Come to our presentations at LCS Gardens

Open Circle provides a supportive environment to gather for social interaction and to improve our understanding of ourselves, our community and our world.

Upcoming

October 13, presentation

"Thank You for Your Service" Protection of Immigrant Veterans and Military Spouses: Successful Cases from Jalisco

Tran N. Dang, J.D., is the founder and executive director of The Rhizome Center for Migrants, a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing post-deportation legal, advocacy, and reintegration support to the returned and deported community and their families in Mexico.

Tran is a recognized expert and leading voice on the mid- to long-term consequences of U.S. immigration enforcement policies on the U.S.-Mexico border region, with particular emphasis on their larger impact on mixed-status families, labor migrants, and immigrant veterans.

October 20, 2024
Tales from the Tomb

Dale Hoyt Palfrey

October 27, 2024
Coming Soon Presentation

November 3, 2024
Learning Love

Greg Kemp

If You Missed an In-person Presentation, You Can Still Enjoy It Online

A talk on Family System Theory

Join us on the LCS campus for a candid and provocative talk about the emotional systems of humans and seeing mental and psychological challenges as issues stemming from the primal brain, led by Lillie Mae Henley. She looks at Dr. Murray Bowen's work which was defined after he studied natural life sciences, evolutionary processes, and of course, the development of systems theory in relation to the emotional system of human beings.

Past Presentations

About Open Circle

For nearly 30 years, the Lake Chapala area has been honored to host Mexico’s longest-standing weekly English language lecture series. Begun in 1995 by volunteers under the title of “New Dimensions” and initially focused on various aspects of spirituality, in 2001 the program became “Open Circle” and was hosted in homes and restaurants. The Lake Chapala Society became Open Circle Ajijic’s permanent home in the early 2000’s and (since 20021) has become an official Lake Chapala Society program.

 

Mission Statement: 

“Open Circle Ajijic provides a supportive environment to gather for social interaction and to improve our understanding of ourselves, our community, and our world. Presentations span a wide range of intellectual, cultural, physical, and spiritual topics. We do not necessarily agree with the ideas and philosophies of our presenters. We encourage you to listen with an open mind and form your own opinions.”

 

Thank You for Your Service
Tran Dang - October 13, 2024

“Thank You for Your Service”
Protection of Immigrant Veterans and Military Spouses: Successful Cases from Jalisco

Presenter and Guest:
Tran Dang, Founder and Director of The Rhizome Center for Migrants
Noreen D. Francis Cozzens, Commander American Legion Post 7 Chapala

Tran N. Dang, J.D., is the founder and executive director of The Rhizome Center for Migrants, a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing post-deportation legal, advocacy, and reintegration support to the returned and deported community and their families in Mexico.

Tran is a recognized expert and leading voice on the mid- to long-term consequences of U.S. immigration enforcement policies on the U.S.-Mexico border region, with particular emphasis on their larger impact on mixed-status families, labor migrants, and immigrant veterans.

Before moving to Guadalajara, where she currently resides, Tran directed a human rights office and refugee legal aid clinic in Bangkok, Thailand, where she represented victims of persecution in regional human rights forums and systems, the UNHCR, and UN special procedures.

Tran is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees and is the first generation of her family born in the United States. She received her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center and holds a B.S. in both Finance and Communications from The University of Texas at Austin. She speaks English, Vietnamese, and Spanish fluently.

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Tales from the Tomb
Dale Hoyt Palfrey - October 20, 2024

Many people are not aware that more than 500 foreign residents have been laid to rest in Chapala’s Municipal Cemetery since 1955. Among them are many former leaders of the expatriate community, including 14 former LCS presidents, benefactor Ed Wilkes whose Ajijic home now houses the Wilkes Education Center, a number of outstanding artists, dozens of military veterans, and the first victim of Chapala’s notorious Black Widow.
Dale will share some of their stories and talk about the history of the foreign sections of the cemetery and a current effort spearheaded by American Legion Post 7 to revitalize the grounds.

Dale has been a permanent resident of the Lake Chapala area for more than 50 years. She is well-known as chief local correspondent for The Guadalajara Reporter.

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Learning Love
Greg Kemp - November 3, 2024

Is it possible to learn to love? Certainly important to ourselves, our community, and our world.
I will outline the 5 levels of love; the Spectrum of Love and its opposites; read mystical poetry from Rumi and Hafiz; discuss falling in love, heartbreak, and grief; yearning for an unknown better; and the practical application of love in the world.

I have resided in Ajijic with my wife, Alicia, since November of 2023 and before that we lived in the central highlands of Guatemala for 13 years. We co-founded Project Somos (www.projectsomos.org) It was a project that responded to the question, “what would Love do?” to assist indigenous children and families living in dire poverty.
In my youth, I was trained in Kundalini Yoga, became a Mevlevi Dervish (whirling dervish), and later a pastor of the Essentialist Church of Christ. I have been an active student of Love for most of my life. My only religion is Love.

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