Bringing Healing to the Spirit of a Land and Its Peoples
Established in 1995, The Cedar Tree Institute is a nonprofit organization providing services and initiating projects in the areas of mental health, interfaith collaboration, and the environment. Based in Northern Michigan, it offers mental health services on an individual basis, works with faith communities and environmental groups, and is involved in ongoing partnerships with the US Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Forest Service, and five American Indian tribes.
Mental Health
Interfaith Collaboration
Environment
Recent News
What we've been up to lately
Spirit of Place 2024: Experiences of Engaged Spirituality
Spirit of Place 2024 Experiences of Engaged Spirituality We are offering two retreats this year as part of our ongoing series “Spirit of Place.” The first retreat, set in Michigan, focuses on the critical role of...
Fall 2024 Equinox Newsletter
As far as music goes, there are special moments, I think most would agree, that have shaped each of us in unforgettable ways. In my case, there was a joy-filled accordion player during my youth. On...
Fall Tai Chi Schedule 2024
WEEKLY TAI CHI PRACTICE With Jon & Diana Magnuson, Instructors During Autumn, Winter, and Spring months (September – May) The Cedar Tree Institute offers Tai Chi classes EACH WEDNESDAY from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. $10 per...
The Gift of Water: Music & Reading Encore
Monday, July 8, 2024, 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. in the Community Room of the Peter White Public Library In celebration of Lake Appreciation Month, PWPL hosts a special evening of music and words highlighting water conservation and...
Spring 2024 Equinox Newsletter
I’m sitting in the office of a 45-year-old police officer. We’re in a modest brick building a few hundred yards up a ridge overlooking the harbor of a small fishing town in Alaska. I’m curious how...
Troubled Waters: Health and Hope
The Cedar Tree Institute Presents AN EVENING WITH THE INTERFAITH WATER STEWARDS Thursday Evening, April 18, 7-8:30 pmMessiah Lutheran Church: 305 W Magnetic St., Marquette Michigan Introducing a two-year initiative to help protect and ensure good...
Tai Chi Sword
Unity yoga co-op and Cedar Tree institute Present: TAI CHI SWORD A Mind / Body Contemplative Practice A concentrated, focused instruction of the Tai Chi Yang Saber Form. Based on a lyrical 13-line Chinese poem, this...
Newsletter
Ecotone and Equinox Newsletters
Fall 2024 Equinox Newsletter
As far as music goes, there are special moments, I think most would agree, that have shaped each of us in unforgettable ways. In my case, there was a joy-filled accordion player during my youth. On the North Shore of Minnesota, a sixty-year-old family friend made the world dance for me during summer nights as our family gathered at his family’s log cabin which he’d built with his own hands. Then there was a particular solo, sung during a wedding in Seattle, based on a folk tune from Appalachia. You could hear a pin drop in that sanctuary because...
Spring 2024 Equinox Newsletter
I’m sitting in the office of a 45-year-old police officer. We’re in a modest brick building a few hundred yards up a ridge overlooking the harbor of a small fishing town in Alaska. I’m curious how he sees the human heart. What he’s learned from over 20 years working in this one-time booming salmon fishing community known as the Gateway to the Inland Passage. He tells me the homeless population soared here in recent years, as it has across most cities and towns in North America. He mentions the increase in crystal meth use, the influx of illegal drugs...
Winter 2024 Ecotone Newsletter
We are part of sacred work of which we may never see the ending. -Oscar Romero, Bishop of El Salvador.Outspoken advocate for the poor. Assassinated 1980. I have a friend who lives on the Pacific Coast of Washington State. For over forty years he’s worked in various capacities as a non-Native with a small, vibrant Native American tribe, most significantly as part of their Treaty Protection Task Force. He’s engaging and intense, skilled in navigating the complexities of cross-cultural interactions. One early morning along a rocky shoreline trail on Puget Sound, I remember him emerging from the cold waters...
Fall 2023 Equinox Newsletter
A small group of us gather in a circle in the lobby of an old historic Inn on the edge of the Huron Mountains here in Northern Michigan. Among us are three social workers, a retired physician, a writer, a nurse, a retired firefighter, four clergy. We’re exploring our various experiences of being personally lost over the years. Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually. There’s plenty to talk about. As our point of reference, we’re using the insights of Lawrence Gonzales. In 1989 he published “Deep Survival.” The author was fascinated by why some individuals find their way out after being lost...
Spring 2023 Equinox Newsletter
Recently, a respected, beloved musician in our community invited me over for a visit to her home. She graciously gave permission to share a portion of our conversation with readers of this newsletter. That particular afternoon, she, her husband, and I sat in the living room of their modest home not far from the shores of Lake Superior. A few steps away was the entry to her music studio where, over the years, she taught students lessons on a beautiful grand piano. It’s a cherished piece of craftsmanship; one upon which she’s practiced classical music from Bach, Beethoven, and...
Winter 2023 Ecotone Newsletter
I’m a bit behind in preparing for the winter that’s now descended upon us. I should have known better. A 17 ft. kayak with a broken rudder is still outside on the trailer. It needs, among other things like bags of soil and large garden pots, to be carried inside and placed in their proper spots in our yet-to-be-cleaned-out basement. There’s tending to be done. One of my friends works as a janitor in a local nursing home. Tending. Not just facilities and things, but also the subtle needs of residents who now call that place home. Bob is...
Spirituality and Environment
Articles on Spirituality and the Environment by the Institute Director along with occasional guest writers.
Blessing Mother Earth, Father Sky
Earth Day was established in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson. Part of a global response to a massive...
The Power of Promise
Easter 2023 I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and...
Eagles, Prayers, Promises
*This article was written by Jon Magnuson, and published in the Mining Journal July, 2022. Eagles, Prayers, Promises...
A Promise
*This article was written by Jon Magnuson, and published in the Marquette Monthly January, 2022. DURING TIME OF...
In adapting to climate change, technology will not save us
*This article was written by Jon Magnuson, and published in EarthBeat October, 2021, by the National Catholic Reporter....
Old Tradition, New Season
*This article was written by Jon Magnuson, and published in the Lake Superior Magazine April / May, 2021....