Spiritual Travel Photo Gallery:

Some photos of spiritually-oriented trips that Jen has taken or organized, overseas or outside of the GVRD within Canada. Click on the links (in red) to read more about each person or group.

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Jen visits the Nk'Mip (In-ka-meep) Cultural Centre in Osoyoos, BC, helps with the apple harvest in Cawston, samples a deconstructed "Indian Taco" (bannock and chili with the fixins) at the Similkameen Hot Pepper Festival, and collects "Grandmothers" from the Similkameen River in Keremeos, BC (the grandmothers are heading for Gordon's new sweat lodge on Sunshine Coast), Sept 15-19, 2011.

Jen goes on a week long Daoist Immersion with Livia Kohn, in the Cibola National Forest in New Mexico. Activities included lectures, close text readings, meditation, and qigong. Jen gave a talk on "Universal Life Force Energy (Reiki) for Health and Wellness" and taught the group Mind Gems from GeoTran. Sept 11-18, 2010.

Jen visits Rocamadour, a Christian pilgrimmage site in France since the 1100's. This is the site of Durandal, the warrior Roland's mighty iron sword which was set into the rock above the Chapel de Notre Dame by the archangel Michael (to keep it out of enemy hands). The Chapel Notre Dame contains a treasured Black Madonna statue, said to be carved by the Saint Amadour himself, after whom the site is named, and whose relics used to reside in a cave in the rockface where he reportedly died (they have since been removed). July 1, 2010.

Jen attends "La Voie du Tao" (The Way of the Dao), an international exhibit of Daoist artifacts at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, June 24, 2010.

Jen gives a lecture, chairs a panel, and attends many presentations and workshops at the 6th International Conference on Daoism, called "Daoism Today: Science, Health, Ecology" at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, June 2-7, 2010. This conference, organized by Robin Wang and Livia Kohn (above centre left), brought together respected academic scholars, Daoist adepts, qigong and taichi masters, and energy workers from all over the world in an attempt to meld intellectual and scientific investigation with religious and energetic practice.

Jen is one of three Canadians (Calgarians Rita and Greg shown with Jen at centre) invited to the First International Summit on Laozi and Daoist Studies in Beijing, where she is invited to present a paper, chair a panel of distinguished speakers (including Livia Kohn and Michael Winn, among others), feast at a banquet reception at the Great Hall of the People (laughing above with James Miller), and finally tour the historic Henan province, including Luyi (the "birthplace of Laozi"), and the Luoyang Caves (Longmen Grotto), Nov 4-12, 2009. Over 600 scholars, clergy, and practitioners were invited from all over the world.

Jen attends rituals and gives a lecture at the 5th International Conference on Daoism at Wudangshan - the fantastically beautiful centre of Daoism in China, June 18-22, 2009. Now spotted with temples, this mountain range has hosted Daoist mystics and hermits for two thousand years, is the birthplace of Taichi, and most recently was used as the location of such films as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

Jen on a research trip to China, Dec 2-17, 2008. Jen studied early Chinese (206 BCE - 8 CE) medical and divinatory practices at the Shanghai Museum via a special loan of the Wuwei Hanjian bamboo strips from the Gansu Provincial Museum, and studied early Chinese philosophical texts at the Forest of Stelae in Xi'an (an early Confucian learning centre). She also visited the beautiful Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai and the White Cloud Taoist Temple in Beijing (one of the three earliest Zhen Tao schools, and the most important one since the Yuan Dynasty).

Jen visits the Nk'Mip (In-ka-meep) Cultural Centre in Osoyoos, BC, July 25, 2008. After viewing two wonderful presentations, Jen attracts some orbs by the fire, and samples some traditional Native fare, like grilled bison, venison sausages, smoked seafood, and local apples.

Jen is invited on a private tour of the Squamish-Lil'Wat Cultural Centre in Whistler Aug 9, 2008, the day before the official opening, watches a high quality film explaining the origins of the Centre, and gets a sneak peak of the drumming and singing being rehearsed for the opening ceremonies of the Centre the next day (no photos allowed, too bad).

Luo Tian Da Jiao Ceremony at the Yuen Yuen Institute in Hong Kong, a 14 day gathering of over 500 Daoist monks and nuns from varied Daoist sects all over the world. The devotees spent long days performing rituals, chanting and praying for world peace, prosperity for Hong Kong, and good health for the people of the world. A momentous occasion - this was only the third time in recorded history that a Luo Tian Da Jiao Ceremony has been held. Jen attended the last two days of ritual, Nov 23 & 24, 2007. To watch a great video by James Miller, one of the participants of the The Fourth International Conference on Daoism: Daoism in Action [click here].

Jen at the Fourth International Conference on Daoism: Daoism in Action, in Hong Kong, Nov 21-25, 2007. Shown at centre: A distinguished panel of sponsors, including Prof Lee Wing On, Acting President of the HK Institute of Education (speaking), Tong Wai Ki of Yuen Yuen Institute, Keynote speaker Dr. Lik Kuen Tong, a Daoist monk and Daoist Reverend Zhang Ji Yu, and Dr. Livia Kohn (in pink).