How to Meditate – Simple and Effective Methods for Everyone
February 18th, 1:00-4:00pm
No Charge
Registration Encouraged – send registration to info@hermeticinstitute.org

Are you looking for ways to improve your health, attitude, creativity, and even productivity? Do you want to deepen your spiritual practice, but aren’t sure where to begin?

If the answer is “Yes” then meditation may be for you.

Meditation has been proven to increase brain activity associated with happiness, well-being, and creativity, leading to healthy, happier lives for those who meditate. For thousands of years, monks, nuns, and lay people have experienced deep spiritual insights as a result of their meditation practices. For every person, there is a need, and for every need, meditation can provide a way to its fulfillment.

This class will cover basic meditation theories and practices that will allow you to experience the benefits of meditation. If you have tried to meditate in the past but found it too difficult then this class is for you. Simple, effective, and proven methods of mediation that can be done anywhere, by anyone, at anytime will be taught.

Topics to be covered include:

Posture – Why You Don’t Need to Sit Like Pretzel to Meditate
Breathing – The Breath of Life
Using Symbols and Creative Visualization
Hebrew Letters, Gregorian Chants and Sanskrit Mantra – The Harmony of Sound
Meditation for Health and Wellness and as a Spiritual Tool

Mark Stavish, M.A., holds degrees with honors in Theology and Counseling, and is the author of five books on spirituality, including, Kabbalah for Health and Wellness, that have been published in seven languages. Mark has appeared in or has been consulted for numerous television and radio programs, including Coast 2 Coast (C2C), 21st Century Radio, X-Zone Radio, Animal Planet, History Channel, A&E, BBC, and The New York Times.

Death, Dying and Lucid Dreaming: A Glimpse of Things to Come
March 24, 11:00am – 4:00pm
No Charge
Registration Encouraged – send registration to info@hermeticinstitute.org

It is often said that we spend nearly a third of our life asleep. Neolithic cave dwellers to modern scientists have all sought to better understand what happens when we close our eyes at night, asking the questions: why do we dream, and what do dreams mean mean to us, our waking lives, and even can dreams give us a glimpse of our possibilities of survival after death?

How to:
          Remember your dreams
          Dreams, symbols, and how to interpret your dreams
          Induce dreaming and lucid dreaming
          What to do when dreaming lucidly
          Why lucid dreaming is important from the view of Eastern and Western mysticism

Mark Stavish, M.A. is the author of several non-fiction books including Between the Gates – Lucid Dreaming, Astral Projection and the Body of Light in Western Esotericism, wherein he examines the purpose and potential uses for lucid dreaming, including its role in how we die and what happens to us after according to Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. Mark has appeared in or has been consulted for numerous television and radio programs, including Coast 2 Coast (C2C), 21st Century Radio, X-Zone Radio, Animal Planet, History Channel, A&E, BBC, and The New York Times.

How to Write and Publish Your Non-Fiction Book
April 14th 11:00am – 4:00pm
No Charge
Registration Encouraged – send registration to info@hermeticinstitute.org

Have you ever wanted to write a book but have trouble finding the right topic, time to write, or simply aren’t sure how to approach it, or even what to do with it once it is written? Inside everyone is a book waiting to be written, from biographies and memoirs, to cook books, local histories, and how-to books of every sort, everyone has something they want to share with others and books are the way to do it.

In this presentation Mark will show aspiring authors how to: 

          Find Your Topic, Your Voice, and Your Inner Passion All At Once
          Make It Interesting, or, Why What You Have to Say Really Matters to Others
          Use a Simple three-step formula that will help you complete a book in as little as three months
          Understand Publishing Options: Traditional, Self-Publishing, and Electronic formats
          Take it to the Next Step: It’s In Print, Now What?

If you are currently working on a book, have an idea for one, an outline, or sample chapters, bring them for discussion, and find out what the next step for you in your writing career should be.

Mark Stavish, M.A. is the author of five non-fiction books that have been published in seven languages, has taught writing and public speaking on the university level, and has been a consultant or guest for television and radio programs, including Coast 2 Coast (C2C), 21st Century Radio, X-Zone Radio, Animal Planet, History Channel, A&E, and the BBC. Mark has also appeared in The New York Times, and Publishers Weekly.

LUZERNE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM  INTRODUCES 2012 BOARD

Wilkes-Barre, PA – The Luzerne County Library System (LCLS) is pleased to introduce its 2012 Board of Directors.  Founded in 1984, the LCLS is made up of ten libraries throughout Luzerne County that work cooperatively to provide the citizens of the county with recreational and educational materials and programs. 

Attached photo- First Row, L to R: Melissa Szafran, Hoyt Library; John Roberts, Wyoming Free Library; Viola Gommer, Back Mountain Memorial Library; Robert Robine, Plymouth Library; and Christine McLaughlin, Hoyt Library.

Second Row: Margaret Harris, Osterhout Free Library; Anne Hogya, Pittston Memorial Library; Suzanne Youngblood, Plymouth Library; Richard Miller, Osterhout Free Library; Mike Ostrowski, Pittston Memorial Library; Jeffrey Gicking, Hazleton Area Library; Jim Reinmiller, Hazleton Area Library; Dr. Marcia McGann, Marian Kirby Library; Shawn Murphy, Osterhout Free Library.

    The annual Christmas Party was a success! Click here for details.

Vendor Event a Success: Approximately 18 vendors presented a wide variety of items for sale just in time for the Holidays. The Wyoming Hose Company donated the Hall to the Wyoming Library and the Mayor of Wyoming, Bob Boyer catered the event. Staff from the Hose Company did blood pressure screening and had a bake sale. What a Community event! Shown in the picture congratulating each other are left to right: John Roberts, Library Director and Bob Boyer, Mayor of Wyoming.

THE WYOMING FREE LIBRARY PRESENTS CECILIA GALANTE, AUTHOR OF “THE PATRON SAINT OF BUTTERFLIES” MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2011 from 6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.

Agnes and Honey have always been best friends, but they haven’t always been so different. Agnes loves being a Believer.  She knows the rules at the Mount Blessing religious commune are there to make her a better person. Honey hates Mount Blessing and the control Emmanuel, their leader, has over her life.  The only bright spot is the butterfly garden she’s helping to build, and the journal of butterflies that she keeps.  When Agnes’s grandmother makes an unexpected visit to the commune, she discovers a violent secret that the Believers are desperate to keep quiet.  And when Agnes’s little brother is seriously injured and Emmanuel refuses to send him to a hospital, Nana Pete takes the three children and escapes the commune.  Their journey begins an exploration of faith, friendship, religion and family for the two girls, as Agnes clings to her familiar faith while Honey desperately wants a new future. 

Cecilia Galante received her MFA from Goddard College, Vermont. She is the author of five young adult novels, including The Patron Saint of Butterflies which received the NAIBA Best Book of the Year award, and was selected as one of Oprah’s Best Teen Selections, and Willowood, which was recently nominated for a Keystone Reading Award. Currently at work on a children’s series to be published by Random House in 2012, Galante also teaches creative writing at Wilkes University. She lives in Kingston, Pennsylvania with her husband, three children, and a very lazy cat named Julius. 

Space is limited, so please call the Wyoming Free Library
at (570) 693-1364 to reserve your spot!

We’ve got the world’s only collection of life-size cardboard cutout Presidents on display for 2 days only! Come catch a glimpse and learn some fun facts the whole family will enjoy.

Is your birthday the same as a President’s?
Which President got stuck in a bathtub?
Which President was the first to appear on TV?
Which President was left-handed when sitting but right-handed when standing?

Find out all this and more at our Presiential Cardboard Cut-Out Display!

See all 44 Presidents in interesting groups such as those who died in office or had scandalous presidencies as well as historically significant events like President Obama’s January 2009 Presidential Luncheon. All ages will enjoy this unicque collection; an interactive scavenger hunt worksheet will also be available for older kids.  For printable PDF version, click here.

Former American Legion
316 Linden St.
West Pittston
Saturday, Feb. 5th, 2 -6:pm
Saturday, Feb. 12th, 10-2:pm

The Wyoming Free Library offers many programs. The one program that continues to draw attention is the Furry Tails Reading Program.

The program meets every 3rd Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and has helped many children who have attended. The child can bring a book from home or borrow one from the library to read to one of the dogs. The goal is to encourage children to read and help them become comfortable with reading. The library has added an extra incentive for program attendance. Every time a child attends a program, their reading card is punched. After five visits, they receive a Barnes and Noble gift certificate (provided by the program leader Helene Skopec).

The libraries’ Facebook page has pictures of the program.

To go to the “Pleasure of Your Company” website, click here.

For Time Magazine’s online review of this program, click here.

The program is open to all ages. To register, please call the library at 570-693-1364.

Wilkes-Barre Raised the Roof on Saturday, October 3^rd and raised some much needed funds for the Osterhout Free Library.  To celebrate the continued renaissance of Downtown Wilkes-Barre (and to help out the Osterhout), organizers devised a plan to show the City from a whole new vantage point.

The event took place on the top floor of the “Park and Lock East” Parking Garage on the corner of Washington and Market Streets. The party ran from 5 – 7:30 PM and afterward, attendees were encouraged to hit the downtown and enjoy what the City has to offer. There was an “Octoberfest” theme and the night featured food samplings from various Wilkes-Barre area restaurants as well as seasonal cocktails and live music. Over 200 people were in attendance for this first-time event. The planning committee hopes to do more in the future, so stay tuned!    

All of the proceeds from this event went to benefit the Osterhout Free Library, whose mission is to provide materials and services to all residents of Luzerne County – free of charge, for their personal, educational, recreational and professional needs.

Luzerne County Libraries welcomes you to its newest blog! We love telling you about library materials, programs and services in person, but this is one more way you can stay connected to your library. Postings will keep you up to date about hot new books, music and movies, as well as exciting programs for everyone in the family. We’re especially excited about our annual Summer Reading Program, which kicks off this month. To stay current with your busy lifestyle and give you even more options on how to get involved, we’re introducing online registration. This year’s statewide theme for young readers is Be Creative at Your Library!, and the theme for young adult readers is Express Yourself at Your Library! Sign up for the program (or help a child register), then track your success.

Browse our newly redesigned website and you’ll learn even more. You asked for easier navigation, and we responded. Our new site is colorful, inviting and intuitive. We even have a new web address: www.luzernelibraries.org. From there, you can click through to your local member library to find out what’s happening in your neighborhood.

We have so much to offer. Please visit often to be a part of it.