Recorded Programs & Events

January 1, 2020

SATIGATHA

An Evening of Music, Meditation & Chanting

Join Chris Berlin and Darren Becker for stripped down versions of Satigata songs, both new and old, as well as guided meditation and chanting. This virtual program also inluded the debut a new song, “Remain,” which will be featured on Satigata’s upcoming album to be released later this year.

Chris and Darren are both graduates of the Buddhist ministry program at Harvard Divinity School, where Chris also serves as faculty. They are the founders of Satigata, a band that integrates contemplative modern music with Buddhist themes and chants. Satigata’s music and events facilitate a community experience of mindfulness, meditation and spiritual growth. Chris and Darren are also long-time meditation practitioners with years of teaching experience. More information about Satigata, as well as their debut album, “Boundless,” can be found at satigata.com.

This program was recorded June 5, 2020.


DEAD PEOPLE I HAVE MET

A virtual talk with Rob Velella

In 1850, Mount Auburn Cemetery resident N. P. Willis published his book “People I Have Met.” Literary historian Rob Velella uses this chatty memoir as inspiration for a virtual discussion highlighting his own visits to authors’ graves across the United States  — including Mount Auburn — and what motivates his macabre hobby.

This talk was recorded on May 30, 2020.


MAKING A MONUMENT

A Virtual Talk and Studio Tour with Karin Sprague Stone Carvers

Karin Sprague, Principal, Karin Sprague Stone Carvers, Inc., highlights examples of contemporary monuments, many of which are found at Mount Auburn, and discuss how they are designed and carved. Karin Sprague Stone Carvers, Inc. is one of the few remaining stone carving shops in the United States continuing the tradition of carving memorials and gravestones solely by hand. This virtual tour includes a visit to Karin’s workshop and a demonstration of stone carving by her team.

This program was recorded on May 27, 2020.


MARGARET FULLER: NO INTELLECT COMPARABLE

A Virtual Talk with Rob Velella

Margaret Fuller is recognized as an important early American literary critic, journalist, and the author of the first full-length feminist book in the United States. She once said: “I now know all the people worth knowing in America, and I find no intellect comparable to my own.”

Join Rob Velella on Margaret Fuller’s Birthday (May 23) for a virtual conversation that examines this quote, its context, and its potential veracity. Velella is an independent literary historian. In 2010 he served as guest curator of “Margaret Fuller: Woman of the Nineteenth Century,” an exhibition at Harvard’s Houghton Library for her bicentennial.

This event was recorded on May 23, 2020.


YOGA FOR GRIEF

A Virtual Workshop with Carrie Taylor

“Grief is a house where the chairs have forgotten how to hold us, the mirrors how to reflect us, the walls how to contain us..” – Jandy Nelson

Grief will touch all of us at some point, whether through the loss of a loved one, a pet, a career, a dream, or the current state of the world during this global pandemic. Unlike other emotions that easily pass through our daily existence, grief has a way of taking hold and demanding our attention. While often painful, it can also be a deeply transformative and powerful teacher. This class focuses on working with our grief through gentle yoga and journaling. 

If you want to follow along with the class prompts, we suggest that you wear cozy clothes and have a yoga mat or towel, any yoga props you need, tea or water, and a favorite journal.

This program was recorded on April 28, 2020.


MOUNT AUBURN ICE AGE LEGACY

A Virtual Tour with Robin Hazard Ray

The Boston area was buried under glacial ice for thousands of years, and Mount Auburn’s unique landscape preserves wonderful remnants of this icy past. This presentation by Mount Auburn docent and historian Robin Hazard Ray will explore dramatic glacial landforms—kames, kettle ponds, and an esker—that have been lost to development and mining elsewhere in our area. 

This program was recorded on April 21, 2020.


FOR COUNTRY NOT FOR GLORY

A Virtual Tour of Veterans’ Monuments

Over the past six years, Mount Auburn has preserved more than forty monuments honoring veterans. Jenny Gilbert (Director of Institutional Advancement) and Greg Ghazil (Preservation Supervisor) present a virtual tour that pays tribute to the soldiers, sailors, military doctors, nurses, and musicians who have served our country. Along with telling the stories of each individual memorialized, these monuments are an important funerary art form with their evocative combination of carved words and imagery. Learn how conservation stabilizes the stones, preserves the sculptural work, and ensures the long-term survival of these important cultural artifacts that so beautifully honor and memorialize Massachusetts veterans.

This online event was recorded on April 15, 2020.

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