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 slow down, sit a bit, wrestle with and wonder about and grow a bit more human and a lot more good at home, at work, and in the world.
Details:
Sitting on Sundays is a once-a-week virtual gathering (Zoom).
Time: *7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
Registration: $20 per month.
Registration includes a bi-weekly Sitting Between Sundays e-mail 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.
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 met once a month in June, July and August. We return to weekly schedule on Sunday, September 20.
*Here are the start times for different time zones: 8 p.m. Atlantic Time, 7 p.m. Eastern Time, 6 p.m. Central Time, 5 p.m. Mountain Time and 4 p.m. Pacific Time.
Also? The registration price is quoted in USD.
Sitting on Sundays.
Online. Ongoing. Sundays at 7p (Eastern).
The Fall/Winter session starts Sunday, September 20.
(more than a) Book Group Book Group (mtaBGBG) 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 Fall 2026 Session:
It’s a virtual gathering (Zoom).
We’ll meet four times this session:
7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Mondays October 5, October 19, November 2 (All Soul’s Day…fitting, we figure) and November 16.
Theo of Golden is the book for this session.
“One spring morning, a stranger named Theo arrives in the small Southern city of Golden. He doesn’t explain much about where he came from or why he’s there—but when he visits the local coffeehouse, where pencil portraits of the people of Golden hang on the walls, he begins purchasing them, one at a time, and giving each portrait to the person depicted. In exchange, he asks only for the person’s story. And so portrait by portrait, person by person, secrets are revealed, regrets are shared, and ordinary lives are profoundly altered. ..” (from Amazon’s website).
Theo of Golden is Allen Levi’s debut novel—a New York Times best seller about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder and paying attention, and the invisible threads that bind us one to another.
In this session of (mta)BGBG, we’ll explore those topics (generosity, wonder, paying attention, connection, creativity, the power of a story, the gift of second chances…and more) as we wade through the book together, connecting the dots between the words on the page and the stories of our lives. We’ll wrestle with why (and if) these qualities matter in our own day-to-day and, if so, how we can cultivate them in ordinary, everyday ways…growing a bit more human and a lot more good in our own little corners of the world along the way. Participants receive weekly e-mails for support along the way, too: questions, practices, stories and occasionally a bit of art or music to spark further contemplation, curiosity and connection.
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Over the years, (mta)BGBG participants have read books by 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.
As one participant once put it: “This is the best part of my week…”
It’s so good.
Questions? Contact Angie Arendt: angie@bigstonehouse.org.
Note: registration is priced in USD.
Also? We encourage participants to support small businesses whenever and however they can. Theo of Golden is likely found in your local bookstore or can be ordered there. And if you don’t have a local bookstore? bookshop.org is a great place to shop. Every purchase on that site financially supports independent bookstores all over the world.
(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).
This Fall, a glorious group of like-hearted, diverse-thinking folk with wide-ranging backgrounds will gather together for The Courage Experiment: a weekend of telling better stories about what it is to be human, what it is to belong…and You might want to be there.
November 20-22, 2026.
Friday from 7-9p, Saturday from 9-4p, Sunday from 9-Noon.
Almonte, Ontario.
The Courage Experiment is a series of weekend gatherings: part class, part conversation, part practice. It’s a small group setting in a beautiful spot where like-hearted people from all walks of life can cultivate things like connection and belonging, curiosity and care in the places they live and work….which is no small thing in this world that oh-so-often feels oh-so-artificial, oh-so-independent. There is no guarantee that you’ll walk out of these weekend experiences with everything you need to grow a better world (that kind of promise would be a huge over-sell, eh?); however, we can say that all of the good-to-know information and good-for-the-soul explorations will spark a whole lot of curiosity about ways you can bring a bit more ‘human’ (i.e.: connection, care, curiosity, grace, wonder) into the places you live and work…and provide you with all kinds of insight, resources and support to do so. That’s no small thing.
Becoming is the theme for this session of The Courage Experiment. We’ll study the Enneagram of Becoming over the weekend—an exploration of the holy idea that we all carry a sliver of the sacred in us. This new-old teaching will provide a way to wade into and conjure up our better stories, remind us of what it is to be human (and why that matters) and give a glimpse of how to cultivate and kindle the courage it takes to become more and more courageous and connected in this fast-moving, ever-changing world.
Also? There will be practices throughout the weekend 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.
As mentioned above, you might want to be there. It’s oh-so-good for the soul. And oh-so-needed in the world.
Questions? Drop Angie Arendt a note: angie@bigstonehouse.org.
Note: No prerequisites are required—if you are 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.
Also: registration fee is quoted in USD.
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).
