At Big Stone House we wrestle with, wonder about, and practice the kinds of things that foster connection, fuel connection, and grow good in ways that make this world (and our own selves, too) a little more human.
Our classes, courses, conversations and community gatherings weave together old teachings and traditions with new insights and practice, providing all kinds of people from all kinds of places with food for thought, healing for the heart, and fuel for the soul…and in the process, conjure up a sense of connection to the people around us, to our own selves, and to The Bigger Picture of Things.
The Courage Experiment: November 20-22, 2026.
Sitting on Sundays is a one-hour online practice rooted in old spiritual traditions offered in a new kind of way. It’s a place to wrestle with and wonder about what it is to be human (or, really, what it is to be us) and how we might grow more good wherever we are, however we can.
Sitting on Sundays started in the Fall of 2019 in the Library of the Big Stone House—an in-person practice that one person described as “a mashup between a Quaker meeting, a Buddhist sit, an AA meeting…and a little bit of hootenanny thrown in for good measure….” In March 2020, this simple practice went online as a way to keep people connected during the pandemic…and we’ve been meeting online ever since with regular attendees Zooming in from the five times zones across Canada and the United States.
As a long-time Sitter recently said: “This practice gives me hope for the world. More than that, it gives me hope for myself and the people around me…and that’s no small thing. I wish everybody had something like this to be a part of, a community like this to belong to. We’d all be better off for it.” We agree. It’s such a simple practice, really. But don’t let the simplicity fool you: these sessions are about as good for the soul as anything we’ve ever experienced.
Curious to know more? Contact Angie Arendt: angie@bigstonehouse.org.
Note: Sitting on Sundays meets once-a-month during the summer (June, July and August). We’ll return to a weekly practice in September.
Details:
Sitting on Sundays: The Summer Sessions takes place on Zoom (the Zoom link is provided upon registration)
Dates: June 14, July 26 and August 16.
Time: *7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
Registration: $15 per month (plus Sitting Between Sundays notes).
Includes a bi-weekly “Sitting Between Sundays” update with food-for-thought and at-home practices to cultivate connection, tend the soul.
Please note: there is no pressure or requirement to attend every session. If you are unable to make it to a Sit? No guilt. There is no attendance taken, no recordings made. Just come when you can.
*Here are the start times for different time zones: 7 p.m. Eastern Time, 6 p.m. Central Time, 5 p.m. Mountain Time and 4 p.m. Pacific Time. Also, 8 p.m. Atlantic Time.
Sitting on Sundays.
Online. Ongoing. Sundays at 7p (Eastern).
The Fall/Winter session starts Sunday, September 20.
Not Another Book Group Book Group (NABGBG) is a small group experience where folks wrestle with and wonder about and even practice the kinds of things that make life feel a bit more connected, a bit more alive—the kinds of things we often wish we could talk about but often shove to the side in the comings and goings of our days.
The details for the Spring 2026 Session:
NABGBG meets online (Zoom).
We’ll meet four times this session:
7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursdays, March 5, March 19, April 2 and April 16.
Writing Down the Bonesby Natalie Goldberg is the book for this session (see below)
Writing Down the Bones is arguably Natalie Goldberg’s most well-known book. Originally published more than thirty years ago as a book on writing, Bones is really a magic manual (as one reviewer calls is) that combines meditation with writing to create a mindfulness practice that is practical, personal, and oh-so-good for the soul.
In this session of NABGBG, we’ll learn about the how, what, and why of practices for paying attention. That’s what this book is all about: the ways we can better pay attention, listen, look, engage with the real meat of life. We’ll read the book together and write through some of the practices on the pages, too. Participants receive weekly e-mails for support: articles, questions and/or videos for contemplation, consideration and connection grounded in the topic-at-hand. This course, after all, isn’t just about learning good-to-know information. It’s about taking all of the things we learn and discover and using those details to grow ever more human, ever more good in our little corners of the world. Support is a good thing. So is connection.
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Over the years, NABGBG participants have read Anne Lamott, Thomas Moore, Brené Brown, Padriag O’Tuama, Richard Rohr, and others with an eye for seeing the sacred in the simple stuff of life. We’ve explored (among other things) grief, good, things-that-are-considered-sacred, community, blessing, gratitude, grace, prayer, and hope…and along the way have conjured up a lot of “A-ha!”s, more than a few “Huh…”s, and a whole lot of “Damn, I hadn’t thought of it that way before…”. People don’t necessarily walk away with a lot of hard-and-fast, once-and-for-all answers to the questions that come up in these sessions, but we all walk away with insights that shape us for the better.
It’s so good. As one participant once put it: “This is the best part of my week…”
Questions? Contact Angie Arendt: angie@bigstonehouse.org.
(yes, that’s Angie’s copy of this book in the photo…it is well read, well loved).
(more than a) Book Group Book Group
A new session starts Fall 2026.
Reading. Learning. Pondering and wondering about how to be and bring a bit more human into the world through the words on the page. Online (Zoom).
From June 19-21, 2026, a glorious group of like-hearted, diverse-thinking folk with wide-ranging backgrounds are getting together in Almonte, Ontario area to grow a better world by telling better stories about what it is to be human, what it is to belong. You might want to be there.
Friday from 7-9p, Saturday from 9-4p, Sunday from 9-Noon.
The Courage Experiment is part class, part conversation, part practice—a small group kind of thing with questions and stories and a-ha’s galore. We can’t guarantee that you’ll walk out of the weekend with everything you need to grow a better world. That would be a huge over-sell, eh? But we can say that through all of the good-to-know information and good-for-the-soul explorations here, you’ll be sparked to bring a bit more ‘human’ (i.e.: connection, care, curiosity, grace, wonder) into the places you live and work…and will have some more resources and support to do so. That’s no small thing.
The Enneagram of Connection (or, as we call it around here: The Enneagram of We) will give us a way to wade into and conjure up our better stories, remind us of what it is to be human (or, really, what it is to be us) and give us a glimpse of how to cultivate and kindle the courage it takes to connect in this fast-moving, ever-changing world.
There will be prompts throughout the weekend, too—practices to rekindle things like wonder and grace, curiosity and connection. Some traditions call these kinds of practices ‘contemplative’ while other traditions simply call them reflective, mindful, awe-evoking, gratitude-growing, wholehearted. Whatever you call them, they are simply good for the soul. We might sing a bit. And for sure there will be pie.
Like we said, you might want to be there. Questions? Drop Angie Arendt a note: angie@bigstonehouse.org.
Note: No prerequisites are required—if you’re new to the Enneagram? Great. If you’ve been around it for years? Also great. There will be all kinds of insights and a-ha’s, wow’s and wonderment, conversations and questions to remind you of what you’re here for and spark some hope no matter your level of experience.
The Courage Experiment.
November 20-22, 2026.
In person. Almonte, Ontario.
Part class, part practice, part conversation, all to cultivate the courage to keep growing good wherever we are, however we can.
Here’s what people have to say about Big Stone House…
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Angie Arendt
Partner. Mentor. Reverend-at-Large. Writer. A-ha inducer.
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Peter McGaugh
Partner. Mentor. Dot connector. Writer. Curiosity conjurer.
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Ellie and Chester.
Contempawtives. Decent listeners. Great huggers. Smile evokers.
Also…
Angie Arendt and Peter McGaugh can both be found on Substack. The Bigger Picture is Angie’s column. Peter’s writings can be found at Elevating Human Decency. Check out their columns. Comment if you can. And follow along, if you are so inclined.
For the past five years, Angie was a regular guest on Meanderings with Trudy: The PauseCast. That podcast has wrapped up, but you can still catch old episodes on things like grace, hope, joy, and grief and a whole series on the how/what/why of the Enneagram (the link here is to the episode on The Enneagram and Connection).
