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Libertyville woman looks to help women connect with nature
Faith Curtis (left) of Libertyville and Chris Moses of Lake Bluff have founded The Light to Wholeness for Life-Giving Retreats and Gatherings. | Submitted photo
Updated: May 28, 2012 8:05AM
A cup of coffee four years ago turned into a life-changing experience for Christine Moses of Lake Bluff and Faith Curtis of Libertyville.
The two discovered they shared a passion for creating a leadership conference for women and immediately acted on it.
“We really got each other all fired up,” said Curtis.
Everything clicked into place and the duo hired Marianne Williamson, best-selling author and internationally acclaimed speaker, and held their first conference, “The Spirit of Leadership: Reawakening the Feminine,” in 2009.
The next year saw the follow-up to the first conference, “Spirit of Leadership: Reawakening the Feminine” with many new speakers, wisdom teachers and workshops, featuring keynote speaker Clarissa Pinkola Estes, author of “Women Who Run With the Wolves.”
The topics resonated well with local women with each conference drawing around 150 participants to the Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest.
“The trouble is, we lost a fair amount of money,” Curtis said, citing the cost of speakers.
Tweaking their model, the two, through their company called The Light to Wholeness, have scaled back on size and intensified meaning creating a three-night retreat model in West Bend, Wis. in a lodge that has 20 individual rooms.
“Coming Home to Nature: Return to Wholeness,” a women’s retreat, will be held May 4-6 to help women connect with nature to replenish their body and psyche.
Women “can expect to discover themselves through symbolic meanings of nature,” said Moses. “It will be very uplifting to their spirits.”
People, in general, rarely connect to nature, the partners said.
‘A lot of stress’
“A majority of Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors. Nature deprivation causes a lot of stress and anxiety, illnesses and a lack of staying connected to things around them,” Moses said.
And the problem does not just affect women.
“There is a spiritual void,” said Curtis. “People are drained, depleted, stressed.”
At the new retreat, the two will show participants how to tap into nature and replenish their spirit through time outdoors, exercise, meditation and listening to Mother Nature.
In the past, the duo’s retreats and conferences have drawn a wide age group from women in the 20s to 60s.
“It really runs the gamut,” said Curtis.
That diversity is preferable.
“They all learn from each other in a more profound way,” said Moses.
Moses has a bachelor’s degree in Holistic Ministries and provides counseling and guidance for personal and spiritual growth.
Curtis is a professional certified coach who has a master’s in social work and worked in corporate human resources.
Information about the retreat is available www.thelighttowholeness.com or by calling 847-309-8621.
