Wholehearted Vision was created to assist people as they age and mature by providing workshops that enable participants to prepare for their older years as a time of increased meaning, purpose, passion and fulfilment of their unique potential. The workshop environment is a safe, non-judgemental forum in which each person’s story has a voice and the collective wisdom of the group is gathered and shared.
The workshops focus on inviting shifts in consciousness away from limitation, isolation, lack and fear and toward inclusiveness, expansiveness, connection and compassion. These shifts lead to more effective coping, greater resilience, fulfilment and joy.
Mary Jane Verniere is a New York born artist based in Watsonville, California. She creates both sculpture and functional metal work. Her affiliation with the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) began in 1990 and she became a Certified Facilitator of the IONS Conscious Aging Program in 2015.
Mary Jane brings a deep commitment to life-long learning to this work. From a young age she had a keen interest in the complexity and richness of the natural world, alongside a drive to engage deeply with life in meaningful and enriching ways. This has led her to develop an unusual balance between her intellectual interests and her love of craft, which has led her to becoming an accomplished blacksmith, beekeeper, organic producer and cook.
Mary Jane was the proprietor of Residential Appraisal Services in Southern California for 15 years before moving to the Dingle Peninsula, Ireland in 2000 to pursue her desire to work as a full-time artist and to live at a different rhythm. Over a period of 18 years in Ireland and now back in California, alongside her metal work, Mary Jane has continued to develop an increasingly rich contemplative life, through a committed practice of mindfulness meditation, yoga, reflective journaling and personal inquiry. As a result, her motivations and inspiration for making artwork have evolved from a more personal perspective outwards toward a more communally relevant perspective. She has been seeking a way to be of more profound service while engaging with social issues in ways that inform her artwork. Offering the Conscious Aging Program is an expression of this wish to support others to engage deeply with those elements that will bring substance, satisfaction and peace to their lives, realigning the unique expressions that are possible for each of us.
In her own words: “I am part of the largest generation yet that is aging all at once. And this generation has valuable contributions to make. The world needs our skills, fortitude, vision and courage. Some of us feel a call to share those gifts as we age. Others have already given much of their lives in service and are now focussed on enjoying life with greater peace and happiness. Through facilitating this program it is my intention to support others in discovering greater meaning, purpose, hope and engagement with their own deepest intentions at the same time we are all enriched through the shared experience.”