras, chakras, energy medicine, bodywork as well as metaphysics and mysticism in the 80’s. She has been in private practice for 33 years using healing touch, intuition, insight and wisdom as an Integrative Healer.

Henny brings with her 18 years as a cardiovascular circulating nurse in open heart surgery as well as having been an ordained minister in metaphysical teachings for nine years. Over 40 years Henny has taught a multitude of classes on the mind/body connections, death, grief & loss, energy awareness and healing. Henny is driven to share her knowledge of how true healing happens in the recognition of the greater reality that sources our energetic being and teach you how to get in touch with it (chakrachatter.com, hennynouwen.amtamembers.com).

During the last Ice Age (2.6 million to 12000 years ago) Eastern Washington was Ground Zero for some of the world’s largest catastrophic floods! The Glacial Lake Missoula Floods dwarf any normal river flood recorded in modern times.  First proposed in 1923 by J Harlen Bretz and after decades of debate, the Missoula Floods in the Pacific Northwest were finally recognized as the first scientifically proven Ice Age megaflood in the world.  Scientific opinion in the early Twentieth Century assumed that only slow changes over long periods of time (uniformitarianism) could explain all geologic features. Catastrophic events, unless they were documented, were not part of the scientific dogma at that time.

In sessions 2 and 3 illustrated lectures will follow the Ice Age floodpath from its source at the huge ice-dammed lake in Montana through Eastern  Washington where it created the Channeled Scabland, Grand Coulee, Palouse Falls, and many other geographic features before sending over 1000 feet of floodwater through the Columbia Gorge and over the future townsites of Spokane, Portland and Astoria and into the Pacific Ocean. 

In session 4 we will review other megafloods and their origins. In addition to ice-dammed lakes; tectonic, glacier, and sea level changes have played major roles. Numerous huge floods elsewhere in the world have been identified in Utah, the Mediterranean, Black Sea, English Channel, and on the planet Mars.

Instructor: Dr. Gene Kiver

Gene Kiver graduated from Case-Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and later from the University of Wyoming in Laramie where he received his Doctorate in Geology.  He taught Geology for 34 years at Eastern Washington University in Cheney and conducted an active research career that emphasized landforms and surface processes.  Glacial geology of the western United States, geothermal ice caves on Mts. Rainier and Baker, national park geology, speleology, and the Missoula Floods are his main professional interests.  Research and volunteer activity with the Ice Age Floods Institute continues today.  He has co-authored two recent books, “On the Trail of The Ice Age Floods” and “Washington Rocks!”.  “Washington Rocks!” is written for the non-geologist interested in learning about amazing geologic sites in the State of Washington.

Writing about your life can seem like a daunting task. Where to begin? This class will prime the pump, with weekly writing assignments (about 750 words) presented in themes, plus writing tips. Sharing your stories confidentially with others in class will inspire you even more. You'll come to see your life through a different lens and leave a legacy for your family. (Class size is limited to 10 students.)

Instructor: Teru Lundsten

Teru has been teaching memoir writing in Skagit County since 2010. She worked as a personal historian, helping people preserve their life stories into books for their families. As a journalist she wrote over 200 profiles of people of all ages and from around the world. She has completed a memoir of her early years.

If you are new to smartphones, or thinking of taking the plunge, this class may be for you. We will look at Android devices (Smartphones and Tablets). We will talk about the Android operating system, and how it varies from one device to the next. We will discuss the most important apps, as well as some that are just useful or fun. In addition, we will talk about backing up the information on your phone.

Instructor: Norm Samuelson

Norm retired from a career as a computer scientist. He has developed an interest in smartphones and tablets, and loves to help people get comfortable with, and make better use of those devices.

In this class, we will walk you through all the steps necessary to get a quality show on the boards at ACT.  We will demonstrate through one production, all the steps it takes, including: 

• How a play is chosen, and each season is designed
• How auditions work and how one might prepare
• The magic of set design, building and painting
• The technical aspects of lighting and sound
• Costuming, hair and makeup
• Volunteer management and opportunities

By the end of this class, you will find that each of the theatre’s fine productions are not just magic, but hard work by a group of dedicated volunteers that have fun while doing it.

Instructor: Susan Buszta

Susan has been involved in Anacortes Community Theatre since 2012. In Anacortes she has had the pleasure of working on the ACT productions of Thoroughly Modern Millie, Legally Blonde, Little Shop of Horrors, and Gramercy Ghost, Les Misérables, My Fair Lady and many other shows.

Susan grew up in Los Angeles, CA and graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Film Production, designing sets and lighting in Strub theatre in Los Angeles. In the entertainment industry she worked for Hammer Films, Paramount Pictures, Artisan Entertainment, and finally Lionsgate as a creative director. She designed sets, lighting and sound for the ShoWest Entertainment Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada from 2007 to 2010.

Experience the joy and satisfaction that comes from growing your own food. Seed to Supper is a comprehensive veggie gardening class. It explores practical, low-cost techniques for building, planning, planting, maintaining and harvesting a successful garden. Students will learn how to site their garden, build healthy soil, and make compost. They will create planting maps for their desired veggies and small berries while learning which crops/varieties grow best in our climate. The course will teach how and why to rotate crops. Soil preparation, seed starting, and techniques for protecting early transplants will be included. How and when to fertilize is another topic covered. Students will learn to identify and manage common pests and plant diseases using the principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Ideas for watering systems and weed management will be presented. And finally, a crop-by-crop guide for harvesting & storage is included.

Fall is an ideal time to plan next year’s garden.

Course Coordinator: Gail Beasley

Gail Beasley is a retired Special Education teacher with degrees from the University of New Mexico and University of Oregon. After retiring from a 30 year career in Special Education, Gail finally had time to pursue her true interests – plants and gardening. Her garden experiences track back to 4-H and learning from parents and grandparents who survived Great Depression times by growing much of their own food.

In 2011 Gail became a Master Gardener in Oregon and continued in Skagit County since 2017. She taught this course previously to inmates at the Inverness Jail in Portland. Here in Anacortes, she frequently volunteers at the Skagit Master Gardeners Plant Clinic at the Farmers Market.

Class 1: Historical Vignettes 1: Smugglers, Pirates, and Rumrunners of Northern Puget Sound

In the years before and after 1900, a number of skilled mariners used the waters of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands for activities that had been determined to be illegal by the Governments of the United States and Canada. This class will share their history and address some of the myths surrounding their activity.

Class 2: Historical Vignettes 2: The mountain people of the North Cascades.

History often overlooks the people who lived and worked in the foothills and mountains of the North Cascade Mountains. This class will share the history of some of these hardy folk.

Class 3: Historical Vignettes 3: How the mountain people of the North Cascades lived and died.

This class will share the stories of some of the people that lived in the foothills and mountains, describing their lives: how they lived, played, and died.

Instructor: Jesse G. Kennedy III PhD

Following twenty years of university teaching, Jesse worked in cultural resource management for North Cascades National Park Service Complex for more than twenty-six years. A Pacific Northwest native, he became the first Chief of Cultural Resource Management at the park in 1995 and continues to explore the history of Skagit County and the North Cascades through the images, stories, and structures of this heroic environment.

Requested presenter of over 50 programs to various audiences highlighting special aspects of the historical character and characters of Skagit County and the North Cascade.

The goal of the course is to provide participants with a foundational understanding of subtle energy concepts and the practical techniques to support cognitive function, emotional regulation, stress reduction, and overall well-being through the lens of subtle energy.

The practices are drawn from subtle energy systems, including Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Chakra Energetics, and Bioenergetics.

These neurological and emotional self-regulating practices are offered as effective and affordable self-care in a time when stress and trauma-induced illness, physical and emotional, are of epidemic proportions.

 Each class session will involve a discussion of the fundamental underlying concepts and, most importantly, time to learn and practice the techniques.

Instructor: Steve Templin

Steve Templin is a retired Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture Physician, and Biofeedback practitioner. He was also a certified teacher of several Energy Psychology systems from which this course draws, including: Touch For Health Kinesiology, Brain Gym, The One Brain System, and Educational Kinesiology. Now he’s a HeartMath Trauma-Sensitive Certified Practitioner and mindfulness coach focusing on chronic pain, anxiety, and stress-induced symptoms.