May 4
Susanne Blake
“Beyond Grief: My Dying Son Opened a Portal to Bliss”
One day after her 84th birthday, Susanne lost her 59-year-old son to the same gastric cancer that took her 39-year-old husband some 45 years before. What ordinarily would have been the most tragic of stories, instead mystically transformed into an ineffable experience as her son’s passing spirit opened a portal for her to glimpse the incredible beyond. Susanne is here today to share what should have been the greatest tragedy of her life, but instead was an experience of the greatest transcendence. She offers her inspiring message of hope, life, and love to her Morning Star family.
Susanne is a founding member of Morning Star whose life has been blessed with an incredible array of life experiences. She has an MBA in business, is the author of two books including “When Spirit Speaks”. She was a member of the Ruidoso ski patrol. She was a dinner partner of Governor Ronald Reagan and lunched with President Gerald Ford at the White House. She once refused a ride with Billy Joel and Richard Gere. She is a builder of outhouses, a graduate of A Course in Miracles, a meditator, a fire walker, an adept of the I Ching and the pendulum. At 40 she led a group of scouts on an 80-mile Philmont, NM hike and at 50 she was tossed by a mule. She sings over 50 songs in Lakota and is a veteran of the sweat lodge, the Sundance, and the vision quest. And that’s just the short list. We can’t wait to hear more so hope you’ll be able to join us!
May 11
Joan Brinkworth
“Healing Through the Mother”
In this special Mother’s Day gathering, Joan will share her personal story of healing—how childhood experiences shaped her as a seeker, and how that path led her through a variety of modalities and mystical doorways. From navigating a complex relationship with her own mother to uncovering the deeper patterns beneath it, she will explore how we all carry echoes of the Mother Archetype within us—regardless of our family histories.
Through storytelling, teaching, and a gentle tapping practice, Joan will invite us to connect with the archetypal energy of the Mother—not as an external figure, but as an inner presence of unconditional love, nourishment, and wisdom. We’ll end with a guided meditation, a conversation between you and your own inner Mother, designed to restore softness, trust, and a sense of sacred connection. Whether you’ve had a nurturing mother, a complicated one, or longed for something more, this is an opportunity to tap into the deeper spiritual truth: the Mother is within us all.
Joan is a former hair stylist turned EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique or “Tapping”) teacher and energy educator at OpalFox Studios in Oklahoma City. Drawing from her background in emotional freedom techniques, archetypal studies, and Human Design/Gene Keys, she helps clients release limiting beliefs and return to their inner authority. Her work blends tapping, energy psychology, and personal storytelling to create lasting transformation from the inside out.
Joan teaches with warmth, clarity, and a little bit of sparkle—guiding others to not just understand themselves, but live as their most aligned, empowered self. For more information about her services, including free tapping resources, go to: www.opalfoxstudios.com
May 18
Doug Banister
“Honoring One’s Self-Authority”
Doug Bannister started life in Erie, PA 79 years ago. He graduated from Penn State and entered the Army after graduation, serving honorably in the Vietnam War. He then relocated to OKC where he spent 50 years running a highly successful, internationally recognized decorative concrete business. During this time, in 2006, Doug joined the School of Metaphysics in OKC. He quickly obtained all the certificates they offered and became an ordained minister. He moved to the SOM Headquarters in Columbia MO in 2016, becoming a teacher and director of the school even serving on the Board of Directors in 2024. He most recently introduced Elderberry, Nature’s Medicine Chest to SOM as well as Bitcoin and Regenerative Agriculture. He currently leads a weekly meditation class and participates in the Dream Webinar as a senior dream interpreter. According to Doug, he is currently looking for his next rodeo.
There is a lot of talk about Authority in the news these days, but our speaker Doug Bannister will lead us to not only understand, but learn how to honor our Self-Authority. While the term self-authority may be new to us, the go-to self-managing principle of the Golden Rule (Do Unto Others . . .) will feel like familiar ground to start with. Doug will explain there are certain unalienable rights that can direct and shape one’s path. There is a Divine Birthright available to all. It is time to learn to give ourselves permission to own our Authority. This will be an interesting, and enlightening opportunity to gain an important tool to help navigate this thing called “Life”.
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Recordings from previous gatherings:
September 1 – “To Everything There Is A Season”
September 8 – Conrad Draper, “Shock to Awe”
NOTE: Due to a power outage during the speaker’s presentation, the recording was interrupted for several minutes but it does resume.
September 15 – Talina Davisenn, “Reconciling the Relationship with the Self”
September 22 – Michelle Carbone, “Thought Power: Pivoting Your Life Using Your Thoughts”
September 29 – Morning Star’s Jubilee Gathering: Celebrating 25 Years
October 6 – Katherine Skaggs (speaking via Zoom), “Heart and Soul – Signs, Symbols, and Messages from the Divine”
October 13 – Dr. Susan Sharp, “Restorative Justice Inside the Carceral”
October 20 – Tamara Van Hook, “An Ecology of the Spirit”
November 3 – Tori Rose, “Hope in Times of Uncertainty”
November 10 – Brenda Shoshana (speaking via Zoom), “To Separate What We Like from What We Dislike, Is the Disease of The Mind”
November 17 – James McCrae (speaking via Zoom), “Creative Alchemy”
November 24 – Karina Vega Ahumada, “Normal Grief”
December 1 – Rev. Dr. Rhonda Schienle, “Living with No Regrets”
December 8- Jerry Arias Watson, “A Man After Your Own Heart”
Subtitle: Faith, Self-Discovery and the Pursuit of Acceptance; Navigating Challenges and Finding Happiness as a Gay Man”
December 15 – Thomas Webb, “Life After Exoneration”
December 22 – Morning Star Community, “Holiday Jam”
December 29 – No Service
January 5 – Morning Star Community, “Finding Ourselves by Letting Go”
January 12 – Rabbi Rami (speaking via Zoom), “The Ultimate Vaccine: Realizing the I AM”
January 19 – Dara Fogel, Ph.D., “Navigating 2025: AI, Leadership, and the Crossroads of Social Transformation”
January 26 – Mark Davies, “Love No Matter What”
February 2 – Sacra Nicholas, “Opening Your Heart – The Path of Love”
February 9 – Bill and Shelly Hickman, “Walking the Camino de Santiago, Together”
February 16 – Anna Catherine Coon (speaking via Zoom), “Broken Open & Letting Go: The Shamanic Initiation of Grief“
February 23 – Members & Friends of Morning Star, Panel Presentation, “Spiritual Messages from Non-Speakers to Us Neurotypicals”
March 2 – Jim Rosemergy (speaking via Zoom), “Comes A Time, Comes A Question”
View Recording on our YouTube channel
At different times in our lives we assume varied identities: student, mother, father, tradesman, soldier, banker, teacher, minister, etc. How we see ourselves often determines our priorities; and what we allow to be a power in our lives. Imagine what we would give our alliance to if we knew ourselves to be spiritual beings. How would we see ourselves, others, and world events? On March 2nd, join us in anticipation of answering an important question that presents itself on our spiritual journeys, as Rev. Jim shares his message with us. Rev. Jim Rosemergy has been a Unity minister, serving in many capacities, for over forty years. In these decades of service, he has been the Executive Vice President of Unity’s World Headquarters at Unity Village and as a columnist for Unity Magazine. He was also a recipient of the Light of God Expressing Award, one of Unity’s highest honors. Jim is the author of 17 books, a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, who loves being outdoors. He especially appreciates the wonders and silence of nature.
March 9 – Leland Holgate (speaking via Zoom), “The Power of Feeling Good in Every Moment”
View Recording on our YouTube channel
Leland Holgate is a living testimony to the power of overcoming trauma. From a very challenging childhood, an elite Air Force career that brought an accident and temporary paralysis, to alcohol, drugs and homelessness, the challenges had just begun. Life started to turn around when a friend brought him to Tru Fusion where he discovered the practice of yoga and he felt his life calling to be a Trauma Recovery Yoga Instructor. Then came the death of his father, a head on car crash that left him paralyzed from the waist down, and the suicide of his brother who had once saved his life. Any one of those events could lead a person to despair. But Leland used the tools he’d gained thru the years, including those from the Warrior For Life program he’d developed for veterans and first responders, to show by example how to process and respond to adversity. With his Yoga Training, Mental Health Training and Breathwork, he shared his process with others. By acknowledging, “It’s OK to be a mess”, he was offering permission for true healing to begin. For the past decade Leland has been committed to understanding the science behind healing and sharing these insights. He earned a double degree in Neurochemistry and Neuropsychology and has made many contributions to the field of Holistic Health. This journey, rooted in personal pain and triumph, has become a testament to the power of resilience, the importance of scientific inquiry, and the transformative potential of ancient wisdom in modern times. Leland’s message at Morning Star will be an uplifting one. As he writes, “There will always be challenges in life, and the real work is to find a love for Self so deep, that no challenge is too big to continue forward. It really is as simple as focusing on feeling good in every moment. Whether it is a kind word to a fellow brother or sister, or maybe that good feeling of integrity when no one is looking, and you choose to do the right thing. The more we focus on doing what feels good in our heart, the easier it is to stay on the path and to feel the love of God.”
March 16 – Dr. Divi Chandna (speaking via Zoom), “Waking Up Our Intuition”
View Recording on our YouTube channel
Dr. Divi is a family doctor turned intuitive coach turned Spiritual Teacher. She is a best-selling author, a Ted X speaker, a media personality & a mom. Dr. Divi works with intuition, Universal Laws & understanding of energy to help people heal their lives so that they can live their Soul Mission. During this talk, Dr. Divi will teach you how to tap into your own intuition. We are all intuitive and for many of us our channels are a bit rusty & need to be opened more! She will speak about how our channels speak to us, and how we can access the higher realms of consciousness so that we can live a healthy, more free life. Dr. Divi will also discuss how we are often afraid of our intuition and the downside of not opening it up. In fact, Dr. Divi has seen many “illnesses” heal from tapping into our intuition. On an unconscious/subconscious level, that connection scares us, even though it is what we want the most! In this interactive talk, Dr. Divi will take you into meditations and practices to tap into your Superpower!
March 23 – Kyra Luna, “Into the Shadows: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Integration”
View Recording on our YouTube channel
Kyra is a devoted wife and mother who resides in Mustang OK. She finds joy in nature, her loved ones, reading, writing, and meeting people where they are. Through in-person and virtual classes she helps others identify and release unconscious blocks that hinder them from embracing their true radiance and divinity. She supports, guides and provides a safe space where individuals can unravel, transmute and express themselves authentically. For her presentation at Morning Star Kyra will share one of the powerful processes she uses to help others often referred to as shadow work. She describes this as a courageous process of turning inward to face the hidden aspects of ourselves—the fears, desires, and wounds we’ve buried beneath the surface. This journey is not about eliminating the shadow but integrating it, transforming repression into wisdom and self-sabotage into self-mastery. In her talk, Kyra will explore the nature of the shadow, why it forms, and how embracing it leads to greater wholeness, authenticity, and inner peace.
March 30 – Peter Tongue (speaking via Zoom), “The Shift of the Ages Through the Gene Keys”
View Recording on our YouTube channel
Peter Tongue has been on a Spiritual Path for much of his life. Early explorations of chemistry and astrology quickly evolved into studies of alchemy and the afterlife. Over the years, he has gained much insight on humanity’s innate ability to transform itself as well as the illusory veil that separates us from other dimensions. Peter was an Educator for thirty years and a High School Principal for thirteen years, during which time the Indigo Children provided him with first-hand accounts of their spiritual experiences as well as the limitations they were facing within the traditional school system. For the last ten years Peter has dedicated himself to the Gene Keys, providing one-on-one counseling sessions and group workshops for the different transmissions of the Gene Keys. He believes it is a pure and safe pathway to your own enlightenment! Your own Grail Quest! In his talk at Morning Star, Peter will provide an overview of the Gene Keys process by using the Gene Key Profile for the New Moon Solar Eclipse on March 29th. He will explain the significance of this weekend in moving towards the full embodiment of the Golden Age of Aquarius. Neptune will enter Aries for the first time in 165 years in the 25th Gene Key. Peter will share his knowledge and expertise of this event and the “big energies” that are involved.
April 6 – Kevin Anderson (speaking via Zoom), “The Mindful Way to Kindness” – NOT RECORDED AT THE SPEAKER’S REQUEST
Kevin Anderson, Ph.D. is a psychologist and writer who has provided therapy for individuals, couples, and families for 35 years. His books include Divinity in Disguise, Now Is Where God Lives, The Inconceivable Surprise of Living, and Noble Nature. He writes “The Soul of Therapy,” a column about the intersection of psychotherapy and spirituality, for Spirituality & Health magazine. He has been married to Claudia for 40 years, with whom he has five children and three grandchildren.
April 13 – Sandy See, “Nourishing the Heart: A Healing Journey of the Mind, Body, and Spirit”
View Recording on our YouTube channel
Sandy See will discuss her healing journey over the past 12 months after discovering that she might be a “heart attack waiting to happen.” This led to a search for more integrative practices for treating high blood pressure and heart disease than offered by our current healthcare system. Realizing that to truly heal, she needed to focus on nourishing all of the bodies (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual). Sandy will share how her overall health has improved by following a whole foods diet, increasing exercise, and drawing from practices she has learned as a meditation teacher, yoga instructor, and somatic wellness practitioner. Sandy will lead the group through some of the mind/body practices recommended in the book Just One Heart: A Cardiologists Guide to Healing, Health, and Happiness by Dr. Jonathan Fisher, who is also a mindfulness teacher. Happily retired since 2017 after 20+ years working in book promotion and marketing, Sandy has focused her attention on health and wellness. She leads movement and meditation classes at the Cleveland County Wellness Center (The Well) and the Adult Wellness and Education Center in Norman. Sandy also hosts sound immersions for large and small groups, offering the community the opportunity to experience deep relaxation.
April 20 – Amy Thurman, “The Crosswalk: Stepping into Something Greater”
View Recording on our YouTube channel
Easter is a powerful reminder of change, renewal and the promise of new beginnings. As with the changing seasons, transformation happens when we release what was, and step toward what is waiting ahead. For her talk at Morning Star, Amy Thurman will help us identify crosswalk moments in our lives. These spaces between where we’ve been and where we’re meant to go are invitations to step into a more authentic, fulfilling and purpose driven life. It takes courage, but these crosswalks can become the critical step to becoming rather than simply achieving. Amy is no stranger to Morning Star. As a member of the Board, a regular participant, and former speaker, it is a pleasure to welcome her to share with us once again. Amy is an author, inspirational speaker, teacher, wife, and mother. Her journey of moving from incapacitation and suicidal thoughts to international speaking opportunities and even being featured on a Times Square billboard has exceeded anything she could have imagined. Amy is living proof of what can happen when selflove is embraced and all limitations are cast aside.
April 27 – Joan Cowden, “Time of Roses — There is Love”
View Recording on our YouTube channel
Walking the hills of Oklahoma Green Country in her early years enabled Joan Cowden to profoundly deepen her connection to the natural world and its healing rhythms. She has studied natural healing, including trauma technology, austere medicine and herbalism, since the 1970s. She completed her Clinical Herbalist training at the North American Institute of Medical Herbalism with honors, and holds a degree in Technical Education. Joan has been a spiritual seeker from childhood, and attributes much of her Divine Spirit connection and insights to the hours spent sitting in Nature early in her life. Her work is rooted in an awareness of the connections between all life, and especially between people, plants and place. In addition to teaching and seeing clients, she shares how to align deeply with Earth’s healing cycles and rhythms: Daily, Lunar and Solar.
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HOW TO JOIN OUR VIRTUAL ZOOM OPTION
The virtual meeting room will be open at 10:00 a.m. for virtual visiting and the service will start at 10:15 a.m. If you have trouble connecting or have technical issues on your end, please don’t worry or concern yourself about it. Just disconnect, go on about your Sunday, and wait for the recording to be posted on our public Facebook page (Morning Star Center for Spiritual Living) and on our website (www.morningstarcenter.org) under the Speaker’s tab. Instructions for you to download ZOOM and connect are included below.
You have 2 options.
- Attend by using the computer or laptop.
- Attend by using your mobile phone.
Choose the option that works best for you. Be sure to prepare and install ZOOM in advance. It takes a few minutes to set everything up.
Know that using ZOOM as an attendee is always free. You don’t need to buy an account.
Instructions for using ZOOM on the computer or laptop.
- Be sure that you have internet.
- Click on this link to download the software >> https://zoom.us/download
- Install ZOOM.
- Accept all the features and questions (don’t worry. It’s safe!)
- On Sunday morning, click on this link around 9:30 to join the meeting. We want to be sure everything is working. Be on time so we can help you out! https://us04web.zoom.us/j/441871663
- Turn up your sound so you can hear us.
Instructions for using ZOOM on your phone:
- Be sure that you have internet.
- Go to the app store on your phone and download the ZOOM app.
- Accept all the features and questions (don’t worry. It’s safe!)
- On Sunday morning around 9:30, open the app on your phone and click on ‘ join meeting’.
- Fill in the following meeting id number: 441-871-663.
- Accept using camera and phone (otherwise you can’t hear us).