Toronto Oasis, Secular Community

This week at Oasis, Azadeh Piraziman will join us to speak about her journey as she has traveled from Iran to Canada and an artistic journey influenced by her upbringing and her new experiences in Canada. A remarkable and articulate young woman, you will enjoy her story.

Azadeh Pirazimian is a Toronto based multidisciplinary artist who has been absolutely fascinated by the different forms of art, either visual arts or drama.  She received a B.A. in painting and an M.A in Visual Communications, followed by a six year career as an art lecturer at the University level in Iran.

In 2015 Azadeh moved to Canada and participated in a course in Essential Illustration in OCAD University. At the same time, she engaged with Vibe Arts For Children and Youth as an established artist. Later in 2016 she joined the Mural Career Development Certificate Program and worked with Mural Routes Organisation as part of their creative mural team. She also worked with Blinc Studios as a muralist to create several murals in Toronto.

In 2017 Azadeh joined the Canadian Center for Language and Cultural Studies (CCLCS) to gain drama experience in English while working as a visual arts instructor in the Rosetta School Of Visual Art.

And returning to the Oasis stage:

Kobena Aquaa-Harrison is a Toronto based singer songwriter originally from Ghana.  His blend of story telling and music captivates his audience.

As always, we will have coffee and snacks (bring your favourites!) and you can RSVP for this event on our Meetup page at https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/243288825/.

First of all, we are back at our usual location starting this week: Koffler House, 569 Spadina Ave., 2nd floor.

Empathy vs. Persuasion in the War of Worldviews

Today, the largest growing subculture in the 12-Step addiction/recovery culture is secular Alcoholics Anonymous. All AA eyes have been on Toronto in the last few years as an Ontario Human Rights Tribunal reviewed a Greater Toronto AA body wish to exclude (discriminate) against AA groups for atheists and agnostics.

In traveling around North America, talking about addiction/recovery and worldviews, Joe C has been presenting an argument that personal worldviews/belief isn’t a linear (one dimensional) spectrum with atheists (natural worldview) at one end and believers (supernaturalism worldview) at the other end of the axis, and agnostics in the middle. Worldviews that divide us are bi-dimensional.  There is the intuitive axis of supernatural vs. natural worldview. We also have a rational axis with concrete reasoning vs. abstract reasoning on the other axis. So, there are four primary worldviews that divide us; not just two or three.

Joe will share stories of research and advocacy for freethinkers in addiction/recovery and make a case for empathy towards contrary worldviews and discus the five human obstacles that make us want to dominate or convert “others” instead of appreciating them as peers.

Joe C., Rebellion Dogs Publishing https://www.rebelliondogspublishing.com

Snacks and Music

As always we will have coffee and pot luck snacks and music.

Our regular space is unavailable this week but we couldn’t pas on the amazing opportunity to have Dr. Sage Milo join us to help us better understand Gender Identity, Gender Transition and Pronouns.  So for this week only we will be meeting at 252 Bloor Street West – Room 8280 (North side of Bloor, between St. George and Bedford), at our regular time of 10:30 AM. Please note that we can not bring food and drink into this room, so rather than our normal snacks and coffee we will be going out for brunch afterwards around noon at Bedford Academy (36 Prince Arthur Avenue).

Sage will be speaking with us , interview style, to help us come to a better understanding of how people self identify as a particular gender, the brave choices involved with gender transition, and how we can support and respect an individual’s gender choice through how we address and refer to them.

Sage Milo was until recently an international student at York University, where they completed a PhD in Gender, Feminist & Women’s Studies. Their academic work focused on feminist periodicals in early 20th century England.  They are trans (identify as transmasculine non-binary), and have recently started medical transition.

This week music we are delighted to have Cassie Norton back with us to entertain and inspire us with wonderful music.

Community Responsibility in Times of Crisis

This week at Oasis, Jo Fiorito will be discussing with us the need to overcome social isolation in order to deal with the crises of drugs, homelessness and the worst of social media.

Joe Fiorito  is a journalist  who wrote columns about social justice issues for the Montreal Gazette, The Globe&Mail, The National Post and the Toronto Star newspapers. He won the National Newspaper Award for Columns in 1995; the Brassani Prize for Short Fiction in 2000; and the City of Toronto Book Award in 2003.

He is the author of seven books:

• Comfort Me With Apples (collection of columns)
• Tango On The Main (collection of columns)
• The Closer We Are To Dying (memoir)
• The Song Beneath The Ice (novel)
• Union Station (non-fiction)
• Rust Is A Form Of Fire (non-fiction)

His most recent book, The Life Crimes and Hard Times of Ricky Atkinson, Leader of the Dirty Tricks Gang, has just been published.

He is married, lives in Toronto and is currently at work on his first collection of poetry.

And returning to the Oasis stage – Dan Guiry!

Dan Guiry is a Toronto based singer songwriter from Calgary.  He combines soulful melodies with a raw emotional range. His album Max Phoenix Knifecity can be found on Itunes and heard on XM radio.

This week, George Oliver will be giving a workshop on Time Leadership.  We are happy to let you know we are welcoming back Erik Bleich to fill some precious moments with music.  And one more timely announcement – don’t miss our new start time of 10:30 AM in the  Main Activity Hall on the second floor!

Contrary to popular perception and the titles of an endless number of books, time can’t be managed. Because we lead chaotic lives in a chaotic world, time can only be led.  In this workshop, you will learn and PRACTICE:

• How to develop a personal Credo that you will use to guide how you schedule and spend your time.  (“Time is life”).
• How to create your weekly personal calendar so that is in alignment with your values and priorities
• How to free up time so as to reduce stress, get rid of things that are time-wasters and position yourself to be able to react to the inevitable unplanned demand on your time that will always be part of your life. (Remember: Time can’t be managed). Warning: Freeing up time requires discipline, ‘backbone’ and the ability to say “no”.  We’ll talk about how to say ‘no’ a lot.

Techniques, concepts, quotations and tools relating to time will be shared throughout the workshop.

NOTE: In addition to your brain, please bring some paper to write on and come prepared to share the difficulties you have with time (e.g., “never have enough time”).  As part of the presentation, we will discuss time-related issues and challenges identified by the attendees.  You will leave with practical ideas, concepts and methods to – if applied – enable you to spend MORE time on things that contribute to having a meaningful life.”

George Oliver is a man of many talents, careers and interest. He has an MBA from Queens, but as a life long learner (having just completed a Non-Profit Management Program from Ryerson) he continues to study when many of his class mates are contemplating retirement.  George has worked as a trainer with many clients, and owns and operates his own  small management consulting company called “Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious”.  His energy and positivity is infectious, so be prepared for a highly interactive, fast paced program that will be well worth your time!

Erik Bleich is a northwestern Ontario ex-pat living in Toronto, singer/songwriter Erik Bleich gives us everything from street lit lullabies to manic, rambling romps. It’s his vision of folk music for the Internet Age!

This Sunday August 27th Toronto Oasis is pleased to have Charles Richard Christopher Hope (Chris) lead us in a discussion exploring the top ten world issues more important than Trump.

Its easy to get caught up in the media frenzy of one story and lose sight of all the other issues facing our world today.  Chris will lead us through a discussion on what we think are the most pressing world issues, followed by a review of what a number of publications have noted as critical issues facing the world.

We will meet as usual in the Koffler Centre at the University of Toronto at 11am, in the 2nd floor space beside the elevator. Please RSVP on our Meetup page for the event at https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/241328829/.

Advance Notice: For Sunday September 3rd, the plan is for us all to go join with the other Oasis Network member in Toronto, West Hill United Church, for their non-theist service and the “Visitors and Travelers Lunch” afterwards – 10:30am at 62 Orchard Park Drive (corner with Kingston Road) in Scarborough.

This week Toronto Oasis is pleased to have Brett Matthews tell his own story of godless faith, followed by a general discussion.

We know that there is meditation without religion. Is there also room for a godless faith?

Is there a difference to you, between faith and belief? faith and hope? 
Do you have faith? If so, what sort? Why?

This week Toronto Oasis is pleased to have our own Tania Akon lead a group discussion on religious accommodation.  So please bring your thoughts, stories and inquisitive open minds!  (Also please feel free to bring snacks!  Coffee and tea will be provided.)

As usual, we are meeting at the Multifaith Centre at the University of Toronto, 569 Spadina Ave., in our summer room: the 2nd floor multipurpose room beside the elevator.