Looking for transformational personal insights?

Need a guide for living consciously and with purpose?

Join long time Tai Sophia distinguished lecturer and acupuncturist Michael Phillips for

Ancient Stories

In Service to Life

November 17^th, 2012

2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Four Gates Wellness Center

5570 Sterrett Place, Suite 308

Columbia, MD. 21044

A Thanksgiving benefit.

Please bring canned food and a suggested donation of $30 to support the Maryland Food Bank

The paths we walk are informed by the memories, wisdom and challenges of those who came before us. The ancestors left stories as compasses, ways to navigate our choices through the journey of our lives. Drawing on over 20 years of practicing and teaching Five Element Acupuncture, Michael will illuminate the guiding principles of other cultures and how these invaluable insights can bring balance to our modern lives. 

Read comments from some whose lives were touched by this workshop:

http://storiesdreamsandancientwisdom.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2011-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=1

Awakening to Our Dreams will continue every 3d Monday beginning September 17th, 2012. 


Our nighttime dreams can reacquaint us with our life's dreams. Come share and unveil what insights and inspiration our dreams may be offering. For several years, Michael has facilitated a monthly meeting of a diverse circle of participants who share the details of their sleeping dreams. Through questioning and unraveling of images, they encourage one another to discover whatever meaning or message the dream may be offering. Often, we find a thread between the outer dream and purpose of someone's life and the sleeping dreams that can point us to issues and emotions that want our attention. 

The meeting place is my office at 5570 Sterrett Place, Suite 308, Columbia 21044 from 6:45 to 9:00.  The cost is $20 a session ($15 for students or fixed income), with half going to a charity or a cause we decide on from themes that arise in our dreams. Additionally, I ask that you bring a can or two of food for the local food bank. 

The Inner Tapestry of Nature’s Gifts: Explore the Inherent Life-Enriching Qualities of Chinese Five Element Theory with Michael Phillips and Katherine Hancock Porter

July 7-8, 2012; Saturday 10 am to Sunday 2 pm
Sevenoaks Retreat Center / $295 includes one overnight and four meals

Join Katherine Hancock Porter and Michael Phillips, long time acupuncturists and teachers of Chinese medicine and philosophy, in a fun, expansive and insightful exploration of these profound gifts in nature. In the height of summer’s fire, we’ll gather to create new community and explore how we access the qualities
of fire and summer in our daily lives. Through reflections on the natural world around us and in our own inner natures, we’ll proceed through the
5 seasons or “elements,” illuminating the tapestry of nature’s gifts
as expressed through our actions and experiences.

Katherine Hancock Porter graduated from Swarthmore College and went on to acupuncture training at the Traditional Acupuncture Institute in 1994, where she earned her Masters Degree. A former Dean of Students, she serves on the faculty of Tai Sophia’s acupuncture program.
In 2003, Katherine co-authored Alive and Awake: Wisdom for Kids, a resource for parents
and teachers. She offers workshops and maintains her practice of acupuncture in Baltimore.

Michael Phillips, a graduate of Pomona College, received his Masters of Acupuncture degree from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute in Columbia, MD in 1987, where he maintained
his acupuncture practice for 24 years, while TAI evolved into the nationally renowned Tai Sophia Institute. Michael has taught acupuncture and has coached students for over
two decades, developing classes that integrate his training in theater with diagnosis and interpersonal dynamics. He maintains his acupuncture practice in Columbia, Maryland.

Register Now: www.sevenoaksretreat.org/schedule.html or Call: 540-948-6544
Sevenoaks Retreat Center
403 Pathwork Way Madison, VA 22727 540-948-6544 / sevenoaks@sevenoaksretreat.org www.sevenoaksretreat.org 

New Workshop to be offered in February

A Winter ’s Tales :

Stories to ponder while

awaiting the rebirth of spring

February 12, 2012

2:00pm - 5:00pm

Using the wisdom inherent in

ancient folk tales, myths or

anecdotes, Michael leads the

audience through a reflective

conversation. Drawing from his

many years as a 5 Element

acupuncturist and teacher, he has

offered this workshop to

wonderful reviews over recent

years.

Acupuncturist and

educator Michael

Phillips received his

Bachelor of Arts in

Theater at Pomona

College and his

Master of

Acupuncture Tai

Sophia Institute for

the Healing Arts.

Michael’s Workshop

will take you on a

journey exploring the

symbols and

metaphors in these

ancient, yet timeless

stories.

Fee: $60 ($50 early registration by 2/5/2012)

a portion of the proceeds go to Maryland Area Food Bank

To Register call:

Phone: 301-754-3730

Or register online:

www.blueheronwellness.com

Blue Heron Wellness

10723 B Columbia Pike

Silver Spring, MD 20901

301.754.3730

Michael Phillips New Acupuncture Practice

I am excited to announce that I am moving my practice to downtown Columbia, MD as of 8/31/2011. I will continue to teach at and support the work of the Tai Sophia Institute, where I practiced since 1987. For more information, please check out www.michaelphillipsacupuncture.com

Dream work to continue this fall.

Awakening to Our Dreams will continue every 3d Monday beginning September 19th, 2011. 


Our nighttime dreams can reacquaint us with our life's dreams. Come share and unveil what insights and inspiration our dreams may be offering.


The meeting place is the Owen Brown Interfaith Center http://www.obicolumbia.org/directions.htm from 6:45 to 9:00.  The cost is $20 a session ($15 for students or fixed income), with half going to a charity or a cause we decide on from themes that arise in our dreams. Additionally, I ask that you bring a can or two of food for the collection taken at the Interfaith Center. 


There is also one final summer session this coming Monday, August 8th. 
If you wish to attend or stay informed about future classes, please respond so I can add you to the e-mail list.

Testimonials about Michael Phillips' Workshops

"Michael is a careful and thorough listener. In the story and dream workshops I took with Michael, his insightful choice of stories and analysis of dreams lit up the entire group. He is supportive, intelligent, imaginative, honest, and never afraid to see the humor and irony in the experience of living. I look forward to any session with Michael; his mind is always engaging with the wonder of the human spirit and creativity. Being in Michael's presence is a healing experience. Taking any of Michael's workshops is amazing and delightful." Janey R.


If asked about Michael I'd say this... He is a teacher of the old ways, versed in the new world. He has that rare ability to ask the right question, the right way, at exactly the right time. I've found his teaching many things; among them insightful, provocative, playful, and balanced. I believe others will too. Will W.


I've attended one of Michael's story workshops as well as several of his monthly dream workshops and have found both to be incredibly inspiring. Michael has a real knack for taking what seems only personal, and maybe even inconsequential, and weaving it into a larger context. He offers an opportunity to discover what gifts are hidden and in need of illumination - for oneself and for the world. Important, joyful, intriguing work that Michael makes very fun and fulfilling. Debbie H.


“Let me tell you a story” and so begins the magic of one of Michael Phillip’s storytelling seminars. It is not just the enjoyment of being read to by a master story teller that weaves the spell but the gentle yet pointed encouragement for all the participants to make the story their own. Michael expertly guides the seminar participants through the highly nuanced interplay of the universal and the particular as the many offerings of meaning and understanding are shared. The stories Michael chooses and the thoughtful way they are introduced and offered up for discussion, also encourages participants to become more aware of and connected to the energy of the specific season. Of course, one quickly realizes it is always the season for a great story read by a master story teller. Carmel R.


“Thank you for the comfort of this circle.” (Mary)

“Thanks Michael for weaving together all the stories ad personal sharings so gracefully.” (Liz)

“[I loved the] thought provoking stories and time to share interpretations. (Barbara)

“[The most valuable part of the workshop] was ‘taking the time to prepare for winter, the discussion of God, life, death and dreams. This group needs to continue. As deep as we went, we only touched the surface”(Paul)


Michael,
I was just telling a friend the other day how much and why I enjoy classes, discussions, time with you. I noticed how you included everyone, not just in eye contact, but in examples as well. After each person spoke, you didn't disregard what they said or treated it as "done". Instead, you used what was said previously in our conversations as examples for what each person consequently said. For me, I felt like what I said mattered and was valuable. I felt like I made a difference to others in their learning, simply by you refering to what I had said. And I noticed you did this throughout the class time. Whether it was intentional or not, it's a great gift to offer a group in their learning discussions and I appreciate it. Claudia O.


I wanted to let you know how much I gained from each of your classes.
This work deepened my understanding of my strengths and wobbles on all levels. Your ability to choose stories that allow for a wide interpretation from every individual in the workshop made for lots of interesting perspectives to consider.
I also appreciate your ability to “go deep” when I was discussing what a story triggered in me. Your questions and observations, steeped in the Five Element philosophy, served me personally but also professionally in how I serve my acupuncture patients. Karen G.